In a testament to the deep impact he had on others, hundreds of family members and friends filled nearly half of the seats at the University Chapel on Sunday in a memorial service for Peter Curtin '08, who died on Oct. 10 after he collapsed while running in the Baltimore Marathon.
Dean of Religious Life Alison Boden said at the beginning of the service that "the loss of [Peter] comes beyond what words can name," and the service, she added, was an opportunity "to celebrate Peter — the kind of person he was, all that he accomplished in an abbreviated life, all the things he gave to us."
Those in attendance spoke of Curtin's humility, intellect, enthusiasm and genuine kindness to others.
Curtin's mother, Anne Curtin, recalled the strong bonds he formed over the years with his brother and sister, as well as with his classmates and teammates. "Peter was a genuine person," she said. "He never tried to impress people. He was just Pete."
Michael Curtin '73 spoke of his son's dedication to research, noting that much of his son's time at Princeton was spent working in Frick Laboratory "under Professor [Stefan] Bernhard, whom Pete affectionately called ‘the Boss.' "
"Pete loved the lab, he loved the boss, and he loved the spirit of collaboration," Michael Curtin added.
Anne Curtin added, "Peter was so enthusiastic about the research he was conducting and tried so hard to put it into words we could understand."
Bernhard, who was Peter Curtin's senior thesis adviser, called him "exceptional" for his intelligence, motivation and ambition. "He was clearly training himself to solve important, real-world problems," Bernhard said, noting that Curtin "made our workplace happier [with] his personality, his great smile."
"He achieved more than any undergraduate student who I had ever worked with in my lab before," Bernhard added.
Daniel Nocera, who runs the MIT lab where Curtin had conducted research, echoed Bernhard's sentiments, describing the importance of Curtin's most recent research studying tumors.
"Peter was a pioneer leading humanity towards a real, real target," Nocera said. "Peter had one of the most insightful eyes, penetrating eyes, of any of the students in my group."
Other speakers recalled Curtin as a positive influence outside of the lab as a friend and sibling.
David Christopher, a high school friend of Curtin, recalled his memories of running cross-country with Curtin in high school and spoke of his leadership and humility, noting that "he had the unique ability to make everyone around him a better person."
"Pete went exactly where he intended to go, and he blazed a trail for others to follow," he said.
Nick Adam '08 affectionately referred to Curtin, his good friend, by the nickname "Dapper," adding that the nickname was generally used in the context of " ‘Where's Dapper?' or ‘Let's grab beers with Dapper' or 'We love Dapper.' "
Adam said Curtin was "incredibly selfless" and "genuinely happy," recalling his unflagging support and concern for his friends. "It was amazing. When nothing was supposed to make you feel better, Dapper did."
"He became the best friend I ever had," Adam added.
Curtin's brother Matthew remembered the times they fished and played golf. "We knew we were getting good when we'd only hit about half a dozen houses per round," he said. And when they played poker together, Matthew added, "it would usually take [Curtin] about 0.5 seconds to calculate ... the probability of how bad my cards were and how much money he could extract from me."
Curtin's sister Alison said her brother "often took risks by making himself vulnerable to others with his kindness."
"Pete taught us that it is often the challenging jobs that call for the most discipline, but that give us the most lasting memories," she said.
Many speakers expressed the desire to embody Curtin’s personal qualities in their own lives as a way of keeping his memory alive in their hearts.
"Pete's footprints will be hard to fill," Alison said, but if each person "lives each day as Pete would, the world would be a better place."
In Curtin's memory, his family has established a memorial fund to support undergraduates in the chemistry department.
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