Page 4
The Behrend Beacon
Trigon displays a traged
by Brian Mitchell
staff writer
Wednesday night, Trigon showed the
Laramie Project in Reed 117. The
Laramie Project was a display of
Matthew Shepard's death, 200
interviews of what people thought
about, and the cases of the two
murderers.
"Hate is horrible, and nobody should
be excluded for who they are," said
Brad Frank, 05 MATH. "I think they
got what they deserve."
Matthew Shepard was an openly gay
man who attended the University of
Wyoming in Laramie, majoring in Art
History. One night, he decided to go
to a bar to celebrate getting the highest
grade in his class on a midterm
examination. While he was sitting at
the bar enjoying his beer, two guys,
Russell Henderson and Aaron
McKinley, approached him and offered
him a ride home. Knowing that he was
gay, they drove him to a place in the
middle of nowhere, beat him and tied
him to a fence crucifixion style. A
couple days later, a biker discovered
him. At first, he was mistaken for a
Athletics department presents Fan Jam
In an attempt to boost school spirit
on campus, the Athletics department is
planning Fan Jam for this evening.
Festivities begin at 7 p.m. in the Junker
Center, and include a 20 minute men's
basketball scrimmage, a 20 minute
women's basketball scrimmage and
performances from both the dance and
cheerleading teams.
Also being planned for the evening
is a raffle for Behrend Basketball
sweatshirts and t-shirts, as well as a
shoot-to-win contest with food coupons
from various local restaurants for the
winners
"Fan Jam is a great opportunity for
the college community to meet the
cheerleaders, dance team, and both
basketball teams," said Brian Streeter,
Athletic Director.
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scarecrow because he was tied up. The
biker called the police. Shepard was
taken to the emergency room and
remained in critical condition for a
couple days. On Oct. 12, 1998, at,
12:53 p.m., Shepard died.
"Go home and give your kids a hug
and don't go through a day without
telling them you love them," said Judy
Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard.
After Matthew Shepard's death,
news reporters started interviewing
many residents in Laramie. Many said
the two killers made the town look bad
because not many hate crimes were
ever committed there. Others said
Matthew Shepard got what he
deserved. In fact, one minister, Pastor
Jim Talus, who travels the country, was
protesting that Matthew Shepard
should "burn in hell." This infuriated
some of the viewers.
"One thing that strikes me about this
movie was Pastor Jim Talus holding a
sign saying 'Matthew Shepard in
hell, — said Dave Laided, 05 Broadcast
Journalism, Edinboro University. "It is
shocking that Talus, who is a man of
God, should produce so much hate."
Five months after Matthew Shepard's
Members of the Lady Lions Dance Team practice Thursday night for
their performance at Fan Jam
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death, the two killers went to trial in
State v. Henderson and State v.
McLimsley. Shepard's father said he
hopes "every morning they wake up in
their cells and think about what they
did to an innocent human being."
In the end, the two received life
imprisonment on the charges of
kidnapping and murdering.
Henderson's grandmother was
extremely upset when he pleaded
guilty; she tried to persuade the trial
judge to let her grandson out of prison.
Citizens to this day are still mad
because no laws have been passed
against hate crimes, though the two
murderers were locked up for life.
"This film had a huge impact on me,"
said Britney Heater, DUS 01. "I don't
think they should be put to death, but
should spend their lives in prison
thinking about what they had done."
"I think it was interesting how
heterosexual people handled the
tragedy," said Laided. "There were
people who were strong believers of
their values yet went against their
religion to show sympathy for
Matthew Shepard."
BEAVER HILL
GARNER COURT
stil
time
Courtney Straub & Justin Curry, News Editors
Smith Chapel comes to
life with 'orgin' donation
by Lauren Packer
editor in chief
A thunderous applause greeted concert
organist Dr. Larry Smith as he approached
the new Opus 100 organ in the Smith
Chapel. A standing ovation is what Smith
exited to as the Smith Chapel Organ Dedi
cation Recital came to a close on Satur
day.
"It's wonderful for me to be a very small
part of this," said Smith, a professor of
music and Chair of the Organ Department
at Indiana University. "I simply get to play
pieces that bring to life the wonderful col
ors of this magnificent instrument."
"I didn't know what to expect," said
Larry Smith, whose family is responsible
for donating the funds for the Smith
Chapel, Carillon and organ. "Dr. Smith is
quite talented, that's for sure."
Keeping his feet just as busy as his
hands, Dr. Smith astonished the crowd
from the opening chord to the final pedal
run.
"Dr. Smith's technical ability on the in
strument is incomparable," said professor
of history A. Daniel Frankforter. "He
planned a very sophisticated program con
sisting of pieces that are seldom per
formed, primarily because few musicians
have the ability to play them."
"We were extremely privileged to be
able to hear an organist of this caliber give
the inaugural organ recital on our new or
gan," said Kathryn Wolfe, professor of
French.
With his impressive musicianship, Dr.
Smith may have stolen the show from
other distinguished guests in attendance.
An almost capacity crowd gathered in
the Chapel to honor four other Smiths.
Smith and his wife, Kathryn, donated
the funds for the Chapel and continued
their generosity with the addition of the
Carillon and the organ.
"Gifts from generous donors make it
possible for Penn State Behrend's students
to have a fuller and more meaningful col
lege experience," said Ed Blaguszewski,
Director of University Relations. "The
Smith family's gifts of a chapel, carillon
and organ created the opportunity for more
student involvement in campus ministry
and the Center for Service Leadership."
The Floyd and Juanita Smith Carillon
is named after Larry Smith's late parents.
The organ was dedicated on Saturday to
honor the Smiths' two children, Kevin and
Colleen.
"We are forever indebted to the Smiths
for their amazing generosity," said Kevin
Moore, Associate Director of Develop
ment and Alumni Relations. "The Smith
Organ has greatly enhanced the cultuYal
offerings that the college can provide and
has raised the cultural bar another notch
for everyone in our region."
One of only three organs of comparable
size and quality in the Erie area, the new
organ carries the name Opus 100 because
it is the 100th organ built by Martin Ott.
The German born Ott comes from a dis
tinguished family of organ builders and
built Behrend's organ specifically to the
acoustics of the Smith Chapel.
"The chapel has fine acoustics," said
Ott. "It is small but it's very elegant. It's
a landmark for the university. Dr. Smith
is a wonderful technician and really
brought out the colors of the organ."
Dr. Wolfe shares Ott's sentiment about
the value of the organ and chapel to the
community.
"To have acquired a place for quiet
meditation and a magnificent space in
which to develop an eventual chamber
music series is certainly a significant
achievement," said Wolfe. "The organ
stands at the very heart of the new space.
The bells of the Carillon make it feel like
a campus whose traditions go back fur
ther than the mere 55 years Behrend has
been in existence."
"The college and the Erie community
have not yet begun to appreciate the unique
resources of the Smith Chapel," said Dr.
Frankforter. "The chapel's new organ is a
major work of art that was created espe
cially for us. There is none in the world
like it. An undergraduate college with lim
ited.offerings in the arts, such as our own,
virtually never has a resource such as this
at is disposal."