Memorial Service Bulletin

MEMORIAL SERVICE CHRISTOPHER G. ELVIN JR. MAY 27, 2004–MARCH 21, 2024

Saturday, April 27, 2024 2 o’clock in the afternoon Camp Concert Hall Booker Hall of Music University of Richmond

ORDER OF SERVICE PRE-SERVICE MUSIC

Benjamin Stalder, ’25, piano

WELCOME AND OPENING PRAYER

The Rev. Dr. Craig T. Kocher, University Chaplain Jessie Ball duPont Chair of the Chaplaincy

PROCESSION OF SYMBOLS Benjamin Stalder, ’25, piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, “Pathétique,” 2nd Movement Ludwig van Beethoven Symbol

Significance

Symbol Bearer(s)

St. George’s School

2022 Alumnus; alma mater in Middletown, RI

Anne-Valerie Clitus, ’25

Wight Foundation, Inc.

Program participant since seventh grade

Ariel Seidu, ’26

Taiwanese flag

Participant, Taiwan Intensive Summer Language Program at Tamkang University

Eliana Coleman, ’26

Camera

Photo enthusiast

Nancy Barraza, ’26

Jersey

Member, Spider Monkeys Ultimate Frisbee Team

Matt Fliegel, ’24

Corona de flores

Solidarity Organization for Latinx Students (SOLS)

Raf Cruz, ’26 & Amber Castaneda, ’26

West Indian Lynk

President, Caribbean Students Association

Genice Thomas, ’26

Jamaican flag

Proud of his heritage

Ny’Kya Scott-McKoy, ’26

New Jersey silhouette

Loved his home state

Katiana Isaac, ’24

REMEMBRANCE

Mr. Chuck Mike, Associate Professor of Theatre

MUSICAL TRIBUTE Zach Bader, ’24, vibraphone Eli Chancey, ’24, trombone John D'Addario, ’26, electric bass Mark Johnson, ’24, piano

Sunday Morning Maroon 5

Andrew Magrane, ’24, trumpet Cameron Peterson, ’24, drums Jillian Yates, ’24, trombone Dr. Mike Davison, Professor of Music

REMEMBRANCE

Tara Knighton, ’26

REMEMBRANCE

Calvin Ciorba, ’25, and Jeffy Joshy, ’24

VIDEO TRIBUTE

Compiled and edited by Thomas Takele, ’25

REMEMBRANCE

Ny’Asia Flowers, ’24

MUSICAL TRIBUTE

Hark! I Hear the Harps Eternal Words attributed to F.R. Warren arrangement by Alice Parker Dr. Jeffrey Riehl, Associate Professor of Music

Members of Schola Cantorum

Hark, I hear the harps eternal Ringing on the farther shore, As I near those swollen waters with their deep and solemn roar.

And my soul, tho’ stain’d with sorrow, Fading as the light of day, Passes swiftly o’er those waters, to the city far away. R.

Refrain Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, praise the lamb!

Hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to the great I AM!

Souls have cross’d before me, saintly, to that land of perfect rest; And I hear them singing faintly in the mansions of the blest. R.

CLOSING REMARKS AND BLESSING *CHORAL BENEDICTION

Dr. Kocher

Unclouded Day Words and Music by J. K. Alwood arrangement by Shawn Kirchner

Members of Schola Cantorum

O they tell me of a home far beyond the skies, They tell me of a home far away, And they tell me of a home Where no storm-clouds rise: O they tell me of an unclouded day.

O they tell me of a home Where my friends have gone, They tell me of a land far away, Where the tree of life in eternal bloom Sheds its fragrance through the unclouded day. R.

Refrain O the land of cloudless days, O the land of an unclouded sky, O they tell me of a home Where no storm-clouds rise: O they tell me of an unclouded day.

They tell me of a King in His beauty there, They tell me that mine eyes shall behold Where He sits on a throne That is bright as the sun In the city that is made of gold! R.

*Please stand, if able, and remain standing through the choral benediction and while the family departs.

A reception follows in the Booth Lobby of the Modlin Center for the Arts. All are welcome.

The reception has been planned to include Christopher’s favorites — Jamaican food, pancakes, vivid colors and good music. We invite all to dance, laugh, smile, visit, and enjoy life just as Chris did.

Notecards are available to share memories or write notes to Christopher’s family. Orange and yellow flowers are available to take and place at the existing memorial for Chris on the bridge by Tyler Haynes Commons.

We offer gratitude to the students who served on the planning committee for this service and reception: Anne-Valerie Clitus, Raf Cruz, Matt Fliegel, Katiana Isaac, Tara Knighton, Shelby Richards, Ariel Seidu, Genice Thomas, Thomas Takele, and Jillian Yates.

