Being a well-spoken statesmen was in Luis Clay-Mendez’s blood.

His grandfather, Henry Clay, was one of Theodore Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders,” the first U.S. volunteer cavalry.

Faculty Senate Chair David Carpenter read a letter about “Rough Rider” Clay, which drew many parallels to Mr. Clay-Mendez, in a eulogy Tuesday.

“He had sympathy for everyone oppressed,” said Carpenter, a friend of Mr. Clay-Mendez’s for 16 years.

The mood was somber, but not sad. Penny Clay, wife of Mr. Clay-Mendez, greeted an almost endless line of mourners, including members of the Coast Guard, faculty and students, wanting to express their sorrow or tell a story about Mr. Clay-Mendez.

She introduced every person to her son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren with courage and a proud smile on her face.

The Newman Catholic Center was filled with memories of Mr. Clay-Mendez.

In the back of the church, there were pictures of him in his Coast Guard uniform, playing with his grandchildren and what he called his “pride and joy,” his boat, named “Claypen,” in honor of his wife.

Hymns were sung in both Spanish and English.

The melodies will be a great gift to send Clay-Mendez up to Heaven, Father Chris Brey said.

In his homily, Brey mentioned how surprised he was to hear that Mr. Clay-Mendez had died:

The first word Brey said was “What?”

Then he said “Crap.”

Finally, he said “Lord have mercy.”

Brey said he assumed many of the people who attended the mass had similar reactions. Many people in the church nodded their heads in agreement.

Brey compared the Gospel reading of the good Samaritan to Mr. Clay-Mendez.

He was there for people in trouble on Lake Shelbyville as a member of the Coast Guard auxiliary, Brey said.

Mr. Clay-Mendez was there for his students in the classroom as well.

The mass concluded with “America the Beautiful,” a song that echoed the strong nationalism Mr. Clay-Mendez possessed for the country he immigrated to from Cuba more than 40 years ago.

“He will be missed, but he is not gone,” Carpenter said. “He is still here, just in a different form.”