AND TIMING OF THOSE COMING UP HERE SHORTLY. ALL RIGHT JASON, THANK YOU. THE SIMPSON COLLEGE COMMUNITY IS GETTING READY TO HONOR THEIR LATE PRESIDENT, JAY BYERS. HIS BODY WAS FOUND IN THE PRESIDENT’S HOME NEAR CAMPUS LATE LAST WEEK. IT’S STILL UNCLEAR EXACTLY HOW HE DIED. vlog AFFILIATE JACOBSON IS IN INDIANOLA TONIGHT WITH HOW STUDENTS AND FACULTY PLAN TO HONOR BYERS. IT’S HARD TO FOCUS. GO ON WITH YOUR WORK, BUT YOU GOT TO DO IT. I GUESS. IT’S TOUGH. SIMPSON COLLEGE JUNIOR JADEN BROWN SAYS THE PAST FEW DAYS HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT. JUST LAST WEEK, HE AND HIS PEERS FOUND OUT THEIR COLLEGE PRESIDENT, JAY BYERS, DIED. THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF SUPPORT AMONGST OURSELVES BECAUSE HE WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO US. BYERS WAS PART OF THE ALPHA TAU OMEGA FRATERNITY WHEN HE WAS A STUDENT IN THE 90S. BROWN IS PART OF ATO NOW. HE KEPT HIS HEAD OUT FOR US, TOOK CARE OF US, BUT NOW WE DON’T REALLY HAVE THAT AS MUCH ANYMORE. BROWN SAYS BYERS ALWAYS SHOWED UP FOR THE FRATERNITY. NOW, HE SAYS, IT’S THEIR TURN TO SHOW UP FOR HIM. WE’RE GOING TO TRY TO GET AS MANY OF OUR MEMBERS AS POSSIBLE TO SHOW UP, TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT. THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY WILL GATHER HERE AT COLES FIELDHOUSE FOR A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL THURSDAY NIGHT AT 8:00 TO HONOR THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THEIR PRESIDENT. IT WILL BE PACKED. STUDENT GOVERNMENT PRESIDENT MAKAYLA PAULSON SAYS PEOPLE WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO SHARE MEMORIES OF BYERS. SHE SAYS THERE WILL BE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO HONOR HIM, TOO. IT’S PRETTY IMPORTANT THAT WE’RE GETTING AS MANY THINGS HAPPENING AS POSSIBLE. THINGS LIKE PAINTING A MURAL OUTSIDE THE CAMPUS LIBRARY AND PAINTING A BOW TIE ON THE ELEPHANT STATUE. WE’VE ALL BEEN KIND OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO HONOR HIM. PAULSON SAYS BYERS DESERVES ALL OF THE RECOGNITION. SHE SAYS IT’S BEEN WEIRD TO NOT HAVE HIM AROUND. WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT MUSIC AND JUST, LIKE, FUN THINGS LIKE THAT. AND HE’S FROM THE SAME AREA THAT I GREW UP IN. SO JUST LIKE THAT KIND OF CONNECTION AND HAVING THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I’M GOING TO MISS A LOT. HE’S ALWAYS, ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY. SIMPSON STUDENTS SAY THEY’LL DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. IN INDIANOLA, OPHELIA JACOBSON, vlog EIGHT NEWS, IOWA’S NEWS LEADER. AND AS WE JUST HEARD FROM OPHELIA STORY, BYERS HAS HAD A GREAT IMPACT ON CENTRAL IOWA. vlog INTERVIEWED HIM COUNTLESS TIMES THROUGHOUT THE YEA
Simpson College community to honor late president Jay Byers in candlelight vigil Thursday
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Updated: 10:50 AM CDT Apr 24, 2025
Community members at Simpson College will gather Thursday evening for a candlelight vigil to honor their late president, Jay Byers.He died at age 54, the college confirmed on Thursday of last week. Byers, a 1993 graduate of the college, had been president at Simpson since July 2023. Prior to that, he was the CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership. During a press conference, the college’s Board of Trustees chair Terry Handley, said a wellness check was conducted at the president’s residence, known as the Sigler House, shortly before noon when Byers missed a scheduled Zoom meeting. Handley said this was "extremely unusual" for Byers to miss a meeting. That was where Byers was found deceased.The vigil will be held at 8 p.m. at Cowles Fieldhouse on the Indianola campus. Student government president Makayla Paulsen said she expects the event to be packed."We've all been kind of trying to figure out ways to honor him," she said. "It's pretty important that we're getting as many things happening as possible."Jaden Brown, a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity on campus, said he and as many brothers as can show up will be at the vigil. Byers was in ATO when he was a student in the '90s."He kept his eye out for us, took care of us," Brown said. "Now, we don't really have that as much anymore."Indianola Mayor Steve Richardson signed a proclamation at Monday's city council meeting to declare Friday, April 25, as "Jay Byers Day." There will be a celebration of life at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines.» Subscribe to vlog's YouTube page» Download the free vlog app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play
INDIANOLA, Iowa — Community members at Simpson College will gather Thursday evening for a candlelight vigil to honor their late president, Jay Byers.
He died at age 54, the college confirmed on Thursday of last week. Byers, a 1993 graduate of the college, had been president at Simpson since July 2023. Prior to that, he was the CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership.
During a press conference, the college’s Board of Trustees chair Terry Handley, said a wellness check was conducted at the president’s residence, known as the Sigler House, shortly before noon when Byers missed a scheduled Zoom meeting. Handley said this was "extremely unusual" for Byers to miss a meeting. That was where Byers was found deceased.
The vigil will be held at 8 p.m. at Cowles Fieldhouse on the Indianola campus. Student government president Makayla Paulsen said she expects the event to be packed.
"We've all been kind of trying to figure out ways to honor him," she said. "It's pretty important that we're getting as many things happening as possible."
Jaden Brown, a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity on campus, said he and as many brothers as can show up will be at the vigil. Byers was in ATO when he was a student in the '90s.
"He kept his eye out for us, took care of us," Brown said. "Now, we don't really have that as much anymore."
Indianola Mayor Steve Richardson signed a proclamation at Monday's city council meeting to declare Friday, April 25, as "Jay Byers Day." There will be a celebration of life at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines.
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