A donor has stepped forward to help the University of Richmond create a scholarship fund in Christopher’s name to honor his life and the impact he had on the campus community. The Fund will provide scholarship support to future Spiders. Individuals inclined to make a gift to The Christopher G. Elvin, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund may do so by going to the link found in your bulletin. https://uronline.net/elvin-scholarship

Christopher George Elvin Jr. was born on May 27, 2004, in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Terry-Ann Salmon and Christopher G. Elvin and grew up in Newark and East Orange, New Jersey. Christopher is survived by his eldest brother Jumaane-Kalif Salmon and his little brother Christian-Omali G. Elvin. Despite being born and raised in the States, Christopher was filled with Jamaican pride. From an early age, he visited Jamaica often with his family which allowed him to absorb the culture through language, cuisine, music, and dance. Indeed, he developed a love for all of those things as he got older, becoming fluent in Mandarin and regularly mastering new recipes in the kitchen, where he always had the latest songs blasting through his headphones as he seamlessly transitioned from mixing ingredients to busting out a fun dance move.

Though Christopher had grown into the kind of person who was not shy about showing off his dance skills (especially when he would hear Jersey Club music), he was not always the social butterfly we eventually knew him to be. As a kid, Christopher was shy but precocious, and one thing was clear: He. Was. BRILLIANT. Christopher loved to read and proved himself to be a lifelong learner. He was the kind of person that wasn’t just good at every subject, he was GREAT. As a student at North Star Academy in Newark, New Jersey, he would often earn accolades that sometimes came with “homework passes,” but no: Christopher refused to skip an assignment. He was a hard worker whose work ethic allowed him to dive deeply into any subject, any task, any interest and master it.

In seventh grade, Christopher was accepted into the Wight Foundation, which is a program that helps place academically talented and socioeconomically disadvantaged students from New Jersey into independent boarding schools. Through the Wight Foundation, Christopher built a tribe of like-minded individuals committed to succeeding and they became his lifelong friends.

With the help of the Wight Foundation, Christopher was accepted to St. George’s School, an independent boarding school in Providence, Rhode Island. By attending St. George’s School, Christopher expressed how it helped change the trajectory of his life because he flourished there. He loved the people and he would often tell his family how thankful he was to have faculty, staff, and friends create an environment where he felt like he could be himself and simultaneously explore who he wanted to be. Simply put, St. George’s allowed him to find new interests like squash, track, photography, and Mandarin, which was his most challenging class (and the only one he ever had less than an A in) but that challenge grew into a true passion.

After graduating from St. George’s, Christopher attended the University of Richmond (UR) where he continued to develop his interests and explore new ones by joining the Ultimate Frisbee team and Weightlifting Club. He became a world learner by traveling to Taiwan last summer for a Mandarin intensive, and he was looking forward to seeing more new places this summer. Christopher recently declared his major in Business Administration with a minor in Chinese Studies, and he served as the president of West Indian Lynk, which allowed him to bring his fellow Caribbean students together. He was great at bringing people together. Socially, Christopher’s UR family helped crack the shell that his brilliant personality used to hide behind. The once shy Christopher now loved meeting up with friends at the gym and going to parties. Thanks to the community he built at UR, everyone in Christopher’s life got to see even more just how beautiful his soul was.

At home, Christopher was just as amazing. Every time he went back to New Jersey, he would bring the best energy with him, and his presence brought new life to every room he walked into. Christopher enjoyed spending time with his family. He lived with his stepmom Darlene, his dad Christopher, and his little brother Christian. Christopher would chuckle every time someone would affectionately refer to him, his dad and brother as “A Tribe Called Chris.” He was the best brother and cousin—he would often take Christian and their cousins to the park, bike riding, and sometimes he would just drive around aimlessly just so he could spend time with them.

Christopher loved going to family events where he would greet everyone with the warmest smile and the tightest hug that could soften anyone’s heart. He had a way of working a room that allowed him to spend quality time with everyone there. Though he rarely sought to be the center of attention, he always stood out and it wasn’t because of his height. Rather, his intelligence coupled with his thoughtfulness, warmth, and genuine interest in everyone around him made him exceptional.

The last days without Christopher have been surreal for Christopher’s family and all those who knew and loved him. This is an incredibly difficult time, and while it feels impossible not to mourn, Christopher’s life is to be celebrated. His family is thankful for the time they had with him and for the outpouring of love and support from all of Christopher’s communities. Christopher is missed deeply and will never be forgotten.