Community members pack Red Square in gathering for Dwight Clark

Members of the Western Washington University and Bellingham communities gathered in Red Square on Wednesday, Oct. 6, to support each other and grieve in the wake of news that the body of missing WWU student Dwight Clark had been found earlier in the day. A crowd of thousands gathered on campus to hear WWU President Bruce Shepard, Associated Students President Colin Watrin and Eileen Couglin, vice president for Academic Affairs and Student Support Services, comment on the tragic loss.

"Opportunities lie ahead to remember Dwight in the fullness that we all wish," Shepard said. "Our thoughts right now are with his family. Just this morning, I was able to spend time talking with Dwight’s mother. Out of respect for her privacy, I will say only this: I left our discussion with extraordinary admiration for her courage. This afternoon, we cry for her because the pain she now feels must seem unbearable."

The size of the gathering and the immensity of the past week's efforts to find Clark were inspiring, Watrin said.

"Looking out on this gathering, I see hope," he said. "Hope that we will persevere and that out of this grief we will rise even stronger. I am incredibly proud to call myself a Western Viking, and that all of you and Dwight are a part of my Western family. Let us unite together, support each other in the face of adversity, be compassionate and be a community that we can be proud of. A community that Dwight Clark could be proud of."

The full text of all three speeches at the gathering are available online at the university's Remembering Dwight Clark website.