Friday, October 20th, the attendees of the weekly community reflection hosted at Stetson Chapel gathered around the bench outside of the chapel that contains a plaque honoring Maggie Wardle. Together, the attendees had a moment of remembrance for Maggie Wardle and Neenef Odah, two former Kalamazoo College students. In October of 1999, Neenef shot and killed Maggie, then himself in his DeWaters dorm room. The murder-suicide sent shock waves through the Kalamazoo College community and still impacts the college today.
Reagan Woods, ‘26, recalls the community reflection and said it was “Remembrance in Maggie and Neenef’s honor, but also to bring awareness to intimate partner violence.” Gail Griffin, author of the book Events of October, a book that tells the story of Maggie and Neenef, emphasizes the need to spread awareness for intimate partner violence in her recalling of the campus aftermath of the loss of Maggie and Neenef. Griffin said, “What I saw is the failure of the campus to understand these deaths as part of pattern of violence against women, in which the man frequently takes his own life.”
In honor of October being Domestic Violence Awareness month, Kalamazoo College has taken the opportunity to spread awareness for broader issues of intimate partner violence as well as share the story of Maggie and Neenef. “It’s important for institutional memory and it’s a story that students tell each other, and we want them to tell it to each other well” explains Reverend Dr. Elizabeth Hakken Candido, more commonly known as Chaplain Liz.
The story of Maggie and Neenef will continue to be remembered at yearly community reflections, enabling the college to honor the students that were lost as well as take an active part in educating current students.
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