Former ESF student dies
Christopher Wallace, a former student at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, died Thursday at his home on Westcott Street, said Sgt. Tom Connellan of the Syracuse Police Department.
Police have ruled the death a suicide, Connellan said. Wallace, 33, of Rochester, N.Y., was a senior at ESF last semester but not enrolled this semester, he said.
The 911 call was received at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, and SPD responded immediately, Connellan said. He said Wallace was dead when they arrived at the house. Connellan declined to provide other details, including who made the 911 call.
Wallace was a senior conservation biology major, said Terri Evans, his friend of three and a half years. Evans, a senior environmental policy major at ESF, said she met Wallace their freshman year in Moon Library. She was having trouble logging into a computer, and he helped her figure out her username. They’ve been best friends ever since, Evans said.
‘He was my confidant, and the first person I called with good news and bad news,’ Evans said. ‘My family met him. We’d seen each other over breaks. We had the best friendship you could possibly have.’
Evans said Wallace had one class left to finish before he graduated, but chose to not take any courses this semester. He wanted to prolong graduation until he decided what he wanted to do after college, she said.
Wallace was passionate about the environment and enjoyed working with wolves, Evans said. He’d spent the last two summers working an internship in Utah.
ESF issued a notification e-mail to students Friday afternoon. Additional support is being offered through the Office of Student Life in Bray Hall.
‘During this difficult time, our thoughts are with Christopher’s family and those on our campus who knew him,’ the e-mail read.
Evans said she’ll remember Wallace’s advice and Halloween costumes, in particular.
‘He was the most friendly and outgoing person you could ever meet,’ Evans said. ‘He had such a genuine smile and huge heart. He was definitely someone you would be lucky to have in your life.’
Published on February 22, 2009 at 12:00 pm
