At a memorial service held on Feb. 12 in Dwight Hall, friends and teachers of Tom Casey GRD '05 remembered the graduate student's adventurous spirit, his friendliness and his love of nature and dedication to environmental issues.
Mr. Casey, who was a student in the political science department, was reported missing on Nov. 8 when he didn't return from a kayaking trip on rough seas on Long Island Sound. His body was discovered on Dec. 2.
The service included a montage of photos projected onto a screen that highlighted Mr. Casey's life, showing him climbing a mountain, biking and standing in an area noted for its poisonous snakes and spiders.
Friend recalled how the Yale graduate student took a transcontinental trip from Seattle to Philadelphia, how he worked for the Environmental Protection Agency and helped write the Clean Air Act, and how he assisted the government of Poland in its launching of environmental protection initiatives. Among the speakers at the service was Robert Dahl, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Political Science, who recalled Mr. Casey's "high intelligence, his curiosity and the independence of his mind." Mr. Casey had been assisting Dahl with his memoirs.
The belated service was an opportunity for Mr. Casey's Yale friends and associates to gather together to mourn his death and pay tribute to his life, according to Frances Rosenbluth, professor of political science and director of graduate studies in the department.
"Tom had become such an important part of the intellectual and social fabric of the department," says Rosenbluth. "He was one of the organizers of The Dahl Society, a student study and discussion group. He was an active participant in various workshops, and took an interest in other people's work. He helped with new student recruitment by making his home available as a gathering place and by offering to give rides to students who didn't have transportation.
"The list goes on and on, and just about everyone in the department has a story about how Tom helped them out in some way or another -- by suggesting relevant citations for a research project or by offering a kind word on a bad day, for example," Rosenbluth recalls.
T H I S
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
New director of Equal Opportunity Office named
Former CIA head: In war, liberty and security can conflict
Students chosen for All-USA College Academic First Team
Adrienne Rich wins prestigious Bollingen Prize for poetry
Kannan has been appointed to Lanman chair
Activists urge students to join 'struggle' for social justice
Symposium to honor 'Yale's greatest scientist'
Symposium to explore rebuilding post-conflict states
MEDICAL CENTER NEWSIQs of premature infants rise as they grow, say researchers
Study reports 20% of people with epilepsy . . .
Drug to prevent breast cancer now being tested
Investigators seeking ways to treat painful gynecological disorder
Journalists Carlson, Kaufman to be next Poynter Fellows
Lecture series offers inside perspective on 'Managing the European Union'
Celebrating Black History Month
Three-day conference explores the musical traditions of Greece
Biologist John Trinkaus, expert on cell migration, dies
Friends recall life of graduate student Tom Casey, who died in kayaking accident
Digging the snow
Norbert Hirschhorn honored for pediatric research
Organ student Paul Jacobs garners music award
Connecticut-based ensemble to perform in campus concert
Yale Books in Brief
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News
Bulletin Board|Yale Scoreboard|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs Home|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page