Death of Spirited Student Shocks William and Mary Campus

Alex Reyno was a senior at the College of William and Mary, and to say that he loved his school is an understatement.

He worked for the admissions office, giving tours of the Williamsburg campus that were marked by his passion for life and his soon-to-be alma mater. Often he'd startle the high school students he was leading around by jumping up on a statue to deliver a memorable pitch for William and Mary, where he was to graduate May 11.

On Tuesday afternoon, the 21-year-old from Springfield was giving his last scheduled tour. He wanted to finish with a flourish to impress the students, so he concluded the tour by jumping into Crim Dell pond.

The surprise stunt turned into a tragedy: Reyno apparently hit his head on something in the murky water and didn't surface. Some students who saw it happen jumped in, feeling their way around the pond, which is 10 to 12 feet deep. It was a few minutes before David Gettings found Reyno in the waters.

Gettings was too upset yesterday to talk about the attempted rescue. Like many others on the small, tight-knit campus, he was stunned by the death of one of its most popular students. Reyno, a graduate of Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, was the fourth William and Mary student to die on campus this school year. Two students committed suicide, and a third was hit by a garbage truck while riding his bicycle. The school also lost one of its alumni, mission specialist David M. Brown, in February when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated.

Sam Sadler, the college's vice president of student affairs, announced Reyno's death Tuesday evening in an e-mail to students, saying the year "has brought enough sadness to last a lifetime."

Reyno wanted to make his last tour a "memorable one," and now it would be, Sadler said yesterday, but for a much different reason.

"Alex got more fan mail as a tour guide than anyone else," Karen Cottrell, dean of admissions, said yesterday. "People would enroll here and walk up to Alex after they arrived on campus to tell him he was the reason they came to William and Mary. I am not kidding. He was a remarkable young man, the best example of William and Mary."

Cottrell said Reyno had applied to Georgetown and Duke universities for a job in their admissions offices.

Agustin Reyno said his son was very active and giving of his time. He was a volunteer assistant coach for the Bruton High School track and field team in Williamsburg, and he played for his college's club rugby team.

Agustin Reyno said he and his wife, Maria, attended one of their son's games last month in the District and were approached by the parents of another William and Mary student who "wanted to thank [Alex] for doing the campus tour because they said their son made a quick decision to pick William and Mary right after the tour."

Reyno was waiting to find out exactly what caused his son's death, he said.

Jumping into Crim Dell pond before graduating is a campus tradition, some students said yesterday. But William T. Walker, the college's vice president for public affairs, said he knew of no such tradition.

"From what I understand, he was the kind of person who was very flamboyant," Walker said. "He was very vibrant and lived life to the fullest, and I think that is why he jumped in."

The pond quickly became a memorial to Reyno and was decorated with red and pink carnations, pictures of him with his rugby buddies and several cards, including one signed by a woman named Anna who wrote: "I love you Alex, you give the best hugs."

Some students said Reyno jumped backward into the pond while holding the hand of an unidentified female student tour guide, who also fell into the water but was not hurt. It was not clear yesterday what Reyno struck when he entered the water.

At Lake Braddock Secondary School, Reyno was a pole vaulter on the track team.

At 5-foot-5 and about 115 pounds, "He was one of those kids who physically didn't look like the most gifted athlete," said his high school coach, Bob Digby. "But he was a fairly good pole vaulter. That didn't surprise me -- you have to be a little nuts to be a pole vaulter," he added with a laugh.

Digby said Reyno was always in the middle of pranks and stunts, but he also had a serious side and hated to fail at anything.

His feistiness showed up during rugby matches. Often playing against opponents nearly twice his weight, he would constantly amaze his mates with bone-crunching tackles.

"Even though he was a small guy," said teammate Alex Stathes, a senior from Rockville, "his presence just filled up a room. Everywhere he went, he spread his enthusiasm and his desire to experience things fully."

Stathes said Reyno died the way he lived, celebrating life.

"The fact that he was always happy, always upbeat, makes it all the more sad that he died sort of in celebration," Stathes said. "The reason he jumped was just to be funny, to joke around the way he always did. It is so sad that it had to end that way."

Special correspondent Morrison contributed from Williamsburg.

Alex Reyno's passion for his school touched many fellow students.

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