Spring Break
University reacts to weekend crash
Senior aspired to teach music
Mark Schaaf
Issue date: 10/20/05 Section: Campus News
By all accounts, senior Branden Atherton was immensely devoted to music and would have made an outstanding music teacher someday.
Atherton was killed on his 24th birthday when one of four buses carrying members, chaperones, teachers and family members of the Chippewa Falls High School marching band crashed early Sunday morning into a semi that overturned on Interstate 94 north of Osseo.
Atherton, a music education major, was a student teacher at Chippewa Falls and would have made a huge impact on students, University Director of Bands Richard Heidel said.
"He undoubtedly would have had a positive influence on the lives of countless numbers of young people, and unfortunately that will not happen now," Heidel said. "I am honored to call Branden Atherton my student, and I miss him greatly."
Visitation is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday in Brookfield, with the funeral at 5:30 p.m.
Atherton was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a music fraternity consisting of about 30 UW-Eau Claire students.
The last few days have been extremely rough for the fraternity, said Aaron Hammerman, one of Atherton's former roommates.
"Branden was a year ahead of me, so the whole time I lived with him I was just asking questions," Hammerman said. "I literally just fed off of him."
Hammerman also said the mood around Haas Fine Arts Center has been unlike anything he has ever experienced.
"It's completely different than anything I've seen in the past five years," he said. "Any grudges are absolutely non-existent.
"The people who didn't know him, they honestly don't know what to do. They're seeing a bunch of upperclassmen in shock and they don't understand why, and they don't understand what kind of a person Branden really was."
Atherton was killed on his 24th birthday when one of four buses carrying members, chaperones, teachers and family members of the Chippewa Falls High School marching band crashed early Sunday morning into a semi that overturned on Interstate 94 north of Osseo.
| "Everywhere I look, there is something that reminds me of him." -Mark McGinnis Senior tuba player |
Atherton, a music education major, was a student teacher at Chippewa Falls and would have made a huge impact on students, University Director of Bands Richard Heidel said.
"He undoubtedly would have had a positive influence on the lives of countless numbers of young people, and unfortunately that will not happen now," Heidel said. "I am honored to call Branden Atherton my student, and I miss him greatly."
Visitation is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday in Brookfield, with the funeral at 5:30 p.m.
Atherton was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a music fraternity consisting of about 30 UW-Eau Claire students.
The last few days have been extremely rough for the fraternity, said Aaron Hammerman, one of Atherton's former roommates.
"Branden was a year ahead of me, so the whole time I lived with him I was just asking questions," Hammerman said. "I literally just fed off of him."
Hammerman also said the mood around Haas Fine Arts Center has been unlike anything he has ever experienced.
"It's completely different than anything I've seen in the past five years," he said. "Any grudges are absolutely non-existent.
"The people who didn't know him, they honestly don't know what to do. They're seeing a bunch of upperclassmen in shock and they don't understand why, and they don't understand what kind of a person Branden really was."