40 Years Later: Remembering Stephanie Roper

BY TY DEMARTINO ’90

It is hard to believe and still difficult to accept that it has been 40 years since Stephanie Ann Roper was taken from our world. On April 3, 1982, the promising and full-of-life Frostburg State art student was abducted and brutally murdered after her car broke down on a rural Maryland road while she was home visiting her family in Prince George’s County.

The horrific story gained international attention and started a wave of support and advocacy. Stephanie’s mother, Roberta, along with her late husband, Vince, turned their daughter’s senseless murder into an impactful political and social movement to protect the rights of families of crime victims. They formed the Stephanie Roper Committee and Foundation which later became the Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center. The efforts of the MCVRC now ensures that victims of crime receive “justice and are treated with dignity and compassion through comprehensive victims' rights and services.”

This past year, the MCVRC created the Roberta Roper Lifetime Achievement Award and named Maryland Governor Larry Hogan as its first recipient. At the awards ceremony, representatives from Frostburg came to show their support and honor one of our own – Stephanie Ann Roper. The University will never forget Stephanie and the long-lasting impact she made during her short life and through her tragic death.

You can support the Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center at www.mdcrimevictims.org.