College, family seek closure in Garza memorial service

Author: Ian Trombulak

Friends, family and other members of the College community gathered at a memorial service on Nov. 8 to remember Nick Garza '11, who went missing in February and was found to have died in May. An oak tree was planted on the lawn between Le Chateau and Allen Hall, a first-year residence dorm where Garza lived on the basement floor.

Despite extensive police-organized and volunteer search efforts, Garza remained missing for nearly five months following his disappearance. Many had hoped his discovery would come with the melting of the snow, but it was not until long after that, in May, that his body was found in Otter Creek River.

Several dozen of Garza's friends, along with family and members of the administration, formed an arc around the tree being dedicated, next to which statements about Garza and his life were made.

"When death comes slowly we have sometimes an opportunity to say goodbye," said Chaplain Laurie Jordan in her welcome, "with Nick, we had no such opportunity - and that is, in small measure, what we are trying to do today." While 12 students flew to his hometown of Albuquerque, N.M. this summer to pay tribute to him at the funeral service in his hometown, this service provided the College community with its own closure. Nick's mother, Natalie Garza, and his grandmother were also in attendance on Saturday to help honor Nick's life next to the building he called home during his year at Middlebury.

Jordan explained the decision to dedicate "a species of oak that flourishes on limestone outcrops" for Garza as not only necessary due to the environment it will be growing in, but also meaningful in that it "conjures up an image - an image of something rock solid - though sometimes hidden, just beneath the surface of things."

The tree, she said in her dedication, though leafless now, will "cycle through the seasons," and "people will find relief and shelter in its shade, [and] delight in its growth and renewal and brilliant changing colors." She hopes that this tree can help remind people of the beauty of life, and those we have lost.

"In the beauty of this place we see," said Jordan, "[that] we can indeed find something solid and sturdy, something strong and at its heart loving."

Associate Chaplain Rabbi Ira Schiffer spoke as well, along with Acting Dean of the College Gus Jordan. Gus Jordan briefly related the events of last spring, before talking about the relationships Garza had formed here at Middlebury with fellow students and professors alike.

"Yes, he was a normal adolescent and young adult, with all the struggles and challenges that come with those years," said Gus Jordan in his statement, "but he was by every account more than promise, more than potential."

Peter Weinberg '11, a former Allen Hall resident and close friend of Garza's, related to the crowd his favorite memories of Nick, and how the death of one of his best friends had affected him. Garza was, according to Weinberg, the cornerstone of their group of friends, with a continuous supply of brilliant ideas who never failed to grab a laugh. Weinberg reminisced on their long days spent watching "The Graduate," and Garza's own similarities to Dustin Hoffman's Ben Braddock.

Ben Brown '11, another of Garza's close friends, said after the service that "what happened to Nick … was tragic, unfair and affected me gravely. Recovering has come only with time and through the support of the friends who have gone through this with me."

One clear message from the somber afternoon event was that Nick Garza was loved, and will continue to be loved by all who knew him; It would seem that to know Nick was to be touched by him.

Laurie Jordan may have summed it up best at the conclusion of his statement, in relating his gratitude to all that this tragic event has taught him.

"Nick Garza made the moments of life count. And for that we are forever grateful," she said.