The Chance to Say Goodbye

by Janice Cross Kerlee

On November 18, 1999 a tragic accident at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas claimed the lives of twelve young people and injured twenty-seven others when the annual bonfire to celebrate the Texas vs A&M football game collapsed during the final stages of construction. Eleven young people died at the scene, but the twelfth victim, Timothy Doran Kerlee, Jr., lived almost forty-two hours before succumbing to his injuries. Seven months after his death, his parents left their secular life in Memphis, Tennessee and moved to College Station to work as volunteers in campus ministry at the very school where their son had died. What happened to cause this couple to make such a life-changing decision? The Chance to Say Goodbye answers that question while telling the tale of a young hero, who on that fateful night refused aid for himself until his friends had been helped. It is a book that will help parents who have lost children deal with their grief and teach friends how to help in a time of need. Finally, it is a book that testifies to the mighty works of God and his ever-present love.

140 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in its entirety on my flight home from Texas after visiting A&M for the first time. It was the deciding factor in my decision to move to College Station.