On January 21, members of the Hamilton community gathered in the Chapel for a memorial service to remember the thousands of people from around the world who were killed in last month's tsunami.
President Joan Hinde Stewart offered opening remarks at the memorial service. She recalled learning about the 1755 Lisbon disaster as a child, and tried to "come to grips with the disaster." Stewart went on to say that the tsunami, although horrible, provided the whole world with a reminder of how frail human life is, and how we should all learn to cherish it.
Chaplain Jeff McArn also offered words of comfort. He thanked the community members in attendance for making time to remember the victims of the tsunami and all those affected by it. "The last time our community gathered in the manner," McArn recalled, "was following September 11." He said he hoped that in gathering together, attendees would be reminded that "we are all in this together." McArn also hoped that the memorial service would serve as the spiritual beginning in thinking about the tragedy.
Students from different religious organizations offered prayers in both Arab and Hebrew to remember the victims. Yubo Lu offered a prayer through music by playing his violin. Professor of Anthropology Doug Raybeck discussed the long-term political, economic and social repercussions of the disaster. Tom Phelan, husband of Associate Professor of Communication Catherine Phelan, offered his professional take on the disaster. As a member of the IBM Crisis Response Team, Phelan informed the community what was going on "on the ground" in Indonesia.
Following the service, there was a brief discussion regarding the events of the tsunami as recalled by student Freddie Dias '05, who was at home in Sri Lanka when the disaster hit.
The memorial service was sponsored by the Hamilton College Chaplaincy.
-- by Emily Lemanczyk '05
