On Saturday, U.Va. students informally gathered to sing “The Good Old Song,” the University’s school song, in memory of Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler, and D’Sean Perry, three football players who passed away during a shooting on Grounds this past weekend. The event was open to the community, and hosted by HoosReporting, an unaffiliated news organization on Grounds. The event took place during the time of the previously scheduled U.Va. football game against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. The game was canceled in response to Sunday night’s tragic events.
Second-year U.Va. student, Jake Beyer, led the event, first speaking to the crowd to address why they had all gathered. Beyer said, “We are remembering these three incredible young men as the players they were and so much more. The community they inspired. The love they gave to us. And the lives that they forever changed and impacted through gracing us with their time here.”
Before the song began, there was a moment of silence and reflection. Members of the University Singers then led the song, giving a starting pitch to the audience. As students wrapped their arms around one another, they began to gently sway as they sung the lyrics of the school’s song.
At the end of Beyer’s address he spoke saying, “When we sing today, I ask for nothing but love in your hearts. There was a vigil on Monday on South Lawn, where everyone came together, a beautiful moment. In the sky there were three stars that shined bright that night, and will shine bright forever. So when we sing today, we sing for those three stars. We sing for #1, #15, and #41. We sing for Lavel Davis Jr., for D’Sean Perry, and Devin Chandler. We sing for them.”
