Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg and Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore are mourning the deaths of two of their students.
Catherine Carnes, a Mount St. Mary’s freshman from Monkton, collapsed on campus Sept. 1 while playing volleyball with fellow students and was rushed to Gettysburg Hospital, where she was declared dead.
Evan Girardi, a Loyola senior, was found unresponsive in his residence hall Sept. 6 and was transported to Union Memorial Hospital, where he died. In a letter to the Loyola community, Jesuit Father Brian F. Linnane, president, said a medical investigation will be conducted. Girardi’s family informed the university that their son had a heart condition from birth.
According to a Mount St. Mary’s spokesperson, Carnes was a graduate of the McDonogh School. She had joined the Mount equestrian team, and was planning a Labor Day weekend whitewater rafting trip with the Outdoor Adventure Club.
The university plans to plant a tree on campus in her honor, with a plaque reading, “To see with our hearts and not with our eyes is where the truth lies.” It was Carnes’ e-mail signature.
Loyola held a Mass in Girardi’s memory Sept. 6 at the Alumni Memorial Chapel, and counseling services were made available to those who needed them. A formal on-campus memorial and funeral arrangements were still being arranged Sept. 7.