A bench outside the Goergen Athletic Center stands as a memorial to the man who discovered the University for his three children.
The sun set in the distance as Braden Greif 鈥�24 and his father, Scott, drove away from the 暗网吃瓜 on a warm June evening in 2019. Braden had enjoyed an overnight visit hosted by the varsity football team, and father and son spent hours touring the River Campus. Now, they were heading toward the airport for a flight home to Houston, Texas.
鈥淲e discussed how it was, and the people that stood out and made the difference there,鈥� Braden recalls. 鈥淭he vibe we got was that winning was a mindset at Rochester, ingrained in every aspect of college life.鈥�
Scott then said what both were thinking: 鈥淚 think this might be the school for you, Braden.鈥� That evening, he told his wife, Michelle, 鈥淭here鈥檚 something special about that place.鈥�
Braden will graduate in May with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in finance. Siblings Nina Greif 鈥�25 and Hudson Greif 鈥�27 followed him to Rochester. Nina is majoring in bioethics, and Hudson in health, behavior and society. The three are here with heavy hearts: In June 2021, their father died of colon cancer. He was 53.
鈥淚t was our dad who discovered Rochester,鈥� Nina says. 鈥淏ut he never got to enjoy seeing us all there.鈥�
Scott Greif is memorialized with a bench installed outside the Goergen Athletic Center, a gift from friends of the family. The commemorative gold plaque reads:
I have fought the good fight
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7
听Scott Greif 1968鈥�2021
鈥淲hen you hear the Bells think of Me鈥�
Close bond helped siblings deal with family tragedy
Braden and Scott visited more than a dozen colleges in New York, Connecticut, Colorado, and Minnesota, seeking a school that offered great academics along with a fun football experience.
They made the 1,500-mile trip to Rochester three times. Each time, Scott was struck by the sound of the bells chiming from atop Rush Rhees Library. The bells chime on the quarter hour and toll once for every new hour.
鈥淢y dad loved walking the campus and hearing them,鈥� Braden says. 鈥淗e鈥檇 say, 鈥淚 just love those bells.鈥� He thought they were beautiful and peaceful.鈥�
The entire family visited in December 2019. 鈥淗udson and I were determined to go to the same college as Braden,鈥� Nina says. 鈥淭his was an easy decision. We fell in love with the campus.鈥�
Braden played wide receiver for Rochester for three years (there were no games in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), while Hudson joined the Yellowjackets last fall. The coaches offered Nina a job videotaping practices and games. She鈥檚 also a member of the student organization .
The siblings鈥� faith has helped them cope with their loss. As members of the , they attend weekly mass at the Interfaith Chapel, while as part of the , they and their fellow Rochester student-athletes perform community service. 鈥淥ur saying was always 鈥楩aith, family, football,鈥欌�� Braden says. 鈥淎fter I got to college, it became 鈥渇aith, family, academics, and football.鈥�
The siblings are close.
鈥淲e have enough bedrooms at our house for each to have their own, but Braden and Hudson choose to share a room,鈥� Michelle says. 鈥淎t college, Braden and Nina have rooms across the hall from each other, and Nina keeps an air mattress so Hudson can come over and spend the night.鈥�
Nina and Hudson had two classes together in the fall and two more this semester.
Rev. Brian C. Cool 鈥�06W (MS), 鈥�21W (EdD), director of the Catholic Newman Community, says the Greifs鈥� bond is extraordinary.
鈥淭he devastating loss of Braden鈥檚 father was difficult, but his inner strength was remarkable,鈥� Cool says. 鈥淲hen Nina arrived, I saw how deeply rooted they are with each other. Welcoming Hudson to campus, it became clearer. The strength they all have is like a three-stranded rope woven together as one. It is incredible. It is rooted in faith and family.鈥�
A dire diagnosis
Scott and Michelle raised their three children in Conroe, 40 miles north of Houston, and sports became an integral part of family life: baseball, basketball, swimming, track, dance鈥攁nd, of course, football. Scott served as the boys鈥� Little League coach and president of the varsity football booster club. 鈥淗e was at every minor or major event and milestone,鈥� Nina says.
Scott was diagnosed with colon cancer in the fall of 2020, Braden鈥檚 first semester at Rochester. He started chemotherapy but didn鈥檛 tell his children until Braden returned home for winter break. 鈥淚t was tough to hear, but he said 鈥業鈥檓 going to beat this,鈥� and we believed him,鈥� Braden says.
Scott鈥檚 health worsened in April 2021, when a PET scan revealed the cancer had spread, making surgery necessary. Still, he remained optimistic. 鈥淲hen you go for treatment, there鈥檚 a bell you can ring when you鈥檙e cancer free,鈥� Hudson says. 鈥淒ad would say, 鈥業鈥檓 going to ring that bell one day. God鈥檚 not done with me yet.鈥欌��
With Scott hospitalized and Michelle by his side, Braden and Hudson attended Nina鈥檚 high school graduation ceremony on May 21 and her final dance recital on June 6. Nina chose the Avril Lavigne song 鈥淗ead above Water鈥� for her solo. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about pushing through and fighting through hard times,鈥� Nina says.
A friend taped Nina鈥檚 performance and sent it to Michelle鈥檚 smart phone that evening. 鈥淪cott, we鈥檝e got the video for Nina鈥檚 dance,鈥� Michelle whispered in her husband鈥檚 ear. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to play it now.鈥�
Braden held the phone by his father鈥檚 ear. 鈥淗e listed to the entire song, and then he passed away,鈥� Michelle says.
Braden spoke to his father through tears.
鈥淒ad, I鈥檓 not sure I鈥檓 ready to be the rock that you were, but I鈥檓 going to make you proud and do my best.鈥�
A tribute to a beloved father
With Michelle鈥檚 blessing, friends of the family raised money to install a bench on the campus Scott discovered. The bench is in front of the Goergen Athletic Center, a fitting location given the role that athletics has played in the family鈥檚 bond. 鈥淥ur kids use that building all the time,鈥� Michelle says, 鈥渁nd you hear the bells when sitting there.鈥�
A dedication ceremony was held September 5, 2021, and the entire football team surprised the family by showing up. 鈥淚t was amazing to see how much they cared enough to show up on a Sunday morning,鈥� Hudson says. 鈥淢y dad would have loved it.鈥�
Football coach Chad Martinovich says the program cares deeply about the siblings. 鈥淭hey are a special family,鈥� he says. 鈥渁nd they honor their father with the way they live their lives on a daily basis.鈥�
The siblings pass the bench every day. Often, they sit on it and wait for the bells to toll. The tranquil sound gives them peace, as it did their father.
鈥淚t makes us feel closer to him, like we have a piece of him every day,鈥� Braden says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a constant reminder that we鈥檙e going to be with him some day. We鈥檙e all right.鈥�
