Chris McEvoy `99, former Crimson executive, Dies at 24

Christopher W. McEvoy '99, a former associate sports editor of The Crimson, died December 16 in Dublin, where he was a second year medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons. He was 24.

The cause of death was listed as an accidental drug overdose.

McEvoy graduated cum laude from Harvard.

Friends remembered him as a quiet and thoughtful person.

"There was not a malicious bone in his body," said Jamal K. Greene '99, former sports editor of The Crimson.

Dr. Vicky McEvoy, Christopher's mother, said her son was a shy and kind person who loved animals.

"He was not the type of person that had millions of friends at Harvard, but if you were his friend you were his friend for life," she said.

His mother said McEvoy was "the family cheerleader. He would always show up at his brother's games."

While at Harvard, Greene said that McEvoy was dedicated to his studies and to The Crimson.

"He was methodical in his work," Greene said. "He would worry a lot about the details of the paper."

"He was very focused," said Rebecca A. Blaeser '98, another former Crimson sports editor. "He was worried about his future; he wanted to do well."

His former editors said McEvoy was always willing to do things others weren't.

Greene said he remembers traveling to Stanford to cover a woman's NCAA basketball game. After Harvard upset Stanford, Greene said the editors decided at 3 a.m. to put out a special issue.

"Chris was willing at that hour in the morning to come in and lay out the paper," Greene said.

Blaeser also remembered McEvoy's dedication. "He was always stepping up," she said.

Greene said that McEvoy was passionate about medicine and knew while at Harvard that he wanted to attend medical school.

McEvoy graduated in 1994 from Phillips Academy in Andover, where he rowed on the crew team, before coming to Harvard.

McEvoy's problems with substance use started the summer after he graduated from Harvard, Vicky McEvoy said, when he got involved with drugs that were advertised as safe on the Internet.

"He would take [the drugs] to mellow out a little--to help fall asleep at night," she said. "He thought he could manage it but before he knew it he was addicted."

In addition to his mother, McEvoy is survived by his father, Earl; two brothers, Brian and Carter; and his sister, Victoria, all of Cambridge.

A memorial service will be held Jan. 10 at 3 p.m. in Memorial Church.