HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Liz Bradley, the daughter of late Marshall University president Stephen Kopp, said she, like many others, has heard the saying “life is fleeting” many times. But she didn’t fully comprehend it until the night of Dec. 17 when her father died of a heart attack.
Bradley and state Supreme Court Justice Menis Ketchum were among the speakers Tuesday at a memorial service honoring Kopp and his nearly 10 years at Marshall.
“Stephen Kopp imagined, envisioned and created,” his daughter said. “He believed there were no limits to what is possible, except for the ones that we pose on ourselves. He didn’t simply take the road less traveled—he chose to go where there was no path so he might leave a trail for others.”
A large crowd of students, faculty, staff and presidents from other universities packed the Cam Henderson Center to remember Kopp, 63. He suffered a heart attack at his Huntington home four weeks ago while the campus was on holiday break.
Ketchum shared several stories, including how the the Marshall board chose Kopp at a time when student retention and enrollment were stagnant or falling.
“He went on a personal recruiting tour. He organized convocations at the high schools throughout the state and held meetings with the high school juniors and seniors at every high school,” Ketchum said.
Bradley said her father loved to learn and pass on the knowledge he had acquired. She urged those in attendance not to forget his message.
“I hope you will hear his voice moving you forward even as your own voice resists. Don’t be afraid to fail. Dedicate yourself to succeeding. If you start to falter, dig your heels in and try harder,” Bradley said.
Ketchum said Marshall and Huntington were better by Kopp’s influence.
“Once in a while, when we see all of these new facilities and we see all of these new programs, let’s remember there was a guy who spent every waking minute building Marshall University,” Ketchum said.