Stacy Wells Chapin ’91
Stacy Wells Chapin ’91 and her family endured unimaginable tragedy when her triplet son Ethan, a student at University of Idaho, was murdered along with his girlfriend and best friends in 2022. The case drew international media attention as well as a flurry of rumors from true crime fanatics, making an already devastating loss even worse.
Although it would have been understandable for anyone to succumb to grief under such traumatic circumstances, Chapin showed extraordinary resilience. Drawing on her background as an educator and school principal, she counseled Ethan’s fraternity, Sigma Chi, through the aftermath. In response, the organization recognized her with a membership badge, making her the first nonmember to receive the pin. The University of Idaho bestowed her with an honorary degree and alumni status for her aid in healing their community.
In honor of Ethan’s legacy, Chapin and her husband Jim founded the Ethan’s Smile Foundation, which has awarded $105,750 and 83 scholarships to date. She also wrote the children’s picture book The Boy Who Wore Blue in tribute to Ethan’s kind-hearted nature. “He made all of our lives better,” she says. “You have to figure out how to do it without him, but you bring his memory along with you. And I think that’s the most important part, the decision you have on how you move forward.”