Daniella Tebib
News Editor
Hester Residential College hosted its annual Phoenix Day on Sept. 18 to remember the life of Michael Minger.
Hester caught fire on the fourth floor on Sept. 18, 1998 at 2:38 a.m. An hour following the fire, Michael Minger, sophomore from Niceville, Florida, was pronounced dead at Murray-Calloway County Hospital. Another student, Michael Priddy, was also critically injured in the fire.
Investigators determined the fire was arson. As a result, the University offered a full scholarship and a $30,000 reward for information.
Jerry Wayne Walker Jr. was charged with arson, manslaughter, assault and wanton endangerment following the fire. The first trial ended in a hung jury and he was acquitted in the second.
In 2012, Walker Jr. struck a plea deal that stipulated a diversion of sentencing with no jail time. He pleaded guilty to six counts of tampering with evidence as part of the agreement.
After an incident relating to his role as assistant principal at Paducah Middle School, in Paducah, Kentucky, Walker Jr. was sentenced to three years in prison. According to a 2016 Murray Ledger & Times article, he was also given five years of probation for violating the diversion agreement. His probation is set to end in 2021.
Kenny Fister, Hester College head, said the members of Hester host Phoenix Day annually to memorialize Minger, the other injured students and first responders. The residents of Hester raised $600 for the Murray Fire Department.
Fister said the event was named Phoenix Day because despite the damage to the building and loss of Minger, the Hester community still remained strong.
“Hester came up with the name of ‘Phoenix’ since the phoenix rose from the ashes,” Fister said. “The rest of that semester the residents were dispersed to various other buildings and houses in the community, despite that they continued to host activities and meet. They even participated in the Homecoming Parade a few weeks later. It further illustrated that the Residential Colleges are more than a building, but the community of students, both residents and commuters, along with the faculty and staff that are assigned to each.”
Amelia Comper, residential director of Hester, said the event is important for the community to remember because it can happen to anyone.
“I think some [students] are not aware that this happened, because it was quite a while ago and some people weren’t even alive back then,” Comper said. “I think they kind of realize this was something that is possible and it can happen, so it makes them take fire safety a little more seriously. It also makes them realize even though it seems like something we only ever see on the news, we want to be careful and make sure to keep everyone and themselves safe.”
To prevent future fires, Fister said various fire safety improvements were made, including the additional sprinklers implemented in each building. Several laws have also been passed, including the Minger Act, to address campus safety. The Michael Minger Act is a state law that requires postsecondary institutions to report campus crimes on a timely basis.
Murray firefighter, Johnie Yarbrough, gave residents advice on what to do in case of a fire.
“Take the fire alarms seriously, get out of the building and have a plan of action,” Yarbrough said.
