Throwback Thursday

Kendall Aronson, Campus Carrier Asst. Arts & Living Editor

Cemetery move clears way for mall

Sept. 7, 1989

It seems that the Mount Berry Mall was built on what used to be a cemetery. As Berry Officials began to prepare the land for the mall following its purchase by Crown America Corp., they discovered 153 unmarked graves. According to Curt Carlson, Berry director of public relations at the time, the cemetery predated the school’s founding in 1902. 

“We’ve searched records of ownerships (of the land),” Carson said. “No record of the cemetery has ever been found on any property deeds.”

In addition to this, none of the graves have names inscribed on the stones or coffins. One historian believed they might be from a Civil War skirmish involving Sherman. However, this seems unlikely, considering many of the bodies were buried in ornate coffins and some of the bodies appear to belong to children. There is only one complete skeleton among the bodies found, the cemetery largely contained bone fragments, buttons, teeth and coffin nails. Carlson said that there was also another item found with the bodies, appearing to be a wedding ring. After the bodies were discovered, they were placed in new coffins and relocated to an area adjacent to the Possum Trot Cemetery.

Police charge three students with forgery

Nov. 7, 1991

Three students in Thomas Berry forged more than 100 counterfeit $20 bills, and were then arrested. The bills were made on a color copier. The students were caught after sophomore David Walker used a phony bill at the Hungry Harvey store. After secret service officers and police agents searched Walker’s third floor dorm room, they confiscated a gumball machine, a .22 caliber revolver, four bottles of liquor and 94 counterfeit bills.

Charging deer injures student

Nov. 7, 1991

The same week as the forgery arrests, another student was given short term amnesia after being hit by a deer. Sophomore Lee Palmer was walking between Ford and the log cabin campus around 3 a.m. when he spooked some deer which then charged him. Palmer’s RA took him to the hospital at 1:30 a.m. the following morning, and was then released with a mild contusion. Afterwards, Palmer continued to report blurred vision and dizziness, until he passed out in Third East Mary at 8:30 p.m. After he woke up, he did not remember who anyone was. 

Palmer remembered things after he woke up, but was unable to remember anything about the accident or his life before the accident. The doctors said he had post-concussion syndrome, and his memories should return within the week. 

Carrier Disappears: Cheerleaders face student conduct investigation

Feb. 14, 2008

More than 900 issues of the Campus Carrier were taken from their distribution racks across campus by several cheerleaders. Carrier Circulation Director, sophomore Lauren Wright, said that the papers were distributed around campus from 11:45 – 1 p.m on Thursday. At 3:19 p.m., the Carrier received an email from an anonymous student who had witnessed all of the papers being taken from the rack in the Memorial Library. Elsewhere on campus, another student witnessed a student removing all the papers from Evans, and the same situation repeated at all of the Carrier distribution areas on campus. Eventually, the papers were taken back, and redistributed on Friday morning. The Carrier staff repeatedly contacted the cheerleaders and their advisors for a comment on the situation to no avail. 

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