Western Courier

Issue date: 12/3/08 Section: News

When there are only seven professors in one department, teachers get to know their students, and students get to know each other, as small intimate classes are the norm. Dameris Bagwell, a 21-year-old journalism major and broadcasting minor from Bloomington, was one of those students that teachers had come to know over the last four years, and one of those people students couldn't forget.

It feels unreal when someone you sat next to and joked around with in half of your 6 classes no longer occupies that seat. In a tragic accident on Dec. 1, Bagwell was killed in a car accident. According to reports, she was traveling west on her way back to Western Illinois University on U.S. 136 when she lost control of her car and crossed the centerline, colliding head on with a semitrailer truck. She was transported to BroMenn Regional Medical Center in Normal and pronounced dead before 8:30 a.m.

Many Western Illinois students were and still are in shock at this news. How can a stellar young woman, student and friend not be with us anymore? She was a minority ambassador at Western Illinois, a peer educator for the Beu Health Center, a member of Western's Student Orientation Staff, and served as vice president of Western Illinois' National Association of Black Journalists chapter.

As I walked into my 10 a.m. class on Monday and spotted the empty seat next to me, I wondered why Dameris was not there. She never misses a class. I later would find out why she did not make it, and Tuesday, in my 12:30 course - another class I shared with Dameris - emotions were high. Professor P-Strother-Adams addressed the class in a somber tone, sharing the news about this recent tragedy. Tears began to swell up in the eyes of many students who knew her from either in or out of class, including myself. I had come to know Dameris strictly from the classes we had together.

Every day, I would walk into class and she always had a huge smile on her face. That smile is how many people will always remember her, along with her kind heart and silly personality.

A grievance counselor was also present, letting students know that it is okay to shed tears at this sad event. Friends of Dameris told stories about how they knew her, and what they wanted others to know about her as a person. Stories ranged from those that came to know her because of how she helped them with a class, or simply from her smile in the cafeteria, or her unforgettable laugh, or her extremely driven work ethic.

There will be a memorial service for Dameris on Thursday, December 4, which will begin on the steps of Simpkins Hall at 4 p.m., then proceed to the Alumni House (1009 West Adams). A Facebook group, "Living for Dameris Bagwell," has been set up by her sister.

Visitation will be held a 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, 801 W. Market St., Bloomington. Funeral services will follow at the church at noon.

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