Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2000)
4 _______ Tribute WedNEsdAy, FebRUARy 16, 2000 TI he CI ac I íamas P rínt On Monday, January 31st, Chris Chatfield, student athlete, took his own life. This is a look back at a young man who touched the lives of so many. Chris Chatfield was an average guy. A twenty-year-old student at Clackamas who goofed around with friends, excelled in sports and wrestled with his little brother. His friends called him humble, funny, talented and intelligent. But Chris was hurting. Unbeknowst to many of his friends, he had been diagnoised with depression and on January 31,2000, Chris felt that he couldn't go on with life. He was a devoted son, loving brother and faithful friend. Paul Kezes, friend and teammate on the Track and Cross Country squads, reminisced about his time spent with him during the days leading up to his death. All of the following quotes can be attributed to Paul unless other wise noted. Who was Chris? “He was so humble. He would never brag about himself or antying. That’s what was cool about him. I learned this awesome thing about Chris; When he was a senior in high school, he tried pole vaulting and his first year he cleared 12’6." At my school, Blaine, which is single A school in Washington, he would have been like a god or something because his running awesome times and pole vaulting on the side. It’s like wait, distance runners aren’t sup posed to be able to do all of this. Talking to his mom, too, he was able to adapt and pick things up so quickly.” The friendships “He’d called me up and say, ‘Hey do you want to go to a movie?’ because he had a friend at the theater that could get us in. Sometimes we’d bring Tim, my roommate, or Krystal [Schneider]. That was really her only experience with Chris and she thought he was a pretty nice guy. “I feel like I was a really good friend to him and he was a really good friend to me. “He wasn’t two-faced, he didn’t trash-talk. He was just a guy raised with good values. He’s like Andy Monhead [teammate]. They’re kind of similar in the way that they treat friendships. It's really serious to them. Andy’s a good friend of mine. Monhead takes things to the extreme and he gets condemned for it. Hell, even I condemn him for it, for doing things seriously. I love the guy, he’s a really cool guy but a lot of people don’t understand Chris [on right] running with one of his friends from Oregon City High School, Andy Monhead. him. Chris was cool, he wouldn’t The day before really explode. He was a serious “We got together on Super Bowl person when it came to friendship Sunday to watch the game. He just and things like that. I think he saw wanted to get together. He called me as a friend but we weren’t real me up and said ‘You and your close. His friend Justin, who he roommate come over and hang out. was friends with for a long time, We’ll eat some junk food and stuff he would tell him what’s been go like that.’ We were having a good ing on—what other people were time. We were yelling at the T.V., saying about him. But around me, ‘That was a bad call,’ things like it was just a time for him to be that. Chris’ dad would come over happy and sort of put on a mask. I and ask, ‘Oh did someone just see that now. I guess I never really make a basket?’ and Chris would gave him the chance to tell him that just start cracking up. He was just I was there for him and that he like a normal guy... really cool... could talk to me. It was there. he was funny.” “I think he was hurting emotion ally. He wouldn’t express emotions The funeral around any of us.” “When all of the pallbearers were called up during the funeral, The team I really got the chance to see how “Losing this link in the chain has many people were there. There made us reassess and come to were tons of people. A bunch of gether as a whole more nowthan his other friends, this guy from a ever. For those who didn’t know Florida university who was one of Chris, they’re thinking ‘Well hey, Chris’ really good friends, flew all I’d like to get to know everyone the way up for the funeral. People else.’ It’s brought the team closer were from all over. I looked out and together as a family now. You really didn’t know a lot of the could see it at the first track meet. people. A lot of them came and A lot of us would go and watch embraced me and gave me pats on throwing and high jump. I noticed the shoulders. They kind of un more people on the team have been derstand that, ‘Hey, you knew watching the distance events too.” Chris somehow. Chris let you into his life somehow.’ That was nice.” His family Monday “I didn’t really know the family all that much. His mom seemed like this really nice, loving woman that cared for him a lot. He had a little brother. Bach, who’s really kind of shy and quiet. He’s 12 years old. He was pretty close to Chris, they’d always wrestle and stuff.” “I called him up Monday night to see what he was doing and I talked to his brother and he told me that he wasn’t there. So I asked his mom for his cell phone number and she told me that she’d call me back. I got a call back from her and she explained to me everything that had happened. I dropped the Chris [on right] hanging out with friends and teammates at a birthday party two days before he took his life. phone. I went for a walk. Thurs day was kind of the visual reality for me with the open casket. “He has a friend up in Birch Bay that just moved there. That’s where I'm from. Chris said, ‘Maybe on spring break, I’ll go and visit my friend,’ and I told him, ‘Yeah, you can stay with me.’ We would hang out at my place. Maybe take him up to Canada. Damn, I just didn’t think that he was ready to leave life right now.” From Chris' dad, Randy “Although he was only with us for a short time, all we can do now is look back and be thankful for the time he was with us. "To make sure this doesn't hap pen again, I would tell people to confide in their friends. And friends, give all the strengths you can. Protect your friends, because you can lose them. "He told us in his letter that we weren't to think we had rasied him wrong. "The hardest time for me is in the mornings and in the evenings. I know he's not here with us...but I have to convince my mind that he's really gone. "The love he had was so strong and the hurt he felt overwhelmed that love. I guess he couldn't stand the hurt." Then by Amanda Jenkins Remember then. Dreaming of when Our childhood fears Would be gone with years the Now we look at the past . Wondering why it didn't last. Days in the hot sun Always having fun. Going for a ride Letting the bike glide. Biking, sledding, Swimming, swinging, Days of old Never to be sold. Signs of change Widely range. Moving away No more play. Friends forever Talk almost never. Through the years, Our lives shift gears. Laughter, smiles; Fears, miles, Distant souls Drifting goals. Friendship the art Connects our hearts. If anyone would like to share stories they have about Chris, stop by B104 and let us know. Now that it is when We dream of Then. The above poem was found on the internet.
