Amid the mass of service projects, one act of kindness hit particularly close to campus.

Most residence hall students know Janice Guth, a cashier at the Dining Common, for the signature Hawaiian shirt she sports every Friday.

But students might not know that her shirt is a memorial to her son John Guth, a former BJU student and member of the Lanier Falcons, and that this April marks the 11th anniversary of his passing.

However, Lanier knew and, on Friday, March 17, showed they remembered.

“The guys in Lanier wanted to honor and respect both Janice and her son who was a fellow Lanierian,” a senior member of Lanier, Sam Dyke, said. “The brotherhood and loyalty aspects of society are very important to us, and we wanted to show honor to our brother.”

The Falcons voted in their Friday meeting to send Guth one of their new sweatshirts in memory of her son.

Later that Friday, a group from Lanier gathered outside the Dining Common to present the sweatshirt to Guth as she worked.

“Naturally, when this backstory came to light, some guys in Lanier thought it would be great to do something in order to show a small token of appreciation and support,” junior Lanierian John Reece said.

“So with the blessing of the rest of the society, a couple of us got together and brought Mrs. Janice one of the gray Lanier sweatshirts that are popular within the society.”

 Emotion filled both Lanier and Guth in the hugs, thanks and tears to follow.

Guth described her feelings after the event.

“It’s so joyful, so heartwarming and joyful,” Guth said. “God gives us tears not just to cry but to love. And these are tears of love.”

Dyke said the gift was not just in memory of her son but also for Guth in gratitude for her service to BJU.

“Janice has also been a person who shows love to all of the student body constantly,” Dyke said.

“In a way, we were showing our appreciation from the whole Bob Jones [University] student body for all that Janice has done and continues to do for us,” he said.