PRESS RELEASE: Statement from Town and Gown Players

ATHENS (MyFOX ATLANTA) - The three people we lost yesterday were a part of the rich 50-year history of this theater and, more than that, were vital members of the Town and Gown family.

Ben Teague, loving husband of UGA's Dr. Fran Teague for more than 40 years, was not only a friend but also a father figure to all at the theater. One would be hard pressed to find a Town and Gowner who had not learned at least one life lesson from this wise and kind hearted man. His wife wishes to say, "Yesterday Ben was murdered, which is hard to comprehend and impossible to accept. It was a beautiful day, however, and he was in his favorite place with the people he loved." Ben was a translator of German, Russian and English.

Marie Bruce was the binding force that held the Town and Gown community together. Having worked with Town and Gown for over 20 years, at one time or another she served in every capacity at the theater, artistically and administratively, from leading lady to president of the board to chief cook and bottle washer. A local attorney, Marie was the mother of two young children.

A gentle presence, Tom Tanner breathed life into every corner of Town and Gown through his quiet diligence and astounding creativity - most would call him genius. Father of an equally amazing daughter, Tom would tell you that while he enjoyed his work as director of the Regional Dynamics Economic Modeling Laboratory at Clemson University, his heart lived and thrived in the theater.

Ben, Marie and Tom were a part of our family, and as painful as their loss is for us, we know it is even more painful for their families. We want to extend our deepest sympathy to their immediate family and close friends outside the theater community. There are no words we can use to adequately express our grief.

We would like to thank the Athens Police department and the media for their respectful treatment of this tragedy. We want to thank the American Bio Recovery Association and A1 BIO-Clean Service for the generous donation of their services in our time of need. We also want to thank the Athens Community for their support. This tragedy effects everyone in the community in some way, and we know you share in our loss. We ask that the media continue to be respectful of our privacy during this difficult time.

Cleanup completed at Civic Association

April 5, 2009

Cleanup has been completed at the American Civic Association building in Binghamton, where a gunman killed 13 people and injured four before taking his own life Friday.

The American Bio-Recovery Association, a non-profit international association of crime and trauma scene professionals, said Sunday that the bio-recovery cleaning was complete. The Ipswich, Mass.-based group provided the service at no cost.

Two member companies, Disaster Clean Up of Endwell and the Bio-Recovery Corporation of New York City, donated labor and supplies to remediate the scene with a crew of six technicians.

Bio-Recovery Corporation Aids In Binghamton Crime Scene Cleanup

PRESS RELEASE
April 5th 2009

Bio-Recovery Corporation of New York City and Diaster Scene Cleanup of Endwell, NY responded to the American Civic Association on April 5th 2009 at the request of the American Bio-Recovery Association to aid the American Civic Association and the entire Binghamton community with the cleanup of the crime scene left in the aftermath of Fridays multiple homicide, suicide at their offices located at 131 Front St Binghamton, NY.

At the request of Dale Cillian, President of the non profit American Bio-Recovery Association (ABRA), the two named companies above provided all the labor and equipment to complete this cleanup in one day at no cost to the American Civic Association. "I couldn't have done this without you guys," stated Andrew Baranoski, Executive Director of the non-profit American Civic Association.

The American Bio Recovery Association, an international association of Crime & Trauma Scene Cleanup professionals strives to make these services available to all that require it throughout the United States.

Crime Scene Clean-up

03/23/09 Bend

Cleaning up a crime scene can take an emotional toll. "For me it's more, I would rather do this than have the family deal with it and that's how I look at it," said Lynn Caufield, with Service Master.

Six of the over 20 employees at Service Master volunteer for the duty. Most recently they were called to the shooting at Buckhorn Drive in Redmond earlier this month that left one man dead. "Depending on if it's a natural death or a violent death, the amount of blood sometimes is difficult and then you have to kind of detached your emotions from the situation and move on," said Caufield.

Each cleaner must suit up in full gear with a respirator, double booties and gloves to protect themselves from pathogens from the blood. They also must discard anything that comes in contact with the blood as bio-hazardous waste. "You really just have to do a thorough inspection, make sure that you clean, sanitize, clean, clean, double clean, and sometimes you end up removing paint off of the walls but you have to make sure you really clean," said Melissa Atkinson, Project Manager with Service Master.

It's not just crime, but fires, natural deaths and a rise in suicides. They're hired by the family or homeowner and the service isn't cheap. At one home a suicide took place, there the couch and chairs, blinds, drapery, and carpet were all removed costing the homeowners $3,500. At another home, a natural death. Part of the contaminated mattress was cut out, a baseboard and carpet were placed in the bio-hazardous waste bin. At another home, another natural death which wasn't discovered for days, so Service Master had to rip up the carpet and scrub the cement at a cost of $1,000. A price some home owners insurance policies will cover.

For the employees who do the clean-up, they're de-briefed after every job to make sure they're okay.