By: Kia Wynne and Raven Hanning
A candlelight memorial was held in honor of Cameron Taylor in the Upchurch Auditorium at James A. Thomas Hall. Cameron Taylor was killed on March 2 at a party in the Commons at Pembroke Apartments.
Taylor was a part of Greek life as a chapter member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity.
His family, friends, and members of the fraternity were in attendance to honor the loss of their loved one.
The SGA had a table outside of the auditorium to hand out electric candles and a program for the memorial.
SGA president Aspen Andersson started the memorial with opening remarks which was followed by Vice President, Magally Ortiz-Rojas, with a moment of silence and activation of the candles.
“It’s with a heavy heart yet a celebratory spirit of his remembrance that we come together tonight. This simple yet deeply meaningful act stands as a testament to Cam’s memory, as a symbol of hope and an expression of our united front as a campus, as a community and as Greek life,” Andersson said.
After the opening remarks, the UNCP redemption choir came up to sing Firm Foundation by Maverick City Music in honor of Cameron Taylor.
After the redemption choir finished singing their first song, Andersson introduced several people to come up and speak of their memories of Cameron Taylor.
The first person to speak was Alpha Sigma Phi Director, Danny Miller who spoke of Taylor’s spirit, dedication and impact that he has left upon the people that knew him.
“The strength of our brotherhood is what binds us as Alpha Sigs. It’s in times like these when we need that brotherhood to be strong, to keep us together as we navigate the passing of Cam. We can only do this together, simply put we must rely on the strength of what we have built here,” Miller said.
Shelby Perry came up to say some words on behalf of the Greek Council and Greek Life. Due to the commitment that Taylor had in his education, the Greek Council presented his family with his IFC graduation cord that he would have received in May.
“Cameron wasn’t just a student, he was a member of our greek life community here at Pembroke and also a beloved brother of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. Today and in the days to come, we will honor Cam’s memory by embodying the same spirit of kindness, dedication and brotherhood that he exemplified,” Perry said.
Jonathan Lewis and Xzavier Nixon, Brothers of Alpha Sigma Phi came up to speak of their memories of Cameron Taylor.
“Cam would want us to have fun because I know he would be calling us goofs right now. He was just goofing around the whole time. Cam was a friend,not even that, he was my brother. He would always ask me every time we went out or something if he looked good or if he put it on,” Lewis said.
Nixon spoke of the three things that he will miss most about Cameron Taylor. He will miss Taylor’s straight-forwardness, the way he lit up a room and being called a goofball.
“I can’t wait for the day that he needs to call me a goof one more time, so I can feel that comfort,” Xzavier Nixon said.
Landon Kats, an alumnus and former member of Alpha Sigma Phi came up to say a few words about Taylor’s impact that he had on their lives.
“Cam embraced every aspect of life with a great passion and enthusiasm. He was very dedicated to his studies, in his pursuit of the nursing program. He had the highest GPA in our fraternity where he was not only a leader but a role model inspiring others to strive to be their best,” Kats said.
The redemption choir came back up to sing “It’s alright It’s okay” by Shirley Caesar but before they uttered a note, the choir director, Jalen Baxley said a few words about Cam.
“We didn’t hold a long conversation but he’ll nod and I know what that meant. We’re going to miss seeing that smiling face. I just want to encourage the family, let you know that there is no earthly sorrow that Heaven cannot heal,” Baxley said.
“I want to remind everyone that grief is a journey and it’s not one that should be walked alone. There’s no timeline. There’s no quick fix. There’s no proper way or timeline to grieve,” said Dr. Kyle Smith, Dean of Students in closing remarks.
Smith closed out the memorial with a prayer and reminded students of the resources the school is providing for grief counseling.
Students returned their candles to the SGA table and gathered together outside to speak among themselves about their memories of Taylor after the service.