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Community in Mourning
Part of that togetherness was expressed during an on-campus prayer vigil Friday night. Approximately 300 students, faculty, staff and Bluffton residents attended. They lit candles, prayed and filled the gym of Founders Hall with somber silence as they grieved the loss of their own together as a community.
Most members of the Beaver baseball team were on board a charter bus traveling to Florida when it crashed in Atlanta Friday, killing six and injuring 29. Coping with the tragedy on this small faith-based campus was especially difficult due to a lack of information early in the day. For many hours, students simply did not know who was killed, who was injured and who was safe.
During a 4 p.m. press conference, it was announced that bus driver Jerry Niemeyer and his wife, Jean, of Columbus Grove had died. The four baseball players who had passed away were Scott Harmon of Elida, Tyler Williams of Lima, David Betts of Bryan and Cody Holt of Arcanum. Seven athletes remain in either serious or critical condition at Atlanta hospitals.
Student Kristen Shelly of Rochester, New York said the student body has entered a period of mourning.
“It has been a really tough day. We’re still in shock but when we heard the names at the 4 p.m. press conference, it started to sink in. Now we’re in a period of mourning,” she said.
Director of Alumni, Parents and Church Relations Joyce Schumacher said campus staff members are grieving along with students.
“We are all grieving; the whole community. We’re coming together but we’re still in shock. This is really difficult, but this is a faith community,” she said.
Faith is something Shelly says is not just something to lean on in a time of crisis.
“Faith isn’t just something to comfort you in hard times; it should be with you every day but it does provide a context for dealing with tragedies like this,” she said.
Bluffton Police Sgt. Matt Oglesbe is from Columbus Grove and knows the Niemeyer family.
“I know the driver and his wife because they’re personal friends of my family. This is going to be tough sleddin’ for a while but I know the Columbus Grove community and they will rally around the Niemeyer Family to give them support,” he said
He also says county-wide support was felt throughout the day.
“Everybody has come together wonderfully. The support in Allen County has been great,” he said.
One student, whose roommate survived the crash, summarized the mood on campus early Friday as students anxiously waited for any news from Atlanta.
“I’m in shock. It’s really hard to take right now because we don’t know a lot. My roommate, Matt Perkins, was on the bus,” said student Joel Sienicki.
The Goshen, Ind., native indicated their was a lot of support on campus from area professionals.
“We’ve gotten a lot of support from pastors and counselors who have come here today to help students deal with this,” he said.
Harder referred to the 1,150-student campus as a tight-knit community where the baseball players are known on a first-name basis.
The university opened its heart and its gymnasium to receive the support of village residents at a 10 a.m. prayer meeting shortly after news of the crash had set in.
“An hour ago in this auditorium, a gathering together of the Bluffton community occurred. Every seat was filled as students, faculty, staff, friends, community members, alumni and area pastors and well-wishers gathered together to reflect on what happened,” Harder said.
He left for Atlanta shortly after making those statements.
With spring break now underway, all student trips have been canceled so all can be near one another for support. The softball team was also scheduled to compete in Florida but Friday afternoon’s departure was canceled.
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