Kenny Bragg died in a house explosion while visiting relatives downstate in December. His parents, Don and Hope Bragg, both Michigan Tech alumni, were also killed, as was his sister Elizabeth. Kenny’s brother Stephen and grandfather Richard Pruden are recovering from injuries sustained in the explosion.

Bragg, a senior majoring in anthropology, was a fourth-year member of the pep band and led its tenor section.

“It’s always hard to lose a member of the Husky family, and even harder because his parents are Huskies, too,” said Dean of Students Kellie Raffelli. “From what I’ve learned of Kenny’s family, they were Husky through and through. In every way, they embodied the Husky spirit.”

About 150 people attended Wednesday’s vigil, including Pep Band members, students, faculty and friends.

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette About 150 people attended Wednesday’s candlelight vigil for Kenny Bragg, a member of the Huskies Pep Band who was killed in a house explosion last month.

Raffaelli shared a microphone for anyone to come up and share their memories of Bragg. The hourlong vigil was marked by long periods of silence and bowed heads. Invariably, someone would break the silence with another memory. That, in turn, would inspire more people to step forward.

They remembered the way the Arkansan could crack people up with a strong Yooper accent or his heavy, self-made metal “Crown of 5s,” which he would wear to Tech hockey games to jinx the other team into a five-minute major penalty.

Many students who came to Tech from out of the area recalled the way he could instantly make them feel like they belonged.

Emily Vincent, a former arm waver with the Husky Pep Band, had felt lost amid the chaos of a new campus when she came to Tech. Despite her past as a clarinetist, the tenor section adopted her.

“Kenny was an incredibly intelligent man, who I swear could pick up when people were feeling down or upset,” Vincent said. “He knew exactly what to say, and when to say it. He always had this incredible ability to make people laugh, regardless if they had never met him before.”

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Emily Vincent shares memories of Kenny Bragg from her time with the Huskies Pep Band during a candlelight vigil Wednesday night. Bragg, an anthropology senior and a leader of the band’s tenor section, was killed in a house explosion in December.

His girlfriend Kiera Watson, a fellow member of the tenor section, was also new to the area when she met Bragg at the band’s training camp.

“He just immediately welcomed me, and it made this place feel like home,” she said. “I just knew that whenever I was down, I could always text him and he’d send me a stupid cat meme, or he’d pull out his Yooper accent.”

“I’m going to dedicate every day to you,” she said, addressing Bragg.

Betty Jo Swajanen, a pep band member, had lived in the same residence hall as Bragg during freshman year. She remembered going to the clothes dryer at 7 p.m. and running into Bragg and a few other people. It turned into an engrossing conversation that lasted until 3 a.m. Swajanen called it one of the most memorable nights of her first year.

“It got to the point that the RAs, when they were on their third round, they said ‘You have to go to bed,’ because we were in the hallways talking the entire time,” she said. “… I’m glad that there are many people here who got the chance to have those same 3 a.m. conversations so many more times.”

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette A memorial to Kenny Bragg is seen at the base of the Husky Statue at Michigan Technological University during the Huskies Pep Band’s candlelight vigil Wednesday night. Bragg, an anthropology senior and a leader of the band’s tenor section, was killed in a home explosion while visiting family downstate in December.

Bragg was also recognized for his passion about anthropology, where he followed in the footsteps of his parents.

Carl Blair, a teaching professor in history and anthropology, had been at the Department of Social Sciences’ memorial for Bragg earlier Wednesday night. He’d been remembered as a brilliant student and good friend, Blair said. But what came up most was his enthusiasm, kindness and willingness to welcome everybody.

“As we were talking among ourselves in our department, this is something that we all hope we can try to carry on: Welcome all, be enthusiastic, help and encourage those of us around,” he said.

QR codes placed around the base of the statue led to Gofundme sites for the medical expenses of Stephen Bragg (gofundme.com/f/assist-stephens-recovery) and Richard Pruden (gofundme.com/f/richard-pruden-medical-expenses).

At the base of the Husky statue was a display with a photo of Bragg in full pep band uniform, his yellow-and-black pep band overalls. There was also a cowbell, gifted to the pep band from the fan organization Mitch’s Misfits.

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette About 150 people attended Wednesday’s candlelight vigil for Kenny Bragg, a member of the Huskies Pep Band who was killed in a house explosion last month.

Member R.J. Slater said the cowbell, now retired, was last played at the Great Lakes Invitational, the hockey tournament where the pep band last performed before Bragg’s death. It was stenciled with a “K” and the number 5.