For Grace Jimenez, the past few days have been more than difficult.

On Saturday, Jimenez gathered among family and friends at her home in Harrisburg to commemorate the life of her son, Salvador Peter Serrano, a 20-year-old Penn State junior who died one year ago today."It was just to celebrate the fun memories of, ... the positive memories of Peter -- kind of focus on the positive things," she said. At the time of her son's death, he was majoring in advertising and public relations.

Serrano died on Oct. 26, 2003, after an early morning altercation with two employees of the All American Rathskeller, 108 S. Pugh St.

At 1:47 a.m., the Centre County 911 Dispatch Center received a call regarding a fight on Calder Way, just outside of the Rathskeller.

According to court documents, Serrano, accompanied by his fiancée, Brooke Morgan, and friends Timothy Padalino and Alison Bresnahan, was walking along Calder Way when Padalino stopped to urinate.

When Rathskeller bar employee Ryan Rosengrant approached Padalino and asked him to leave the
area, Padalino and Rosengrant became involved in a physical altercation.

Serrano was then restrained by Jason and Christopher Rosengrant, also Rathskeller employees. Police who arrived on the scene discovered Serrano was not breathing and requested ambulance assistance.

Serrano was transported to Mount Nittany Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Dr. Gordon Handte, the pathologist at Mount Nittany Medical Center who performed Serrano's autopsy, determined that Serrano had a blood alcohol level of 0.24 percent. Handte determined that Serrano's level of intoxication and the conditions of his restraint both played a part in his death.

According to officials, Serrano aspirated, vomited and then choked to death.

Though Serrano's death was eventually ruled an accident, Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar filed charges against the brothers.

Jury selection for the Rosengrants' trial is set to begin Dec. 7, in front of Centre County Judge Charles C. Brown. The two men face charges of involuntary manslaughter.

Brown could not be reached for comment on the case yesterday.

Jimenez, who plans on attending the criminal trial, said the past year has been "like a roller-coaster ride."

"When there are good things going on, some bad things upset you," she said. "Since the trial is in December, it's getting tougher and harder."

In August, the attorney representing Jimenez and Morgan filed a federal civil lawsuit partially blaming State College municipal authorities for Serrano's death.

Jimenez, however, said her focus is not on the civil case and referred all questions about that suit to her attorney, Louis Bové, who was also unavailable for comment yesterday.

"I want to get the criminal case resolved, and I'm looking forward to it," she said.

Despite the impending court proceedings, Jimenez is pleased with the outcome of the memorial volleyball tournament at Central Dauphin High School, which raised more than $6,000 for a scholarship fund to benefit a member of the Central Dauphin boys' volleyball team, of which Serrano was a member.

Jimenez said a committee comprising people who knew Serrano is still determining the requirements for the scholarship, but they requirements will in some way be a tribute to her son.

She added that, during the tournament, people she did not know introduced themselves to her because they knew Serrano.

"That's the kind of thing that made me very, very proud of him," she said.

Jimenez said she hopes Penn State students will remember him as well.

"If they can spend just one moment, silent, praying for Peter, that would be a great service, remembering him," she said.