LOGAN — A parade of tractors rolled through Utah State University on Friday to honor nine members of the Aggie family who died in a van accident 20 years ago.
On Sept. 26, 2005, a van carrying members of USU’s Ag Tech Club crashed while returning to Logan from a field trip. Eight students and their instructor, Evan Parker, were killed. Two students survived but live with lasting injuries.
The tragedy struck during the College of Agriculture’s annual celebration, which often featured tractors parked around campus as a nod to USU’s roots. In 2006, students launched the first Tractor Parade to memorialize their classmates. It has since become a tradition of “Ag Week,” celebrating agriculture while remembering the lives lost.
This year’s 20th anniversary parade featured 11 tractors adorned with wreaths — one for each of the men in the van. Families, friends, and members of the Aggie community lined the streets before gathering at the Agricultural Sciences Building, where a memorial wall bears bronze panels for each of the nine victims.
Those remembered Friday were:
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Steven D. Bair, 24, of Moses Lake, Washington
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Dusty D. Fuhriman, 22, of Tremonton
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Justin W. Gunnell, 24, of Wellsville
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Justin C. Huggins, 21, of Bear River City
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Jonathan D. Jorgensen, 22, of Hyrum
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Curt A. Madsen, 23, of Payson
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Ryan W. McEntire, 22, of West Point
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Bradley G. Wilcox, 26, of Rexburg, Idaho
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Evan Parker, 45, instructor and Ag Tech Club adviser, of Hooper
Survivors Jared Nelson and Robbie Peterson were life-flighted from the scene and continue to carry the weight of that day.
The parade is an annual tradition by the Utah State College of Agriculture. Faculty members who knew the victims shared remembrances during a memorial gathering after the parade.
More on the tragedy and its impact is available through Utah State Magazine, which revisited the accident on its 20th anniversary.