Michelle Downs Whatley accepts the diploma for her sister Danielle Downs who died in the April 27 tornado. (AP photo by Butch Dill)
It’s not all sports all the time, here at The Daily Bama Blog. There is certainly more to life than charting a third-string offensive lineman’s progress.
That was never more obvious than Saturday morning in Coleman Coliseum. Families of students killed in the April 27 tornado were awarded posthumous degrees. The emotion — still raw from the tragedy three months earlier –created a different feel to what’s typically a pure celebration.
I wrote about the family of Danielle Downs, 24, of Priceville who died that April afternoon with friends Will Stevens and Loryn Brown — daughter of former Tide football player Shannon Brown.
Here’s what I wrote from Saturday’s commencement:
TUSCALOOSA — The shoes. The birth stone. The color purple.
All of Danielle Downs’ favorites were represented Saturday morning in Coleman Coliseum.
This was to be her big day — commencement at the University of Alabama.
The 24-year-old from Priceville was just days from crossing that stage when the horrifying tornadoes found Tuscaloosa on April 27. She died that afternoon with two friends and 45 others in the city.
On Saturday, Michelle Downs Whatley, wearing her late sister’s shoes, made the traditional walk across the graduation stage an emotional one. In Danielle’s honor, Michelle was handed one of five degrees awarded posthumously to victims of the storm.
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