Students struggling to make sense of the death of Jeremy
April this week remembered the gifted student and world-level ski
aerialist for his quiet and self-effacing nature, his dry wit, his talent
for mathematics and his promise at what many regard as the
most spectacular and dangerous of winter sports.
The body of April, 18, a first-year student from Northvale,
N.J., was discovered in his room on Monday morning. Officials
have ruled his death a suicide.
“I always pictured Jeremy going to the Olympics and
doing really well and then going on to something like medicine … to
give something back,” said Kelly Herrington, associate dean
of admissions, who first met April as a prospective student and stayed
in touch via email while the skier traveled the competitive
aerials circuit last winter.
April learned on April 19 that he had been named to the
U.S. Aerial Ski Team for the 2002-03 season. On July 4, when he was
to turn 19, he would have been eligible to perform triple maneuvers.
“He was an amazing skier,” said a woman who spoke at
a campus-wide vigil on Monday. “He was like a cat. He always landed
on his feet. He did these jumps that would kill most people.”
April, a Union scholar, was a promising student with a
strong interest in mathematics, according to his faculty advisor. As
other competitive skiers at Union have done, he planned to take
winter terms to pursue international competition.
Many students stayed after the vigil to console one another and
to fill out pages for a memory book to be presented to April’s family.
Dean of Students Fred Alford read a sample of April’s
admissions essay in which he describes the thrill of skiing the “run of my life” at
a moguls competition only to find that a timing malfunction
would prevent him from winning. His essay went on to describe
the protest he eventually won by digging through trash bags to
find the hand-timed results that proved his case. Finally, he compares
the experience of convincing the ski judges with that of making his
case with the College’s admissions office:
“Now I find myself going through another sort of
dustbin, picking out occurrences to exemplify my character,
determination and academic abilities. And with these credentials, I am ready
to meet another critical jury.”
Survivors include his parents, Ernie and Nancy.
Calling hours are Friday, 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at
Moritz Funeral Home, 354 Closter Dock Rd., Closter, N.J.
The funeral is set for Saturday at 9 a.m. at Palisades
Presbyterian Church, Washington Spring Road, Palisades, N.Y. After
interment, there will be a reception at noon at the April home, 34 Rockleigh
Rd., Northvale, N.J. 07647.
A campus memorial service is set for Monday, May 6, at
12:30 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. A reception will follow.