To The Editor:
To many, he is known merely by Monday's article in The Spectrum ("Freshman Found Dead"), as the student who was found dead in his dorm room in Wilkeson after taking his own life. However, to me and a few other fortunate people here we knew the boy from 576 as he truly was: our angel, best friend and brother to all of us in this "home away from home."
Unlike the article in Monday's Spectrum, there were people on his floor and across both campuses who knew him well, and experienced this incident in ways that words cannot express. We loved him as if he was our own brother, remembering all the times we cried and laughed together throughout these past two semesters that now seem so short, too short. He impacted his friends' lives in so many ways and he will forever hold a special place in our hearts. No matter what people say about him, he was a good man. He remained strong throughout the shortcomings and hard times that life dealt him, always keeping a smile on his face while masking his inner pain.
Individually and together as a group our "family" here attempted to help him through these hard times. He even went to the counseling center in Richmond Thursday, which obviously did no good. As the sophomore in the article stated, "maybe there weren't enough psychological services for students . they should make it a known fact that there is help on campus." However, what happens when the help this campus has for us does not work? Maybe the Student Association should address this problem instead of harassing people in the Student Union for votes.
Overall, Monday's article sold our friend short, making him seem like just a mere number. The people interviewed never even knew him for the true angel that he was. He will forever remain pure in the memories of his true friends, as we remember the good times through our tears. I'll never forget the events of this weekend for as long as I live, but I will remain strong with the memory that Zach Emerton is in a better place. "On the darkest night, the stars shine most brightly . perhaps they are not stars, but openings in the Heaven, where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy." He will forever shine down upon us, helping us through our time of anger and grief as our guardian angel.
