Events scheduled to observe first anniversary of Jill Behrman's disappearance

May 29, 2001

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Four Bloomington events are planned on Thursday (May 31), and a fifth is set for mid-June, to observe the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of local resident and Indiana University student Jill Behrman.

Behrman, 19, had just finished her freshman year at IU when she disappeared while on a bicycle ride the morning of May 31, 2000. The reward for information connected to her case was recently increased from $50,000 to $100,000.

• At 8 a.m. on Thursday in the Peterson Room at the Indiana University Foundation Showalter House on the Highway 45/46 Bypass, there will be a brief service of remembrance, primarily for IU friends of the family but open to anyone interested. Eric Behrman, Jill's father, works for the IU Alumni Office and Marilyn Behrman, Jill's mother, works at the IU Foundation. Assisting with the service will be the Rev. Howard Boles and the Rev. Leonard Sjogren, both from First United Methodist Church in Bloomington, which the Behrmans attend.
  
• At 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Bloomington churches will ring their church bells simultaneously. Jill logged off her computer at 9:30 a.m. on the day she disappeared.
  
• From 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday at Mr. D's Food Markets, 512 S. College Mall Road, there will be a "Renew, Refresh, Remember" event to renew the Bloomington community commitment to finding Jill and bringing her home, to refresh the yellow ribbons that await her return, and to remember a young woman who continues to make a difference in the lives of Bloomington community residents. There will be a brief ceremony at 4 p.m., and ribbons will be distributed to those who are interested.
  
• At 7 p.m. on Thursday at First United Methodist Church, Fourth and Washington streets, there will be a public service of remembrance and healing with Boles and Sjogren.
  

Another upcoming event related to Jill Behrman will be the June 18 unveiling of "Melody of Youth," a painting by Canadian artist Rajka Kupesic depicting Bloomington scenes and a likeness of Jill with her racing bicycle.

Kupesic, whose son attends IU, was moved to create the piece by the local community's response to Jill's disappearance. All proceeds from the sale of the limited edition lithographs of "Melody of Youth" will support the Jill Behrman Scholarship Fund.

Kupesic will attend a wine and cheese reception for the unveiling on June 18 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the IU Foundation Showalter House on the Highway 45/46 Bypass. A limited number of signed and numbered lithographs of the painting will be for sale at the event. More information on the unveiling will be announced later.

In addition, Bloomington Mayor John Fernandez and the Monroe County Board of Commissioners have designated May 31 as "Jill Behrman Day" to increase community awareness over her disappearance and to renew the commitment to bring her home.

More details on Jill's disappearance are available at the Web site http://www.indiana.edu/~alumni/iuaa/jillbehrman/

(Christopher Simpson, 812-855-0850, csimpson@indiana.edu or Richard Doty, 812-855-0084, rgdoty@indiana.edu)

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