Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Battalion Admin [Click to enlarge]

Happy, jovial and sensitive were the words Alex Kirk's parents used to describe their son.

Douglas and Kim Kirk said they realized what a tremendous impact their son had on the people around him in life, after his death on Sept. 7.

Alex was born in Portsmouth, England, and grew up in Lincoln, England. His family moved to Katy, Texas, three and a half years ago, where Alex attended high school. An electrical engineering major, Alex had begun his freshman year only two weeks before the collision that claimed his life.

"Alex was really looking forward to the college experience," Douglas Kirk said. "He felt like he could be more his own person than he could in high school."

Because of his high grades and SAT score, Kirk was automatically admitted to Texas A&M. He followed in his father's footsteps as an electrical engineering major, although he had considered biomedical engineering.

Kirk worked hard at everything he did, said sophomore French major Sydney Lytle, his girlfriend of three years. They met while members of the percussion line in their high school's marching band.

"Alex never judged anyone," Lytle said. "He was a good friend to everyone. He was always trying to help people, he would try to listen to them and help them with whatever they were going through."

"Alex was one of the best people I've ever met. He was such a great person to have in our lives," said Elizabeth Witt, a sophomore biomedical engineering major. "I feel like we're very fortunate to have called him our friend."

Kirk loved to read, especially fantasy books such as Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, but also Dan Brown's books. "He ate books for lunch," Douglas said. "He devoured them. That's a hobby that gets expensive, but as a parent you don't try to stop it."

Another hobby for Kirk was music. He played in a band while living in Lincoln and played in the marching band for one year in high school. "Music and humor were not far from where Alex was," Douglas said.

A runner, Alex hoped to join the triathlon team at A&M. He had applied and been called for an interview with LIFE, a freshman leadership organization for engineering students.

Continued...

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