Maggie Blackmon was a close friend and teammate to all of us. To those who truly knew Maggie, her sass and charisma were unmatched. Maggie tended to come off shy and even a little rough around the edges, but she was a friend who loved deeply and fiercely. Her presence on campus will be missed most at the barn, where her horse Lucy, who Maggie loved more than anything, lives, reminding us every day of how much she cared about the horses and people on the team. We write this letter to express our love and remember Maggie in these difficult times.

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Dear Maggie,

You were taken from us much too soon, but we want to express all the things that we left unsaid—the laughs, the smiles, the love, and all the sass. You made such a difference in all our lives, even writing this right now, we are laughing at how you never let us get away with a snarky comment or a snide remark. You made us feel heard, but more importantly loved, you had an amazing ability to be present and listen even when the room was bustling around you. Your smile was contagious, and once you got going the whole room would light up. There were so many times we laughed until we cried; you brought out the quirks in all of us without judgement and shared your own. Always up for an adventure, late night walks to the barn to give Lucy a treat were a must. Your dedication to your horse was unmatched, and your love for the sport shown through in every ride, early morning and late night. 

You were not just a friend, at the end of the day you were family. You left a mark on all of our lives, bettering us as people, friends, and teammates. Although we never got to say goodbye, we are writing to say we love and miss you more than words can describe. 

Maggie, you taught me to never leave anyone behind, no matter the circumstances. A lesson I will never forget. – Clara

Maggie, as you led me around the ring during my second time ever being on a horse. How could I have known how much you would come to mean to me? You quickly became one of my closest friends on the team and greatest role models even after I was free of the lead rope. In practice I was often told to just follow you around the ring and imitate your style and poise as best I could. I owe a tremendous amount of my improvement as a rider and horse lover to your guidance and dedication. Moving forward, your horsemanship will continue to inspire me and I’ll do my best to make you proud. – Kayla 

I remember when you took us to your favorite spot on the golf course. It was late at night and a group of us bundled up in our brown riding jackets and followed you into the darkness. I am still not exactly sure where we ended up, but we stopped and spread our blankets down on a green. It was cold and wet, but we all cuddled together and looked up at the stars. The sky was so bright that night, and you told us that you came out here often to find some peace. For a little while we all giggled and chatted about different things, but we soon fell silent and just looked up at the stars. At that moment, for me, I knew that I was not just surrounded by my closest friends, but by my family. When we all got back up to leave my butt was soaking wet, and I remember making a snarky comment and you telling me, “but wasn’t it worth it?” – Jillian 

Last semester, our team members bought out the school’s supply of Pub cookies to use as prizes at our show. What people don’t know is that Maggie reached out to the athletic director and was responsible for the mysterious delivery of over 50 cookies to the barn the day before the show when we didn’t think we’d have enough. Whenever I have a Pub cookie, I will think of you, Maggie. Thank you for being an incredible friend and dedicated teammate. We’ll take care of Lucy for you. – Natalie 

The one thing I keep coming back to in my mind is your smile. You smiled so easily. It was always a big smile that reached your eyes, and I have vivid memories of you and that smile that will now live forever in my mind. In particular whenever we spoke about Lucy, your face would light up automatically, every time. 

I wish I could hug you one more time, and express to you all the feelings we are overwhelmed by; how much you are loved, and how you touched our lives even in ways we did not realize. My life is forever better having known you. And whenever I think about how I cannot hug you one last time, I will go and hug Lucy. Thank you for everything -Jessica 

During these past few days all of the memories we had together have come flooding into my mind, there are so many it is hard to even know where to begin. There is not one singular memory that truly could encompass the laughs and love you gave me. 

It was a day at the river this year when we somehow ended up stranded on the other side watching our raft float away from us. Cold and not really wanting to swim you just looked at me with that classic Maggie smile on your face and simply said “well this sucks.” We then continued to jump in not realizing all the sharp rocks and how shallow the water was. Laughing our heads off that we could possibly be so stupid you grabbed a piece of drift wood and continued to tell me to get on and tried to swim us to the other side. After many pit stops, and finally on the other side of the bank, we just looked at each other, scrapes all over our legs, and burst out laughing so hard we started to cry. Your laugh was contagious and the smile on your face was priceless.  -Julia 

Maggie has redefined what “best friend” means to me. I used to only picture best friends as people who went everywhere together, shared every hobby, and shared a reputation: “each other’s halves.” Maggie and I didn’t necessarily share any of our hobbies, and our friendship didn’t have to exist on the terms of what people knew about us. She was my rock. When we were in our room together, we were wholly comfortable with each other, talking about any topic. Random and weird jokes, fake arguments we would end on the floor laughing about, venting about school, athletics, or people — we somehow always managed to say the right things to each other. She was hilarious, wise beyond her years, and brought me back to reality when I was overthinking. She even helped me dress myself by giving her honest opinion, as silly as that sounds. I have already missed her beyond words, and she has changed me to be so much better as a person in our three short years of friendship. Her memories will last my lifetime, and I will always find myself thinking, “Maggie, what would you say?” -Anna 

