Summer 2007

Disability Lecture Series Carries On Wellings' Passion for Advocacy

Their names are inscribed, along with their tragic story, on a neatly landscaped boulder at the entrance of King Library, serving as an enduring reminder of the precious and fleeting nature of life.

Miami students Stephen Smith, Julie Turnbull and Kate Welling died on April 10, 2005 , victims of an off-campus house fire that rocked an entire community. Exactly two years from that sad day, the families and friends of the three vibrant young adults gathered again on campus to dedicate the simple memorial and celebrate the remarkable lives that touched and inspired so many.

"This memorial is a small remembrance of what these students accomplished and their love for Miami ," President David Hodge remarked at the dedication. "We remember them not for the moment of tragedy but for the many moments of their lives."

April 10, 2007 also marked the inaugural lecture of the Kate Welling Disability Awareness Lecture Series, which has been endowed by Kate's parents, Tom and Helen Welling, to honor both Kate's love for Miami and the passion she discovered while on campus.

"Kate arrived here as a shy, insecure transfer student," Helen Welling remembered at the dedication. "But she found who she was and discovered her voice while at Miami . It was a second home to her, and she loved the campus environment, her friends and her dedicated professors."

Through an introductory disability studies class she took as part of her Miami Plan requirement, Kate, a business major, found something even more profound. In an introduction before the series' first lecture, presented by attorney Jeanne M. Kincaid, Dr. Kathy McMahon-Klosterman recalled witnessing the awakening of Kate and her classmates during an EDP 272 class.

"I saw the joy and excitement shared by Kate and a small group of her peers as they were challenged to find their voices as advocates and allies of disability rights," McMahon-Klosterman said.

Kate followed her experience by taking part in Upham Action, which is a student movement to encourage other students to understand the exclusion felt by persons with disabilities. "She became impassioned at Miami ," Helen Welling stated. "She wanted to be a business woman, but it became clear to us that she also wanted to do something for those who are relegated to the status of second-class citizens."

According to Kincaid, who challenged the audience during her "Changing Face of Disability" lecture to take Kate's lead and speak out against the subtle and attitudinal bigotries associated with disability discrimination, the numbers are staggering. One in five Americans have some form of disability, and one in 10 has a severe disability. Yet, disabled Americans are three times more likely to live in poverty and twice as likely to drop out of high school.

"Kate hoped to make [disability rights] her life's work, and through the generosity of her parents, Miami students will continue to be educated and enlightened about disability rights," McMahon-Klosterman said. "We're so thankful for this gift of education and advocacy given to us in Kate's name."

According to Helen Welling, the endowed series is a moving tribute to the young woman Kate had become and the cause that had empowered her.

"Kate lives on in all the people she loved and all the people who loved her," she said. "This lecture series is just one small step toward achieving her goals."

Back to the Giving Tribute Spring 2007