Service held for Duvalsaint

Over 200 students attended a memorial service for Gilbert Duvalsaint in the Glass Pavilion at Levering last Thursday night.

Duvalsaint, a sophomore, died suddenly at Union Memorial on Oct. 26 of what is believed to be meningitis, according to a statement released by Susan Boswell, dean of student life.

The emotional service, which was also attended by several members of Duvalsaint's family, opened with a short speech by junior Nick Hernandez, the president of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, of which Duvalsaint was a member, followed by a prayer by Rev. Tom Ryan from the Interfaith Center. Several other students also spoke at the service, followed by a speech by Duvalsaint's uncle.

Many attendees wore burgundy-colored ribbons pinned to their shirts, which were handed out at the door.

The ceremony emphasized Duvalsaint's love of life and devotion to his friends. "He was the type of person who was easy to think of and impossible to forget," said sophomore Hans Mueller, also a fraternity brother, who spoke at the service. "He loved us and, needless to say, we loved him."

Holding back tears, sophomore Samantha Buyniski described Duvalsaint as "exceptionally intelligent, optimistic, cheerful," and "incredibly helpful and easygoing."

Buyniski emphasized Duva-lsaint's intellectual acumen. Describing him as "wonderfully nerdy," she recalled how excited he would be when his science magazines arrived in the mail, and how he used to talk to himself while he studied.

Duvalsaint's roommate, sophomore Rajiv Shenoy, described how he would come home to their apartment in the Bradford to find Duvalsaint with his "process analysis book open on the table, an X-Box controller in his hand, 'Monkeyball' on the screen and fried chicken on the stove." Duvalsaint had loved life, Shenoy said, and quoted Sir William Wallace: "Every man dies, but not every man really lives."

The last speech of the evening was given by Alix Duvalsaint, Gilbert Duvalsaint's uncle. Alix Duvalsaint described his nephew as "a bright and talented young man with a promising future. He was courageous and strong. ... He threw the ball to you with the firm conviction that you were going to catch it."

Duvalsaint had aspired to become a doctor, his uncle said. He urged others to honor his memory by becoming doctors themselves and discovering cures for diseases, including a cure for the meningitis which took Duvalsaint's life. "Let him be for you an inspiration, a source of strength and courage," Alix Duvalsaint said.

Another of Duvalsaint's friends, sophomore Ajay Gurbani, read from Psalm 139. Sophomore Meet Patel read a poem by an anonymous writer, urging mourners not to cry for his death but, instead, to love all the more.

Following the speeches and readings, attendees were shown a slideshow of pictures of Duvalsaint.

Brief remarks by chaplain Sharon Kugler closed the service. "We're swirling here between tears of sadness and tears of joyful recollection," she said. In a remark which brought laughter from the audience, Kugler said that refreshments offered at the reception were a tribute to Duvalsaint's "passionate affection for chicken."

At the reception that immediately followed the service, attendees lined up to shake hands with Duvalsaint's father, Fregens Duvalsaint, and to speak with Duvalsaint's mother, Myriame Duvalsaint, and his two younger sisters, Sybil and Corine. Attendees also wrote messages about Duvalsaint in a blank book which would be given to Duvalsaint's family.

Of Duvalsaint's life, Mueller said, "Do not be sad that it ended. Be happy that it happened. Don't cry because I am gone. Smile because I was here."