Spring Break
Campus memorial service celebrates life of Ben Teague
WHITNEY KESSLER and JULIE LEUNG
Issue date: 5/2/09 Section: News
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Around 500 attendees packed the University Chapel service to standing room only. Black folding chairs were set outdoors as the chapel filled beyond capacity.
A central figure at Town & Gown theater for over 17 years and the husband to University English professor, Fran Teague, 63-year old Ben Teague's life was celebrated much in the way he lived it - surrounded by people who loved him.
"He was really good with kids. He was really good with adults. He was really good with all kinds of people," said Chris Wagoner, who has worked on several sets for Town & Gown. "Seems like no matter who you were or where you were from, Ben could relate to you somehow."
Wagoner said she was not at the scene on Saturday due to a class in Asheville, N.C. She said Ben Teague did step in that day as others fled.
"He got in the middle of it. I think he tried to stop George," Wagoner said. "He tried to mitigate, but it was too late."
A friend of Fran Teague as well, Wagoner said she is amazed by her resilience.
"She's holding up incredibly well. I don't know how she's doing it," Wagoner said. "She says that she's numb and that's a good thing right now. I don't think she's had time for herself yet."
As a mother, Wagoner said she has been thinking about Zinkhan's kids, as well as Tom Tanner's daughter, since the incident. Her daughter, Vivian, 4, is a close friend to Tanner's daughter who was at the scene when shots were fired.
"I knew Marie. I've been thinking about her kids nonstop," Wagoner said. "They lost both their parents."
Also in attendance at the memorial service, Gary Baker, faculty of the department of romance languages, said he has known Fran Teague for many years. He said the reaction today was a mix of still lingering shock and the commemoration of a life that affected many.
"I think a lot of people are still pretty shocked about it. But it was a beautiful service," Baker said. "It celebrated his life and it was touching to see people here doing that."
The 40-minute ceremony was composed of mostly poetry reading and music, opening with a rendition of Paul McCartney's "Mull of Kintyre" played by Jeff Evans on the bagpipes. According to the program provided at the service, the song is a Teague family tradition.
Selections such as "Death Be Not Proud" by John Donne and "In time of daffodils" by e. e. cummings followed, read aloud by friends of the Teagues.
Justin Sanders, Town & Gown member, played the waltz number from Tom Stoppard's "Arcadia" on the piano. Ben Teague directed the December production of the show, in which Bruce and Tanner also acted.
According to Terrell Austin, who also acted in the play, it was Ben Teague's idea to have all the cast members learn to waltz for the show.
"We began every rehearsal with waltzing lessons, even though not all of us ended up waltzing in the show. We all learned ... with greater and lesser successes," she said in a phone interview on Sunday, managing a small laugh.
Attendees of the memorial were encouraged to join in to sing "Here Comes the Sun," helping the service to end on a soothing note.
Tom Tanner's ex-wife Kris Schultz-Tanner who attended the service said dealing with the aftermath of the shooting is still difficult.
"It's still really hard. My daughter's holding up very well. She's actually been very resilient," she said. "She takes solace in knowing that daddy's an angel. She can talk to him whenever she wants."
She said she owes everything to Marisa Castengera, the publicity chair on the board at Town & Gown, who ran onto the scene to grab Tanner's daughter after he was shot.
"Everybody scattered, but Marisa went back for my daughter and took her to safety," she said.
As far as the day of the shooting goes, Tanner said her daughter has not yet come to a full understanding of the tragedy, but knows her father and Ben Teague are gone.
"Ben was like a surrogate grandfather to my child. She used to go to set call with Tom and Ben so she was always at the theater when they were building things," Tanner said. "She told me this morning that she wondered if Ben and Daddy were building the clouds, and she looked up."
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