University Mourns Four Suicides

As the University prepares to send off its new graduates with all the fitting pomp and circumstance, the community nonetheless recalls a year spotted with tragedy.

Over the course of this academic year, at least four students are believed to have taken their own lives, half of them undergraduates. This year, Harvard lost students Hailei Ge, Annelle Fitzpatrick '00, David L. Okrent '99 and Frank P. Minore.

Hailei Ge

A first-year graduate student studying computer science, Ge died in November after falling four stories from the Gordon McKay Library in Pierce Hall on Oxford Street. He had only been at Harvard for two months.

Ge had traveled thousands of miles from his native Beijing to study at Harvard. But his friend Jian Liu, another first-year graduate student, said his greatest troubles were with academics, not with homesickness.

"He was very sensitive," Liu said. "He cared too much about some of the [academic] things that happened to him... Sometimes he felt very disappointed and discouraged."

His advisor, H.T. Kung, McKay professor of electrical engineering and computer science, recalled how Ge proudly presented a circuit board he had designed in China at their first meeting.

"Computer science faculty and students who knew him were all deeply saddened by the loss," Kung said.

"Everyone is devastated by this," said Paul C. Martin '51, dean of the Division of Applied Sciences.

In the wake of the suicide of Dmitry V. Pophodaev, a graduate student from Moscow who killed himself two summers ago at Harvard, and the murder-suicide committed by Ethiopian Sinedu Tadessi '96, some have concluded that international students are at greater risk for severe depression at Harvard.

But David S. Rosenthal '59, director of University Health Services (UHS) said while some perceive this to be the case, he believes international students often bond together to form strong, supportive communities.

Martin said he hopes to create discussion "to try to understand if there are ways to prevent similar things in the future."

Annelle Fitzpatrick '00

Fitzpatrick, who played on the women's lacrosse team last year, died in New York City over winter break. She was 19.

Police reported that the Leverett House sophomore was struck by a subway train in midtown Manhattan. Fitzpatrick had been on a voluntary leave of absence at the time, and was planningto return to Harvard in the spring, according toLeverett House Senior Tutor JudithMurciano-Goroff.

"It's a tragedy of the first order," said JohnE. Dowling '57, Leverett House master. "She was anextremely talented young woman trying hard to findher way."

Benjamin A. Stingle '00, who attended highschool with Fitzpatrick called her "an amazingathlete, very smart, very well-rounded."

"She was a great person," he said.

Roanak V. Desai '00, another high schoolclassmate of Fitzpatrick's, remembered her humorand warmth.

"Her giggle still kind of rings in my memory,"Desai said. "Honestly, she's one of the happiest,funniest people I've met to date."

Fitzpatrick is survived by her parents and twosiblings. Her brother Thomas is scheduled tograduate from Yale University this year, and hersister Erin was admitted to Harvard's class of2002.

David L. Okrent '99

Okrent's death was shrouded in mystery in thedays following the wintry Sunday morning in Marchwhen he was found on Revere beach.

His body was discovered by a man walking hisdog. Okrent, 20, had suffered a single stab woundto the neck.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's officeinitially said that Okrent's death was beinginvestigated as a "possible homicide," butcautioned that such a wound could be the result ofsuicide.

Several days later, an anonymous source closeto the investigation revealed that police indeedbelieved Okrent had killed himself. Months later,autopsy results officially confirmed thisconclusion.

Okrent--who went by the nickname "Oak"--wasdescribed as "brilliant" by his long-time friendDaniel M. Ring '99. Ring added that the CabotHouse physics concentrator was also a "renaissanceman."

"When you're as smart as he is, you expect himjust to be in the library studying, but he waspopular and committed to students," Ring said.

Okrent, who had served as a course assistant inmathematics, changed his concentration to physicsin the beginning of this year. He had also taken asemester off from Harvard in his sophomore year.

According to his father, Lawrence Okrent, David"was not strongly identified to a path quite yet."

"He was still tasting things," his father said.

Rebecca C. Weiss '99, who attended EvanstonTownship High School in Evanston Ill. with Okrent,said he was "a really amazing person ever sincehigh school."

"His most outstanding feature was that he wasso well-liked by so many people [in high school],and the same is true here," she said.

Okrent is survived by his parents and two oldersisters.

Frank P. Minore

Minore appeared to all who knew him to be "ingood spirits," according to students who cametogether to commemorate his life at a March 19gathering several days after his death.

Friends affirmed that the School of PublicHealth (SPH) student showed "no evidence ofdepression," according to SPH acting dean James H.Ware, who is also the Master of Cabot House.

Family members--learning that their son haddied with four prescription drug vials and abottle of liquor next to his body--said that "ifthere was an overdose, it must have beenaccidental."

