A Day After Tragedy, HSU Community Copes With Loss of Student-Athlete
By: Marlisa Goldsmith
Updated: August 10, 2012
"I really was kind of numb about it. Didn't really, I didn't really know what to feel," says Stewart Person.
When Hardin-Simmons baseball player Stewart Person got the news that his peer and good friend Jessica rogers died in an accident, he couldn't believe what he heard.
He asked, "Is this real?"
This was just one of many questions Jessica's teammates and friends asked in the midst of dealing with the tragedy.
"Whenever anything like this happens, it's overwhelming and people are just numb at first until everything begins to sink in," says University Chaplain Kelly Pigott.
The Hardin-Simmons community held a meeting Friday afternoon to remember the vibrant 20-year-old.
Pigott continues, "Many of her teammates were there, just some friends. Just had a good time conversing with one another, letting each other share memories and good thoughts of how Jessica had blessed lives."
"People were sad but we really tried to look at the positives about her and how she affected everyone," says Person.
A wide variety of grieving took place in the meeting, people responding in different ways.
"It was very apparent that she touched a lot of lives here and I think a lot of people felt that she left a very special legacy," says HSU Volleyball Coach, Sabrina Bingham.
One that extended even further than the city of Abilene.
"I have just been overwhelmed by all the support that we've received from not only the community but the NCAA and the schools within our conference," says Bingham.
A day after the deadly crash, Jessica's friends and family vow to stand strong, for each other, and for Jess.
"Jessica, she's always going to be there in a way. And i think it's going to help with people always being able to feel her spirit," says Person.
When Hardin-Simmons baseball player Stewart Person got the news that his peer and good friend Jessica rogers died in an accident, he couldn't believe what he heard.
He asked, "Is this real?"
This was just one of many questions Jessica's teammates and friends asked in the midst of dealing with the tragedy.
"Whenever anything like this happens, it's overwhelming and people are just numb at first until everything begins to sink in," says University Chaplain Kelly Pigott.
The Hardin-Simmons community held a meeting Friday afternoon to remember the vibrant 20-year-old.
Pigott continues, "Many of her teammates were there, just some friends. Just had a good time conversing with one another, letting each other share memories and good thoughts of how Jessica had blessed lives."
"People were sad but we really tried to look at the positives about her and how she affected everyone," says Person.
A wide variety of grieving took place in the meeting, people responding in different ways.
"It was very apparent that she touched a lot of lives here and I think a lot of people felt that she left a very special legacy," says HSU Volleyball Coach, Sabrina Bingham.
One that extended even further than the city of Abilene.
"I have just been overwhelmed by all the support that we've received from not only the community but the NCAA and the schools within our conference," says Bingham.
A day after the deadly crash, Jessica's friends and family vow to stand strong, for each other, and for Jess.
"Jessica, she's always going to be there in a way. And i think it's going to help with people always being able to feel her spirit," says Person.
