Campus mourns

Lenoir-Rhyne University students, faculty and members of the community sat shoulder to shoulder in the pews of St. Andrew's Lutheran Church on Thursday for a memorial to honor the life of Harrison Kowiak.

Kowiak , 19, of Tampa, Fla., died Tuesday night from a head injury sustained in an off-campus game of capture the flag. He was playing the game as part of his initiation to the Theta Chi fraternity.

The intricate beauty of the brightly colored stained glass windows in the sanctuary stood in stark contrast to the grief experienced by those in attendance.

The congregation stood together and sang "Amazing Grace" to the accompaniment of the church's organ and struggled to comfort each other in their time of mourning.

Kowiak's mother, father, 10-year-old sister and uncle attended the memorial service. His mother was the first person to speak to the crowd.

A petite woman with straight, dark hair, Lianne Kowiak maintained her composure as she told of her son's early years in New Jersey and his abiding love for the New York Yankees and Knicks. She recalled his years as a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout and his enjoyment of snowboarding and skateboarding.

Kowiak said because Harrison's injuries did not affect his internal organs, Carolinas Medical Center was able to honor his wishes and donate eight of his organs so others could live.

She and the crowd wept as she said goodbye to her son and touched the photograph of him at the front of the church. She ended by telling the students, faculty and others to, "Be safe. Live your life to the fullest as Harrison did."

Brian Kowiak, Harrison's father, spoke of the profound effect his son had on him. He said he admired his son's focus, determination and competitive drive and he spoke of the love and devotion Harrison felt for his younger sister.

Harrison had photos of his 10-year-old sister and letters she'd written him tacked up in his dorm room, and Kowiak said the first thing Harrison did when he got his first car was take his sister out for ice cream.

Harrison introduced his father to the music of Jack Johnson and John Mayer. He taught his father the basics of golf and offered him fashion advice.

"He opened up the world to me, and I'm thankful for that," Kowiak said.

Harrison's uncle told of the joy Harrison felt as he taught underprivileged children the fundamentals of golf.

"He reached out to everybody," he said.

Robert Allen taught Harrison in a religion course at L-R and recalled his theological discussion with Harrison and his growth in spiritual understanding.

He urged students to rely on God and to make a positive difference in the world like Harrison did.

Fellow golfer Ty Dannenbring told of Harrison's salvation experience and the depth of their friendship.

"If there was one guy I enjoyed talking to on the golf team it was Harrison," he said.

Dannenbring told stories of the times they'd spent at Christian retreats and said, "I am confident that he is in heaven and I'm sure he's having an awesome time."

In Florida, Tyler Cornack, a high school classmate of Kowiak's, said he remembers his friend as a positive person who always had a smile on his face.

"He was genuine," Cornack, 20, said. "He meant well. Every day. And that's a rare thing."

Cornack and Kowiak became friends when they both took a television production class at Wharton High School in New Tampa. The two produced comedy videos for class projects, Cornack said.

News of Kowiak's death left him shaken, Cornack said.

"It was just a freak accident," he said. "It's a tragedy."

After the memorial service in Hickory, Kowiak's family members stood in the church's lobby and received condolences from the attendees as they filed out of the church.

The Tampa Tribune contributed to this article.