Pepperdine officials have provided new details on the Four Lights Memorial dedicated to Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams.
The Four Lights Memorial will be located on the ocean side of Stauffer Chapel, and feature four lanterns hanging over monuments displaying a plaque with the names of Niamh, Peyton, Asha and Deslyn, Ben M. Veenendaal, associate vice president of Planning, Operations & Construction, wrote in a March 11 email to the Graphic.
“The lights will serve as a testament to the light each of their souls was to our community,” Veenendaal wrote.
The development of this memorial took a lot of thought, Michael Friel, senior director of Communications and Public Relations, wrote in a March 13 email to the Graphic. He said the memorial is inspired by the girls’ lives at Pepperdine, their special friendship and their legacy.
“Our hope and prayer is that this memorial, located at one of the most serene and contemplative spaces on campus, will simultaneously honor each of these lives as well as provide a place for our community to pray and reflect on their memory and legacy,” Veenendaal wrote.
The University will provide more information in April, when work on the memorial is set to begin, Friel wrote. The memorial is set to be completed before the spring 2024 Seaver commencement ceremony and the University plans to open the memorial to the community prior to the commencement, allowing graduating students, faculty and family members the opportunity to visit, Veenendaal wrote.
“The University’s memorial was conceived by members of the administration, faculty and staff, in the midst of an outpouring of grief throughout the community,” Friel wrote.
The memorial will honor the lives of Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams, four Pepperdine seniors who were killed in a PCH crash Oct. 18.
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