Editor’s Note: During the Oct. 17 ceremony in honor of the four women, there was another Pacific Coast Highway crash involving two vehicles nearby Latigo Shore Drive. One of the drivers was airlifted by LACofD from Pepperdine’s campus, according to CBS. What led to the crash remains under investigation.
Their legacy of love and light shines on.
The University and the City of Malibu gathered for the one-year anniversary of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) crash that took the lives of four Pepperdine students: Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams on Oct. 17, 2023.
The University held the Four Lights Remembrance Ceremony in the Amphitheatre, Thursday evening. Following the service, the City of Malibu held a candlelight vigil at the Ghost Tires located along PCH and Webb Way to pay tribute to the four women during the one-year anniversary.
“We feel the weight of their absence, and we are inspired by the light of their example,” President Jim Gash said. “We walk forward in grief and in hope together.”
The love the community has for one another is what binds it together as a family, Tim Spivey, vice president for Spiritual Life, said. He opened the ceremony with a message of hope.
“And at the same time, he is the God of hope, and hope for him is not merely an emotion, it’s who he is,” Spivey said. “It is his essence, and so tonight, may we draw near to hope by drawing near to God.”
He assured that hope can transform grief.
“And so may we honor the lives of these remarkable young women by embracing hope in our own lives,” Spivey said.
Myers Mentzer, the Student Government Association president, led the student body, faculty and alumni in a prayer.
With every eye closed and head bowed, Mentzer thanked God for the impact the four women had on the Pepperdine community.
“Lord, I just pray that you would just fill this space with peace and just make your presence known here,” Mentzer prayed.
A tearful Mentzer thanked God for the love that the community had and for the love the community continues to show one another.
Eric Wilson, the lead minister of the University Church of Christ, read from John 14:1-7.
“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am,” Wilson read.
Connie Horton, the vice president for Student Affairs, spoke following Wilson. Horton said she’ll never forget where she was Oct. 17, 2023 when she received the call.
“I didn’t want to believe the tragic news that four of our students Niamh, Peyton, Asha and Deslyn had been killed on PCH, and yet it was true, we were living one of the most tragic days in Pepperdine’s history,” Horton said.
A year later, many students have entered new chapters of their lives with some graduating, some finding jobs and others finding ways to appreciate life after enduring so much grief, Horton said.
Horton read a poem by Minister Jack Williamson entitled “Rogue Waves of Grief,” that described the grief and disorientation that can come with losing a loved one.
“It’s like standing at the beach with your back to the water, and suddenly, a rogue wave arises up behind you, crashes over your head,” Horton read. “You are tossed, taken by surprise and disoriented.”
As time goes by there is comfort in knowing that the largest wave has already passed, but smaller waves bring sadness and grief, Horton said. However, as time passes a realization comes of the love you once had and their memory serves as a legacy.
“They [the waves] remind you that you’ve been loved and how blessed you were to have this person in your life,” Horton read.
Each day is a gift to be lived, Horton said.
“Niamh, Peyton, Asha and Deslyn were models of living the good life by investing in relationships with each other, with their families, with their friends, with their mentors,” Horton said.
Horton said she’s never witnessed such a “deeply connected college friendship” as the one the four women had with each other and the community.
Horton recalled her photo request to the community for the memorial service a year ago. So many images poured in.
“The photos showed that the four angels poured into those they loved,” Horton said.
We were created to be in community and we see that in how Jesus invested in his disciples, Horton said.
“These four women did that too, and we can learn from them as we live our lives,” Horton said.
Waves Worship sang “Give Me Jesus” following Horton’s homily.
As the sound of helicopters echoed in the amphitheatre, President Jim Gash made his way to the podium.
“We know when these helicopters come, there’s been an accident,” Gash said. “So let’s just pause for a moment, and pray.”
During the ceremony, two cars collided near Latigo Shore Drive, according to CBS. One of the drivers was airlifted from Pepperdine’s campus to a nearby hospital by the County of L.A. Fire Department.
Gash prayed for guidance over the first responders and comfort for the families of those involved in the PCH crash.
“We turn our eyes to you again on another October 17,” Gash said.
He recalled exactly where he was last Oct. 17, when he heard the news described as a “grief that rocked this community,” Gash said.
“We are here to remember and to grieve and to honor them,” Gash said.
As the community continues to grieve alongside one another and the families of the four women, we can lean on God, Gash said.
Won by One then led attendees in the hymn “Abide With Me.”
Spivey invited students, faculty and alumni to pay tribute to the four women at the Four Lights Memorial located behind Stauffer Chapel and inside the chapel to light a candle.
Following the University’s Four Lights Remembrance Ceremony, the City of Malibu held a candlelight vigil at the Ghost Tires Memorial. Many of the four women’s beloved sorority sisters were in attendance along with friends, faculty and alumni.
Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart, fellow councilmen and those running for election were in attendance. Michel Shane, whose daughter Emily Shane was struck by a car and killed in 2010, attended the candlelight vigil.
Roommate and close friend of the four women, Bridget Thompson spoke on the loss of her best friends, one year ago. Following the service, attendees placed flowers and battery-operated candles next to the four ghost tires marked with the women’s names.
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Contact Rachel Flynn via email: rachel.flynn@pepperdine.edu
