Toccoa Falls College Remembers the Victims of the Toccoa Falls Flood.

40 years later, Toccoa Falls College continues to stand strong in faith.

That was the message of a special remembrance ceremony Monday morning at the College Fine Arts Center.

Students, faculty and survivors remembered and prayed for the 39 victims of the Toccoa Falls Flood who lost their lives early on the morning of November 6, 1977.

The service combined actual witness testimony with audio news recordings the day after the disaster.

One of the speakers Monday was Dr. David Jalovick, who was a student at the tie of the flood, but is now an Associate History Professor at TFC.

Jalovick said his parents-in-law lost their home when the wall of water came crashing over the falls and through campus, but they survived.

“The water carried my in-law’s trailer down towards where the parking lots to the soccer field,” he said. “And while the water was up to their necks, they survived.”

He also read from a letter sent to him as a rising freshman from one of the victims welcoming him to campus.

He said despite the great tragedy of that night, the school’s faith in God has never faltered.

Dr. Jon Penland is the Dean of the School of Christian Ministries at TFC.

He also was a student at the time of the flood and recalled how he and other students tried to rescue victims

“I was there when we pulled the mattress off the first person who had drowned in Forest Hall,” Penland recalled. “I was there when we swam the creek to go the Williams’ house where those beautiful Magnolias were. And they threw me a flashlight so I could see if anyone had to survive in those houses, and they were gone. There wasn’t a brick left. There wasn’t a tree left. They were gone. It looked like a bulldozer had come through.”

College Provost, Dr. Brian Shelton recalled the outpouring of support from the community after the tragedy.

And he reminded those in attendance that through the entire history of the school, God has been in control.

“The prelude to this service, ‘Tis So Swee to Trust in Jesus,’ by Casting Crowns was the song sang by faculty and staff when Haddock Inn, the sole building housing the entire school of TFC burned to the ground in 1913. Their faith was evident immediately in their singing. The faith of God’s people was just as immediately evident in 1977.”

Afterwards, the audience stood as the names of the victims were read.