The first year of college is full of challenges and new experiences. Many people are forced out of their comfort zones and discover new things about themselves. However, for some Elizabethtown College first-years who were involved in theater, this school year also forced them to face loss; the loss of their classmate and fellow theater-lover Joseph “Jo” Russo.  

On the evening of Feb. 19, Russo was found unresponsive in his campus dorm room by emergency personnel. The students, faculty and staff were notified via an email from the administration about the tragic loss. 

How do you say goodbye to a classmate who was taken from this world too soon? For members of Sock and Buskin, Etown’s theater club, the answer came quickly: put together a performance and a scholarship in Russo’s name.  

These ideas became a reality thanks to donations through Etown’s Power of One Day on March 19 and a benefit concert on March 24. In order to create an impact scholarship, Sock and Buskin needed to raise $10,000. They received approximately $5,577 in donations, and the College President Betty Rider agreed to subsidize the remaining amount. 

“That was like a dream because we had no idea that a) we were going to raise that much money and b) that it was going to get this much recognition from people that high up in administration,” first-year Claire Grau said. 

Grau is an occupational therapy major and has participated in “The Language Archive”, Plays in a Day, the One Act Festival and “Melancholy Play” this school year. She has been involved in theater since she was eight and has participated in theater at the College  since she started her first semester. She says she was more than willing to help organize this benefit to honor her classmate and friend. 

“He was involved with theater and he was our friend, so we wanted to memorialize him,” Grau said. “We had three main ideas: the scholarship, to have some sort of concert and to put his name on the wall (with the seniors).” 

 “He’s not a guy that you’re going to forget,” Grau continued. “He was just so joyous and funny… he was so, so funny.” 

Other organizers included Judas Foster, Julia Yudichak and Em Clark.   

Clark said that the committee did its best to use other theater events as guidelines, but, “nothing like this has ever happened before, so nobody knew how to proceed.”  

Not only had this never been done before, it was planned and executed in four and a half weeks. That included sending out the call for performers, collecting the names of those interested,  reserving a space, scheduling tech times and putting together a show order.   

“It was a whirlwind,” Grau said. “Looking back, we did a lot in four and a half weeks, but it didn’t feel like it at the time.” 

All of the hard work paid off. The benefit had approximately 30 performers and enough attendees to fill most of the seats in the KAV.  

“It was so rewarding seeing everyone come out for this,” Grau said. 

Many in attendance said it was a very emotionally-charged night. It was a celebration of life, but also a remembrance of a classmate and friend so soon after the loss. 

  “It was one of the most important things I think I will ever do in my college career. And I’m honored that I got the opportunity to be a part of this and make history and remember my friend in a way he would want to be remembered,” Clark said. 

“The response was astounding,” Grau said. “I’m so grateful for everyone involved…the amount of community outreach and the amount of community feedback we had really restored my hope in togetherness.”