New memorial at Colgate honors victims of DWI crash
HAMILTON – A permanent memorial to four students killed in a drunk driving accident on the Colgate University campus in 2000 was unveiled earlier this week during an emotional ceremony at the site of the crash.
Rachel Nargiso, Emily Collins, Katie Almeter and Kevin King were killed on Colgate’s Oak Drive when the Jeep they were riding in, operated by university student Robert Koester, went off the road and struck a large tree.
A crowd of around 50, mostly family and friends of the victims, gathered under that same tree Monday to view the new memorial, placed where the four died in the early hours of Nov. 11, 2000.
Nargiso, Collins and Almeter were Class of 2000 graduates from Norwich High School and nearly life-long best friends.
King grew up in Troy and was best friends with Koester, who was driving after a night of partying.
The memorial was designed by Kathleen Kohl, a junior art student at Colgate, who developed the idea as a project for her sculpture class after taking an interest in the students and their stories her freshman year.
“I thought it was important to create a memorial on this site, as opposed to a remote location (on campus),” said Kohl, originally from New Jersey. “This site signifies a difference. It serves to allow people never to forget what occurred here on that fateful November evening.”
Kohl’s design is comprised of four individual portraits of the victims, each one etched into its own brass-plated stone monument. There is also a plaque telling readers “not to forget” set-into a rock at the base of the tree.
Robert Almeter, Katie’s dad, said Kohl’s work is the positive sign he’s been looking for in the seven years since the death of his daughter and her two best friends.
“I kept coming here every Nov. 11 at 1:45 a.m. looking for a sign. That clap of thunder, that light, that noise – something to capture the mystery, awe, and grace that Rachel, Emily, Katie and Kevin gave so freely in life. But there was no light, there was no noise,” Almeter said, addressing the crowd. “This may be that sign I was looking for ... I hope each of you, when you leave here now, can take a little of their peace, grace, mystery, hope, love and trust, so our lives can be a little richer because of Rachel, Emily, Katie and Kevin.”
At the time of the crash, Almeter was a first year student at Colgate and a member of the track team. Collins and Nargiso were in their first year at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva. King was a student at Hudson Valley Community College.
After a plea agreement reached in December 2001, Koester received 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison. He was released in April 2004.
Rachel Nargiso, Emily Collins, Katie Almeter and Kevin King were killed on Colgate’s Oak Drive when the Jeep they were riding in, operated by university student Robert Koester, went off the road and struck a large tree.
A crowd of around 50, mostly family and friends of the victims, gathered under that same tree Monday to view the new memorial, placed where the four died in the early hours of Nov. 11, 2000.
Nargiso, Collins and Almeter were Class of 2000 graduates from Norwich High School and nearly life-long best friends.
King grew up in Troy and was best friends with Koester, who was driving after a night of partying.
The memorial was designed by Kathleen Kohl, a junior art student at Colgate, who developed the idea as a project for her sculpture class after taking an interest in the students and their stories her freshman year.
“I thought it was important to create a memorial on this site, as opposed to a remote location (on campus),” said Kohl, originally from New Jersey. “This site signifies a difference. It serves to allow people never to forget what occurred here on that fateful November evening.”
Kohl’s design is comprised of four individual portraits of the victims, each one etched into its own brass-plated stone monument. There is also a plaque telling readers “not to forget” set-into a rock at the base of the tree.
Robert Almeter, Katie’s dad, said Kohl’s work is the positive sign he’s been looking for in the seven years since the death of his daughter and her two best friends.
“I kept coming here every Nov. 11 at 1:45 a.m. looking for a sign. That clap of thunder, that light, that noise – something to capture the mystery, awe, and grace that Rachel, Emily, Katie and Kevin gave so freely in life. But there was no light, there was no noise,” Almeter said, addressing the crowd. “This may be that sign I was looking for ... I hope each of you, when you leave here now, can take a little of their peace, grace, mystery, hope, love and trust, so our lives can be a little richer because of Rachel, Emily, Katie and Kevin.”
At the time of the crash, Almeter was a first year student at Colgate and a member of the track team. Collins and Nargiso were in their first year at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva. King was a student at Hudson Valley Community College.
After a plea agreement reached in December 2001, Koester received 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison. He was released in April 2004.
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