CLAWSON, Mich. – Alexandria Verner left a memorable mark on the small city of Clawson, and its memorial of her left an equally memorable mark.
Thousands of residents, a sizable amount of the city’s population of 11,000, showed up at the high school football stadium to pay their respects.
“Here’s to you, No. 24,” said a man.
Verner wore No. 24 on the basketball court, so they counted down a 24-second moment of silence.
The massive crowd lit candles and stood silent, stunned for having to be there. Yet stood rock solid, resolute in paying their respects to the all-state softball player, league MVP in basketball and volleyball, and national honor society member.
Verner’s former high school teammates Greta Forbare and Deborah Hotupan would only speak with Local 4 if we showed pictures of Verner and not them.
Rod Meloni: “What is Clawson and MSU missing tonight?”
Forbare: “They’re missing a gem, a one-of-a-kind person. Someone that I always looked up to and I will always look up to. She was my role model for a long time and still is.”
Hotupan: “She was someone who lit up every room. You would know of her presence as soon as you walked in because she just filled the room with positivity and kindness. Every sport, every club, every activity that she did, she led with the most positive and genuine aspects of her character.”
Kelly Horne coached Verner in basketball.
“Alex was the epitome of a high school student-athlete,” said Horne. “She was the best we have. She is clearly going to be missed. A piece of our community is gone with Al.”
The vigil was impressive, but respect for Verner and her family proved great. The pain was so palpable when the countdown finished. Everyone just stood there. Candles were flickering, hugs all around, and tears dabbed away as if to say 24 seconds weren’t nearly enough.
The crowd stayed in place for 15 minutes before thinning ever so slowly.
“It just tells you what kind of community we have here in Clawson,” Horne said. “We’re tight-knit, we care about each other, and everybody’s here just to support the Verner family.”
Verner’s teammate Deborah Hatupan added it was amazing how quickly the community came together to show its support to the Verner family.
The crowd ever so respectfully quietly came and went from the stadium Tuesday (Feb. 14) night in the most impressive fashion.
“Dear Spartans and friends, today we are in the numbing wake of last night’s shootings on our East Lansing campus. It is hard to utter, let alone process, words about the loss and critical injury of our students. My heart hangs heavy. But I come to you to speak of our experiences as we struggle together with our next steps as a community.
“The board and I extend our hearts, first and foremost, to the families and loved ones of those we lost. Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, ‘There is no grief, like the grief that does not speak.’ We pause in this moment to turn our thoughts to those struggling to recover from their wounds, and offer thanks to Sparrow doctors and nurses who, at this hour, are working to comfort and to heal.
“I also join the gratitude of many for the hundreds of law enforcement and first responders, who answered our call, tended to the injured, kept the community informed, and brought the incident to an end.
“Gratitude as well to our community, who heeded the calls to stay in place, and for the caller who helped bring this horrific incident to an end. I am grateful for the words of condolence and solidarity from our local community and people across the state. Government leaders, including Governor Whitmer and President Biden, and colleagues in colleges and universities in Michigan, the Big 10, and beyond.
“I am heartened by the comfort sent around our Spartan nation in texts and emails, and social media, and impromptu vigils on other campuses, in the flowers laid at the base of our iconic Spartan statue. And in the words painted this morning on our campus rock, ‘How many more?’
“Grief is a profoundly personal thing, and we know the healing process will not be swift. We must take time to think, mourn and be together. I encourage everyone to honor their feelings and find comfort and solace in the close bonds that knit together our Spartan family. To offer time for healing to begin, MSU has cancelled classes for the rest of the week.
“Counseling services are being provided to students, faculty, and staff through MSU programs and also through regional and community providers. A candlelight vigil will be held Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the rock. In this most difficult time, I hold our grief and our strength in my head and my heart. And I claim our campus for our MSU community so that when from these scenes we wander, and twilight shadows fade, our memories still will linger where light and shadow played.”
MSU Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D.
