[TFDA] Tribute for Claire Crowley (1987 - 2006)
Christian Schwoerke
schwoerkec at yahoo.com
Sun Dec 31 12:10:09 EST 2006
Sophie Lehman writes to honor Claire:
It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that around 5:15pm on December 23rd, Claire
Crowley--a sophomore at Duke University and an active member of the Ultimate community--was hit by
a car while riding her bike near her home in Clemmons, NC. She died five hours later. Claire is
survived by her mother and father Lora and Steve Crowley, and her younger sister, Alison.
This year, Claire co-captained Chakra--the Duke Womens Ultimate team--and played Winter League
for The Others (white, captained by Jonathan Miller). Those who knew her and played with her
understand what a huge loss this is to the TFDA community and the Ultimate community at large.
Those of us who were lucky enough to play with her stand in awe of her love of and devotion to her
team and the game. She always strived for highly competitive play without sacrificing the spirit
of the game. Whatever the conditions, Claire was always eager and excited to play. Claire was
especially known for her intense defensive game, and one of the highlights of her freshman season
was when she made no less than four Ds in a single point. She was intensely passionate about
Ultimate and life.
Claire was a very special person. Her encouragement and motivating words could bring you back
even when the other team had gone on a four point run. With an open heart and a big smile, Claire
brought joy to everyone she met. She was captivating, unwavering, and beautifulinside and out.
On and off the field, her hilarious borderline-offensive sarcastic comments kept everyone
laughing. Claire was the type of person we all strive to be. Claire was the heart of our team;
now she is our spirit.
Her funeral service was held Thursday, December 28th 2006, at Clemmons Presbyterian Church.
The Crowley family is asking that donations be made to The Claire Crowley Memorial Fund,
benefiting the Womens Institute for Secondary Education and Research (WISER).
WISER will be the first girls boarding school in Muhuru Bay, Kenya, a region where only one
female student has ever gone on to university from secondary school. Claire became involved with
the project through a class she took at Duke in the Fall of 2006. She was Co-Chair of
Intersession development for the school, and was hoping to travel to Kenya this summer to do
groundwork for the school. Contributions will honor Claires life by fostering among the students
some of the qualities she personified: a spirit of inquiry, intellectual independence, and
enthusiasm for learning.
If you would like to join us in honoring Claire, please make checks payable to:
Duke University/WISER
(Memo: Claire Crowley Memorial Fund)
P.O. Box 90338
Durham, NC 27708
If you have any questions about the school please feel free to contact me, as Claire and I took
the class together and I am still involved with the project.
Sophie Lehman
Captain, Chakra
Duke Womens Ultimate
sbl9 at duke.edu
[Claire's Chakra player profile appears here:
http://www.duke.edu/web/wultimate/files/bios/crowley_claire.html]
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