Harvard Student Killed In Accident

Isaac J. Meyers, a Harvard teaching fellow, died yesterday after he was hit by a Shaw’s tractor trailer before sunrise at the intersection of Mass. Ave and Prospect St. He was 28.

His death was reported by Harvard Hillel Associate Director Michael Simon in an e-mail sent to Hillel members.

A graduate student who taught introductory Latin courses, Meyers was an active member of the Jewish community, remembered by friends and family for his kindness and his sense of humor.

Services have been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday in New York, according to Simon.

The Classics department held an informal gathering in Boylston Hall last night to console those who knew Meyers.

Crowded around Meyers’ family in the department’s foyer, a group of more than 50 students, professors, and friends recounted stories of Meyers’ past.

“We did not expect to be here tonight,” Classics Department Chair John M. Duffy said. “This is a gathering for us to express solidarity and our condolences to Isaac’s family. He won appreciation and esteem among faculty and students.”

Both tears and laughter accompanied the anecdotes shared by Meyers’ family and friends.

Friends told stories of his undergraduate days at Yale, where he one time joked among campus Jews that the best way to discuss issues was to put on spandex and pointy styrofoam hats.

Colleagues and Meyers’ students remembered his meticulous attention to detail and his love of learning.

“His enthusiasm for Latin was just contagious,” said Rachel D. Bennett ’11, who took one of Meyers’ introductory Latin classes last semester.

One graduate student said Meyers was the type of person who was always the first to say hello.

Members of the Harvard Hillel community recalled Meyers’ “gentle” presence at prayer services and dinners.

“He was in a totally different world—he wasn’t concerned with petty things,” said Ari R. Hoffman ’10, who knew Meyers from Hillel. “He was the kindest man.”

Those at the gathering passed around a small, leather-bound book, in which they wrote messages about Meyers for his family.

According to Simon, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences said that grief counselors will be available for support.

A spokeswoman for Shaw’s said the grocery store chain is cooperating with authorities in the investigation, but no charges have been filed yet, according to The Boston Herald.

“Our thoughts are with all parties affected by this tragic accident,” Judy Chong, a spokeswoman for Shaw’s, told the Herald.