On January 20th, a campus-wide email was sent by Gordon Police Chief Glenn Deckert with the subject line: “Important Safety Reminder (Don’t Walk on the Ice).” Although email didn’t exist at the time, a similar campus-wide announcement was made in 1967—no one should go out on the ice of Coy Pond because it wasn’t thick enough for skating. Later that same day, however, a student ventured onto the ice of Coy Pond, fell through, and drowned. According to a former Gordon professor, Alan T. Morse was the student who fell through the ice on December 3rd, 1967, and “By the time he was rescued, it was too late to save his life. This was such a sad event for everyone.”
After this tragedy, a President’s Cabinet meeting was held on December 11th, where “The suggestion was advanced that, in view of the recent tragedy, students not be allowed to skate on Coy Pond this winter.” While no legal restrictions were implemented, in the years following, the school warned about the danger of going on the ice through announcements and signs around the ponds.
Coy Pond is spring-fed, meaning it is constantly replenished by groundwater that typically remains about 55° Fahrenheit. Glenn Deckert said in his email, “Because warmer water is constantly flowing into these ponds from the springs, they are likely to freeze very slowly, and the movement of the warmer water can create unexpected (and difficult to notice) thinner areas on the ice.”
Glenn Deckert’s email in January 2026 came the morning after another incident, this one resulting in an unfinished snowman on the ice of Coy Pond. Six students were found on the ice building a snowman and were confronted by a Gordon police officer. According to one of the students, who wishes to stay anonymous, the group consisted of three girls and three boys who were taking a walk around campus on the night of the 19th during the first big snowstorm of the school year, when they saw a half-built snowman on the ice of Coy Pond and decided they wanted to complete it. Two boys went on the ice first, jumping on it to make sure it was secure, while one boy refused to go and the girls waited to see if it was safe. All but the one boy ended up on the ice, working on the snowman. After about five minutes, a Gordon police officer pulled over next to the pond with their lights on and told the group to follow the sound back to the shore. The anonymous student says the female Gordon police officer handled the situation in a “motherly” way, expressing concern and disappointment more than anger. The student said, “Part of our agreement (with the officer) was that she would take us to the ‘Danger: Keep Off the Ice’ signs and make sure that we saw them and understood what they said. So she had us sit there and read the sign in unison three times, including the ‘thank you’ at the bottom.”
The half-built snowman still remains, serving as a reminder never to go out on the ice of Coy Pond.
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