The University community gathered Wednesday evening to mourn the loss of a loved one. Hundreds of students, faculty and community members came together for a memorial ceremony organized by Student Government to remember Mike VI.
“I think that it was absolutely necessary we had a memorial,” said University student and attendee Lily Sewell. “I think that he was such an important aspect of our community and LSU as a whole.”
When Mike VI was brought to the University back in 2007, he was set to make his Tiger Stadium debut on Sept. 22 during the South Carolina game. Mike VI’s veterinarian, however, thought it might not be a good idea to bring the new tiger in for a day game. Mike VI’s Tiger Stadium debut was played against the University of Florida Gators, whom the Tigers were slated to play this past weekend.
University student Carrigan Johnson said she thinks Mike’s passing puts any remaining frustration regarding the game into perspective.
“With the cancellation of the Florida game, there’s been a lot of mess that’s been going on [between] us and Florida,” she said. “I feel like Mike’s death … forget a football game. We’re all supposed to be one as a community regardless of the situation.”
Before guests of the service were offered a chance to share one last message with Mike, the Tiger Tenors led the singing of the University alma mater. Many gathered arm-in-arm, some with a tear or two in their eyes, and sang along with the quartet. Many of those in attendance, like Denise Leonard of Denham Springs, had a long history with Mike.
“We arrived here in January of 2007, after Katrina, and Mike was here to greet us not very long after,” Leonard said. “We went through some things after we got here and he was always such a wonderful source.”
The heartfelt display made apparent what Mike VI meant to this University and surrounding community. The students showed appreciation for his presence that was like none other, and it could be felt by those who walked past his cage.
As students and LSU community members walked past his habitat — now empty, but adorned with messages of love — they shared one thought: Mike VI, forever the symbol of the University, would never be forgotten.