On Sunday, the St. Lawrence community gathered in the Gunnison Memorial Chapel to recognize the one year anniversary of the death of Luke Harvey ’18. In attendance were sisters of the Kappa Delta Sigma sorority, brothers of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, members of the Geology Department and many more.

Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Kimberly Flint-Hamilton, began the service by informing students of several methods for coping with grief over time. Such strategies include focusing on self-care, turning to friends and family members and reminding yourself that what you are feeling is totally normal. Ms. Flint-Hamilton also reminded students of the multiple resources across campus that are available to any students who might be struggling during this difficult time.

Several students additionally read works of poetry, while others shared memories of their past experiences with Luke. “It was really great to see the amount of support at Luke’s service this past Sunday,” said Liam Blake ’19, who spoke alongside Kyle Gorman ’20 as they reflected on the bond they had shared with Luke as both geology students and brothers of ATO. “What was really special was that the event was centered around moving forward while still remembering and honoring loved ones that we have lost.”

After the service concluded, everyone gathered outside the chapel to release floating, illuminated lanterns into the night sky. While this initially seemed like a nice idea, the heavy snow and windy conditions caused several of the ignited lanterns to fall back down towards the crowd. One lantern even got caught in a nearby tree, striking fear that all of campus was about to burn down. A couple of students tried to knock the lantern out of the tree by throwing snowballs at it.

This caused some unsettling, yet amusing commotion that seemed to lift the spirits of all who were in attendance. It was as if the mentality of the service had shifted from heartache and grief, to feelings of liveliness and high energy. Amidst the chaos, one of my friends Spencer Rundquist ’19 turned to me and said, “Luke would have totally found this funny. He would’ve been laughing here with us.”

After a few moments of struggle, the sky was eventually filled with dozens of glowing lanterns. It was a wholesome ending to the night as we all looked up into the sky, thinking of Luke and remembering the precious memories we are all so fortunate to have with him.

Luke Harvey was a beloved KDS houseboy, a heavily respected brother of ATO, an exemplary Geology scholar, a Community Assistant and so much more. But when it comes down to it, his involvement throughout campus is an understatement of the positivity and love that he spread throughout the St. Lawrence community.

I personally wish I had had more time to get to know Luke, but he has impacted and continues to impact my life in so many ways. I’ll never forget the enthusiasm with which he greeted me at the Hoot the first night I was back from my semester abroad, or how clear the sky was on the day of his passing.

Luke set an example by living life with a smile and living life to the fullest. The least we can do is embody his persona as we navigate through life’s various hurdles and challenges. Live Like Luke.