By Brian Zanzonico
It had been a week since McArthur's son, Kevin, an Elmont resident and senior at Floral Park Memorial High School, was killed along with three friends in a car accident on the same stretch of road as the school he loved. Getschel's son, Robert, a newly minted member of the Floral Park Fire Department, responded to the accident that claimed his classmate's life by helping to organize the memorials at the town square, at the corner of Plainfield and Tulip avenues in Floral Park, and at the site of the crash, to McArthur; Michael Richardson, 20; Max Lesly-Auguste, 19; and Nyana Adingupu, 16, all of Elmont.
The next day, Getschel, who had heart ailments as a child and had open-heart surgery in 2001, died in his sleep.
On June 20, the McArthur and Getschel families were joined by more than 400 students, teachers and administrators at a two-hour memorial assembly in the high school gymnasium to celebrate their sons' lives. Classmates told anecdotes about their friends, and teachers lauded the vibrant personalities of two of the more popular members of the graduating class. A slide show of pictures of the two, dating as far back as grade school and including photos taken as recently as weeks ago, was created by McArthur's close friend Jason Clarke and served as a heart-wrenching tribute. Teachers dabbed tears from their eyes, and students found solace in the arms of one another.
Friends remembered McArthur, known as "Eggy," as someone who was unforgettable, and Getschel as a selfless person of maturity well beyond his years. Getschel once overheard that a student who was on the verge of flunking gym class needed a makeup to pass, but forgot his sneakers. Getschel, who didn't know the student well, took his own sneakers off and handed them to the student.
Then there was the time when a teacher asked students to take out pencils, and Getschel reached into his backpack and started passing them out. When he realized he was a pencil short, he snapped his in half and gave the sharpened end to another student. He also frequently told classmates that if they ever needed a ride, they shouldn't hesitate to call him.
"I never knew what he meant by ride, since I've never seen him drive," Laurie Clark said, noting that Getschel's mode of transportation was a bicycle.
David Sanchez, who called McArthur a fatherly figure to him, said he was the type of person who prided himself on his gregariousness and conveyed a level of comfort that made befriending people easy. McArthur wanted to be remembered by every person he met. "He became what he always dreamed of," Sanchez said. "He became a legend."
Jason Clarke said that part of McArthur's allure was that he was accepting of everyone. "Didn't matter if you were black, white, Spanish, Chinese, listened to rock or hip-hop," he said. "It didn't matter to him."
In a tribute to Getschel's involvement in the Floral Park Fire Department, Principal Kathleen Sottile announced that from now on, the school's fire drill code name would be "Bobby Getschel."
Shaheen Wallace, a friend of both teens, was set to enter John Jay College of Criminal Justice with Getschel in the fall. He said that each had his own unique impact on Wallace's life, and he vowed to dedicate everything he does the rest of his life to them. "Bobby gave me wisdom, Kevin gave me humor," he said.
At the end of the assembly, Superintendent Dr. John Williams presented the families with the diplomas. After family members exchanged hugs, the two mothers addressed the audience.
Pauline McArthur said she was always protective of her son, who was a "sickly child," and that she would worry when he walked home alone to Chelsea Street in Elmont late at night from hanging out with his friends in the square. "He would say, 'Don't worry, Mommy, everyone loves me,'" she said through tears.
Pietrina Getschel, who linked hands with her husband, Robert, during the slide show, told the class of 2006 what her son's wishes for them would be. "He would want you to all be happy and safe," she said.
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