Memorial event held on West Quad commemorated members of the Brooklyn College community.

On April 14, the Brooklyn College community led by President Michelle J. Anderson came together to commemorate some of the college’s family who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Anderson opened the event with Vice President of Student Affairs Ron Jackson.

Saying that the pandemic robbed the community of loved ones and the opportunity to say goodbye, Anderson spoke to the eternal sadness many are facing, and the importance of the ceremony and coming together again.

“Our campus was one of the first across the country to lose people to COVID-19. And now, almost everyone knows someone who has died due to the virus,” Anderson said.

Reading the names of the nine from the campus who were among those honored, Anderson pointed out that they ranged in ages from 31 to 81, and that we will never forget all of their contributions.

Those recognized were Moshe Augenstein, Kenneth Axen, Mark Blum, Peter Brancazio, Jay Jankelwicz, Juliet Manragh, James Pletcher, Paul Shelden, and Aaron Tenenbaum.

The moving memorial included personal remembrances of faculty and staff offered by friends, colleagues, or family members. The event also included a performance of George Frideric Handel’s “Lascia Ch’io Pianga” by the brass ensemble of Ryan Martin, Steven Alesso, and Justin Laurenceau from the Conservatory of Music, and a poem, “Covidium Sestina,” written and read by Monique Ngozi Nri, a 2021 graduate of the college’s M.F.A. in poetry program, and a current employee.

The event closed with a ceremony centered on a recently planted tree that will serve as a permanent reminder of the incredible contributions of those who have passed, both on and off the campus.

Members of the Brooklyn College family who helped organize the event included Vice President for Student Affairs Ron Jackson, Zunera Ahmed; USG members Jana Taoube, Sadiya Houqe, and Ryan Fratello; and Tim Shortell, Ellen Tremper, Tony Thomas, Randall Clarke, and Jesús Pérez. The multi-camera livestream was provided by students from the Department of Television, Radio & Emerging Media (TREM) in the School of School of Visual, Media and Performing Arts.

To read more about some of the Brooklyn College faculty and staff who were honored, and leave your own message, visit the Brooklyn College COVID-19 In Memoriam Page.