Link and story from paper.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/11/academy.death.ap/index.html
That's CNN's rendition. Here's what the Washington Post had to say:
Washington Post
April 11, 2005
Pg. B1
Family, Academy Mourn Midshipman Who Fell From Dorm
Naval Officials Investigate Incident as Superintendent Praises
'Well-Liked' Third-Year Student
By Maureen Fan, Washington Post Staff Writer
A physics major and member of the campus radio station, Jay Michael
Dixon, 21, joined the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis "because he loved
his country dearly," his aunt Donna Hendley said yesterday.
But the third-year midshipman and devout Roman Catholic won't be able
to realize his dream of serving in the armed forces. His body was found
Saturday outside a campus dormitory. Authorities said they believe he
fell from the building.
"The investigation is still ongoing," said Cmdr. Rod Gibbons, the
academy's spokesman. "Where did he fall from, when, how. And until that
investigation determines those facts, it would be premature to say."
Dixon's body was found shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday next to the
fourth wing of Bancroft Hall, the campus dormitory for more than 4,000
midshipmen, academy officials said.
"He wanted to do this ever since he was a young child, a kid in grade
school. He liked working with his hands, building things, gardening and
loading ammunition by hand," said Hendley, who like Dixon is from the
New Orleans suburb of Destrehan, La. "He was hoping to be part of the
U.S. Marine Corps, but those assignments don't get made until the fourth
year."
Dixon is survived by his brother, Gregory, 18, and his mother, Debra H.
Dixon, Hendley said. Dixon's father is deceased.
The family was informed of Dixon's death Saturday evening by a chaplain
and chief officer of the academy. They did not have details about how
Dixon died, Hendley said. "We don't have enough information to make any
statements about that," she said.
At the Naval Academy, Dixon was remembered as "a fine young man with a
bright future as a naval officer," as well as a member of the Society of
Physics Students and the academy's radio station, Vice Adm. Rodney P.
Rempt, the academy's superintendent, said in a written statement.
"A proud member of the Academy's 20th Company, he was well-liked and
admired by all those who knew him," Rempt said. "Our deepest sympathies
and heartfelt condolences go out to Midshipman Dixon's family and
friends."
As other midshipmen returned to campus and learned of Dixon's death,
chaplains and other counselors were available for counseling.
"They're in the process of finding out about this today," said Gibbons,
the academy spokesman. "It's certainly a tremendous tragedy."
Four midshipmen have fallen from Bancroft Hall since 1988. Two of them
died.
A freshman's plunge from a fifth-floor ledge in 1988 was ruled a
suicide. Another plebe survived a fall from the building the following
year. In 2000, a freshman fell 20 feet from a lower-level window,
breaking both ankles.
Three years ago, an inebriated third-year midshipman fell 53 feet to
his death from a fourth-floor window. His family filed a wrongful-death
lawsuit against the Navy, claiming it failed to make the windows of
Bancroft Hall safe. The suit was dismissed in January by a federal judge
who said the military is protected from being sued by soldiers and their
families for active-duty injuries, military academy service included.
Since then, safety devices have been installed on windows that one
could fall from, Gibbons said.*
I talked to Coach today and suggested that we dedicate our only home race on May 8th (mother's day) to Jay Dixon. He seemed to support the idea and hopefully it'll happen. The team is most likely going to be wearing some sort of article to commemorate this tragedy. The funeral is going to be in Louisiana on Thursday and a lot of my classmates from our company are going to be there. I wish I could go, but I can't let my teammates down. I wanted to do something and I figured why not get him a race. Anyway, keep praying for his family, specifically his mom and brother.
That's CNN's rendition. Here's what the Washington Post had to say:
Washington Post
April 11, 2005
Pg. B1
Family, Academy Mourn Midshipman Who Fell From Dorm
Naval Officials Investigate Incident as Superintendent Praises
'Well-Liked' Third-Year Student
By Maureen Fan, Washington Post Staff Writer
A physics major and member of the campus radio station, Jay Michael
Dixon, 21, joined the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis "because he loved
his country dearly," his aunt Donna Hendley said yesterday.
But the third-year midshipman and devout Roman Catholic won't be able
to realize his dream of serving in the armed forces. His body was found
Saturday outside a campus dormitory. Authorities said they believe he
fell from the building.
"The investigation is still ongoing," said Cmdr. Rod Gibbons, the
academy's spokesman. "Where did he fall from, when, how. And until that
investigation determines those facts, it would be premature to say."
Dixon's body was found shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday next to the
fourth wing of Bancroft Hall, the campus dormitory for more than 4,000
midshipmen, academy officials said.
"He wanted to do this ever since he was a young child, a kid in grade
school. He liked working with his hands, building things, gardening and
loading ammunition by hand," said Hendley, who like Dixon is from the
New Orleans suburb of Destrehan, La. "He was hoping to be part of the
U.S. Marine Corps, but those assignments don't get made until the fourth
year."
Dixon is survived by his brother, Gregory, 18, and his mother, Debra H.
Dixon, Hendley said. Dixon's father is deceased.
The family was informed of Dixon's death Saturday evening by a chaplain
and chief officer of the academy. They did not have details about how
Dixon died, Hendley said. "We don't have enough information to make any
statements about that," she said.
At the Naval Academy, Dixon was remembered as "a fine young man with a
bright future as a naval officer," as well as a member of the Society of
Physics Students and the academy's radio station, Vice Adm. Rodney P.
Rempt, the academy's superintendent, said in a written statement.
"A proud member of the Academy's 20th Company, he was well-liked and
admired by all those who knew him," Rempt said. "Our deepest sympathies
and heartfelt condolences go out to Midshipman Dixon's family and
friends."
As other midshipmen returned to campus and learned of Dixon's death,
chaplains and other counselors were available for counseling.
"They're in the process of finding out about this today," said Gibbons,
the academy spokesman. "It's certainly a tremendous tragedy."
Four midshipmen have fallen from Bancroft Hall since 1988. Two of them
died.
A freshman's plunge from a fifth-floor ledge in 1988 was ruled a
suicide. Another plebe survived a fall from the building the following
year. In 2000, a freshman fell 20 feet from a lower-level window,
breaking both ankles.
Three years ago, an inebriated third-year midshipman fell 53 feet to
his death from a fourth-floor window. His family filed a wrongful-death
lawsuit against the Navy, claiming it failed to make the windows of
Bancroft Hall safe. The suit was dismissed in January by a federal judge
who said the military is protected from being sued by soldiers and their
families for active-duty injuries, military academy service included.
Since then, safety devices have been installed on windows that one
could fall from, Gibbons said.*
I talked to Coach today and suggested that we dedicate our only home race on May 8th (mother's day) to Jay Dixon. He seemed to support the idea and hopefully it'll happen. The team is most likely going to be wearing some sort of article to commemorate this tragedy. The funeral is going to be in Louisiana on Thursday and a lot of my classmates from our company are going to be there. I wish I could go, but I can't let my teammates down. I wanted to do something and I figured why not get him a race. Anyway, keep praying for his family, specifically his mom and brother.