SOFTBALL 4th Annual Robert Littlejohn
Memorial Softball Tournament Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Easton Stadium
By Jackie Abellada
Daily Bruin Contributor
Memorial Day has always been celebrated as the holiday reserved
to pay homage to the valiant efforts of men and women who perished
while serving this country. So it is only fitting that this weekend
the UCLA students are able to honor the life of one of its own
fallen staff members.
On Saturday, all on-campus housing residents are invited to
participate in the 4th Annual Robert Littlejohn Memorial Softball
Tournament being held at the Easton Stadium from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The event commemorates the memory of Robert Littlejohn, a former
resident assistant of Rieber Hall from 1997 to 1998, who took his
own life in 1998.
Although the event originated as a way for the residential staff
to enjoy themselves under the sun, after Littlejohn’s death
it took on another purpose: serving as a much-needed mechanism to
raise consciousness of suicide.
“It was so unexpected,” said John Beemer, one of the
coordinators of the event. “He was always laughing and he
seemed happy. We just had no idea.”
Beemer, who graduated a year ago, was a program assistant in
Rieber Hall in 1997 and personally knew Littlejohn.
Littlejohn appeared to have everything going for him. He was
valedictorian of his class at Damien High School in Claremont,
Calif. and received the National Merit Scholarship Award. He also
played various sports, which included running cross-country and
serving as the captain of his high school tennis team. In 1993 he
enrolled in UCLA, following the footsteps of his mother and father
who met and got married while they were students here. In December
of 1997 Littlejohn graduated with honors with a degree in
psychology.
But on Feb. 9, 1998, just eight weeks after his graduation,
Littlejohn committed suicide. Apparently, he had been battling
depression since the spring of his freshman year.
“I had no idea that a son who was so well-loved, gifted
and talented could succumb to depression, which I now know to be an
insidiously dangerous disease,” said his mother, Donna
Littlejohn.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the principal
federal agency for preserving the health and security of Americans,
lists suicides as the third leading cause of death for the 15 to 24
age group in 1998. According to the CDC, roughly 1,500 people
attempt suicide each day. About 86 of them are successful.
“We just want people to be aware that anybody could fall
victim to suicide. It truly is a sickness,” Beemer said.
The event ““ which Littlejohn had played in ““ was
originally an annual informal grudge match between Rieber and
Hedrick Halls before his death gave it new meaning. A year ago, the
tournament opened to all resident halls. Seven to eight teams plan
to participate in this year’s tournament.
“We want people to take the event seriously, but not the
game,” added Beemer. “Last year, we got sunburned a
lot, but at the same time we had a lot of fun.”
Until the supplies run out, free hot dogs and popcorn will be
served to the spectators and participants. And if time permits, a
homerun derby will be played after the softball games have
ended.
Donna, who has attended each of the games since her son’s
death, is expected to be present once again, alongside her husband
Robert Littlejohn Sr. As she has done in the past, Donna will bring
home-baked cookies to fuel up the players after their games.
The winners will not only have bragging rights but will proudly
boast the trophy designed and donated by the family. The winning
team and the scores of the game will be engraved alongside the
previous four victors.
“There always seem to be angels in the outfield, and
amazing plays during the games,” Donna said.
Although the competitiveness of the teams will make the outcomes
of the games unpredictable, there is one thing for sure: Littlejohn
will be smiling down on friends and family who have tried their
best to keep his memory and sheer love of the game alive.