by Britty Johnson
In 1997, the University of West Georgia experienced a traumatic loss that had a huge impact not only on the school, but also the Carrollton community at large. On August 10 of that year, cheerleaders Deandre Hamilton, 20, Michael Massa, 18, and their coach, Stephanie Shaw, 27, died in a bus crash that also hospitalized 10 others while traveling to a cheer camp in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The crash brought West Georgia students, alumni, faculty, and staff together to grieve and remember those whose lives were cut short by the tragedy. Almost 20 years later, UWG continues to recognize the loss experienced by the community and recently honored the victims of the 1997 crash with an installation of a memorial bench in Wolf Plaza at University Stadium. UWG cheerleaders, President Kyle Marrero, and UWG faculty, staff, and alumni gathered on Saturday, October 10 to witness the installation and share memories of the members of the UWG cheerleading team killed in the crash.
Also present at the dedication was crash survivor Chad Houck and former cheerleading coach Sherry Cooney, both of whom spoke about the tragedy.
“It's our hope that this bench is a reminder to everyone who sees it of those precious lives we lost that day,” Chad said. “We also hope it inspires others to realize how important life is and to never take it for granted.”
Sherry commended UWG for building such a loving and welcoming community.
“What I love about this generation [of students] is that you’ve always wanted to know about your past,” she said.
Sherry believes that with such an engaged community of students and faculty, the 1997 crash will remain a significant piece of UWG history.
Director of UWG Alumni Relations Frank Pritchett helped organize the UWG cheer reunion and corresponding memorial dedication.
“We have received great feedback from returning cheer alumni who attended both their reunion dinner and the morning memorial at Wolf Plaza,” he said. “The importance of remembering those two students who died and their coach cannot be underscored enough.”
Frank and Sherry unveiled the bench together with other survivors.
“Between Dr. Marrero, Chad Houck, and Sherry Cooney, we learned so much about those three individuals and how that tragic event changed the course of our cheer program at West Georgia,” Frank added. “It was very moving and quite special.”
A memorial endowment scholarship for the cheer program has been created, with a goal of raising $25,000. Anyone wishing to donate or make inquiries can contact Chad at chaduwga@yahoo.com.
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