Sunday, November 18, 2007

As friends and relatives took turns sharing their favorite memories of Tavonne Alston at his funeral Friday, the same one kept coming up: his huge smile.

"I see that smile every time I close my eyes," said his mother, Elaine Alston-Hill. "He had the biggest smile."

Alston's service at Union Bethel A.M.E. Church in Brandywine was the last of four funerals in less than a week, following a Nov. 6 car accident that killed him and three of his La Plata High School friends. The group was headed home after a pickup basketball game in preparation for school team tryouts when their car swerved into the path of a sport-utility vehicle. Alston died at the scene of the crash.

The first funeral took place Nov. 10, for Donte Segar, 14. On Monday, there were back-to-back services for Jonathan Chapman, 16, and Dionnte Swinson, 15. A fifth student riding in the car, Markus Allen, 17, survived the crash and was hospitalized.

Alston, a 16-year-old sophomore, transferred to La Plata High School in January and hoped to play on the basketball team because he didn't weigh enough to qualify for football. Known for his dreadlocks and "fly fashion," Alston liked go-go music and hanging out with his friends.

"That boy was wild," said his father, William Anthony Thomas III. "He had a way of talking to people, of giving hugs."

-- JENNA JOHNSON