Scholarship to honour top student found dead in river |
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Contributed by Irisanne Fajardo
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Wednesday, 06 September 2006 |
The University of Toronto Mathematics and Physics Department at St.
George campus has established a new scholarship fund following the
death of Robert Barrington Leigh.
In
a letter to the Mathematics Department, Professor John Bland writes,
"Robert was an exceptional young person in every way. We got to know
him quickly because he was already taking graduate courses by his
second year."
Additionally, throughout his academic careers, Barrington Leigh has
won many top awards, both internationally and at the University of
Toronto.
"But we were impressed not only by his talent. Robert
was shy and modest, despite his enormous abilities," Bland writes. "We
expected him to go on to graduate studies at one [sic] of [sic] the
world's top universities, and to have a brilliant career."
Barrington
Leigh, age 20, went missing from his Edmonton home on August 13, 2006
where he was visiting his parents for the summer. At 10:30 p.m.,
Barrington Leigh told his mother that he was going to the Edmonton Folk
Music Festival. After he failed to return the next morning, he was
reported missing. His last known communication was through a text
message to his girlfriend in Italy.
After his disappearance, his
family created a website prompting hundreds of volunteers and media to
search for Barrington Leigh. Over 100 volunteers combed through the
river valley, while police launched an extensive land and water search.
Even
after police called off the search, volunteers still searched the area
where it was thought that Barrington Leigh was headed. On August 22,
his body was found in the North Saskatchewan River by Alan Flynn, a
River Tours West owner.
In a media interview, Edmonton Police
spokesperson Lisa Lammi revealed that the police suspected no foul play
was involved, although at a later date, Barrington Leigh's mother and
brother confirmed that his death was suicide.
Barrington Leigh,
whose specialist involved both Mathematics and English, was set to
start his last undergraduate year at the University in Toronto this
September. Donations and information can be accessed at
www.findrobert.ca. |
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 06 September 2006 )
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