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Three Sigma Tau Gamma (STG) pledges, freshman Griffin Lamb, Brandon Darbyshire, and Thomas Greig, were involved in a car accident on their way back from Emporia at approximately 2 a.m on Sunday Oct. 24. They were driving on a two lane highway, when another driver going the opposite way crossed the centerline hitting them head on. The accident killed Lamb.
“I first found out when my brother woke me up in the house… I couldn’t believe it and thought he was playing a joke on him.” said Tim Opoka, junior in finance and fellow Sigma Tau Gamma brother. “It wasn’t until I stormed out of my room and found the whole chapter downstairs that I knew it was real.”
Lamb was originally from Lenexa and decided to attend PSU for the auto technology program.
“I know the church will help continue his legacy and keep him alive there, he was always involved with the retreat every year and that he will always be remembered and his impact will be never forgotten,” said Lauren Harold, freshman in elementary education, and close friend of Lamb’s.
When hit with the news, associates of Lamb said they felt “disbelief” at his death.
“I remember finding out at exactly 11:07 that morning,” Harold said. “His sister Amelia had called me twice already before I picked up. I was in disbelief, and in shock that it had even happened. It wasn’t until I went and talked to my mom about it that it really hit me.”
PSU administration voiced their condolences to the fraternity and student body over social media. Various student organizations provided support to the fraternity, including Sigma Sigma Sigma and Alpha Gamma Delta.
“For me, I had a million thoughts racing, it just didn’t feel real. I kept re-reading the article thinking that it might change, but I knew it wouldn’t,” said Clayton Hall, a freshman in business management.
Johnson County held a candlelight vigil at Shawnee Mission Park on Saturday, Oct. 30. It was a nice gathering of people who knew him, and people who wanted to support his family and friends, with people lighting candles and letting balloons fly. They chose the park as car shows there were frequent and he loved to go to see the cars.
STG plans to initiate Lamb posthumously will hold a ceremony for him called a “Tunnel” that they have for active brothers who pass.