2008 Woodie Awards
Concert honors students lost at sea
Chris Curtis
Issue date: 3/13/08 Section: News
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Geoffrey Wilkes, 18, and Daniel Donahue, 20, both of Glocester, R.I., and 21-year-old Fandia Shloul of Pawtucket, R.I. were last seen in the early morning hours of March 13, 2006, setting out on the bay in a small rowboat, which was found capsized later that day. The three were presumed drowned and the bodies of Donahue and Shloul were later recovered. Wilkes' body was never found.
The concert in honor of the three, titled "Lost at Sea but Not in our Hearts," featured performances by local bands Pen-Epic, Orange Jam Conspiracy and The Muve. Also featured were solo performances by artists including Wilkes' father, Fred Wilkes, and Donahue's brother Ryan Donahue.
Ryan Donahue also performed as a member of the rock/funk band Pen-Epic, which opened the show with a variety of original work and covers, including the Beatles' classic "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da."
Fred Wilkes performed with Orange Jam Conspiracy, his son's old band. Fred Wilkes also gave a solo acoustic guitar performance later in the evening.
The concert took on a party atmosphere following the first act, with more than a dozen attendees dancing in front of the stage during performances.
"It was really a lot more meaningful last year … this year is more of a party, last year was more of a sad remembrance time," said Community College of Rhode Island student Shawn Diggins, who said he performed at last year's event.
About 100 people attended the concert, many of them family and friends of the deceased.
Geoffrey Wilkes' sister, Brittany Wilkes, who hosted the event, said that the idea for the concert was a result of her family's musical background.
"It pretty much just stemmed from our history … Geoffrey was always in bands, my father was always in bands, all of our friends were in bands," she said. "We're just continuing that even though they're not here."