On Wednesday we celebrate the life of Kyle Craig

Celebration of Life commemorates the Vanderbilt student who passed away in 2010

Six years ago, Vanderbilt University experienced a great tragedy. On the outside, Kyle Craig seemed like any normal guy. He loved music, surfing, and hanging out with his friends. His brothers in Beta Theta Pi fraternity all vividly remember his outgoing personality and zest for life. However, at the time, Kyle was battling something much darker that was not apparent to others.

On May 22nd, 2010, Kyle took his own life in his hometown of Spring Lake, New Jersey after just finishing his junior year abroad in Barcelona, Spain.

Clay Skipper, a Vanderbilt Beta alum as well as a good friend of Kyle Craig, said: “The thing to know about Kyle is the way he combined his laid back calm with an unbridled enthusiasm for everything. If you were just hanging out, talking, Kyle instantly put you at ease.”

A perfect example of this is the first time Clay met Kyle, and when they first became friends: “The time I first felt like college really started was the night I met Kyle. It was only a few days after I’d arrived at Vanderbilt and he’d gotten my name from a mutual friend. He took my roommate and I out to dinner with all of his friends, with no idea about me or who I was.

“He just had a name. He was a year older, so I just remember being out with all of these sophomores who had no idea who I was, and feeling just super welcomed for the first time at Vandy.”

As a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, Kyle’s loyal brothers wanted to be able to commemorate this young man’s life for years to come. They wanted to ensure the ability for not only the brothers of Beta, but also the entire Vanderbilt community to come together and celebrate the life of Kyle Craig and bring awareness to those who are going through the same struggles.

In 2011, “Celebration of Life” was born – a concert event hosted by Beta on Alumni Lawn, with all ticket proceeds going to the Minding Your Mind Foundation. The two co-chairs of Celebration of Life this year are Dillon Rolnick and Liam Cronin, and I was lucky enough to talk to Liam about the efforts put into the creation of the event this year and what the continuation of this concert means to the brothers formerly known as Beta.

Now we all remember the end of last semester when the Betas made a graceful exit from the Vanderbilt Greek community. Since their organization as a fraternity is no longer officially recognized by Vanderbilt University, this year’s event is especially notable since it is now all on them to continue Kyle’s legacy.

In the past, Vanderbilt has assisted them in coordinating Celebration of Life by providing funding and free event space. This year, the co-chairs struggled to get Celebration of Life established as its own student organization and gain legitimacy with the university. However, these guys are not the type to back down from a challenge.

They approached other Greek houses and the Vanderbilt Programming Board (VPB) in order to get the event going for its 6th consecutive year, as well as to get it established as an official student organization.

“Although it’s been challenging, running Celebration of Life on our own has actually culminated in making the event more inclusive. We want to make is less associated with the fraternity and include more student groups in the production of the event in order to spread the message to a much broader base,” Liam explained.

When I spoke to Liam, I noted his passion about the event and the greater meaning behind it that the brothers are trying to promote. Liam told me that in the weeks surrounding the event, he has personally seen how great of an impact it has had on each member in the fraternity.

He said, “This event has given people the power and knowledge to seek help if they are struggling with mental illnesses, and after hosting this event, I have seen friends finally get the help they need.” Although the event is hosted in order to bring awareness to mental health diseases and to disparage the stigmas that surround them, the brothers of Beta do not want the event to be a downer.

“This event is supposed to be a positive experience with a somber cause. While it is a reminder of life’s fragility, it is also a time to celebrate the more beautiful things life has to offer.”

When speaking to Clay, I definitely got the sense that this was the type of event that Kyle would have loved: “I think if Kyle could come back and spend a warm night in Nashville outside listening to good music, he’d be in a really happy place.

“The good vibes that are all wrapped up in a group of people coming together for a live show are all the vibes that used to come from Kyle. He’s gone, but I like to think on the nights of A Celebration of Life people can get a small feeling of what it used to be like to be around him.”

So what can we expect at the event this year?

Since Kyle always loved music, Celebration of Life is first and foremost a concert. You can look forward to performances from the hip-hop group Nappy Roots, as well as the new pop duo Satchmode.

Liam said: “We will also be having a silent auction with tons of cool sports memorabilia and other valuable items, so that will be great. We are lucky enough to have food from many Nashville staples, such as Tzazikis, Martin’s BBQ, and McDougal’s.”

What’s more, SAE’s very own Will McGee will be donating $400 worth of meat and smoking it  in his smoker at the actual event. (If you’ve ever been to an SAE tailgate, you’re well aware that those guys really know how to cook good BBQ.)

And to remind everyone the real reason for the event and to educate on the effects of mental illness,  Andrew Bergman from the Minding Your Mind Foundation will be coming to speak.

What is most important though is not only keeping Kyle’s legacy alive, but spreading awareness about the prevalence of mental illnesses on college campuses as well as creating an environment in which students can feel comfortable asking for help when they require it. This tragedy was something that may been avoided had Kyle gotten the guidance he so needed, so now it is our responsibility as Vanderbilt students to ensure this tragedy didn’t happen in vain.

We cannot let the negative perceptions, stigmas and connotations that surround mental illness inhibit us any longer, and instead we all need to be more open and honest about their seriousness. For Kyle.

This year, Celebration of Life will be held on Wednesday, April 20th from 4-7pm in Centennial Park. Tickets are $10 and all proceeds will be donated to the Minding Your Mind Foundation.

More
Vanderbilt