They didn't just give up hours of sleep or bomb a test. They gave their lives making the Alpha Gamma Rho house decoration in 1976. Members of the AGR house commemorate their deaths by placing special tributes in front of the house decoration.

Merle Wayne George, Kevin Brent Wilson and Randall Duane Logan had their lives cut short when they were involved in a technical accident during the preparations for their homecoming house decoration.

“They sacrificed their lives trying to build the homecoming decoration, so it's just our way of honoring them,” said Brent Howard, agricultural economics and accounting senior. “This year, we're going to make signs for our three brothers.”

Howard also said since the accident, the brothers have erected a memorial honoring them for their service to the fraternity, which is placed in front of every house decoration. This year, however, the memorial will not stand alone.

Last year, AGR once again lost three brothers to different tragedies.

Kyle Aebi, Tracey Cox and Trent Patton all unexpectedly died last summer. For the brothers left behind, their deaths come hard because of the exceptional men they were and the legacies they left in their absence.

“Kyle and Tracey were two very distinct men who both contributed to the fraternal AGR institution at OSU,” said Brady Sidwell, AGR president. “Both brought something special to the fraternity and will forever be missed.”

Sidwell said although he did not know Patton, a recent graduate, as well as he knew Aebi or Cox, he was sure Patton was no exception of character.
“He will also be sorely missed,” he said.

Sidwell said although the deaths of the men in 1976 were still being felt in their house, the deaths of Aebi, Cox and Patton “really put things into perspective.”

For the AGRs, the decision to erect this memorial was an easy one. Sidwell said it was never really an issue, because all six men exemplified what their fraternity stands for.

“One of the things we stress in our brotherhood program is sacrifice,” he said. “It takes a lot of heart to give the way these men did, and we're just honoring their sacrifice and commitment.”

The brothers of AGR look to each other for support. “We've found ways to lean on each other for this,” Sidwell said.

However, the person who possibly felt the pain of loss the most was the AGR house mother Brenda Tiger.

“You just can't describe the feeling when a housemother loses a child,” Tiger said. “I never thought I would lose a child, and I feel like I've lost three.”

“All three contributed so much to Alpha Gamma Rho.”

"Kyle said, 'Mom, don't worry, she's tough, she's just like you,'" Tiger said. "He was a really unique individual."

Tiger also had plenty to say about Cox and Patton.
"Tracey was very involved on campus, especially in Orange Peel," she said.

Being a five-shot-a-day diabetic, Cox had never expected to live long, so he made the most of the time he was given, Tiger said.

"Tracey wondered how he could live like that and lived his life to the fullest," she said.

Tiger also said even though many of the brothers in the house did not know Trent Patton very well, she would always have fond memories of him.

"He was just a huge asset to the house," she said. "He was even the homecoming chair one year."

Tiger said she wanted to make sure students continue to remember Aebi, Cox and Patton not only for the lives they led and the legacies they will leave behind but also learn from their stories that life is fleeting.

"As Tracey would always say, 'Make every day something you have done to contribute to someone else," Tiger said.
 

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