Mix of Solemnity and Joy Mark University’s 21st Lighting of the Lawn
The scent of wood smoke from Lawn room fireplaces wafted in the air as a midnight blue sky welcomed hundreds of people to the University of Virginia’s iconic Lighting of the Lawn, made all the more affecting following the school’s recent tragedy.It was not quite freezing, but chilly enough that coats, mittens and hats were required attire.Each year, a collection of student-picked University leaders reads a holiday-themed poem. Usually boisterous, the tone was different at this year’s 21st annual event.
One by one, four people – including head football coach Tony Elliott – read a poem flecked with emotion and reflection following the Nov. 13 shooting deaths of football players Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry.Joining Elliott in reading the poem were Jeannine Lalonde, associate dean of admission; Julie Caruccio, assistant vice president for research on the student experience; and long-serving economics professor Ken Elzinga.“Three stars glow bright, above our heads tonight. Devin, Lavel and D’Sean, providing our light,” read Caruccio, who also serves as UVA’s mounted Cavalier, riding her steed, Sabre, into Scott Stadium before every home football game.“Let us remember them all in the light that we share, and fuel any dim ember into an energetic glare,” said Elliott, who stood with his co-readers on a stage in front of a darkened Rotunda. “This semester has given us hard realities to face. But we face them together and we do so with grace.”
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