When Paul Goguen, a senior at Tucson High Magnet School, killed himself in October 2008, his family and friends were left grieving and seeking answers.
They have found few, but instead of dwelling on his death, his family and friends are focusing on Paul's life and his love of music.
They created Peace From Paul, a nonprofit foundation that will lead to the creation of a recording studio at Tucson High where students can produce their own music and use it as an after-school place to exchange creative ideas.
"It's having a place to go where they are mutually respected and where it's their place," said Kris Masalsky Goguen, Paul's mother.
David Goguen, Paul's father, said the recording studio is appropriate for the school, which has a strong emphasis on media arts. But there's no place for media arts students to call their own, he added.
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"There are a lot of kids who have a lot of creativity," Goguen said.
Paul was a budding musician filled with passion for music and its power to bring people together. He played guitar "and a little bit of everything," said Dylan Barnes, an 18-year-old senior and band mate of Paul.
Masalsky said Tucson High was a special place for Paul. He wanted to attend the school because of its music programs. His older sister, Celeste Amadee Goguen, now a student at Portland State University, graduated from Tucson High.
The idea of creating the Paul-inspired room came from Olivia Mayorga, a high school friend of Paul's, said Masalsky.
Olivia dreamed of Paul and in the dream he told her that he was in a peaceful place. The next day, Olivia created a Facebook page, "Peace For Paul," in which she invited people to join her in making wind chimes and putting them around town with an uplifting message and a suicide-prevention phone number.
That led to the privately funded project and tweaking of the name to Peace From Paul.
The project has enlisted the support of Tucson's Educational Enrichment Foundation, which is serving as the foundation's fiscal manager. In addition, architect Jon Mirto of Poster Frost Mirto architectural firm and Juan Restrepo, an acoustics and math professor at the University of Arizona, are donating some of their services.
The studio will be built in a sparsely used engineering classroom on the east side of the school facing North Euclid Avenue. Paul's parents and Tucson High Principal Abel Morado envision the classroom as a place where students can drop in after classes and share ideas.
Khris Dodge, director of Jovert, Tucson High's steel drum band, of which Paul was a member, said it's critical for music and artistic students to have a place to foster creativity and concepts. Students, he said, spend a lot of time creating an identity for themselves.
"A place like this will help them through. I've seen it happen," said Dodge.
The room will not be exclusively for students in the school's music programs. It will also be a place for musically talented students who for different reasons, are not taking music classes.
"It will be for all kids," Masalsky added.
If the project is successful, musical ideas and friendships will flow from the room. It will become a memorial space to Paul, said Dante Cuestas-Thompson, another band mate of Paul's.
"There's going to be awareness in this space," he said. "You're going to make music with Paul."
How to Help
Peace From Paul donations can be made online at at the Educational Enrichment Foundation website, www.eeftucson.org or checks sent to EEF, 3809 E. Third St., Tucson AZ 85716.
Ernesto "Neto" Portillo Jr. is editor of La Estrella de Tucsón. He can be reached at netopjr@azstarnet.com or at 520-573-4187.
