ROWAN GROWS UP
A campus united in loss finds strength, and changes for the better By Kristen Stenerson The Donnie Project GLASSBORO — Donnie Farrell wasn’t the first Rowan University student to die violently, or too young, or under tragic circumstances. But his loss was — is — felt deeply throughout the campus, by those who knew him … Continue reading
PREVIOUS TROUBLE
After an earlier fight, Farrell’s parents urged him not to return to Rowan By Noreen Kohl The Donnie Project Nobody ever said Donnie Farrell was perfect. In most ways, he was as typically imperfect as anyone at 19: Sometimes stubborn, sometimes impetuous, sometimes boisterous, a guy who liked people and liked to party. Sometimes too … Continue reading
FARISH REMEMBERS
Former Rowan President reflects on his tenure’s most challenging moment By Brian Jacobs The Donnie Project With 11,392 students enrolled at Rowan University right now, it’s a simple fact that Donnie Farrell could have been almost any of us, and that what happened to him can happen to anyone. It was the seeming randomness of … Continue reading
WORLD OF PAIN
Years dull the grief, but not the Farrell family’s memories of Donnie By Ashley Super The Donnie Project “Don. Don Juan. The Donald.” These are just a few of the ways Donald Farrell Sr. remembers his son. The rest of the Farrells — wife Kathy, daughters Aimee and Caitlin, and youngest son Luke — sit … Continue reading
DONNIE’S GIFTS
From tragedy, life — and for one man, the gift of a second chance By Ashley Super The Donnie Project October 27, 2007 was a day that ended a life. A day that many will remember as the one that took their son, brother, boyfriend or friend. It’s also a day that gave the gift … Continue reading
THAT WAS DONNIE
Remembering a true character, and a life in constant motion By Kevin Gross The Donnie Project Donald James Farrell III’s life started fast. From there, he never stopped moving. “He was what is called a precipitous birth,” said Kathy Farrell, his mom. “He came out too fast. And then that was the rest of his … Continue reading
SEARCH FOR A KILLER
Four years after Donnie Farrell’s murder, will a cold case heat up? By Damian Biniek The Donnie Farrell Project GLASSBORO – It is Homecoming 2011, and Rowan University’s campus is gearing up for a busy Saturday night. The Profs football team beat Buffalo State University, 36-29. As evening falls, a cluster of cars is parked near … Continue reading
GONE IN AN INSTANT
By Cameron Meiswinkel and Sean Randazzo The Donnie Project In a case with so many unanswered questions, investigators say two things are fairly clear about the incident that took Donnie Farrell’s life: That he didn’t deserve to die, and that his attacker likely didn’t intend to kill him. It was over quickly, one of those … Continue reading
SIGNS OF SMOKE
‘Smoke from A.C.’: Profiling a Killer By Damian Biniek The Donnie Project After a punch felled him and his frantic friends crowded around, Donnie Farrell’s assailant and a group of men with him scattered into the night. Four years later, no one has been directly identified as a suspect in this case. A blow from … Continue reading
He Was One Of Our Own
By Amy Z. Quinn The Donnie Project Why Donnie Farrell? As the students in my Investigative Journalism class this semester have done research and conducted interviews to try to bring new attention to the unsolved murder of Donnie Farrell, we’ve faced our own share of questions. Why focus on this case, this kid? And why … Continue reading