The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 11, 2000, Page 3, Image 3
TOt (SaniEEOEk
Memorial
from page 1
their 50s, close the van’s doors, put on
their sport Jackets, and walk with Smith’s
family to the Horseshoe.
A Full Chapel
he little knot of people rarely ven
tures apart on its way to the chapel.
Smith’s mother, Bea, is there;
she has on a long, dark skirt and has pulled
back her hair, which is white with a streak
of iron gray. Smith’s father, Bruce Sr.,
wears a suit and a bow tie. Smith’s ele
mentary-school-age brother, Davis, stays
close to his college-age sister, Lydia, who
has a hospital ID bracelet fastened tight
ly above her elbow. Smith’s girlfriend,
Preston resident Elizabeth Catanese, wears
a long-sleeved white shirt, a short, plaid
skirt, white knee socks and black, strap
py, high-heeled sandals. The family takes
its seats in the ffontmost pews on the right,
and Elizabeth sits among friends in the
middle.
A long line trails in front of the chapel,
and the pews are full. The register holds
152 names under the column designat
ed for family and friends. Some are his
classmates,from Wilson High School in
Florence. Some knew Smith as a fellow
resident in Maxcy, the freshman Hon
ors College dorm. There are young women
in black dresses, young men in suits; there
are professors, and men and women who
look to be the age of Smith’s parents. One
twentyish guy wears a gray fedora, a black
sliirt, a tic and a long black skirl. Students,
some with bookbags still slung over their
shoulders, join the congregants.
In the front of the church, near the
register, are framed pictures of Smith. We
see his mugshot for the Preston “Face
book,” and an Olan-Mills-type family
portrait. We see Smith wearing a tux,
Smith at his prom, Smith with his little
brother, Smith standing outside a build
ing on Devine Street, Smith smiling mis
chievously as he wields a banana. Wfe hear
soft swells of oigan music. Patrick Pope,
another Preston resident, is upstairs play
ing Paul Manz’s “Jesus, Still Lead On,”
and “Let Us Ever Walk With Jesus.” He
improvises on these hymns, and as the
service begins, he plays the final bare of
Dan Locklair’s “The Peace May Be Ex
changed.”
‘We Never Know Who
We’ll Touch’
Robert Waites, pastor of Faith
Covenant Church in Florence, is
the first to speak.
“I want you to do something for me,”
Whites says, his voice echoing inside the
chapel. “I want you to stand and shake
the hand of the person next to you and
say, ‘I’m glad I’m sitting next to you to
day.’ We never know who we’ll touch,
or what that one touch will do.” Waites
says he knows Smith’s family from way
back, has seen Smith grow up. His speech
is punctuated by sniffles from the wit
nesses. Whites introduces the second speak
er, Smith’s father, Bruce King.
Bruce King steps behind a lectern
at the front of the chapel. “I wasn’t go
ing to preach today,” he says, “but I think
I can stand here if I have something to
hold on to.” He stops. Pauses. For a
long time. Apologizes to the congrega
tion for not being more composed. Fi
nally, he swallows a throatful of sorrow
and speaks.
“I know Smith meant a lot to you.
He meant a lot to us,” he says. Bruce King
recalls a Shakespearean quote. He picks
an apt source; as a scholar in the Duke
Talent Identification Program, Smith stud
ied Shakespeare for two summers. He de
scribes “the slings and arrows of outra
geous fortune,” and no one disagrees when
Bruce King says, “Smith caught one of
those arrows.”
Bruce King shares stories of how his
son, young and afflicted with allergies,
would hug him around his legs and snif
fle all over his pants. How Smith turned
up his nose to a prominent Southern school
because it lacked diversity. How doctors
didn’t know what malady took their son
away from them. How Smith King led a
good, but “regrettably short life.” And
Bruce King offered advice: “See a doc
tor if you ’re sick. If you have a fever, go
to the infirmary... practice good health.
Don’t let anything come between you
and your parents.”
