Golden Taps ceremony to honor 4 Purdue students
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Four Purdue students who died during the past school year will be remembered Monday (April 24) during Golden Taps, one of the university's most solemn traditions.The brief outdoor ceremony will be held at 9:15 p.m. on the steps of Hovde Hall. Families and friends of the students, along with the general public, are invited to attend.
"Golden Taps offers families and friends a chance to remember, honor and reconnect with their loved ones," said L. Tony Hawkins, dean of students. "Ceremonies like Golden Taps remind us that we are all connected in some way. These students will always be remembered as a part of Purdue University."
The students who will be remembered are Michael J. Yoder, a first-year student in the Statewide Aeronautical Technology Program in Indianapolis from Mitchell, Ind.; Andrew Rindfleisch, a sophomore in the College of Engineering from West Chester, Ohio; Brett A. Klenow, a freshman in the College of Engineering from Shelby Township, Mich.; and Soyoung Kang, a graduate student in the College of Agriculture from Seoul, South Korea.
People planning to attend the ceremony should meet at 9 p.m. in the lobby of Schleman Hall, where Hawkins will greet them.
Drummers and trumpeters from Purdue University Bands will set the tone for the event by proceeding from Elliott Hall of Music to the ceremony site, where memorial cards will list the names of the students being remembered. Bells in the Purdue Bell Tower will toll once for each student being honored, followed by a few moments of silence for personal reflection.
Following the playing of taps, the Purduettes will sing "The Purdue Hymn."
Golden Taps has been a tradition on campus since 1994 and was originally held in the courtyard at Cary Quadrangle.
After the ceremony, the Office of the Dean of Students and University Residences will hold a reception for the students' families in the Schleman Hall lobby. The families also will receive a personalized certificate as a remembrance of the event.
Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu
Sources: L. Tony Hawkins, (765) 494-1239, lthawkins@purdue.edu
Lou Ann Hamilton, Office of the Dean of Students counselor, (765) 494-1252, lahamilton@purdue.edu
Thomas Paczolt, director of residential life, (765) 494-1000, tpaczolt@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Media can make arrangements to attend the event by contacting Lou Ann Hamilton in the Dean of Students at (765) 494-1252, lahamilton@purdue.edu
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