No one could have seen it coming.
I was at the Ignatian Residential College retreat in the Catskill Mountains when I found out that Kristen Duhamel ’10 had passed away.
Fr. Jim Mayzik took it upon himself to tell everyone, and as he normally does whenever he becomes serious, the priest remained solemn while informing us of her death.
Among the details of the accident, Mayzik told us the retreat would be cut short, as this was simply something too big to ignore, even if it was just for a few hours.
After he made his announcement, Mayzik was no longer standing in front of the same student body that he had been only a couple of minutes beforehand.
Now, it was just a hodge-podge of shock and emotion.
Within that jumble were people who didn’t even know Kristen but who were still blown away by the fact that one of their ranks could have their life snuffed out like a match.
There were also people like me who didn’t know her but were worried about those who did, for they had it the worst. Looking at them was like looking at a little kid who was lost and scared.
The Ignatian Residential College group left the mountains behind on that day, knowing where they were going but not really knowing what came next.
This is being written to urge that something does come.
Friends, I write to you to ask that you not forget or ignore the person who was Kristen Duhamel.
Regardless of whether or not you knew her, she is missed in this community and what we do in her memory will not only be what restores tranquility to this campus, but will also determine how we speak to Kristen’s character.
I’ve been around death long enough to know that the phoenix can rise from the ashes, albeit in the figurative sense.
I have seen the strong spirit of this school many times before, be it in the form of memorials for things that happened in distant places or community service for people that no one knew. I would like to see this spirit again for the girl that some knew and others didn’t.
For now, you can grieve if you want to, and there’s nothing wrong with it. We can move on after everyone is ready, but after that, when the time is right, we will have to go forward. But we will not leave Kristen’s memory behind.
Instead we will take the qualities and kind words that are now so often spoken of her and incorporate them into our own characters.
When someone like Kristen passes away, everyone learns a little something new.
Kristen was a nursing major and a member of the Fairfield University Emergency Rescue Team.
She liked to help people, but she can’t anymore. My understanding is that this means that the rest of us need to step up to the plate for her.
Just don’t forget Kristen Duhamel.
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