Graduation day was bittersweet for Yale's newest crop of environmentalists. Two weeks ago, their classmate, Laurie Cuoco, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm at age 30. Cuoco, originally from Queens, had worked for the Red Cross in Panama and the Peace Corps in El Salvador before studying mangrove forest restoration at Yale, said her roommate, Sarah Matheson



Graduation day was bittersweet for Yale's newest crop of environmentalists. Two weeks ago, their classmate, Laurie Cuoco, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm at age 30. Cuoco, originally from Queens, had worked for the Red Cross in Panama and the Peace Corps in El Salvador before studying mangrove forest restoration at Yale, said her roommate, Sarah Matheson

A Day Of Idealism At Yale
Graduates Describe Times Of Inspiration And Mourning
May 24, 2005
By KIM MARTINEAU, Courant Staff Writer

NEW HAVEN -- Rebecca Reider wore organic kale heaped on top of her mortarboard hat. Her classmates at Yale's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies covered their hats in boughs of evergreen and maple trees, wildflowers and other plants.

[Excerpt]

Graduation day was bittersweet for Yale's newest crop of environmentalists. Two weeks ago, their classmate, Laurie Cuoco, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm at age 30. Cuoco, originally from Queens, had worked for the Red Cross in Panama and the Peace Corps in El Salvador before studying mangrove forest restoration at Yale, said her roommate, Sarah Matheson.

Cuoco spent four days in a coma. During that time, her classmates held vigil at the hospital and folded paper cranes in her honor. After folding their 1,000th crane, they gathered in a circle for a moment of silence. A dogwood tree was planted outside Marsh Hall in her memory and on Monday, the paper cranes dangled from the graduation tent.

Dan Stonington and his classmates wore flip-flops under their graduation gowns in her honor. "She used to say, `Free your toes,'" he said.

Reider ended her speech with a rap song in a last tribute to Cuoco, who had come up with the idea.

"Let's work for what we believe, not just for success/And listen to people who possess much less"

"You've got the commitment, all you've gotta do is show it/I'm not the president, I am only a poet"

"You give me 130 reasons to keep up hope and inspiration/To the class of 2005, our deepest congratulations."

When this story was posted in May 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


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May 7, 2005: This Week's Top Stories "Peace Corps Online" on recess until May 21 7 May Carol Bellamy taking the reins at World Learning 7 May Gopal Khanna appointed White House CFO 7 May Clare Bastable named Conservationist of the Year 7 May Director Gaddi Vasquez visits PCVs in Bulgaria 5 May Abe Pena sets up scholarship fund 5 May Peace Corps closes recruiting sites 4 May Hill pessimistic over Korean nuclear program 4 May Leslie Hawke says PC should split into two organizations 4 May Peace Corps helps students find themselves 3 May Kevin Griffith's Tsunami Assistance Project collects 50k 3 May Tim Wright studied Quechua at UCLA 2 May Doyle not worried about competition 2 May Dodd discusses President's Social Security plan 1 May Randy Mager works in Blue Moon Safaris 1 May PCVs safe in Togo after disputed elections 30 Apr Michael Sells teaches Islamic History and Literature 28 Apr

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May 7, 2005: Special Events "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 "American Taboo" author Phil Weiss in Maryland on June 18 Leland Foerster opens photo exhibition at Cal State RPCV Writers scholarship in Baltimore - deadline June 1 Gary Edwards' music performed in Idaho on May 24 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community.

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