Who Killed Sherlock? Honors Students Find Out.

By Noah Patterson
Photos Courtesy of Lan Franczek

Sherlock Holmes almost met his untimely demise at the Honors House in Student Honors Council’s annual Murder Mystery last Tuesday.

“A Fall of the House of Honors” featured Honors Faculty and students playing characters from the famous mystery world of Sherlock Holmes. Students were led throughout the Honors House and introduced to an apparent murder scene, with Sherlock Holmes’ body discovered on the lawn of the Honors House. The story unfolded as the characters gave their perspectives on the events of the evening.

“I love Sherlock Holmes, so I picked up all of the little references,” said Natali Cavanaugh, a freshman in the Honors College. “I figured out what the outcome was going to be, and really enjoyed the experience.”

Dr. Christine Shea, a Professor of Classics in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics and long time Honors Professor, played Mrs. Hudson. 

“I figured I had to do it for the Honors College," Shea said. "Our number one goal is to make sure our students have fun 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We hope they have that fun with the literature of the western world, but we also hope to do it with amateur theatrics.”

The turnout for “A Fall Off the House of Honors” was a success for Student Honors Council.

Emily Brumfield, President of Student Honors Council, said, “The Murder Mystery was really awesome. We had a lot of people show up. In fact, all of our time slots were filled.”

As students waited for their turn to solve the mystery, BBC’s famous series Sherlock played in the Honors House garage, and snacks were available in the dining room.

Michael Mykyta, co-head of the food committee, said, “One highlight of our food tonight is our fish and chips, a mix of goldfish crackers and chips, an idea brought up by one of our members, Joe Hannon. We thought it fit the Victorian England theme perfectly.”

The mystery, lasting around 20 minutes, ended in shocking fashion, with Sherlock Holmes alive and well and the whereabouts of his nemesis, Moriarty, revealed.

The theme for next year’s Murder Mystery has yet to be determined by Student Honors Council, but promises to continue the tradition of engaging mystery, faculty and student performances, and a twist on classic storytelling.

CAST:

Dr. John Watson – Professor Jeff Frawley of the English department

Detective Inspector Lestrade – Dr. Brent Blackwell of the English department

Mrs. Hudson – Dr. Christine Shea of the Classics department

Irene Adler – Dr. Laurie Lindberg of the Honors College

Sherlock Holmes/Professor Moriarty – Carson Weingart, a senior Piano Performance/Business Administration double major

Mycroft Holmes – Joe Hannon, a freshman in the Honors College