College of William and Mary - Colonial Echo Yearbook (Williamsburg, VA)

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I N T E R V I E W The people who wanted to be left alone 0 xltlgillllll On Th zirsday, jan nary 20 at 1:15 a.m., Andy Kahl ulled the alarm. Two hours later, students in small zuddles stood outside as thiek layers of ire grew on trees and sidewalks. During the night and throughout the next day, Flat Hat reporters, idewater eameramen, Riehmond Tinzes-Dispateh representatiifes, and eozintless photographers swarmed the latest citadel ofsensationalism:jeferson Hall and its former residents. The smoke died down, and so did the attention. Within a week, students stopped gawking at the rabble. Reporters turned to new events. The surge oflofal business Contributions and stzident elothes donations tapered off H owezier, one fart remained, and will remain, in the lives ofl 83 freshmen and resident assistants: their first home at William and Mary, and most of their personal lielongin s, were gone. Allowing time or umm to settle, I visited room 304 of The Commonwealth Inn. Sitting on thefloor, beds. and ehairs and having a few beers and tootsie rolls, Mark Constantine, Bob Coghill. M arty C ross, Nlartha Droge, j oh n J ones, Anoiish Kevorkian, Mike Raiiseh, and Kathy S iiehenshi talked about what reloration and adaptation meant to them. It was two weeks after the fi re. Q: What were your emotions that night, when you learned that the dorm eould not be sazfed ow do they eompare with yozirfeelings now? Kathy: That night all I could keep thinking was that I had to finish reading this book for an I 1:00 class. I really had my mind set on going to classes. When I realized that I had to start worrying about clothes and insurance forms, I began to get a grip of the situation. Martha: At 4:00 a.m. I watched outside a window of Chandler as the roof of jefferson went up in fIames. When I thought this was really a big thing. In a way I guess I felt detached. When I saw Mark's room o, it hit me. I guess because it was a physical thingt at I knew would never be there again. Now I'm a little disoriented. The sadness is gone, but I don't really feel at home yet. Alirhael: My roommate and I had the first rooms to go. I fuess I took it rather matter-of-factly when I hearcl' the chainsaw and saw the water hoses through what used to be my window. My loft. stereo, and books were gone: it was a simple matter. But now. l feel the lossimore. for both me and my friends. The irreplaceable things hurt alot. john: That night it wasgiust something that had to

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be overcome, I had to keep going. Now I feel good about my situation. I'm going on now - no emo- tional scars or anything. I know I can sink as low as possible and rise above it. Al lhe Red CFOSS lable. Inn Brtihalsei signs lot treiln slips at Ilasees Ilepai tinent Stole Q: Sffziffrczl.stzzdwits and nirozy lam!l1zn1'1ii'wfs rontributfd clothes and otlzw'1n'r1f'fi't.y for AiWl1lI'IYlIlN1'.u Sinn the fizwflgf' William 1111fl,lIf1m' ,stizulwif fmzim frmn 'ZlfJf1l'I'77ZIdlHf' elllS.SffllIIIIIl'.S, lime rlifl bffing the 1'erij1ii'1it of flmizifiom nirilcryoiz feel? Anouslzx W'hiIe buying clothes at Casey's Ithe Red Cross had giyen students two hundred dollar credits at the storey I was really eonseious ot' spend- ing other peoples money. My parents used to do- nate a lot of stuff to Goodwill. and now I'm at the receiving end. Definitely an odd feeling. Mark: Actually I was home with tnono at the time so I didn't lose too many clothes. In fact. my mother packed a lot ofclothes for my Iriends. I rememher there was that Ilouresfent pink piece . . . .IIf1riin.' When the Red Cross gave us the slips lor Casey's I thought I would Ieaye mine lor someone who needed it more. 'Ihen I realized that I was one ofthose people who really needed it. I mean. illikzz' My whole impression lttls heen strange. When I realized that we all may nex ei' lix e ti igethei again, I thought olmy friends and how I wanted In stay with them. I declined an apartment at Ising and Queen to stay with my hallmates at Clonnnon- wealth Inn. .llurtlim I didn't really think ahont the Iatt that it would he closed Ioreyer: I dwelled on the material losses and my Iriends' rooms hurning. 'Iihree days later we all learned that we would hat e Io he per- manently relocated. I was terrilied ol heing split up from my friends. KClf,IvX'.'hIllSI one lingeringthought: I still wanted to Iiye there. .Kslheliirespreadilnoigl 'ln ,wit iialil I-it 'Iseli ' I I' I l Q. II'l11fr1'y'n11 fuinirl our fllllf-lI'ffl'I'NIIH zeniilrl nlmmiyfx be f'Ios1'fIfrn'11l lmst the nw! of Ihr wziiwylwr, :elml any 'win' lilllfllll run lion? john: When I saw my room go up in Ilames. some friends and I went to Ilampton to stay with nn parents. A shower and something to VIII seemed real appealing at the time. When we drox e hai Is and saw the dorm the next day. I knew that it was really gone - a realization that was hard Io grasp when it was actually happening. ,YVXI YI'll7', XVI!! XIII! lflrlrisf Ili IVHIII Ifrlrff itll rfllfffffw ' .Inn11sl1.'Iie.iIIx wanttolwelwatlsontainpnslwe-.Inst enxnonnn-ntalli it s .i lot nnei. like ni the Itnlie Ikrulllstrl dorms in the moi ning Ilenig with pei 'plf nan realli help ion get going lot tlasst s. ,Ilf11I.'.' I tant XMIII In get li.nk on onnpns I ieillx iheiish cloi in lile now. liolig Ilelilntelx, Uni lieie time ls nasleil lu'i.iIlst youl1.iyetogolm.nkatnl loiilisonni-li X-leg: if 0'