Ceremony honors Eternal Knights

More than 400 friends and family members of UCF students who have passed away during the last year gathered in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union Wednesday to pay tribute to these Eternal Knights.

Maribeth Ehasz, vice president for student development and enrollment services, welcomed attendees to the ceremony and expressed her sorrow, but said that the focus of the event was to remember the things the students contributed, both to the university and the community as a whole.

"We are here to unite as a community and remember that the university was a better place for the time they each shared with us," said Ehasz.

In their opening remarks, University President John C. Hitt and Student Body President Brian Peterson both expressed that, even in such a large community, every one of the 28 students will be missed.

"Although our campus is very large, UCF has a very special way of making every student feel like an integral part of this university," Peterson said. "UCF is a family and a community. We are all Knights. When one person or family experiences a loss, we all do."

During the Eulogy part of the ceremony, members of the President's Leadership Council carried yellow roses one at a time to the front of the room, where they were placed in vases, each representing one of the 28 Eternal Knights.

The Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, as well as several members of the UCF orchestra program, provided the songs for the "musical meditation" portions of the ceremony, as well as the music that played while guests entered and left the ballroom.

After the ceremony, the families of the Eternal Knights were invited to a special reception, where they were encouraged to share stories and remember their loved ones.

"Whether they were on campus for a semester or several years, they were a valuable part of the UCF community," Ehasz said.