Deceased November 5, 2014
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In Memory
Christopher W. Hunter passed away suddenly in San Diego on Nov. 5, at the age of 31. A double major in psychology and sociology at Amherst, Chris was devoted in the most genuine and humble spirit to using his education to help others.
While at Amherst, Chris conducted research as a National Science Foundation Fellow into safer treatment for attention deficits in schizophrenics. After graduating, he studied psychology on a two-year fellowship at San Diego State University that culminated in research on the relationship between physical activity, body mass index and life satisfaction. In the last years of his life, Chris took what he’d learned in psychology and medicine back to the classroom, this time as a teacher at various schools in San Diego, where he developed fitness-related activities for elementary school children.
Chris was beloved and remembered by many at Amherst, but there is one accomplishment in particular that ensures that his memory will endure. Amherst’s swimming and diving coach, Nick Nichols, recalls that Chris played a decisive role in what he calls without reservation the most exciting swimming meet he’s ever seen, the 2004 showdown between Amherst and Williams. Amherst was swimming as well as it had all season, but Williams, the favorite, was expected to sweep all points from the diving board to secure the victory. Williams divers did indeed place first, second and third on both boards, but Chris sprung an upset by securing fourth and fifth place, earning the team a total of three points. The final score on the day? Amherst 123, Williams 120. Coach Nichols still reminds his teams every year that on the only day in his 17-year coaching tenure that both the men’s and women’s teams beat Williams, it was a walk-on diver who brought home the winning points.
Matt Langione ’05