IN LOVING MEMORY

KATIE STAUFFER

1983-2003

"We should love people and use things, not love things and use people."

Katie Stauffer, 2001

Kathryn "Katie" STAUFFER who was born in Pennsylvania on June 24, 1983 and passed away on March 08, 2003 at the age of 19. We will remember her forever.We called her Katie. Katie Stauffer was born on June 24, 1983. She grew up in a loving family in Quakertown, PA. From a young age she was a very curious child. She learned to read at the age of two. She loved her books. She read constantly. At the age of 5 she joined the comunity summer swim team and proceeded to break every record for the 8 and under girls team. In the winter she swam for the local YMCA, helping the team win many championships in her 12 years on the team. In fifth grade she won the SERTOMA Club writing award for her essay on America. Throughout her public education she excelled in everything she did. She became a concert pianist, a talented artisit, and a championship swimmer. At the senior awards night she collected almost every award given, AP Chemistry, Ap Physics, Calculus, Presidents student service award and many more (see her website go.to/teenhelp for a complete list). Katie wo the Presidents Student Service Award for her senior project, a help web site for teens. go.to/teenhelp Number One in her class, voted the most intellectual female by her fellow students and the Best of the Class on WPVI TV 6 in Phila. she completed her high school education with a world of opportunities in front of her. Katie applied to 3 colleges, but her first choice was Swarthmore.

The parents of a fellow swimmer invited Katie to join them in the Florida Keys for a week of relaxation, snorkeling, fishing, swimming and fun. They eagerly planned a road trip leaving after class on Friday March 7th, Jeff, Marty and Katie. Jeff and Marty would share the driving duties, Katie didn't like to drive, she would rather read. They called from Washington DC around 5:00PM, stopped to eat and get out of the traffic rush. They would continue through to Fla. one driving while one slept. Only a lonely stretch of I 95 near Brunswick, GA. the driver fell asleep. Katie always wore her seat belt, refusing to start the car if someone didn't have a seat belt on. But this time, Jeff told her to take it off and get comfortable as she slept. He told her, you can trust me I'm a good driver. Those were the last words she ever heard. At 3:30 Am on MArch 8 the car set on cruise at 75mph violently rolled over numerous times, ejecting Katie from the car, killing her instantly of severe head injuries. At 6:00 that morning I received the phone call that every parent hopes they never get.

We visited Swarthmore and she fell in love. Our tour guide said it was a school for kids who loved to learn. The swim coach was great and really needed a freestyle sprinter. Katie was accepted at all three colleges. She was awarded the John Marshall scholarship at Franklin and Marshall, the Jacob Albright Scholarship at Albright College, but she chose to go to Swarthmore, the #1 liberal arts college in the US. For the first time in her life she was surrounded by people like her. People wo talked about quantum physics at lunch, enjoyed a good debate and studied hard. She joined the swim team and had a immediate family. She was home. She florished in the atmosphere at Swarthmore and became a scholar athlete, breaking two college records. As she returned home for the summer she missed the many new friends she had made a Swat. She could not imagine being at any other school The fall of her sophomore year brought new adventures, Organic Chemistry, Psychology, Philosophy, and more swimming honors. She was named to the Centennial Conference First Team for the 200 Free Relay a gold medal record. She was also named to the NAtional Deans List. Winter break was spent at home and then to Puerto Rico with the swim team for winter training. The spring semester brought excitement with Molecular Virology, Abnormal Psychology, Utopia, and other classes. She was chosen by the faculty to attend a seminar, the only sophomore chosen to attend. As swimming conferences concluded in February she made three trips to the award blocks and turned her attention to the spring track season.