We all know that warm sunshine in Potsdam during the academic year can be rare. In the fall of 2006, we got a ray of sunshine in the form of Cassandra “Cassie” Davino, a smiling, bubbly Music Education major from Delhi, NY, with a powerful voice. Tragically, in January 2008, Davino was killed in a car accident on her way back to campus for the spring 2008 semester.

If you asked anyone about Davino, you would probably hear one of two things: she had an amazingly powerful and moving voice, or she was one of the most open and caring individuals they had ever met. Neither are exaggerations.

Davino’s voice earned her spots in many of the Crane choruses and a role in the 2007 Potsdam production of “Urinetown.” She had completed her Level A at the end of her freshman year and was planning to achieve her Performance Certificate even though she was a Music Education major.

Many of her friends and teachers learned an important lesson from her death. Not just that “life is too short” but that “life is too short to be self-centered.”

Davino was a strong advocate for social justice, joining the fights that not only affected her or her friends but also the rest of the world. She was an active member of Potsdam’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Association and was a strong supporter of the “Save Darfur” campaign. And when she wasn’t out fighting for others, she was striving to make sure that everyone she came in contact with knew that they were important.

“Cassie always had a smile on her face and was so in love with life,” remembered friend Andrew Frey. “She had this ability to see beauty in all of the people and things around her.”

The effect of her death on the campus was, and still is, immeasurable. Crane faculty member Dr. Deborah Massell, Davino’s advisor, described the impact on the student body as “Total devastation that such a good soul could be shut down so young.”

Davino was described as a natural teacher, not only in the classroom or with music, but also in how to lead a good life.

“Every day she came into class, no matter how early it was, with a smile on her face and a ‘Hey Hun’ for everyone she saw, whether they were friends or not. If someone was having a problem, personal or academic or musical, she took the time to talk, help them out and give them a hug,” friend Josh McGrath remembered.

In the spirit of her giving character, Davino’s parents, Alan and Kathryn, set up the Cassie Davino Memorial Scholarship. Their reasons for the scholarship were twofold. The first was to honor her love of The Crane School of Music. The second was to help others accomplish the goals that she was never able to accomplish.

“She loved Crane. She should be associated with Crane forever,” Davino’s father explained.

Gino Pinzone, Davino’s friend and recipient of one of the first scholarships in her honor sums it up best, “I would say rest in peace, but if you knew Cassie, you would understand that she never rests. She is ever on an exciting and beautiful journey.”