Twenty-seven University of Georgia students, faculty and staff members who have died since April 2025 will be honored at the university’s annual candlelight memorial service on April 28 at 7 p.m. at the UGA Chapel.
President Jere W. Morehead will lead the service. Names of each of the 11 students and 16 faculty and staff members will be read aloud, followed by a toll of the Chapel Bell and the lighting of a candle.
The names will be read by Rebecca Mayo, president of the UGA Staff Council; Trey Wilson, president of the Student Government Association; and Susan Sanchez, chair-elect of the University Council Executive Committee. Members of the Arch Society will light candles as each name is read.
The university community and the public are invited to attend.
Students whose names will be read, along with their hometowns and the areas of study they were pursuing, are:
- Jared Ashburn, a master’s student from Peachtree City, majoring in international policy
- Nadira Demasu-Thorpe, a third-year undergraduate from Snellville, majoring in computer systems engineering
- William Gatch, a fourth-year undergraduate from Statesboro, majoring in agricultural education
- Olufemi Oboise, a master’s student from Duluth, majoring in business administration
- Rebecca Palmer, a third-year undergraduate from Marietta, intended major in management
- Richard Pham, a first-year undergraduate from Forest Park, majoring in biology
- Ryan Snyder, a first-year undergraduate from St. Louis, intended major in finance
- Fabian Tejedor Rojas, a doctoral student from Athens, majoring in toxicology
- Edwin Webb, a fourth-year undergraduate student from Athens, majoring in electrical and electronics engineering
- George Whittenburg, a third-year undergraduate from Austin, Texas, majoring in accounting
- Brooke Williams, a third-year undergraduate from Suwanee, majoring in biomedical physiology
Faculty and staff whose names will be read, along with the positions they held, are:
- Kimberly Allen, building services worker, University of Georgia Athletic Association
- Linda Barron, application analyst, Enterprise Information Technology Services
- Bryant Bone, groundskeeper I, Facilities Management Division
- Neal Evans, compliance monitor, Transportation and Parking Services
- Joy Faulkner, building services worker lead, Facilities Management Division
- Maria Guzman, medical professional, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Michelle Maner, business services professional, University Health Center
- Cynthia McCrary, extension program assistant, Fayette County Extension Office
- Deirdre Peters, event planning assistant, State Botanical Garden of Georgia
- Stephen Ramos, professor, College of Environment and Design
- Trevor Sellers, IT support professional, Terry College of Business
- Jimmy Simons, police officer, UGA Police Department
- TK Steward, support services worker II, Facilities Management Division
- Ralph Tripp, Georgia Research Alliance Chair in Vaccine and Therapeutics, professor, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Violeta Tumen-Perez, food service worker I, Dining Services
- Gui Zhang, research professional and lab manager, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, department of cellular biology
The candlelight memorial service is coordinated by UGA Well-being Resources, a campus-wide initiative led by UGA’s Division of Student Affairs.