Friends, kinfolk remember Allison Walden
 at Chagrin Falls memorial service

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio – More than 600 people crowded Federated Church here Nov. 3 to remember Allison Christine Walden, one of seven college students who died in an Oct. 28  North Carolina beach house fire.

Allison, 19, was among six University of South Carolina students to die in the fire while they were weekending at Ocean Isle Beach, N.C.  A seventh student who attended Clemson University also perished in the blaze.

Allison is survived by her parents, Terry and Dianne McHugh Walden and a brother, Greg, all of Chagrin Falls.

"There was lots of laughter, and lots of tears," the Rev. Mark Simone said. "But it was difficult. It's been such a loss to the community."

Jerry Brewer, the university's associate vice president for student affairs, and a half dozen of Walden's sorority sisters traveled from South Carolina to attend the service, Simone said.

Allison’s classmates in the Arnold School of Public Health, arranged for flowers, cards and other expressions of sympathy to be sent to the memorial service, said Dr. Larry Durstine, chair of the Department of Exercise Science.

Allison was planning to earn a degree in exercise at USC before returning home to graduate school at Case Western Reserve University.

The University held a memorial service on Nov. 7 in honor of Allison and fellow USC students Justin Michael Anderson, Travis Lane Cale, Lauren Astrid Mahon, Cassidy Fae Pendley and William Robert Rhea. Clemson student Emily Yelson also was memorialized.

The Carolina Remembrance Fund was established in honor and memory of the Carolina students:

Carolina Remembrance Fund
University of South Carolina
Gift Processing
1600 Hampton Street, Suite 736
Columbia, SC 29208

Checks should be written to Carolina Remembrance Fund. To honor an individual student, Delta Delta Delta sorority or Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, please so indicate in the memo line of the check.

To make a gift to the Carolina Remembrance Fund online please go to:

http://giving.sc.edu

In the "gift description" section please type "Carolina Remembrance Fund."

Updated Nov. 14