Bluffton University students, faculty and staff will gather at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 2 for a memorial service at the Circle of Remembrance to recognize the 10th anniversary of the 2007 baseball team’s bus accident in Atlanta, Ga., when the team’s charter bus fell from an overpass on their way to spring training.

Five student-athletes were killed: Zachary Arend (Oakwood, Ohio);  David Betts (Bryan, Ohio); Scott Harmon (Elida, Ohio); Cody Holp (Verona, Ohio) and Tyler Williams (Lima, Ohio); along with the bus driver and his wife. Twenty-eight others were injured including James Grandey, head coach.

The entire 2007 team was recently inducted in the Bluffton University Athletics Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility due to the team’s remarkable courage and strength in responding to the accident, including completing the 2007 baseball season.

Members of the campus community will gather at the Circle of Remembrance for a short service of reflection, remembrance and moving forward.

The memorial is situated along the right field line of Bluffton University’s Memorial Field which is off Bentley Road in Bluffton. This service is expected to begin around 11:30 a.m. If there is inclement weather the service will take place in Yoder Recital Hall.

The university will also have a continuous 12 hours of presence at the Circle of Remembrance on March 2 starting at 5:30 a.m. (the approximate time of the accident) until 5:30 p.m.

The memorial was built in honor of the 2007 team and in memory of the five student-athletes who died following the accident. In the center of the Circle of Remembrance is a pedestal with the sculpture “Touching Home” created by Gregg Luginbuhl, professor emeritus of art.

The Circle of Remembrance was dedicated March 12, 2008, in a private ceremony for members of the team and their families