WTAMU took a major blow this week upon the news of the death of 21-year old student, Shelbi McClure. In honor of her memory, a vigil was held on Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. 

The Chi Omega sorority and the WT cheerleading squad were in attendance, both of which McClure was a member. There was representation from every fraternity and sorority on campus as well as faculty and the student body. The vigil was held in front of the Buffalo Fountain on the Pedestrian Mall.

Candles were passed out to anyone who wanted one, and tea lights were lit around the perimeter of the mall. Students had been working to set up the sound system, stage, and slide show.

Student Body President Nick Goettsche opened the ceremony.

“I’d like to thank everybody for coming out tonight, this is truly amazing looking out at the sea of people,” he said to the crowd. “I would especially like to thank everybody who helped put this event together. It was an extremely long day but your work paid off, this is beautiful. Tonight, we are honoring the memory of Shelbi McClure. Please remember all the good moments you’ve had with her, all the great times, this is to honor her life.”

Buddy Young of the Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) on campus led everyone in prayer and introduced two girls that were close to McClure. Allison Ashby, a fellow cheerleader spoke first.

“I just want to thank all of you guys for being here and she’s looking down on all of you and she’s thanking you guys for being here,” Ashby said. “She knows how much each and every one of you guys cared for her. You’ve just got to remember that you know the good times we shared with Shelbi, you can look at some of these pictures and just realize how happy she was, she was a happy girl and she, I mean, and she was so full of life.”

She ended her tribute by asking everyone to follow her lead in telling McClure “I love you.”

Following the echoing “I love you,” Krista Carver of Chi Omega spoke. She said,

“The members of Chi-Omega knew Shelbi as a fun, outgoing, caring, beautiful girl who had a smile that could dazzle anybody and light up the room when she walked in,” Carver said. “We’re suffering an extreme loss with Shelbi and I know that she would be extremely touched and grateful that every single one of you are here tonight to honor her memory. To keep it short and sweet, I just wanted to say ‘thank you’ from the very, very, bottom of all Chi Omega’s hearts, thank you so much for being here tonight with us to celebrate the life of Shelbi.”

After the girls spoke, Young recounted his experiences with McClure, and spoke of her love for freezer pops. He closed with prayer and “Here I Am to Worship” played as candles were lit around the Pedestrian Mall.

Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced for McClure. There will be a moment of silence held in her honor at the football game against Tarleton State on Saturday. If you recently lost a loved one, ceremonies, such as Asian funerals, are the final way to pay your respects and say goodbye to them.