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Votive candles lined the railing at Chi Tau as nearly 200 family, friends and acquaintances of Matthew Carrington gathered to remember him in laughter and tears Friday.
"Everybody loved Matt," his mother, Debbie Smith, told the silent crowd.
Smith said she hopes people learn from her son's death.
Matt died from water intoxication after drinking from a 5-gallon jug of water during a pledge event. See the link to Becky Regan's story at the bottom for more information.
"We're going to work hard to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again," Smith said.
Chi Tau President Ken Dandy said there were three things he admired about Matt.
"His loyalty, he's humble and he's disciplined," Dandy told the crowd. "He was a real man. That's why I'm so sad he's gone."
Chico State student and Chi Tau member Mike Fernandes told the group that during pledging, Matt and all the pledges had to tell a dirty sex story to the brothers.
But when it was time for Matt to talk, he stuttered for 10 seconds and said, "'There's this girl I care about, and I was with her one night,'" Fernandes said. "He couldn't even come up with a dirty sex story. That's how pure Matt was."
A childhood friend, Kristi Vahl said between tears, "I still can't believe he's gone."
With her father by her side, Vahl said she went out to the bars last weekend for the first time with Matt, who turned 21 in November.
"I'm really glad I got to do that," she said.
Matt's father, Michael Carrington, said if he asked Matt to take out the trash, Matt would sit there, but if he gave him a glass of water, Matt always said thank you.
"He always says 'please,' and he always says 'thank you.' I don't know where he got that from," he said while laughing.
But he said his son shouldn't have died.
"There's no reason for anyone in this town or the next to go through this," he said.
Matt's stepfather, Greg Smith, said the world lost a great person when Matt died. He thanked everyone for coming to remember Matt.
"I know Matt's feeling all of this," he said.
After the speeches, Smith said Matt was a great person.
"Once you met Matt, you absolutely wanted to love him."
He said he felt waves of hatred since Matt died, but meeting the fraternity brothers helped.
"This is the first time my cheeks have been dry for two days," he said.
He said the fraternity brothers loved Matt.
"We knew alcohol and drugs wouldn't be an issue because he's so smart," Smith said. "But this water thing we never knew."
Smith and other friends and family wore a blue and white ribbon in Matt's memory.
"I didn't get to know too much about this place," he said wearing the ribbon that matched the white and blue fraternity house before him, "It means to me that Matt wanted to be here tonight."
He said he was there for Matt.
"It's just for showing love," Smith said.
Chico State President Paul Zingg said he went to the vigil to honor and remember Matt.
"It's certainly an important gathering," Zingg said. "I think it's heartfelt, and I think it's what can be expected."
A Matthew Carrington Fund has been created to educate students about the impact of hazing and water intoxication.
For more information, see The Orion Wednesday and check for updates on The Orion Online.
Brea Jones can be reached at
bjones@orion-online.net
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