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February 29, 2000
I thought I'd been handling the news of Adam's death very well but when I read the message from our Division Head, Harry Samuels, announcing he'd made arrangements with the School of Music to setup a memorial fund for Adam, I totally lost it. I burst into tears right at my desk. It suddenly struck me that Adam was really gone and I mourned for him, and for his family. I'd always hung onto an improbable notion that I might run into Adam someday while visiting my partner's father in Danville, Vermont. Now that possibility is gone. In my 25 years at the University, I've seen a lot of students come and go but Adam was special. I was Adam's supervisor at his work-study job in the Library and got to know him very well. He had a spark of life, a keen intelligence, and a kindness that you don't often see in NU students. I'd never seen a freshman so excited about being at college and his enthusiasm was contagious. As I cried for Adam today, I remembered the graduation party we threw for him with cake and champagne and a gift certificate to Barnes & Nobles. I remembered how hard it was for me to say goodbye to him, and how I kept putting it off until the last minute. It was like I was sending my own son out to make his way in the world and I felt a combination of pride and sadness. After the party, Adam and I hung around chatting long after the other staff had left. When we finally left the library, we stopped outside the front doors and gave each other a big hug. Adam smiled shyly when I wished him good luck. Then he waved goodbye and bounded off towards the parking lot. That's the young man I'm remembering today.
Vince McCoy
