Students gather at State House in wake of Clemson student's death
Gianna Lanz brought candles for everyone.
“If anyone didn’t get a candle or something to catch the wax, they’re going to be over here — just in case,” she said as she set the bag down on the sidewalk and turned back to a crowd of more than 100 students sitting on the steps of the State House.
She stood behind a podium in front of the stairs in a bright orange sweatshirt emblazoned with a big white tiger paw, a tribute to her friend Tucker Hipps, a second-year Clemson University student who was found dead Monday afternoon.
“It’s weird for us because we know he’s never coming back,” Lanz said. “I can’t imagine ever meeting someone like him again.”
‘STARTING TO SET IN’
Hipps was on an early morning run Monday with fellow Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity members but didn’t return for breakfast, prompting members to search for him. His body was found in Lake Hartwell Monday afternoon, and Oconee County Coroner Karl E. Addis said Tuesday that Hipps’ death was likely due to a head injury sustained after falling from a bridge approximately 20 feet above the water surface.
“There has been speculation and innuendo, especially on social media, regarding whether hazing played a part in the death of Tucker Hipps,” Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw said. “So far there has been no indication in the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office investigation that hazing played a part in the death of Tucker Hipps.”
“The shock was a lot at first, but it’s starting to set in,” said Collin Studemeyer, fourth-year mathematics student and one of Hipps’ fellow Palmetto Boys’ State counselors. “It’s hitting pretty hard.”
REMEMBERING A FRIEND
Lanz rallied Wren High School alumni — where she and Hipps attended — and worked with Palmetto Boys’ State staff, as well as the USC chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon, to coordinate a candlelight vigil Tuesday night to honor Hipps.
His friends talked about his love of life. Lanz laughed when she told everyone how cocky he could be. More than once, his smile was described as “infectious” or “contagious” or “able to light up a room.”
Friend after friend came to the podium, each with a memory of when Hipps made them laugh or reminded them to live life to its fullest or to tell them that they had a friend.
“You could instantly connect with him.”
“He was everything a man wants to be.”
“I’m different from meeting Tucker Hipps.”
“People need to try to live their lives the way he did.”
One after another, they shared memories with a crowd of faces who had never met him.
‘ONE OF OUR BROTHERS, TOO’
Nevertheless, Hipps was a brother — even to those he never met.
Scattered throughout the crowd were members of USC’s Sigma Phi Epsilon’s chapter wearing orange ribbons, wanting to pay respects to their fellow brother.
“We didn’t know Tucker — none of us did,” Kyle McCoil, a second-year biochemistry student and member of Sigma Phi Epsilon at USC said. “But when we found out one of our brothers was gone, we took it as just that. He was one of our brothers, too.”
Lighters made rounds through the crowd, and everyone soon had a tiny flame.
Prayers were said, tears were wiped and when it came time to blow out the candles the wind hadn’t already extinguished, the students still stayed.
They hugged. They cried. They listened. They remembered.
“He was a little brother to me,” Studemeyer said. “Even though he was a little brother to me, I looked up to him in a lot of different ways.”
An hour after the candles were lit, the steps were empty, save for a few abandoned wax-holders on the ground and a tight circle of friends reminiscing.
“Our rivalry runs deep,” Lanz said, looking down at the bright orange sweatshirt with the big white tiger paw. “But our compassion for each other ... runs deeper.”