College mourns Tony LaVecchia '98

We mourn the loss of Tony LaVecchia '98, former editor-in-chief of Concordiensis, who was killed Sunday in a highway accident in Texas.

LaVecchia, who also served as opinions editor for the paper, was an advocate for hazing prevention who urged his fellow students to get connected to the then-new World Wide Web. With co-editor Adrian MacLean, he led the paper's coverage of the media frenzy over news that the so-called Unabomber was related to a faculty member. He also declined a number of offers from the media – many on ethical grounds – to assist them in coverage of the story.

The political science major graduated magna cum laude after a senior thesis on "American Power in the Cold War." A dean's list student, he was inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society. He did a term abroad in Florence, Italy.

The College has established a scholarship in his memory to advance excellence in student journalism. Contributions may be made to the Tony LaVecchia Memorial Fund, c/o Tom Gutenberger, Abbe Hall.