Those were Leslie’s words as she walked away after burying her beloved sister, Elizabeth, this afternoon. Neither could a standing-room only crowd of mourners at Temple Sinai believe it… but the tragedy was all too real. Elizabeth Carlson is gone, but her spirit will live on, as the rabbi and others who spoke — Leslie, their father Bruce, and two friends — were quick to point out. The huge crowd at the funeral made it obvious what a huge mark Elizabeth left on the world in her 24 years.

The speakers painted a picture of a truly remarkable person, kind-hearted, loyal and selfless, with a passion for life, beauty, and especially, dancing. One of the most touching comments came from Bruce, who said he will always remember tap-dancing with Elizabeth to “Sunrise, Sunset,” but he will never get the chance to do it again, as he had planned, at Elizabeth’s wedding.

The Hartford Courant printed a more detailed story today about Elizabeth Carlson’s death, along with a touching obituary.

Elizabeth, the daughter of Bruce and Audrey Carlson and “sister and best friend” of Leslie, was working most recently as substitute teacher in the Newington school system, and was set to begin studying Nursing Anesthesiology next week. She graduated in 2000 from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, earning a Bachleor’s degree in marketing with a minor in dance. Funeral services are today at Temple Sinai in Newington.

Photo courtesy of Sequin 1996 (NHS yearbook)

Elizabeth Carlson, 24, a member of the Newington High School Class of 1996, died last night, shot to death in her family’s Franklin Circle home in southeastern Newington. Police alleged that Jonathan Carney, 29, of Rocky Hill, murdered Carlson. The two were dating until about a month ago, according to various local news sources.

Elizabeth was a senior in high school when I was a freshman, and so far as I can recall, I didn’t know her personally. However, her younger sister, Leslie, was just two years ahead of me, and I knew her well because she was a star player on Newington’s girls basketball team, which advanced to the state semifinals during Leslie’s senior year. I was a student manager on that team, and Leslie and I were good friends during the season. Leslie eventually went to George Washington University on a basketball scholarship, and I saw her play in one college game during her freshman year in college (my junior year in high school), but we’ve since lost touch. However, needless to say, I was shocked and saddened to read about her sister’s death. Apparently, Leslie was home at the time of the murder, and she was the one who called police.

From what I can gather from the 1996 Newington High yearbook, Elizabeth was a member of the National Honor Society and the French Club. Her senior quote was: “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” I’m not sure where she went after graduating, but I’ll post any information I get to this website.

Here is the article on her murder from the New Britain Herald.

Here’s the Summer Trojan article from before the championship match. (It’s a weekly paper over the summer, so the championship article will come out next week.)

Fight on for the USC men’s tennis team, the new national champions!!!

The Trojans, a huge underdog, won the championship as a #11-seed by defeating the #6, #3, #2, and #1 seeds, in that order. What a run!!! They capped it off with a triumphant 4-1 victory over defending champion Georgia in the NCAA title match Tuesday.

“This is unbelievable. I keep pinching myself,” said USC head coach Dick Leach, who is retiring after this season. “This is my Cinderella team.”

Click here for an article on the win over Georgia.

The Trojans upset #6-seed Baylor, #3-seed Illinois (my mom’s alma mater), and #2-seed Tennessee en route to the title match. USC freshman Prakash Armitraj, who won the clinchings point against Illinois, Tennessee and Georgia, was named NCAA Tournament MVP.

This is USC’s 16th NCAA title in tennis — its first since 1994 — and the university’s 94th national championship in all sports combined!!!

Just wanted to clear that up. My latest rant…

Sorry for the delay in posting photos of the sweatshop protest. I’ve been having technical difficulties with my computer. But the photos will be online soon. Here’s the Daily Trojan article about it.

Protesting against sweatshop labor! Student sit-in at USC administration offices! Check the news. Photos here soon. CP