Aug. 6, 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Former Georgetown rower Scott Stapleton was killed in an accident on Thursday, July 24, 2008 while on a motorcycle trip with his lifelong friend Russell Latham, around the Black Sea in Sinop, Turkey.
An adventurer and a scholar Stapleton was beloved by the Georgetown University community. Below is the obituary that was published in the San Francisco Chronicle on July 31, 2008.
Scott was born in Marin County on January 13, 1983. He attended St. Perpetua's School through eighth grade, and graduated in 2001 from the College Preparatory School in Oakland. While at College Prep, he cultivated passions in eastern philosophy, English literature, triathlons, and travel. Upon leaving College Prep, Scott enrolled at Georgetown University, where he was a John Carroll Scholar. He planned to study English, but when the Pentagon was attacked in September 2001 -- his second week of school -- he became interested in international affairs and earned his bachelor's degree in culture and politics from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, with a focus on social theory and the politics of globalization. He graduated summa cum laude. A semester studying abroad in Paris inspired Scott to write his senior thesis about the complex urban identity of the banlieue, the ghettoized suburbs of Paris, through the prism of parkour, an urban sport created there. The effort won the Jesse A. Mann Medal for excellence in his major. While at Georgetown, Scott also rowed Varsity Crew all four years and spent a summer interning in the State Department's Office for Counter-Terrorism.
Upon graduation, Scott accepted a marketing position at Infosys Technologies in Bangalore, India to experience globalization first-hand. While in India, he met Laura Neuhaus, the love of his life -- and coincidentally a fellow 2005 Georgetown graduate -- who also worked at Infosys. After two years of motorized rickshaws, sacred cows, Hindi lessons, and a daily yoga practice, the couple moved back to the Bay Area, taking positions in Infosys' USA headquarters and living in San Francisco. In the fall, Scott was to begin a Master's Program in Social Research Methods at the London School of Economics, with the aim of combining his practical experience in a multinational corporation with a theoretical investigation of the modern world. He is remembered by his large and diverse group of friends for his intellectual curiosity, physical vigor, sharp wit, and subtle way of encouraging more of those around him and leading by example.
The send off for his latest travels was classic Scott - adventure, friends and, of course, his beloved Batman. He organized a trip to the midnight showing of the Dark Knight with local friends; within hours, he was on a flight to Romania with Russ to circle the Black Sea by motorcycle. He couldn't have been more excited. We'll miss his constant questions, recommendations, investigations, and philosophical musings on subjects from comic books to presidential politics to the television show 24. We'll also miss his big heart, amazing sense of humor and selfless love of friends and family. In short, Scott devoured life. Scott is survived by his loving parents, Frank and Pam, and sister, Claire of Oakland; his girlfriend, Laura Neuhaus of Austin, TX; his maternal grandparents, Baba and Tata (George and Pauline Kraw) of Los Gatos; his paternal grandparents, Thomas and Helene Stapleton of Santa Barbara; his godmother, Janet Tucker-Garr, Bennett, and Emma, also of Santa Barbara; and numerous family members and friends around the country and world. A celebration of Scott's life will be held Sat., August 2, 11am at Corpus Christi Church, Piedmont. Private interment to follow at St. Mary's Cemetery, Oakland. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Scott MacPherson Stapleton Memorial Fund, c/o The College Preparatory School, 6100 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94618.
