Katherine Sheriff, Trinity '01, died early Sunday morning when a porch collapsed at a Chicago party, killing 12 people. She was 23.
Sheriff was attending a party in Chicago's affluent Lincoln Park neighborhood when the floor dropped out of a third-story porch around 12:30 a.m. She and 11 other men and women--all between the ages of 19 and 30--were killed in the accident. Authorities said at least 57 others were injured, some critically.
At the time of the accident, Sheriff was living in Chicago, where she worked as director of marketing at Lee Lumber Company.
Sheriff and a number of other people, mostly in their early 20s, had gathered in two apartments Saturday to catch up with old high school and college friends. Authorities said as many as 50 people may have been crammed onto the third-story porch before it collapsed and quickly trapped a number of people who were on the porches directly below in a pile of debris.
A handful of other recent Duke graduates survived the accident. While at Duke, Sheriff earned a bachelor of arts degree with a major in political science. She spent her junior fall studying in Rome, then returned to become the senior pledge trainer in the 2000-2001 academic year for her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Sheriff's sister, Ingrid Sheriff, Trinity '00, said in a statement Monday that a memorial scholarship fund has been established with donations going to Mercyhurst Preparatory School, 538 E. Grandview Blvd., Erie, PA 16504.
Ingrid Sheriff said Katie's family and friends "will miss her and remember her smiling face for the rest of our lives."
"Katie could make you laugh harder than you ever thought possible," Ingrid Sheriff said. "She made friends wherever she went and her spirit and energy was infectious. Anyone who knew Katie would tell you that they were truly blessed to know such an amazing young person."
Others who knew Katie Sheriff described her as a vibrant young woman who was full of life.
Senior Jennifer Wlach, a Kappa who will be heading the sorority's memorial service for Katie Sheriff in the fall, said she remembers Katie Sheriff as a fun-loving and happy person. "She was so nice. We didn't really know all the seniors, but she was the one we remembered," she said.
A funeral for Katie Sheriff is scheduled for noon Thursday at St. Jude Church, 2901 W. 6th St., in Erie, Pa., where she graduated from Mercyhurst Preparatory School in 1997. Visitation will be at the Burton Funeral Home, 602 W. 10th St., Erie, from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, and at 11:15 a.m. Thursday.
Kappa Kappa Gamma announced Monday that it will also establish a scholarship in honor of Sheriff. Donations may be sent to Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation (behalf of Katie Sheriff) P.O. Box 38, Columbus, Ohio 43216-0038.
EDITOR'S NOTE: FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF KATIE SHERIFF WHO WISH TO SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF KATIE WITH CHRONICLE READERS MAY SUBMIT SHORT PIECES--NO LONGER THAN 150 WORDS--BY TUESDAY, JULY 15, 2003. SOME OF THE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE ANNUAL SUMMER SEND-HOME EDITION, WHICH HITS STANDS AND IS SENT TO ALL UNDERGRADUATES JULY 22. SUBMISSIONS, WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO EDITING FOR SPACE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS, MAY BE E-MAILED ONLY TO EDITOR@CHRONICLE.DUKE.EDU, WITH SUBJECT LINE "KATIE SHERIFF."
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