‘He Knew How To Make
People Feel Special’
nd now, Smith’s college friends
stand to sltare their memories. The
stories call forth tears and hearty
laughter. Jessica Clary, clad all in black
and crowned by her fluorescent pink liair,
says “the special tiling about Smidi is that
he knew how to make people feel spe
cial.” Elizabeth, liis girlfriend, shares myr
iad tales: how they used to swap clothes,
how Smith picked her during a Maxcy
College version of “Singled Out,” how
he’d answer the phone with “Hey, Mom
ma.” Later, the attendees chuckle as some
one remembers how Elizabeth covered
the campus last year widi chalk messages:
Elizabeth Loves Smith. It took weeks
to wash away.
Former Maxcy dormmate Lauren
Ready describes Smith running through
the halls with Elizabeth on his back, and
Abby McKee describes how he’d wear
the occasional sarong. She smiles as she
- I
recounts the time site was grappling with
a stressful paper, and Smith strolled by in
a skirt, did a little tap dance for her, and
offered this wisdom: “Speak softly, and
carry a big stick.” Cristopher Kettrey
stands to offer a point of clarification, say
ing Smith never dressed in drug — he just
wore skirts for comfort, a comment that
induces a round of belly laughs.
Cristopher says Smith told him chug
ging Worcestershire sauce would heal liis
vocal cords before his final monologue
for acting class (an old choir trick, Smith
said). A man in a back pew says Smith’s
Christianity was strengthened after see
ing the film “Dogma,” and he reminds
the congregants that Christians don’t die,
they just cltange addresses. Lauren quotes
James Dickey: “Lord, let me die/ But not
die out.”
A friend shares how, though he’d
known him only a few hours, Smith once
invited liim to a Violent Femmes concert
in Myrtle Beach. Another describes how
a diapered, turbaned Smith blew away liis
friends with the world’s best Halloween
costume, one he called “5-Year-Old With
a Pituitary Disorder.”
Denise Levereaux, who lives in Pre
ston, describes how unprepared she was
to follow one of her best friends to the
emeigency room. She lums to Smith’s
parents and says, “I wanted to tell you
two that you did the most amazing job
raising him. I know parents are worried
about that.” Elizabeth asks to second that.
The Seeker
Smith’s professors slime memories,
too. Jerry Willulis, who taught Smith
last year and was to have him in a
class this year, says he has kept an emp
ty chair in his classroom to represent
Smith’s absence. A pltilosophy professor,
Wallulis describes Smith as a seeker, his
favorite kind of student to teach: “Seek
ers worry so much about coming up with
answers, we foiget what a wonderful tiling
rr- -
it is to seek.”
What a wonderful tiling it is to seek.
Pastor Robert Waites stands again, this
time to lead a prayer. He reriiinds tlx? gath
ering how important it is to live in such
a way that it improves the lives of oth
ers. He says how though the bells are
tolling on Earth, the angels are rejoicing
in heaven. “Smith is more alive today than
he has ever been,” the pastor says.
And as the students and teachers and
family and friends of Smith King leave
Rutledge Chapel and step into the sun,
they might realize that they’re more alive
than they have ever been, too. In the past
two hours, they’ve savored Smith’s spir
it, arid they’ve wept for loss of him.
They’ve gleaned an appreciation for
human relationships: how precious they
are, and how much we take tliem for grant
ed.
It is Friday, Sept. 8. The Frisbee game
is still going strong. Now, as they run hap
hazardly over red bricks, the players’ liap
piness is no longer a jarring contrast to
the mourners’ grief.
Inside the chapel’s white walls, peo
ple related adventures with Smith that
made them Laugh louder than they cried.
Outside the chapel’s wliite wills, people
walked home with good feelings to spare
about Smith’s life: though short, it was
rich, because all of them shared it.
Tliis is the celebration of a young man.
Smith
1 oday around 12:30 PM, our esteemed l'riend and
fellow resident, Br::r.e “Smith" King passed away.
We encourage you to come tonight, Thursday,
September 7th at 7:00 PM to the Junior Common
Room in Preston to talk about Smith and your
feelings.
