Schenectady, N.Y. (June 11, 2001) – Students at Union College this week were planning memorial services for Alexander Lee, 19, of Chester (Orange County), a sophomore who died Sunday in a swimming accident on the Canajoharie Creek.
Students at the Coffeehouse, a showcase for student talent where Lee often performed, were planning a memorial this evening (Monday).
A campus-wide memorial service is set for Thursday at 2 p.m. in Memorial Chapel.
The family has scheduled a funeral for Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Riverside Memorial Chapel on Broad Street in Mt. Vernon, NY.
Lee was a computer system engineering major and a dean's list student at Union. An active musician, he played the bass and drums in the College's jazz ensemble. He also played frequently with a number of student bands. He was a frequent performer at the Coffeehouse, and served that organization as treasurer.
Lee, the son of Marc and Karen Lee of Chester, N.Y., was to have studied abroad in the Czech Republic this fall.
Students at Union finished classes on Friday, and will begin final exams this week.
Witnesses reported that Lee slipped and fell from the edge of Canajoharie Falls just before 2 p.m. Sunday, striking some rock ledges before falling into the water, police said. Lee had been at Canajoharie Falls, part of Wintergreen Park in the Village of Canajoharie, with two classmates, police said.
He was trapped under the water for a period of time before rescuers were able to recover his body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.