Today@Sam Article
Raven's Call to Honor Late Bearkats
April 11, 2023
SHSU Media Contact: Campbell Atkins
Sam Houston State University will commemorate the lives of students, faculty, staff and alumni who have passed away between March 1, 2022 and Jan. 31 with the annual Raven’s Call ceremony. The tradition of honoring those gone but not forgotten Bearkats will continue Friday at noon beneath the Ron and Ruth Blatchley Bell Tower.
The event is hosted by the Orange Keys, whose member students serve as official ambassadors at formal SHSU functions. The Dean of Students’ Office is also actively involved in the planning.
“I think this is the most important ceremony we do here at Sam Houston,” said Jarrett Thompson, president of the Orange Keys. “It is an honor to me and the Orange Keys to be able to have such a huge impact on the ceremony. It is nice just to show these families that have lost their loved ones that, even though they are gone, they are still family here.”
Families of all deceased Bearkats are invited to attend a reception in the Peabody Memorial Library prior to the main event. At noon, the families will walk from Peabody to the bell tower to begin the ceremony.
“Everyone is an important part of this community, even those who have moved on,” Thompson said.
Members of the Orange Keys broke into three committees while planning the event, a process that began in January. The marketing and public relations committee focused on developing flyers and social media posts in preparation for the event while the logistics committee will handle the setup and layout of the ceremony itself. A reception and music committee devoted itself to organizing the Peabody event prior to the main ceremony.
The event’s speakers will include Thompson, President Alisa White, Dean of Students Chelsea Smith and Mateo Seghezzo, vice president of programming for the Orange Keys.
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