But Boston police spokesperson Margot Hillrevealed to those close to Minore that he had beentaken to Brigham and Women's Hospital following asuicide attempt only weeks before his death.

Minore's brother Dominic J. Minore told theCrimson that Frank "had developed a lot offriendships" at the SPH.

"He was very outgoing," Dominic Minore said."He enjoyed life."

Minore was a 1985 graduate of San Diego StateUniversity in his native San Diego. A politicalscience major, he went on to earn a J.D. degreefrom the University of San Francisco in 1989,where he graduated with honors.

Minore had worked for several years as anassociate for the law firm Tobin & Tobin in SanFrancisco, but decided to enroll in the SPH'sone-year Law and Public Health program in 1997.

"Frank wanted to change his area ofspecialization in law," Dominic Minore said. "Thisprogram was best suited for his needs--he was verymuch interested in the program of health careissues."

Minore, an enthusiastic celebrant of hisItalian heritage, also spent a year at theUniversity of Florence during college andmaintained close ties with his family in Sicily,according to his brother

"It's a tragedy of the first order," said JohnE. Dowling '57, Leverett House master. "She was anextremely talented young woman trying hard to findher way."

Benjamin A. Stingle '00, who attended highschool with Fitzpatrick called her "an amazingathlete, very smart, very well-rounded."

"She was a great person," he said.

Roanak V. Desai '00, another high schoolclassmate of Fitzpatrick's, remembered her humorand warmth.

"Her giggle still kind of rings in my memory,"Desai said. "Honestly, she's one of the happiest,funniest people I've met to date."

Fitzpatrick is survived by her parents and twosiblings. Her brother Thomas is scheduled tograduate from Yale University this year, and hersister Erin was admitted to Harvard's class of2002.

David L. Okrent '99

Okrent's death was shrouded in mystery in thedays following the wintry Sunday morning in Marchwhen he was found on Revere beach.

His body was discovered by a man walking hisdog. Okrent, 20, had suffered a single stab woundto the neck.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's officeinitially said that Okrent's death was beinginvestigated as a "possible homicide," butcautioned that such a wound could be the result ofsuicide.

Several days later, an anonymous source closeto the investigation revealed that police indeedbelieved Okrent had killed himself. Months later,autopsy results officially confirmed thisconclusion.

Okrent--who went by the nickname "Oak"--wasdescribed as "brilliant" by his long-time friendDaniel M. Ring '99. Ring added that the CabotHouse physics concentrator was also a "renaissanceman."

"When you're as smart as he is, you expect himjust to be in the library studying, but he waspopular and committed to students," Ring said.

Okrent, who had served as a course assistant inmathematics, changed his concentration to physicsin the beginning of this year. He had also taken asemester off from Harvard in his sophomore year.

According to his father, Lawrence Okrent, David"was not strongly identified to a path quite yet."

"He was still tasting things," his father said.

Rebecca C. Weiss '99, who attended EvanstonTownship High School in Evanston Ill. with Okrent,said he was "a really amazing person ever sincehigh school."

"His most outstanding feature was that he wasso well-liked by so many people [in high school],and the same is true here," she said.

Okrent is survived by his parents and two oldersisters.

Frank P. Minore

Minore appeared to all who knew him to be "ingood spirits," according to students who cametogether to commemorate his life at a March 19gathering several days after his death.

Friends affirmed that the School of PublicHealth (SPH) student showed "no evidence ofdepression," according to SPH acting dean James H.Ware, who is also the Master of Cabot House.

Family members--learning that their son haddied with four prescription drug vials and abottle of liquor next to his body--said that "ifthere was an overdose, it must have beenaccidental."

But Boston police spokesperson Margot Hillrevealed to those close to Minore that he had beentaken to Brigham and Women's Hospital following asuicide attempt only weeks before his death.

Minore's brother Dominic J. Minore told theCrimson that Frank "had developed a lot offriendships" at the SPH.

"He was very outgoing," Dominic Minore said."He enjoyed life."

Minore was a 1985 graduate of San Diego StateUniversity in his native San Diego. A politicalscience major, he went on to earn a J.D. degreefrom the University of San Francisco in 1989,where he graduated with honors.

Minore had worked for several years as anassociate for the law firm Tobin & Tobin in SanFrancisco, but decided to enroll in the SPH'sone-year Law and Public Health program in 1997.

"Frank wanted to change his area ofspecialization in law," Dominic Minore said. "Thisprogram was best suited for his needs--he was verymuch interested in the program of health careissues."

Minore, an enthusiastic celebrant of hisItalian heritage, also spent a year at theUniversity of Florence during college andmaintained close ties with his family in Sicily,according to his brother