Brophy Grad remembers Emily Ell

Ten years ago this May, the Xavier community suffered a crushing loss when Emily Elizabeth Ell '99 was killed on prom night, just a few weeks before her graduation, when the car in which she was traveling was struck by another. The week after her funeral, Seamus O'Bryan, Peter O'Dowd and Nick Staab, all Brophy Class of 1999, constructed a wooden cross and placed it in the front courtyard of Xavier in honor of Emily and the beautiful spirit in which she led her life.

To mark this ten-year anniversary, Seamus rebuilt Emily's cross with the help of Emily's parents, Suzanne and Terry Ell. On May 20, 2009, Mr. Bert O'Bryan and Mr. Joe Beringer, along with Mr. and Mrs. Ell, replaced the cross and Sister Joan Fitzgerald offered a blessing.



"I am surprised that the original cross held up in the sun for as long as it did," said Seamus. "This new redwood cross will be a much stronger replacement, and it has always meant a lot to us to remember our friend in this way."

Faculty, staff, students, parents, alumnae and friends of Xavier remember Emily always, and offer our thoughts and prayers to the Ell family.