Tomorrow-Friday, September 8th in Rutledge Chapel
A Memorial Service will 1* held beginning al 3:00 PM lit Rutledge
Cttapei (oil the it’sltoe, next to the President's House on lire left).
You are encouraged to bring your thoughts, memories and pictures
to share m tins gathering You are /Iso invited to come to the
Principal's lodge in Preston (Preston 113. off the iobhv-Firs!
Floor) after the sendee for refreshments and tdlmvshin. Details .of
other services wit! bo u\»ilabie at the memorial on Friday.
I
Dobson Volunteer Service Program
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
2000-2001 LOCAL SERVICE INTERNSHIP
NOW AVAILABLE
THE DOBSON VOLUNTEER SERVICE PROGRAM IS A CAPSTONE
SERVICE EXPERIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
STUDENTS WILL BE PLACED WITH AN AGENCY IN THE COLUMBIA
AREA FORA 10-20 HOUR SERVICE INTERNSHIP. STUDENTS
PARTICIPATING IN THE DOBSON PROGRAM WILL:
© GAIN VALUABLE WORK EXPERIENCE
© MAKE LIFE LONG FRIENDSHIPS
© POTENTIAL TO EARN ACADEMIC CREDIT
© RECEIVE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
© CHANGE SOMEONE'S LIFE!!
INFORMATIONAL MEETING
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2000 © 4:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER27, 2000 © 6:00 PM
RUSSELL HOUSE UNIVERSITY UNION ROOM 203
APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE CAMPUS
ACTIVITIES CENTER, STUDENT GOVERNMENT,
AND THE RUSSELL HOUSE INFORMATION CENTER.
THE APPLICATION DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 2, 2000 AT 4:00 I’M
(LUI S I IONS? CON IA( I 1111 ()|l IICI ()l COMMUNITY SI RVICI PROGRAMS <">777-66X8
The special thing about Smith is that he knew how
to make people feel special.’
Jessica Clary
Friend of Bruce "Smith” King
Read it... " ~
Live it... j TBiittSsamccock
■«« | Xidnacomt 'jm~m_ - -
Coroner says
ariythmia
led to death
by Martha Wright
The Gamecock
Bruce “Smith" King, who died last Thurs
day ;ifter a sudden illness, died of natural caus
es, Richland County Coroner Frank Barron
said.
Barron said King, 19, died front “a fatal
arrythmia due to infectious processes of ltis
heart mid lungs." He did not suffer a heart at
tack. but mi infection in his body prevented
his heart from beating mid was the primary
cause of death, Barron said. King also had
pneumonia, Barron said.
Though the initial autopsy was complete
last Friday, Barron said a complete autopsy
with a full analysis of King’s body tissues will
be available in about two weeks.
King was buried yesterday in Lake City
at First Baptist Church. He was a graduate of
Wilson High School in Florence mid was a
student in USC’s Honors College. He lived
in Maxcy during his freshman year mid was
a Preston College resident this year.
William R. Hill, director of the Thomson
Student Health Center, said Palmetto Baptist
Medical Center told him there “was no in
fectious disease that would be of concern to
students." However, he said he wasn't sure
if dial meruit there weren’t any infectious dis
eases at all.
“We will monitor this situation to make
sure there is no public health risk to this cam
pus community, mid if there were miy indi
cations of such risk, we would take appro
priate action,” Hill said.
The university desk am he reached at
gamecockudesk@hotmail.com.
Students, Faculty, and Staff!
Join us for
Wednesday, September 13th
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Greene Street (in front of the Russell House)
Rain Location: Russell House Ballroom
Demonstrations:
Learning to Juggle - 10:30 am
Kick Boxing Aerobics - 12:00 pm
Fencing - 12:30 pm
Jazz African Aerobics - 2:30 pm
There will be health screenings, free giveaways, demonstrations and more!
Come and learn about the many health and wellness resources that USC
and the local community have to offer.
Sponsored by:
Health and Wellness Programs
HOPE lor Kids
The Cycle Center
Carolina Collegiate Federal Credit Union
Specialized Eating Disorders Counseling Education and Prevention Services
i X y : i
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