A group of students gathered in the Dorrill Dining Hall Nance Room last Wednesday for a special event to share the thoughts of a fallen friend. Rising junior pre-business major Chad Haynes lost his life in an Aug. 17 single-car accident in Prince William County.
Many of the students in attendance were brothers of Phi Kappa Tau (PKT) fraternity. While Haynes was never a member of the fraternity, he often came to service projects and helped the brothers out whenever possible.
PKT President Peter Mancuso opened the service with a couple remarks, first thanking all those who came out to celebrate the life of Haynes. He also thanked associate dean of students and executive director for Residential & Commuter Life Larry Robertson who helped with the service's organization.
Special Assistant to President Finnegan, Dr. WayneMcWee, explained how Chad connects to him personally in two ways. First, Haynes was a friend of PKT, the fraternity McWee helped found at Longwood. Second, he was a member of the United Methodist Church McWee attends as well.
McWee read a passage from chapter three of the biblical book Ecclesiastes. The scripture reads, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens, a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend."
This passage summed up what McWee's point was and what life brings people. He said the passage also helps people deal with the news of the loss. "I've always found it a little bit hard to reconcile with the death of a young life."
Wednesday's gathering was the second time the brothers of PKT have gathered to weep and to mourn. McWee spoke of how important it is to have a group of people come together that share the same characteristic of remembering a life lost so dear to them. He said the fraternity acts as a sort of support group. "This provides us with a sense of brotherhood … and a sense of belonging."
"Today is a time to tear, but I'm hopeful in the days ahead you find a time to laugh and tell stories that remind us of Chad," McWee concluded shortly before recalling a prayer.
Mancuso showed a slideshow of photographs from Haynes' life. They included special moments from his childhood, high school graduation, and as recent as just last semester. The pictures were of Haynes with friends doing the things he loved, such as golfing.
Numerous brothers of the fraternity stood up from their seats to share stories of their lost friend. Senior Jack Bergsman described how, even though not an official brother of PKT, Haynes would often stop by the house and help with the cleaning. Bergsman said he was always available to help others no matter what needed to be done. "It just shows he put everyone else before him."
