Before the second vigil of the week in memory of a teenager killed in a June 28 accident on Stillwell Clyo Road last week, Austin Seckinger took the microphone and asked for donations to the Neil Morgan Memorial Trust Fund.
Those who donate $20 or more get a T-shirt and/or a window decal–designed and donated by Teezers Team Sports. A member of the Effingham County High School tennis team, Morgan’s friends decided to surrounding a tennis ball all capital letters read “Neil Morgan Dec. 14, 1992-June 30, 2010.” All proceeds go into the trust and will be awarded as scholarships.
As hundred of friends, family poured into the ECHS gym, there is a line to sign four posters reading: “I vow not to drink and drink,” “I vow to wear my seatbelt,” “I vow to ride with a sober driver,” and “I vow not to drive recklessly.”
The screen that would later play a slide show of photos of both teens read: Class of 20 (-1) (-1) Forever and Always, Love The Ones You Have Now. Below there was a blue and white flower arrangement for Neil, donate by his classmates, and his photo on the other side.
Next to the posters is a table with sign-up sheets asking for names, phone numbers, address and e-mail address under this heading: Morgan-Newman Project get our kids home safe. Shannon Gowin and a number of parents in the community spearheaded the Morgan-Newman Project as a reaction to this recent tragedy that has because she said that they know it could have been any one of their children in that accident.
Students will be given the phone list at the beginning of the next school year. If they need a ride home and don’t want to call their parents, they can call the folks on the list and get a safe ride home.
ECHS Principal Yancy Ford said that he plans to sit down with each grade level at the beginning of the new school year and bring all that’s occurred to the surface and educate the entire student body.
“I’ll sit down with students that are friends of his, friends of the family, also of Whitney’s, and friends of everyone involved in the crash, and (I’ll) also (meet with) our student council, come up with ideas and make sure we try to constantly remind ourselves that we have to be careful,” he said.
More than a week has passed since six teens piled into a Chevy Tracker going down Stillwell Clyo Road and flipped the vehicle. Four have survived their injuries, including driver Robbie Stone, 19, who came to the service in bandages. Whitney Newman was pronounced dead at the scene. Morgan succumbed to severe head injuries three days later at Memorial University Medical Center. The Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction team is still investigating the accident, and charges are pending.
A memorial for Newman was held June 29 at ECHS.
Neil’s father, Darrell Morgan, stood up from his seat in the middle of the bleachers and said to blame no one in the situation because this was an accident. Neil’s brother Clint Morgan took the microphone, pointed out Stone and said that his family loves him.
“We love him. We’ve got to accept him,” he said, the crowd cheering to their feet.
Teachers, family, friends and clerics came to tell their memories of the fallen teens and talking about how they intend to deal with, learn from and move beyond their losses.
“I lost it for the first time today, the anger got to me,” Austin Seckinger told the crowd. “I’m sorry, it’s going to come. I was by myself. Let’s not lock yourself up in a closet; let’s not give anyone a crutch. Y’all know what I’m talking about. Neil would not want that.”
