HARRISONBURG, Va. – At Saturday's 6 p.m. football home opener, James Madison Athletics will honor alumna Alison Parker ('12) and co-worker Adam Ward (Virginia Tech '11), journalists at Roanoke's WDBJ Channel 7 CBS station who were killed during a live television broadcast on Wednesday, August 26.
JMU football will wear helmet decals in memory of Parker and Ward. The decal features the number seven in reference to the television station, ribbons with the colors of the two alma maters -- purple for Parker and maroon for Ward –- as well as the initials for each.
.@JMUFootball will wear helmet decals in memory of Parker and Ward on Sept. 5. Read // http://t.co/U14ow4IxAv pic.twitter.com/AGda0mwoXr
— JMUSports (@JMUSports) September 2, 2015
Before kickoff vs. Morehead State, both will be honored as part of a moment of silence, which will accompany a one-minute video board tribute.
Planning for Saturday's recognition began immediately after the events of last Wednesday unfolded. JMU Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne said, "It is important for us as a community to come together in support after the tragic events of last week. Both Alison and Adam were shining lights for their alma maters, their families, their communities and their workplace at WDBJ."
JMU has established the Alison B. Parker ('12) Memorial Fund in recognition of Parker's lasting legacy at the university. The scholarship will be awarded to students in the School of Media Arts and Design. More information is available here. There are additional scholarship opportunities for both Parker and Ward posted here.
The university held a vigil on Wednesday morning, marking one week after the shooting incident. Video of the vigil is below.
