Hundreds gather for vigil honoring the lives of 3 fallen UNLV professors
Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday afternoon next to the Lee Pascal Rose Garden at UNLV.
Some brought flowers, others held candles. All were there to mourn the untimely loss of professors Cha-Jan “Jerry” Chang, Patricia Navarro Velez and Naoko Takemaru.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas held the on-campus vigil a week after the three professors were fatally shot by an unemployed former professor. On Wednesday, students past and present with current professors each spoke about one of the fallen educators before placing a wreath of flowers near a stand displaying a photo of one of the three victims.
UNLV lecturer Gloribert Roque-Melendez described her friendship with Navarro Velez. She said that after they met when Roque-Melendez was a guest speaker for Navarro Velez’s class, the two “became close friends, friends who became family.”
“She was my family,” Roque-Melendez said during her speech. “She made it easy for us to spend holidays away from home because whenever we were together it felt like home.”
UNLV student Sunny Trujillo talked about how close he was to Navarro Velez, who was the academic adviser to his registered student organization.
Former UNLV student Ashley Weckesser said Chang “left an indelible mark on my heart and in my mind through nurturing my confidence as I started my master’s program.”
“I knew I could always count on his office door being open and on him being there,” Weckesser told those in attendance. “He was always there and always willing to help us, whether it was related to our courses, related to raising our children, or making the perfect cup of tea.”
UNLV professor Hans Rawhouser said Chang’s genuine dedication to his children and his approach to his work inspired Rawhouser as a father and faculty member.
UNLV professor Debra Arteaga highlighted Takemaru’s research, saying she was “born a sociolinguist.”
“Over many cups of tea, Naoko and I discussed different fields of linguistics and our own research,” Arteaga said Wednesday. “Because of Naoko’s violent murder, we lost not only one of the best human beings I have ever known, but also a first rate sociolinguist.”
Former student Davon Whitaker talked about how Takemaru inspired him to be a better student and better person while he was taking her classes. He said she also helped him get through a personal loss in 2012.
Many of the speakers and others in attendance said the event brought them some hope after last week’s shooting.
“It shows hope and it shows humanity,” UNLV senior Justyn Aldania said.
“Whenever we see something like this happen, I think we sometimes give up on how people are. But people are able to come together and support one another.”
Nevada System of Higher Education Regent Laura Perkins said the hundreds of people in attendance Wednesday showed how much UNLV means to the community and how many lives the professors affected during their time at the university.
“These three faculty had touched many, many lives,” Perkins said. “It warmed my heart, you know, gave me hope.”
Contact Mark Credico at mcredico@reviewjournal.com.
