Chances are, you might not have heard the story. Stetson — and its alumni —  plan to change that. 

In 1979, 40 Stetson students joined Professor Joe Master and Dean Edward Furlong on a European study abroad trip. During that business school trip, three of those students — Scotty Fenlon, Dennis Long and Katy Resnik — lost their lives in an avalanche in Innsbruck, Austria. In the summer of 2023, a documentary team followed some of the 1979 alumni who returned to Innsbruck to visit the mountain and remember their friends. 

The 1979 “minimester” business seminar trip was a precursor to the current Innsbruck study abroad program, which the School of Business Administration has offered since 1997. Each summer, approximately 40 students, as well as several faculty members, study abroad in Innsbruck for a month. Students and alumni connected while there, and a story that had been almost lost to time is now being retold to new generations of Hatters. A memorial on the DeLand campus is also being planned, with more information available at Homecoming. 

Register for the screening of the documentary during Homecoming 2023!

The first public showing of the Remembering Innsbruck documentary will take place during Stetson’s Homecoming at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20, in Rinker Auditorium in the Lynn Business Center. Please join us for the screening, which will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and 1979 alumni, as well as a reception. RSVP here for the Documentary Screening and Reception.

After 44 years, this is more than a story about what occurred in Innsbruck one January day. It is also a story about moving forward through tragedy, and what we learn about ourselves, our values, and the strength and comfort to be found within the Stetson community. We are proud to be Hatters.