Pausing to Remember

Dickinsonians gather beside Bhutan pine to remember one of their own

by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

Dickinsonians marked a somber anniversary Sept. 19 when they gathered to remember Jigme Nidup ’19, who died of accidental drowning one year ago while swimming with friends in the Conodoguinet Creek. The intimate outdoor ceremony included a brief sermon by the Rev. Donna Hughes, director of Center for Service, Spirituality & Social Justice (CSSS), and remarks by staff members and students.

A native of Bhutan who had enrolled at Dickinson just a few weeks before his passing, Nidup is remembered as a kind and giving young man who made friends easily. In the days and months after his death, the Dickinson community came together several times to mourn the class of ’19 member and to share memories of one of their own.

Hundreds of Dickinsonians gathered Sept. 20, 2015, for a memorial service in the HUB, and four days later, some also shared in a communal interfaith/no-faith meditation, contemplation and solace session. During a poignant ceremony in November, led by Buddhist monks from Drepung Monastery, Dickinsonians looked on as the monks swept up sand from a mandala they’d created and then poured the sand into the Conodoguinet Creek, the site of Nidup’s passing. The Dickinson community reconnected with Nidup's family in April, during a service attended by his parents, Lham Nidup and Sonam Choetsho, and his sister, Leksin Nidup. During that ceremony, Nidup's family presented a thangka, a silk painting often used for meditation, now on display in the Waidner-Spahr Library.

The thangka is one of three tangible symbols on campus that celebrate Nidup's life. A pair of books, presented to the college last fall by Nidup's parents, are held in the Waidner-Spahr Library, along with the thangka, and a Bhutan pine sapling, planted by Dickinson in Nidup's honor last spring, stands on the grassy field in front of Allison Hall.

Monday’s ceremony, marking the one-year anniversary of Nidup’s death, was held next to Nidup’s young tree.

Learn more

• “Remembering Jigme”
• “A Meaningful Tribute”
• Center for Service, Spirituality & Social Justice
• Division of Student Life
• Latest News

Published September 20, 2016