Service remembers students

Last night, Pitt held a memorial service at Heinz Chapel for six students who died this past… Last night, Pitt held a memorial service at Heinz Chapel for six students who died this past year.

Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, vice provost and dean of students Kathy Humphrey, family members and friends spoke to the memory of Thomas Bird, Gregory Grabowski, Anna Hall, Jim Miller, Sam Reed and Edward Shestak.

“Tonight we are celebrating the lives and honoring the memory of six of our students that left us far too soon,” Nordenberg said.

Noting that the University has experienced an unusually large number of student deaths in the past year, the chancellor said: “This is a time that mere words cannot begin to express our feelings.”

Humphrey spoke on behalf of Bird, Grabowski and Shestak, whose families could not attend the service.

As six candles were lit – one for each deceased student – Humphrey said, “Never let us forget how they touched our lives.”

Pitt’s a capella choir, Sounds of Pleasure, performed before family and friends eulogized about their lost loved ones.

Mehdi Hedjazi, Hall’s former boyfriend, spoke about her positive attitude and optimistic outlook on the future. He characterized her as a person who always put others first.

“I’ve never met a person who was nicer or more caring than Anna,” he said. “She was just a beautiful person.”

Rob Stupp, one of Miller’s fraternity brothers at Kappa Sigma, spoke about his friend, saying that his “unorthodox fashion style” and his love for people – especially children – made him fun to be around.

Miller’s father spoke about his son’s love of Pitt and its city and how Jim, who he described as “witty, creative and humorous,” made many lifelong friends at the University.

“When you lose a child, there is no word in the dictionary to describe it,” Miller said.

The parents of Sam Reed, who died on Sept. 1, both stood up to speak about their son. They listed his interests – from running to music and movies – calling their son an individual.

“He had an infectious smile and an imagination and sense of humor that wouldn’t quit,” Kurt Reed, Sam’s father, said.

Sam was an idealist when it came to a plethora of issues, spanning from saving the rainforest to social injustice within our country.

“I had so much more to teach Sam and he had so much more to teach me,” Reed said.