Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 3, 1990                   TAG: 9005030439
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SHERIDAN, ARK.                                LENGTH: Medium

SUICIDES SHOCK ARK. COMMUNITY

Thomas Smith, 17, was the first of three suicides among students at Sheridan High School in two days, and counselors for their classmates were on 24-hour call. About 80 students missed classes Wednesday, about 30 more than usual, school officials said.

Some of the absentees were among about 250 people packed into the Bowie Funeral Home chapel to hear the Rev. Dennis Moon urge them to cling to God as they grieved over Smith's death.

"Bringing back Tommy is beyond our control, but going with him . . . is still our choice," said Moon during the 20-minute service.

"I believe we need to begin to stop asking the unanswerable question, `Why,?' and we need to begin to ask the answerable question, `What is it God would want us to do?' " said Moon, of the Landmark Baptist Chruch.

On Monday, Smith stood in front of his American history class, told a female classmate, "I love you," pulled a gun out of his pants and shot himself.

Later that day, Thomas Chidester, 19, of the Grapevine community, a friend of Smith's, died of a gunshot wound. He left a note that said "I can't go on any longer," according to police.

On Tuesday, the body of Jerry Paul McCool, a 17-year-old sophomore, was discovered in his home by his father. McCool, who also had been shot, knew Smith and Chidester, but wasn't close with them, officials said.

All three deaths were ruled suicides, said Grant County Sheriff Cary Clark.

In addition to those deaths, a 17-year-old classmate shot himself to death March 28. And three other county residents - ages 22, 40, and 82 - have killed themselves since Jan. 23.

Hours after the latest shooting, parents and students packed the school's 1,000-seat auditorium to discuss the suicides. Some held hands. Some cried.

About 60 counselors and clergymen from around the state had arrived at the normally quiet bedroom community 30 miles south of Little Rock.

School Superintendent David Robinson said students met with counselors in group sessions and one-on-one Wednesday.

"Obviously school, as such, is not occurring at the moment," Robinson said. "Actually, it's more like a massive counseling session."

Lisa Deal, 18, a senior and president of the student council, said even though the mood had improved, the community had a long way to go to get over the series of deaths.

"The students really opened up here today," she said of the counseling sessions. "Yesterday was bad for us because it was newer. Everybody had just heard about it."