Dunster Student Dies at 24

Henry C. Fienning ’06-’08 of Dunster House, a spirited and beloved leader in Harvard's service community, died at his home in Sumter, S.C., on Monday. He was 24.

Dunster House Masters Ann and Roger B. Porter relayed the news to the community on Wednesday evening in an e-mailed message. An additional e-mail sent this afternoon informed Dunster residents that a funeral service will be held on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Sumter.

Friends and family who recalled his life all spoke to Fienning’s charisma, personability, and warmth.

Leone E. Price ’06 was Fienning’s best friend. “Henry is beautiful on the inside and the out,” she wrote in an e-mail. “Henry is down to earth, extremely intelligent, artistic, musical, warm, friendly, adventurous, and selfless.”

Julia “JC” E. Cassis ’06, who met Fienning through Leone, recalled the special bond her two friends shared.

“He adored Leone,” Cassis said. “It was really sweet to hear him talk about her. He loved to have a good time, and he really loved and cared about his friends.”

Fienning was very involved in the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA). In 2006, he was the co-director of Refugee Youth Summer Enrichment, a PBHA-sponsored summer English as a Second Language program aimed at high-school-age Boston immigrants.

He was also a tutor for over two years with the Refugee Youth Enrichment’s term-time program, said Gene A. Corbin, the executive director of PBHA. Corbin described Fienning as “very passionate about serving others,” noting that he was “sure service would have continued to be a big part of his life.”

Fienning raised over $900 from November 2006 to Jaunuary of this year for the Harvard College Marathon Challenge, a group of Harvard community members that raises money for Boston-area youth in conjunction with PBHA and Project HEALTH.

Henry C. Agbo ’09, who met Fienning while participating in PBHA’s Summer Urban Program last summer, said that Fienning was an outgoing presence within the organization.

“The reason I met him was because we have the same name, Henry Charles,” Agbo said. “I got his mail by accident, and then we became pretty good friends.”

Agbo said that Fienning often worked at the front desk at PBHA, providing lively discussion for those who frequented the organization.

According to Cassis, his warmth extended beyond simple conversation.

“He was like a teddy bear, everybody talked about his great bear hugs, and he definitely had a very youthful spirit,” she said. “He talked like a dreamer.”

Fienning, a music concentrator with a secondary field in psychology, was also a member of the Krokodilos, a campus male a capella group, and performed in Harvard Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players’ “Ruddigore.”

Fienning worked for a semester in the Dunster House superintendent’s office. House Superintendent H. Joseph O’Connor recalled Fienning’s “very engaging personality.”

O’Connor said he met Fienning’s parents when the 24-year-old first came to Dunster, and his warm personality was something that “just kind of ran in the family.”

“They were very delightful people. I had the good fortune to meet them a few times during Henry’s stay here,” O' Connor said.

Fienning had one semester left of his Harvard undergraduate requirements. He was living at home for the summer and planned to return to school in the fall, according to one of his brothers, who wished not to be named. Price said that after graduating from Harvard, Fienning wanted to get a graduate degree in International Business.

“Henry was an energetic and engaging member of the Dunster House community,” said the Porters’ message, which was also signed by Paulette G. Curtis ’92, Dunster’s Allston Burr Resident Dean. “His large and diverse group of friends reflected the genuine concern he exhibited for others. We will all miss him greatly.”

According to an e-mail this morning from Ann Porter, arrangements have been made for students to assemble this evening, August 3, in the Lowell JCR from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Clinicians from University Health Services and the Bureau of Study Counsel will also be available.

A memorial fund has been established by the Fienning family at the First Presbyterian Church, located at 9 West Calhoun Street in Sumter, S.C. Donors may choose whether their funds will support the church’s Boy Scout Troop 86 or the church’s music fund. Fienning was an Eagle Scout and contributed greatly to the church’s musical programs, his brother said.

Condolences may be sent to Fienning’s family at 5 Pathfinder Drive, Sumter, S.C., 29150.

Fienning attended Sumter High School and was a 2002 graduate of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. He is survived by his parents, Susan and Charles E. Fienning ’66, and three older brothers, Sam, Ben, and Edward B. Fienning ’01.

—Staff writer Malcom A. Glenn can be reached at mglenn@fas.harvard.edu.
—Staff writer Kristina M. Moore can be reached at moore2@fas.harvard.edu.