Dear Editor,
The untimely dispatch of Karl Harford is yet another unwieldy blow to the collective spirit of our frequently freewheeling, and occasionally dysfunctional, community of scholars at Ball State.
Stunningly stupid, senseless death at the hands of total strangers calls to mind the parental admonitions of our yesteryear, when we judiciously followed mom's advice to avoid strangers. Who are our friends and foes in this land of smiling faces, tall brick buildings and meandering sidewalks?
While I've never had the opportunity to meet Karl during my academic endeavors, it's clear that he did what was right and just with the information at hand. Three partygoers needed a ride across town. His altruism wasn't completely blind, as he turned his cash over to a friend. It's arguable, however, that once armored in a cloak of poverty, he moved a much greater danger out of our neighborhood.
It wasn't so long ago that we were reeling from another senseless death, that of former BSU student Julian Brown. Brown was attending an off-campus party where a different group of party-crashers was sent packing. That pack of desperados returned later with firearms and riddled the property with bullets. I had the opportunity to speak at length with former dean of students Donald Mikesell concerning that affair.
The words which still echo in my mind are, "... there were so many bullet holes in that house ..."
We stand at the crossroads of sadness and horror in this hour: Karl brought us here safely. In choosing to be a reflection of the good and decent people whom we aspire to be, he became a lightning rod for the negative forces that seek to diminish the spark of our all-too-fallible humanity.
In the days ahead, that humanity faces a challenge to mete out justice. First, to the man suspected of pulling the trigger, extinguishing Karl's spark. His actions are completely understandable in a twisted world: He needed money. It will be harder, though, to look through the eyes of the other two accused, knowing that they stood idly by and allowed it all to happen.
Herb Howell
Graduate Student
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