Sophomore dies after collapse
By Jack Gillum, Nicole LaPrade, Allison Sundaram and Jeremy Herb
The death of a Santa Clara student, who died Nov. 9 after collapsing while playing soccer, sent shockwaves through the community as many tried to grasp going through life without a classmate and a friend.
David Crowell, 20, embodied a kindness and maturity that students and staff reflected upon in interviews and vigils Wednesday, as the university community was trying to make sense of a life suddenly cut short.
Few details were available Wednesday night on Crowell's death. Though Crowell was diagnosed with an extremely rare heart condition as a child, an autopsy, which would fully investigate the cause of death, is pending.
O'Connor Hospital, which treated and later pronounced Crowell dead, would not release specifics of his death, citing federal patient privacy laws. Assistant Dean for Student Life Matthew Duncan, who went to the hospital, only said that he knew Crowell had been playing soccer that afternoon and collapsed.
Almost immediately upon word of Crowell's death, students gathered for a "mandatory meeting" in Walsh Hall, where Crowell lived, to hear the news of his death.
Inside, dozens of students sat or stood in almost absolute silence amid choked-back tears, still trying to comprehend a loss of a student many of whom had seen just that day.
"He's someone I could always look to -- for anything," said sophomore Vanessa Flores, who attended the meeting. Standing next to her was freshman Carina Romo, whose birthday was Wednesday evening and had planned to celebrate with Crowell.
After a vigil for Crowell Wednesday night at 7 p.m., students had a chance to say goodbye.
"Some people were obviously closer to him than others, but even the ones who said I didn't know him very well still had a very touching story to tell," Campus Minister Ingrid Honore-Lallande, CSJ, said.
Said another mourner who knew Crowell: "He shook my hand and that's what I'm going to remember, shaking his hand. That handshake's going to last forever. He's not going be there physically anymore, but he's going to be waiting for me on the field, he's going to be my captain."
Residence Life Director Scott Strawn closed the vigil to student media shortly after it started, saying that the event was meant to be a "safe space" for mourners to reflect.
'He had a vitality'
Crowell's activities at Santa Clara were far from sedentary. He was a sophomore senator for Associated Students, a desk receptionist in Walsh residence hall, worked in Human Resources and was even a peer educator.
"He thrived when he was active," said Crowell's mother, Sandy, via a telephone interview Wednesday night from her home in Des Moines, Wash. "We joked that if he wasn't busy enough, he'd find something else to do."
But it was more than clubs and jobs that kept him busy. It was his love of people and sports. And love of his music.
"He was a fellow country music lover. And that's hard to come by out here in California," freshman Brittany Clark said.
In academics, Crowell was a dedicated student with a passion for psychology.
"He had a vitality, a warmth and a curiosity for learning. He took issues seriously. He was a splendid human being," William McCormack, professor of psychology, said.
Crowell had taken Psychology 2 with McCormack spring quarter of last year. For his role as a peer educator of the Emerging Leaders program, Crowell had scheduled an interview with McCormack for this Friday. Crowell had been impressed by McCormack's experience with piloting, among other things.
"Your love of aviation also inspires me, if I had the money, I would be spending more of my time above the clouds," Crowell wrote in an e-mail to McCormack on Nov. 2.
'This isn't real'
Outside of the classroom, students say Crowell was an inspiration.
Sophomore Nicola Leisses remembered Crowell for his passion for athletics and the spirit he brought to his intramural teams.
"He loved playing (soccer). When we were on the intramural team together, he was one of the people who would call everyone and try to get everyone to come to practices and have a team name. He was very involved in making sure everyone was having a good time," she said. "This isn't real."
Off the soccer field, his daily interactions with students could be as simple as a warm smile.
Freshman Brittany Clark is one of the many Walsh residents who will miss seeing him as the face that greeted them at the Walsh service desk.
"He was always smiling ... and having Nerf wars in the hallways. He was always so happy," Clark said.
Crowell was one of the first people Clark met at Santa Clara when she moved in and said "he knew everybody's name -- always."
"He was the happiest person I have ever met, he was always ready to help. I'm going to miss him a lot, that's for sure," senior Walsh resident Julie Deroche said.
"He would do random things that would be so funny and crazy, but then at the same time he was very mature and very responsible. He was very dedicated, he loved a lot of things in life. He was a person that you always go to for a laugh or advice," junior Walsh resident Michelle Medaglia said.
Crowell's mother said that David was interested in pursuing industrial psychology and was always driven to do well in school.
Crowell was elected to be an Associated Students' sophomore class senator last spring. "He was a great and positive person and he should be remembered for that," Associated Students vice president Jasper Seldin said.
Tina Nguyen, a senior class senator, said Crowell was "just into everything. Just from looking at him you can tell he was a symbol of perseverance and strength."
Crowell's mother summed up his love for Santa Clara:
"He regarded SCU as his second home. He loved it," she said.
Breaking the news
University President Paul Locatelli, S.J., sent an e-mail to the community shortly after hearing the news of Crowell's death.
"Let us join together, as a community, to support each other and to hold David, his friends, and his family in our thoughts and prayers. And especially our heartfelt sympathy goes out to David's family," Locatelli said.
According to Susan Shea, director of communications and marketing, an online forum linked to the Campus Ministry Web site will be available Thursday. "It will be a place for people to share their thoughts and memories of David," Shea said.
All students, staff and faculty will be receiving an e-mail Thursday with information about the site and instructions for how to post to the Web site.
Just as quickly as news broke, Associated Students planned to abbreviate its regularly scheduled Thursday meeting to open up a forum for students to talk about Crowell and his life.
Upcoming vigils and memorials
Several groups on campus have organized vigils or memorials for Crowell this week. Among them:
* The Student Senate meeting, located in Benson Memorial Center parlors, will be cut short to allow reflection of Crowell's life. That begins at 7 p.m. Thursday.
* A mass is planned Thursday at 10 p.m. in the Walsh hall basement, only for Unity RLC members.
* A mass to be officiated by Locatelli will be announced in the coming days, university officials said.
Crowell's mother will arrive from Washington state this week. Funeral services and arrangements were not immediately known Wednesday evening.
Students who want to contribute memories or pictures, which will be compiled into a memory book and given to Crowell's family, can bring them to Campus Ministry.
Reporters Molly Leaverton and Allegra Eslick, and News Editor Ryan Groshong contributed to this article.