The St. Lawrence community suffered a tragedy on Saturday, March 31, when Luke Harvey ’18 lost his life in a skiing accident at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, NY. Luke was a prominent and beloved figure on campus, known by a majority of the senior class and greater St. Lawrence faculty and student body.
With the help of Luke’s close friends, President Fox composed a letter to the SLU community that relayed the horrible news while succinctly capturing Luke’s far-reaching impact:
“Luke was known all over campus for his outstanding academic record and his diverse circle of friends…. Luke was a much-admired CA, a devoted member of the ATO fraternity, and was a very popular kitchen staffer at KDS sorority for two years. His outstanding St. Lawrence résumé is, of course, a much smaller measure than the wonderful person he was to so many of us on campus. He touched us with the flame and light of a beautiful heart. His mother told me that he absolutely loved everything about St. Lawrence, most especially his classmates.”
Luke’s desire for adventure, love of geology, and luminous smile left a lasting impact on those who had the pleasure of knowing him at St. Lawrence. While words cannot begin to capture his life or express the grief felt by those who knew him, they can partially reveal Luke’s impact on the St. Lawrence community.
A vigil will be held in Luke’s honor this coming Saturday, April 7th, at 7:30 pm at the Townhouse Quad. All who would like to attend are welcome to.
Below are personal memories written by students close to Luke. If you wish to share a memory of Luke, you can post it here. Our thoughts are with the entire SLU community as well as the Harvey family during this difficult time.
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“Beyond Luke’s impressive academic achievements as one of the brightest geology majors, he was the most humble and helpful classmate. When a group of us students presented posters on our summer research at the GSA Annual Conference in Seattle, WA last fall, Luke received the Best Poster Award. We all rolled up our posters and began discussing dinner plans, with Luke not saying one word about his award. Upon discovering his achievement, we badgered him for not telling us and gave him our congratulations. Embarrassed, he complimented everyone else’s hard work and offered to use his prize money for drinks that night to celebrate everyone’s efforts. My last memory of Luke, appropriately, was sitting next to him in Petrology class before the weekend. I was stressed about the lab due in an hour, and he stayed after to help. [He was] the kindest soul with the most infectious smile— rest easy, Luke— drinks are on us this time.”
—Helen Eifert ’18
“Whenever we had rounds together, we joked about our scrawny legs together – just the two of us. Whenever we saw each other at the gym, we’d always make sure the other was doing legs – just the two of us. Rest in peace, Luke.”
—Anonymous ’20
“Luke was truly one of a kind. I remember how rounds with him were always such a good time. He’d ask so many questions and say the most ridiculous things. Last semester, Luke had his last set of rounds as a CA with me, and I remember at the end of the night, we did a little dance in the hallway. It was such a bittersweet moment, but in typical Luke fashion, always looking on the bright side, he said, “Hey, at least we’ll see each other around campus!” There was never a time when we were in the same space that Luke didn’t greet me with words or his beautiful smile. I’ll remember Luke Harvey as one of the most genuine people I’ve ever had the honor of knowing. Rest easy.”
—Nikitta Johnson ’18
“I first met Luke when we were in the same cabin on our Canaras retreat in the fall of 2017. Some of us decided to take kayaks out to a large island, and, for some reason, Luke chose a paddleboat. We all sped by him and Grace King, who were struggling to keep up with us and laughing the whole way. Luke’s ear-to-ear smile that day, and for our entire friendship, is something I’ll never forget. My time knowing Luke was much too short, but it changed my life nonetheless!”
—Emily Hubbard ’18
“I met Luke sophomore year when he joined ATO the semester after me. I really got to know him when we both became houseboys at KDS. Through this, I got to see what made Luke so special. Luke always approached every task with a contagious smile and a genuine, positive nature, which is why I and so many others gravitated towards him. One of my favorite memories of Luke is a continuous joke that we would raise a kid together after college. We thought we would be an unreal father duo, and our immediate graduation plan was to adopt a kid together. I will carry the multitude of memories that I have of Luke with me for the rest of my life and try to approach every task in a manner that I know Luke would, with unparalleled positive energy and a smile ear to ear.”
—Harrison Feldman ’18
“The first thing I notice about people is their teeth, and Luke had the best pearly whites on this campus. His smile could warm the heart of any person it was directed at. I remember teaching Luke’s CA class last year, and when everyone else was looking like they had better things to do, Luke just smiled and created such a positive energy in the space. The energy and radiance will be missed greatly from Luke.”
—Maverick Cummings (Residential Coordinator)
“It was an unusually hot day in September, and the eight of us were five miles into a 12-mile hike, just about to reach the summit of Giant Mountain in Keene, New York. Luke, in his grey Nike sneakers, led the pack, bounding over tree roots and pointing out different rocks along the way. The other seven of us followed, admittedly with much less energy under the scorching sun, and with much less knowledge of what looked to me simply like grey boulders scattering the ground. We reached the top and all looked out over the expansive Adirondacks that Luke loved so much. We sat and admired the view, but soon Luke jumped up, ready to take on the next peak. We were all tired, with blistered feet and sweat-soaked bodies, but Luke’s energy pushed us onto our feet and back into the mountains. Never once complaining, Luke filled the day with optimism, sincerity, and genuine happiness. For that was Luke’s way. His positivity was unbounded, always matched with the most infectious smile. How lucky we were to know you, Luke. May we all charge into the world with kindness, ambition, and a warm smile, ready and excited to take on the many peaks ahead, just as you always did.”
