Four Pacific Union College (PUC) students died in a vehicle accident
on Deer Park Road late Saturday night. The Napa County Sheriff's
Department identified the victims as Boaz Pak, 20, Luke Nishikawa, 22,
Simon Son, 19, and Chong Shin, 20.
The accident took place at about 11:45 p.m. on November 15. According
to police reports, the four victims were in a Honda Civic driving down
the hill on Deer Park Road when it collided with an oncoming vehicle
at Sanitarium Roadjunction. The men were pronounced dead at the scene.
Friends say that the students had just finished playing basketball at
the college gym and were on their way to Safeway in St. Helena to grab
something to eat when the accident occurred.
All the young men were well known and liked on campus. Shin was
involved in youth ministry at the Rohnert Park Korean Seventh-day
Adventist Church. Nishikawa was the leader of a campus outreach
program called Homeless Ministries. Just that morning, students say
that Nishikawa had gone to the bay area with a group of students to
feed the homeless.
"The PUC community mourns the loss of four wonderful young men who
were already giving service back to the community," said Richard
Osborn, college president. "Our entire campus is grieving along with
their families. But as a faith based college, we have hope that
springs from our beliefs as we celebrate all these young men
accomplished in their brief lives."
Grief counselors, residence hall deans, and the campus chaplain began
working with students during the night as news of an accident
involving fellow students spread around campus. On Sunday, the college
offered support groups and one-on-one counseling for the campus
community.
At 5 p.m. the campus and community is invited to gather in the PUC
Church for prayer. Counselors and pastors will continue to be
available for counseling following this meeting. On Thursday, the
college will hold a memorial service for the young men during their
weekly colloquy at 10 a.m. in the college church.
Founded in 1882, Pacific Union College is a fully accredited four-year
college, located in California's Napa Valley. Affiliated with the
Seventh-day Adventist Church, PUC offers a Christ-centered experience
to approximately 1,400 students. PUC's overall program is ranked in
the top tier of Western regional liberal arts colleges by U.S. News &
World Report.
Victims:
Luke Kotaro Nishikawa
Age: 22
Major: American History
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Boaz Joshua Pak
Age: 20
Major: Biology, pre-pharmacy
Hometown: Hidden Valley, CA
Chong Whon Shin
Age: 20
Major: Business Administration, pre-dentistry
Aloha, OR
Simon Chulmin Son
Age: 19
Major: Nursing
Hometown: Hidden Valley, CA
Richard Osborn
President, Pacific Union College
One Angwin Ave.
Angwin, CA 94508
Office - (707) 965-6211
Cell -- (707) 815-6855
E-mail -- rosborn@puc.edu
Web site --
www.puc.edu