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Samuel Ira Tepper ’10

A picture of Sam Tepper

Sam Tepper ’10 with his sister, Naomi

Samuel Ira Tepper ’10, March 23, in Portland. Sam died of a heroin overdose in his off-campus apartment, according to the Multnomah County medical examiner. He was 22 years old and just beginning work on his senior thesis, a physics experiment investigating the energy level of laser light refracted through a prism. Sam hailed from New York City and demonstrated early talent in mental calculation and fascination in how things work; at the age of two, he correctly selected a Phillips screwdriver to change the batteries in a favorite toy. Prekindergarten, he helped his older sister with her math homework. In fifth grade, his chess team won a city tournament; shortly thereafter, he began constructing homemade computers from individual components. Sam was an accomplished bass player who performed in several bands at Stuyvesant High School, and later in the 91²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ Jazz Ensemble; he once transcribed a Bach concerto for the bass. He was also active in his synagogue and served as president of the youth group. At a memorial held in the student union, friends remembered him as a quintessential New Yorker with a warm heart and a wry sense of humor. “Sam was the first friend I made at 91²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ,” said chemistry major Stephanie Dillon ’10. “I was sitting by myself thinking 'Okay, it's been six hours, I need to talk to someone,' when this guy sat down and started talking about computers and physics and really made me feel comfortable. That's just how Sam was.” “He had a hard shell,” said mathematics major Andy Malkin ’11. “But beneath it, he was a really special guy and we loved him dearly.” “Dear Sam,” one well-wisher wrote at the memorial. “You were such a special, kind, intelligent young man. You mean so much to so many people. We will never be the same without, but when I think of you, it will be fondly.”In addition to his parents, Alan and Barbara Tepper, Sam is survived by his his sister, Naomi, and his grandparents.

Appeared in 91²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ magazine: June 2010