I met Maggie during the first few weeks of freshman year. We awkwardly sat on the bench outside of our indoor arena before our very first lesson, waiting for a tour of the barn. We fidgeted for a couple minutes before Maggie looked up and asked me if I was in her lesson. At the time, I didn’t realize that would be the last time I would sit awkwardly with her. We would go on to turn from acquaintances into teammates and best friends. We had many lessons together from that point on and I will always cherish those. She not only challenged me to be a better rider and horseman in the barn, but also a better person on campus. Rest easy Maggie, you will be truly missed.  -Megan 

Elissa Baldwin ’20, Jillian Campbell ’20, Marley Jordan ‘20, Allison Bauer ’22, Anna Dieffenbach ’21, Clara Mugnai ‘22, Julia Bronson ’21, Megan Grady ’21, Natalie Nordyke ‘22, Kayla Burns ’21, Emily Green ’21, Jessica Soukup ‘21

We, along with our fellow teammates and coaches will carry you in our hearts forever.

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*The following are published from the University Website: https://www.stlawu.edu/president/memories-margaret-maggie-blackmon-21 

Maggie was a much loved member of our FYP. Smart and thoughtful, she brought energy and insight to every class session. More importantly, she was a friend to her classmates, and valued, respected, and loved by all of us. Perhaps our best memory of Maggie was in our Sherlock Holmes-game-a-thon, where teams of students worked together to solve a series of puzzles. Maggie came alive, excitedly and hurriedly leading her team through the puzzles (and, if our memories serve, to a well-won victory). Among memories of her, from telling us stories about her love of riding at a FYP dinner at our house, to a hilarious contribution to a ‘bad email assignment,’ it is her good humor, energy, and kindness that stand out to us. She is, and will be, missed dearly. – Jeff Maynes and Tina Tao

It was the second Kubrick class of this semester, which began with a discussion of Paul Schrader’s film, FIRST REFORMED. Students responded, mostly positively, to the movie, and then Maggie suggested that parts of the film were heavy-handed, hitting the viewer over the head with SIGNIFICANCE. I admired her honesty, going against the general tide of our conversation, and I very much looked forward to her interpretations of which elements in Stanley Kubrick films are overplayed, and which elements are too subtly drawn. I am terribly sorry that that discussion must go on without her. The Kubrick class and I are desolated at the loss of Maggie Blackmon. – Peter Bailey, Professor Emeritus of English and Film Studies

Maggie and I took “Anthropology of the Body” together last semester. She sat behind me, always with a smile and eager attitude. I wasn’t extremely close to her, but she always lent me an open ear whenever I needed to vent. She always laughed at my stupid jokes and offered up such intelligent insight. I remember listening to her semester presentation and just thinking about how smart and confident she was. Maggie was a beautiful human with an even more beautiful mind. The anthropology world just lost an invaluable anthropologist. Keep smiling, my dear. You are terribly missed.

 – Cheyenne McQuain ‘20

Maggie not only touched the lives of the St. Lawrence University community, but lives of members of the Canton community as well. I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Maggie at the barn. I enjoyed watching Maggie work with her young horse Lucy. It takes an accomplished, kind, compassionate, confident person to bring along a young horse and do it well. I could see Maggie’s skill and dedication to her horse and her riding. Maggie was always willing to engage in a true conversation with me, even though I am more her parents’ age than hers. I will miss her bright smiling face at the barn. – Mary Beth Burnham

I had the honor of getting to know Maggie over the course of her first year at St. Lawrence as her CA. Watching her navigate college life and all the ups and downs that go with it, Maggie was a resident who was instantly trusting and forthcoming with me, who was never afraid to ask for help, and who became a strong presence in our community. We had plenty of late night beanbag chats and even more hallway hangout sessions with her and the rest of her FYP, Holmes College. It’s hard to pick a favorite memory of Maggie, but all of my interactions with her from that year and beyond solidified the fact that she was a force of nature whose passions (for riding, her friends, and her coursework) had shaped her to become the incredible woman we knew her to be. Her kindness and trust made my job easy, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have gotten to know her. I will miss Maggie’s wit, smile, and resilience. I’ll miss our gossip sessions and in later years, run ins at the student center. We will all miss her energy and light as we try to make sense of her passing. My thoughts are with her parents, family, riding teammates, and friends, especially those in the FYP who were close with her. You are and will be so terribly missed. Rest easy, love <3. – Alex Whalen ‘20