Students in pajamas, sweatshirts and Greek letters came from all corners of Otterbein’s otherwise silent campus to meet at the Rock, where they celebrated the life of friend and former Otterbein student Scott Harman, who suddenly died a few hours before due to a medical condition. Crickets chirped in the crisp midnight air as fraternity brothers, residence hall neighbors and classmates recalled fond memories of Harman.
Some students wiped away tears while others comforted them and smiled at the thought of past times spent with Harman. More than 30 students gathered and spray painted the Rock, located at the Center for Career & Professional Development, in his honor.
Next to the Rock was a candle and a wooden cross signed by fellow students. The students assembled in a circle with their arms around each other as individuals offered contributions to a prayer said in his honor.
Harman was from Oakwood, Ohio, and was a student in the class of 2014 at Otterbein before transferring to Ohio State University after his freshman year. He was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity and enjoyed playing soccer. Many of his fraternity brothers smiled at the mention of his signature “snapbacks and polos” as well as a game he liked to play called Urban Golf.
His fraternity brother Ben Hartwig, who graduated from Otterbein last year, said Harman was exemplary of their fraternity’s slogan: “He bettered the man, a gentleman and a scholar.”
Jacob Harshfield, a junior allied health major and Harman’s roommate during his freshman year, said he met Harman on the class of 2014 webpage, and they became roommates because they both played soccer.
“He never didn’t have a smile on his face,” Harshfield said. “Even if he was upset, he always seemed to try to be happy. The guy was never mad about anything. … He was an all-around good guy, always positive — he never let anything bring him down.”
Michael Spatafore, a senior health and physical education major from Vineland, N.J., and one of Harman’s fraternity brothers, said, “Scott was just a genuinely good person, and if you ever met him, there was no way you couldn’t not like him. He just had that kind of personality.”
Spatafore, who said he had fond memories of playing Frisbee with Harman on the football field, added, “You’d always catch him every now and then playing campus golf, dressed to the nines and looking like a stud.”
Connor Underwood, a junior sports management major and one of Harman’s pledge class brothers, said, “He’s really just one of the few people I’ve ever met where every memory is a positive one. Literally every second I spent with him was smiling and a fun time. He just enjoyed life and enjoyed hanging out with his friends, and he was just a
really special person.”
Brett Cooper, another of Harman’s fraternity brothers and a junior history major, said, “He was one of the best and most genuine people I’ve ever gotten the pleasure to call my best friend. I’m going to miss all of the crazy times we had together, and he will never be forgotten.”
