Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Friends, classmates and family members of Jana Mackey, a law student who was murdered last July, fought tears and shared laughs last night at a memorial service.
The mournful circumstance was mixed with joy as people remembered Mackey’s life. Speakers sprinkled their speeches with light humor, recalling Mackey’s playful and light-hearted temperament and sharing stories of her bold nature and determination.
Gail Agrawal, dean of the School of Law, said in an opening statement that Mackey was every law school dean’s ideal student.
Curt and Christie Brungardt, parents of Jana Mackey, recall Jana's influence on their life. A vigil for Mackey was held Monday evening at the Kansas Union. Professors and friends of Mackey's also attended the vigil and spoke of their memorable moments with her. Mackey was a second year KU law student who was murdered in July.
“Jana had a strong sense of herself,” Agrawal said. “Not anyone at any age can make that claim.”
Mackey, who received a Bachelor’s degree in women’s studies from the University of Kansas in 2004, was passionate about equality, especially for women.
Aside from being a lobbyist in the Kansas Legislature for the National Organization for Women and routinely aiding assault and abuse victims, she also organized seven bus loads of women for the 2004 March for Women’s Lives in Washington, D.C.
Mackey’s mother, Christie Brungardt, recalled her daughter’s sudden decision to apply for law school one month before the date of the LSAT, an exam for which most law school hopefuls spend the better part of a year preparing. Jana passed, and entered KU Law to become a better advocate for women’s rights and against domestic abuse.
On July 2, Mackey was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, Adolfo Garcia-Nunez, in his Lawrence home. She had broken up with him three weeks before.
Lawrence police officers discovered Mackey’s body in Garcia-Nunez’s home at 409 Michigan St. late on the night of July 3. Police did not release details of the cause of death in accordance with her family’s wishes.
Friends had reported Mackey missing after she failed to attend class the morning of July 3 and police discovered her abandoned car in the parking lot of Lawrence Memorial Hospital that afternoon. Following tips from family and friends, police tracked down and arrested Garcia-Nunez, who had fled cross-country to Elizabeth, N.J. Garcia-Nunez then hanged himself in his New Jersey jail cell, leaving Mackey’s grieving family and friends without any explanation for his actions.
In her speech, Jennifer Berry, Wichita law student and friend of Mackey’s, urged others to continue in Mackey’s fight against the unjust.
“Jana leaves a hole in the world that can never be filled,” Berry said. “But if everyone learns one thing from their time with Jana we make a dent.”
The memorial closed with a slide show of photos that painted her as a bright, vibrant person. Mackey’s friends and family said they hoped that others would pick up Mackey’s torch and carry on her work.
— — Edited by Mary Sorrick
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