The second annual 5-kilometer run/walk honoring the memory of Morgan McDuffee, a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College senior slain in 2002, takes place at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Saturday, March 6.

Registration for the 2004 Morgan’s 5K Run/Walk begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Clifton Daggett Gray Athletic Building, Central Avenue. A 1-mile walk will also take place. Proceeds from the events, including participant pledges, will support Morgan’s Fund for Violence Prevention with the Maine Community Foundation, a program aimed at ameliorating the effects of violence among young people.

McDuffee was slain in the early hours of March 3, 2002. He was a scholar-athlete who earned an A on his senior thesis in macroeconomics. His degree in economics was awarded posthumously to his parents, Regis McDuffee of Newburyport, Mass., and Lisa Freeman of Peterborough, N.H., at the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Commencement in 2002.

Captain of the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ lacrosse team, McDuffee was a star athlete as early as elementary school in Lyndeborough, N.H., where he belonged to the swim team. He went on to captain the lacrosse and football teams at Lexington (Mass.) High School, and spent winters at Killington Mountain Ski School as a junior Olympic ski racer.

“He struck me as one of the most mature, directed and kind young people I have ever met,” lacrosse Coach Peter Lasagna told the Lewiston Sun-Journal a few days after McDuffee died. “He impressed me every day.”

Morgan’s Fund was founded by Suzanna Andrew of Portland, McDuffee’s fiancee. The fund supports national efforts dedicated to breaking the cycle of violence in our culture and to preventing the harmful effects of violence on young children. Morgan’s Fund emphasizes helping children in violent homes overcome the trend of recreating violence in later years.

The fund, says Andrew, “has benefited efforts such as the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence peer leadership programs. CPHV works with schools throughout Maine to address the widespread problems of bullying, teasing and the use of degrading language and slurs.”

Race registration is $18 for the 5K events and $10 for the mile walk; payable in cash or by check; the fee includes a commemorative T-shirt while supplies last. The race-day registration site is the Gray Athletic Building.

For the safety of runners, no headphones, baby carriages or joggers, rollerblades or animals are allowed. The race will be held rain, snow or shine.

With this second annual race, “we hope to strengthen community by building awareness of the problem of violence in our culture, while remembering someone we love,” says Andrew, who is directing the race. “Participants are welcome to walk the course free of charge if they are unable to pay, as long as they sign the release form on race day and come to show support for the cause.”

“Morgan would no doubt win this race and laugh all the way through the finish line,” Lasagna said prior to the first Morgan’s Run, in 2003.

With proceeds destined for an American Red Cross program addressing issues of youth violence, a 5-kilometer run/walk dedicated to the memory of slain ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College senior Morgan McDuffee will be held on Sunday, March 2.  Click here for online registration.

In a related commemoration of McDuffee’s life, a memorial gathering organized by Morgan’s friends will be held in the Chapel at 9 p.m. Monday, March 3.

The Morgan McDuffee Memorial 5K Run/Walk begins at 9 a.m. March 2 at the Clifton Daggett Gray Athletic Building, 130 Central Avenue, and follows a course past McDuffee’s former home on Main Street. Proceeds will benefit the Morgan W. McDuffee Memorial Fund for Safe Schools, of the American Red Cross.

In the early hours of March 3, 2002, McDuffee was stabbed to death while intervening in a street fight near the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ campus. He was a scholar-athlete who earned an A on his senior thesis in macroeconomics. His degree in economics was awarded posthumously to his parents, Regis McDuffee of Newburyport, Mass., and Lisa Freeman of Peterborough, N.H., at the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Commencement, in May 2002.

Captain of the lacrosse team at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, McDuffee was a star athlete as early as elementary school in Lyndeborough, N.H., where he belonged to the swim team. He went on to captain the lacrosse and football teams at Lexington (Mass.) High School, and spent winters at Killington Mountain Ski School as a junior Olympic ski racer.

“He struck me as one of the most mature, directed and kind young people I have ever met,” lacrosse Coach Peter Lasagna told the Lewiston Sun-Journal a few days after McDuffee died. “He impressed me every day.”

The McDuffee Fund for Safe Schools was founded in summer 2003 by Suzanna Andrew, McDuffee’s fiancee. The fund is affiliated with the Safe Schools Initiative of the American Red Cross, which provides curriculum materials emphasizing violence prevention in elementary, middle and high school.

Lasagna calls the run/walk “a perfect and vitally important way of honoring Morgan’s life and spirit.” The circumstances of McDuffee’s death, he adds, “just make you very, very aware of the thin line that separates whether a young kid has a chance at a great life or not. This program has grown out of Suzi’s heart, with Morgan’s spirit attached to it, to try to help young people learn how to resolve their differences without violence.”

“Morgan would no doubt win this race and laugh all the way through the finish line.”

Two ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students, junior Graham Veysey and senior Kathleen Burke, are chairing the run/walk. (The event is not affiliated with ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College.) A silent auction on race day will also benefit the McDuffee fund.

Entry fees are $7 for students under 13; $10 for students 13-17; $16 for all other entrants. Registration may be done on race day or in advance. Checks should be made out to the American Red Cross with “Morgan W. McDuffee Memorial Fund for Safe Schools” in the memo line. Contact:

Morgan McDuffee Memorial 5K Run/Walk
ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College Box 783
Lewiston, ME 04240

E-mail: morgan5K@bates.edu

Telephone: 207-240-4670
Fax: 207-786-6035