“The world has lost a great mind and a great spirit with Austin’s passing,” said Albuquerque Academy Head of School Andrew Watson. “The entire Academy community sends its thoughts and prayers to the Hudson-Lapore family at this tragic moment.”
Below is a message from President Robert J. Zimmer, sent to the University of Chicago community:
Today the University of Chicago community received the terribly sad news that third-year College student Austin Hudson-Lapore has died, and was found in Lake Michigan this morning. Austin had been missing since June 12, the night of a storm in our area. Although it is too soon for authorities to determine a cause of death, early indications are that his interest in weather led him to walk from his apartment to the lakefront to watch the storm. His family showed great strength and determination as they organized a search that enlisted people from our community and across Chicago. We are heartbroken at this tragic outcome.
I want to extend the sympathy and condolences of the University of Chicago community to Austin’s family and to his friends here at the University, who have carried the weight of this turn of events. Our University counseling services are open to anyone in our community who has been affected by this loss. I spoke with Austin’s family in the days after he was reported missing, to assure them that the University community would help them in any way we could. We will continue to stand with them.
We feel a great loss when any member of our community dies. In this case we share our grief with thousands of people across the city, in our alumni community, and around the world, who offered their help in the search for our student. I want to thank all those who reached out to Austin’s family and the University in this difficult time.
Austin was a bright, promising student who was looking forward to furthering his studies in biochemistry. He was an active student on campus who had a love of the outdoors and was very engaged in the Shorey House community. We will continue to remember him and celebrate his life. We will announce a memorial service soon to honor his life and help each other through this sad experience.
