MSU victim, Clawson native Alexandria Verner leaves 'a happy loving legacy'

Alexandria "Alex" Verner, a beloved daughter and athlete, is leaving behind "a happy loving legacy," Clawson leaders said after she was fatally shot during the Monday night tragedy at Michigan State University's campus.

Verner, 20, was a junior at MSU studying integrated biology and anthropology. She was expected to graduate next year, according to her LinkedIn page.

She is a Clawson native and graduate from Clawson High School, where she was a triple threat playing volleyball, softball and basketball. In 2019, her basketball skills made her stand out and she was selected as an all-conference honoree.

"Alex was and is incredibly loved by everyone. She was a tremendous student, athlete, leader and exemplified kindness every day of her life," Clawson Public Schools Superintendent Billy Shellenbarger wrote in a Tuesday letter to parents in the district. He could not be reached by The Detroit News.

Verner was on campus when the first reports of an active shooter were made to police at 8:18 p.m. Monday. A shelter-in-place order was circulated on campus and the surrounding community and alerts were sent through MSU's alert system. It is not clear where she was shot.

She is one of three students who were fatally shot after a gunman believed to be a 43-year-old Lansing man terrorized the East Lansing campus. The shootings occurred in Berkey Hall and the nearby MSU Student Union building along Grand River Avenue on the north end of MSU's campus near downtown East Lansing. Five other students are in critical condition at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.

When reached by The News, her mother, Nancy Verner deferred comment to Shellenbarger.

"I have spoken to the family and they have given me permission to share the following information. Alexandria Verner, a 2020 graduate of Clawson High School, passed away last night on the campus of Michigan State University," Shellenbarger wrote to parents.

The superintendent added in his note that Verner's father Ted, sister Charlotte and brother TJ are "equally grieving but certainly already feeling the uplifting support of this tremendous community."

Verner started at Baker preschool, moved to Schalm Elementary School, Clawson Middle and graduated from Clawson High School in 2020. Her sister Charlotte played on the same team for two years in high school.

Harriet Hall, 23, recalled Tuesday the two years she and Verner spent learning Japanese beside each other. She said while they didn't stay close, she hoped her friend is "resting easy."

"She was always so sweet and genuine," Hall told The News. 

While in high school, the pair would leave in the afternoons to attended the Center for Advanced Studies and the Arts. There, several schools got together to take classes that weren’t offered at our own schools, Hall said. 

"It was nice to be able to get to know other students from the schools around. But because of the nature of that school, to be able to be in those classes meant you were dedicated to your studies," said Hall, who recently graduated from Eastern Michigan University. "So she was definitely a go-getter, just in a quieter way. She had a really great smile and voice for sure."

After graduation, Verner forecasted in her Clawson High senior spotlight that she would be a forensic scientist. Her favorite moments, she noted, were any time she was smiling with her team. Her advice to underclassmen: "It's OK to feel tired or pressure from the busy schedule of being a student-athlete but quitting will never make you feel better. Today may be hard but tomorrow will be better."

"If you knew her, you loved her and we will forever remember the lasting impact she has had on all of us," Shellenbarger wrote.

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Michael Frink, president of the Clawson School Board of Education, has known the Verner family for seven years and has served on the board with Ted Verner for the past six years.  

“Ted has lived here his entire life and has loved raising his children in his lifelong home,” Frink told The News. “Alex is loved by all her teachers from preschool through high school. She was an active star in athletics, a great student. She loved volunteering and helping others and left behind a happy loving legacy.  The emotional outpouring from all who knew her has been overwhelming.”

The family has chosen not to set up a GoFundMe account. Instead, there will be an account opened for donations by the family and a scholarship fund opened in Verner's name. That information on how to donate has not been released yet.

There will be candlelight vigils scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night on the Clawson football field, located at 650 W. Elmwood Ave., Clawson.

srahal@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @SarahRahal_