Message from Interim President Jill Harsin

A candlelight vigil for Ryan Adams ’19 and Cathryn (Carey) Depuy ’19. Photo by Gerard Gaskin

Those who study the liberal arts, particularly those at Colgate, know that the classroom is not the sole location of learning. Lessons can be found anywhere. Our homecoming weekend in September reinforced that truth in a way that we will not soon forget.

The weekend began on a high note when keynote speaker Adonal Foyle ’98 spoke of the effort and self-awareness that go into a life well lived. Alumni and students networked, and President-elect Brian Casey arrived for his first official campus visit. In his own genuine, exuberant way, Brian reminded us all that our work is joyous. We have the good fortune to live, labor, and learn as a creative family in an environment that most people only see on postcards.

Around the pep-rally bonfire on Whitnall Field, we anticipated what we hoped would be a series of athletic victories. Saturday’s tailgate was a picture of Colgate spirit, but the various final scores elicited both the elation of winning and the frustration of losing.

Then, shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, as alumni headed home and students returned to their coursework, tragedy struck our community when two first-year students, Ryan Adams and Cathryn (Carey) Depuy, died in a plane crash outside of Morrisville, N.Y.

We gathered in front of Memorial Chapel for a candlelight vigil on Monday evening. Our hearts went out to Ryan’s and Carey’s families, whose grief is incomprehensible; to friends of Ryan and Carey both on campus and in their hometown of Ridgefield, Conn.; and to those other students from Ridgefield who are at Colgate.

Carey and Ryan were not here long, but they had already become important in their classes, on their teams, and among their new friends. Ryan’s Colgate connection was long established through his mother, Mary Lou Hanney ’82, and his uncle, Kevin Hanney ’84. And while many who held a candle that night did not know Ryan or Carey, they still felt grief. They might have wondered why.

As Mark Thompson, director of the counseling center, told those gathered, “We have experienced a tragedy, and the sadness leaves us in shock. All of the things we took for granted now seem up for grabs. We are in mourning, and there is no singular right way.” The Colgate chaplains and counseling staff have been invaluable guides, offering bereavement group sessions and establishing online resources for those dealing with the effects of grief and loss.

Carey and Ryan will always be a part of our community. Our lives are interconnected in many ways, and always will be. Some of the threads of that connection have been suddenly broken; some threads now will never be woven together. The shape of our community will be different from what it would have been with their living presence — still strong, still vital, but different, as we adjust to this loss. Those who knew Ryan and Carey have great gifts to share, and those gifts are their memories. I have asked them to share their memories when they feel that they can. I have encouraged our students to talk to each other, reach out for support, and to support others, because that simple human act of connection is essential for healing.

The sudden loss of someone so very young forces us all to confront our own mortality, and at the same time to cling fiercely to the precious gifts of life, friends, support, love, and all the joys — and sorrows — that make up a life.

We are a community of strong minds. We are also one of great hearts. We have been reminded of another set of salient truths as we try to accept the events that led us to this moment in our family history. We are strong together — those of us here now, those who came before us, those who will come after — and together we can once again find joy in our work, embrace the effort of life well lived, and get through any tragedy.