Ever so briefly at the podium, Jill Jinks ’79 was almost at a loss for words. Then she gathered herself, thanking the mountain for courage.

Jinks went on to tell the standing-room-only crowd at the Rinker Welcome Center about the day of Jan. 15, 1979, on Mount Seegrube Mountain near Innsbruck, Austria. She and 39 other Stetson students were on a study abroad trip that was paralyzingly disrupted by tragedy — an avalanche that took the lives of students Katy Resnik, Scotty Fenlon and Dennis Long.

Mildred Cross Spalding was the last student to be found alive on the mountain, thanks to the heroic efforts of Austrian rescuers and her classmates. At the podium, she spoke of reconnection, the result of an invitation from Stetson to return to the mountain with other alumni, students, faculty and staff. Attending Stetson for two years, she transferred and lost touch for 45 years. Now she is front and center, as alumni push forward on an initiative called the Soul of Stetson.

On Monday afternoon, Feb. 24, Jinks and Spalding were two of the speakers at Stetson’s groundbreaking ceremony for the historic reconstruction of Hulley Tower on campus, largely made possible through the Soul of Stetson movement.

Inside, the Stetson community was well-represented with alumni, faculty, staff, students and administrators. In addition, local officials were present, as were legislators. Then, following several poignant speeches, given by principal contributors to the reconstruction project (including current students), the group went outside on the overcast, rainy day. There, with shovels in hand, many of them turned the dirt at the base of Hulley Tower and posed for pictures. They beamed.

Mostly, there were rays of hope. A tower built in 1934, once standing 116 feet tall before its destruction in 2005 (caused by a season of hurricane damage in 2004), was rising again — as a “testament to our resilience in the face of troubling storms,” said the Rev. Todd Campbell Jr., University Chaplain and director of Religious and Spiritual Life.

Not only will Hulley Tower be a way to remember Katy, Scotty and Dennis, but also to remember any student who passed during their time at Stetson. Also, the tower and its surrounding landscape will again become a gathering place for the Stetson and DeLand communities.

Numerous alumni have sponsored, individually or collectively, bells in the 52-bell carillon. Those alumni include Jinks, sponsoring a Steadfastness Values bell in honor of her late father; Dean Hollis ’82, an Integrity Values bell in honor of his late father, Mark Hollis ‘56; Christine Lynn, in honor of her late husband, Eugene Lynn ‘41; and Hyatt and Cici Brown for Doug and Margaret Lee, former president and first lady.

A historical memorial will face Woodland Boulevard, made possible by Jane Edmunds Novak and Wayne Novak, in honor of her parents, former Stetson President J. Ollie Edmunds, Class of 1925, and First Lady Emily Edmunds. Brockway Plaza, made possible by Susan Brockway ’79 and Peter Brockway ’78, will welcome outdoor music concerts, student gatherings and other activities such as the annual Yule Log lighting. Mimi’s Firepit, made possible by the family and friends of Spalding, will feature a built-in gas fireplace and seating within view of Hulley Tower and the Carlton Union Building.

The site around Hulley Tower will feature a labyrinth, rain wall, student memorial and more. A water bell — an upside-down bell filled with water, displaying unique auditory and tactical features — will be housed in the Carlton Union Building, made possible by Ed ’82/JD ’85, Nick ’22 and Nelea Patricoff. (Fundraising and sponsorships are ongoing.)

A few construction details: The new Hulley Tower will be erected to the original 116-foot height, with the tower made of brick stone and other elements that match the original structure. Within a few days (the week of Feb. 24), work will begin on removing historical elements from the tower base, with those elements to be reused on the tower. By later this year, the campus will have an exact replica of the 1934 Hulley Tower, according to Scott Thacker, Stetson’s associate vice president of Facilities Management.

This day, however, was emotionally charged and especially reflective.

Susan Brockway was on the mountain that day, too, on the lower portion of the ski slope and unharmed physically, although scars remained for decades.

“I’m here today to remember and to celebrate so many things that connect each of us to Stetson,” she said. “For those of us who were in Innsbruck and part of the avalanche story, it’s an especially joyful day. We are standing up Hulley Tower, bringing bells that are being cast in Innsbruck, Austria, to Stetson University to ring for our loved classmates who we lost. And we are building a beautiful gathering space that can be enjoyed by current and future students.”

John Owen and his brother, fellow senior Joe Owen, played integral student roles in helping to advance the reconstruction project, particularly in working with John Tichenor, PhD, Innsbruck summer program co-director and associate professor of Management. “There are a lot of things that make it worthwhile and valuable,” John Owen said about the project. “But the foundational element behind it all is this collective sense of community. That’s community — from the students to the professors, to the alumni, to the students’ families. We’re all interconnected, and building this tower not only reaffirms Stetson’s commitment to that community, it gives us [students] a chance to recognize our inherent value, and to not let our stories be lost to time.”

John is a Communications and Media Studies major; Joe (not a twin) is a Digital Arts major. Both are on track to graduate in May with Latin honors, and each has been accepted into a master’s program at Columbia University in New York.

“Rarely you would get to be a part of something bigger than us, and in this case much bigger than us,” said Jinks, who later earned a doctorate in philosophy. “And the metaphor is not lost on me. How this started in an unfamiliar place and found its way to an avalanche on an Austrian mountain that shocked everyone. It took the lives of Katy, Scotty and Dennis, and it produced a profound everlasting love from that. … Today we acknowledge a milestone that drew its energy and joy from the darkness of that moment. … I realized it is the darkness that reveals the stars.

“Today is about finally honoring Katy, Scotty and Dennis on the Stetson campus with a fitting memorial,” said Spalding. “They represented the very best for Stetson.” – Michael Candelaria

Note: This is a developing story with updates to come.