The passage of time can feel both like an eternity and the blink of an eye when mourning loved ones, said Mayor Marc Laredo, who spoke on April 27 during the memorial ceremony for four young Newton students who perished 25 years ago in a bus crash.
Stephen Glidden, Kayla Rosenberg, Gregory Chan, and Melissa Leung, all student musicians at Oak Hill Middle School in 2001, would have been in their late 30s now.
They were on a school trip in New Brunswick, Canada, and perished when their bus overturned on a highway exit ramp at 4:30AM.
“[They] were really great kids with so much potential,” said Jo-Anne Wyndham, whose daughter also was on the school trip with them.
Wyndham was one of about 50 people at the ceremony that took place near the granite memorial embedded in the school’s front wall. The circular marker, donated by the people of New Brunswick, features each child’s name written on a dove.
In addition to those present, more attended on Zoom, including several of the children’s classmates; Jeff Young, Newton Public Schools superintendent in 2001; and then-Mayor David Cohen.
“I think the power of love in this community is remarkable,” said Glidden’s mother, Elaine Alpert, to the many people gathered in-person and online.
Pledging to attend the memorial as long as he’s able, Cohen remembered hearing a news flash about the crash 25 years ago, going to the school, and realizing “We are all powerless in the face of a tragedy like this … and all we have is each other.”
Although Alpert and her husband Bill Marsh (Glidden’s stepfather) were the only parents of the four children in attendance, Alpert said families mourn in their own way.
“Everyone walks their own path through grief,” said Marsh.
Alpert invited people to stand within the circle of attendees – or speak loudly on Zoom — to tell stories of their own loved ones, their memories about the crash, read poems, or say whatever was in their hearts.
Some cried as they recalled their spouses, children, and friends who had died in the last year. Alpert took a moment to praise former Mayor Setti Warren, who died on November 2, 2025, at age 55.
Facing those present, the Rev. Dr. Abraham Waya read the poem “A Child of Mine,” by Edgar A. Guest, which closes with the following lines:
“For all the joys Thy child shall bring,
The risk of grief we’ll run.
We’ll shelter him with tenderness,
We’ll love him while we may,
And for the happiness we’ve known,
Forever grateful stay.
But should the angels call for him,
Much sooner than we’ve planned.
We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes,
And try to understand.”
Although many looked toward Alpert to lead the memorial, she repeatedly emphasized that the event had grown beyond honoring the four children whose lives were cut short.
“This tragedy …has brought connection,” she said. “It’s about more than Steve. … It’s about our human community.”
Recognizing the many attendees who told their personal stories and reached out during the event, Alpert said, “Connection is so important, especially nowadays.”
Helping others
After their child died, Alpert and Marsh created the Steve Glidden Foundation in 2001, which she called “A labor of love.”
The nonprofit’s mission is “to enable children — specifically those who are refugees, homeless, or exposed to violence in the family or community — to attend summer camp,” according to the website.
Since its founding, Alpert said the charity has raised $1.5 million in summer-camp scholarships, “enabling hundreds of deserving children to take part in safe and enriching summer camp experiences – the kind that most of the rest of us simply take for granted,” according to the foundation’s website.