—Grace King ’18
“One amazing thing about Luke was his smile. During CA training this past fall, Luke said we were going to play a game called, “Baby, I love you, but I just can’t smile.” The object of the game was not to smile when someone said the starting phrase to you. I distinctly remember him shouting as loud as he could, “BABY, I LOVE YOU! Won’t you smile for me?” As soon as he shouted that phrase, he had a smirk, which turned into a big grin, and then to his bright smile. Everyone in the room couldn’t help but laugh and smile because his free-spirited personality was so infectious; we all clearly lost this round! This is when I first noticed his precious smile, and this was one of my first memories of Luke. Words cannot express how much I will miss Luke, his big heart, and, of course, his incredible smile.”
—Marissa Saunders ’20
“I sat at the kitchen table staring at my abroad application when Luke bounded into the KDS kitchen with the biggest smile on his face. I told him I was second guessing everything, that I wasn’t prepared, and that I didn’t think I could go abroad. He put his arm around me, laughed, and clicked submit on my application. He said, “You’ll thank me one day; I can’t let you miss out on this.” When I left campus at the end of the fall semester, he met me at KDS, gave me a huge hug, and said, “I know you’re scared, but you’re going to do amazing, and I can’t wait to hear all about it.” You were right, Luke; thank you. Thank you for pushing me, for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself, and for being the most selfless and kind human being I’ve ever met. Anyone who knew you, Luke, was better because of it.”
—Abby Bourcy ’19
“We, as a society, have a tendency to romanticize a person after their death. With Luke’s passing, this couldn’t be further from the truth. I can’t name a single person who didn’t love Luke. He had a smile that brightened the room and a genuine love for life. His affinity for the outdoors surpassed most mountaineers. He will be missed by all who knew him.”
—Katie Wilson ’18
“Over 20,000 students attend the University of Otago, where Luke and I studied during our semester abroad in New Zealand. As you can imagine, the passing time between classes was slightly chaotic. I’d cross paths with or at least catch a glimpse of Luke almost every Monday and Wednesday morning near the iconic clock tower building on our way to lecture, though! His friendly, contagious smile and wave towards me during those few brief moments not only brightened my day but was always a relief to see amongst the thousands of strange faces.”
—Maria Leech ’18
“I will never forget Luke bounding in through the side door of KDS and rounding the corner into the dining room with a huge smile on his face, greeting the whole table with, “What’s up, fam!?” When we went backpacking together abroad in New Zealand, Luke would pull 15 rocks out of his bag at the end of the trip that he had collected throughout. He would be so excited about what kind of rocks they were, and the rest of us would wonder how he managed to carry them for three days in our already weighty packs. During our backpacking trips, Luke would always keep asking to carry all parts of our communal tent and cook stove all by himself. He would always argue when we would tell him no, we were going to spread them out between us. Luke would always love cooking, especially for other people. He would bake us cookies, nachos, or mac and cheese any time, and he would always make sure everyone had eaten a lot before he ate any.”
—Emily Parent ’18
“I don’t have a story, per se. Just that every time I saw him, he literally smiled at me like I was the one brightening up his day, when in fact it was the other way around. Even when we were all miserable in CA training, Luke was there spreading positive energy. His positivity, light, and smile are certainly missed.”
—Gabby Smith ’18
“Four years ago, St. Lawrence threw together perhaps the most motley FYP group to date. Among these individuals, and possibly the most effervescent, was Lukas A. Harvey. Throughout orientation, our entire group was drawn to his upbeat attitude and undying enthusiasm through the hell that is the first week of college. Throughout our first year, we watched a shy, hardworking, Vermont farm boy evolve into SLUke: a backwards-hat, long-haired, gym-going savage. Sophomore year, Luke continued to come out of his shell and went from wanting to be more involved on campus to never missing an opportunity, even if it meant sacrificing sleep. He became a KDS houseboy and a brother of ATO. At this time, everyone on campus fell in love with his incredible personality, and Luke soon became the guy that friendzoned girls. Junior year, Luke continued along this trend and spread his love for adventure and life while he studied abroad at the University of Otago in New Zealand. This year, we were lucky enough to have the best-looking member of our FYP join our townhouse. If you ever visited Townhouse 403, you will know how much his infectious smile and laugh will be missed. We cannot express how lucky we are to have known Luke and will never stop missing him. No matter how bad his day was, he still made it a priority to make sure everyone around him was in good spirits. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this trying time. We love you endlessly, Luke.”
—Townhouse 403 (Luke’s housemates)
