DAYTON, Ohio—As the University of Dayton community grieves the loss of freshman Michael Currin, students are coming together to honor his legacy. The Dayton Police Department says Currin fell from the bed of a moving truck on his way to get a carry out pizza off campus.
What You Need To Know
- University of Dayton freshman Michael Currin tragically died this week
- Dayton Police say Currin jumped out of a truck bed of a moving vehicle and suffered fatal injuries
- Students on campus made sheet signs to honor Currin and his time at UD
- Students hope the signs give his family some comfort during this difficult time
Sheet signs on houses at the University of Dayton are the norm- usually with witty or funny comments. But this week, the signs have a new purpose.
“The sheet signs are definitely a big part of who we are because we have our neighborhood and we have all the porches,” UD Senior Julia Pucci said. “So the fact that people are getting together to use these sheet signs to remember people who were a part of who we are here, definitely says a lot about the Dayton Flyers and the Dayton Community.”
After freshman Michael Currin tragically died earlier this week, students are using the signs as a way to honor him. And for this group of seniors, they’re also using it as a way to show support for Jillian Parker- a senior that died earlier this fall in a bike accident.
“We wanted to, with the rest of the Dayton community, to take the opportunity to honor both Michael Currin and Jillian Parker because as our sign says, we are forever Flyers and they will always be Flyers and always be a part of this community,” Pucci said.
“Both Michael and Jill were a part of our community, why don’t we add her name?” UD senior Annie Burgess said. “So, I think it’s important to remember both of them just because they were both students here and we cared about both of them a lot.”
Many of the signs took a lot of planning too, making sure they showed just how much the UD community cares about these students.
“Right now, I’m adding angel wings to the top of our word ‘forever’ just to kind of symbolize where Michael and Jill are now and that they’ll always be a part of our community,” Burgess said.
The signs are also being made to help Currin’s family heal during this difficult time. Students say his mother is set to come to campus on Friday and they want her to know how much they care about her and the rest of Currin’s family.
“Our hope is that she’ll see these signs and she’ll feel the full support of everyone here, even people who didn’t know Michael and have just heard wonderful stories about him,” Pucci said. “So, we really just hope she feels the comfort that we’re all trying to give her.”
