Heartbreak and Hope

Plans for homecoming were in full swing at Houghton College in the fall of 1981. On a drizzly Friday morning one week before the festivities, six seniors drove off campus together for a quick trip to Buffalo to pick up their costumes. Beth Andes, Joy Ellis, and Cindy Rudes were the three finalists for homecoming queen; Mark Anderson, Alan Bushart, and Bert Rapp were their three attendants. Together, the Six represented the best and the brightest of Houghton’s Class of 1982. They would never return to campus.

Heartbreak and Hope tells the story of their brief lives, their tragic deaths, and the ongoing impact of their loss among their families, fellow students, and the broader Houghton community. It grapples honestly and courageously with how people cope with loss, make sense of suffering, and experience the grace of God in the midst of unimaginable pain.