The Class of 2009 will graduate on Sunday without one of its members: Ben Lolies '09, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in his home state of Georgia while on leave from the College in October 2007.
While at Dartmouth, Lolies experienced flare-ups of Crohn's disease, a chronic affliction that causes extreme stomach pain, lack of appetite and general malaise. Lolies always hoped that he would be able to remain at the College, and would often stay in bed for weeks at a time before his condition forced him to seek treatment at home, according to his first-year roommate Ignacio Rueda '09.
The disease eventually pushed Lolies to take a leave of absence from the College.
Even while suffering from Crohn's disease, Lolies was an avid and dedicated swimmer on the Big Green's varsity team. His love for the sport was evident even when his illness prevented him from practicing and competing, according to fellow swimmer Andy Ballentine '09. Lolies proved himself to be one of the hardest workers in the pool, Ballentine said.
"He was a great trainer," he said. "He trained like a much better swimmer than he was, even though he was really talented."
When Lolies' illness forced him to take a break from the sport, his commitment to eventually return to the pool made a strong impression on his teammates, Ballentine said.
"He was so fired up to compete," he said. "This is what he wanted to do at Dartmouth."
Ballentine added that, even after the motorcycle accident, Lolies continued to serve as an inspiration for his fellow swimmers.
"I think each one of us, in the back of our minds, behind the [starting] blocks, thought about him and his love for the sport," he said.
Several of Lolies' friends remembered him as a caring, driven student who loved to engage in thoughtful conversation. Religiously and politically conservative, Lolies would often converse with his friends about their different philosophies.
Sunny Park '09, one of Lolies' friends, said she remembers staying up with him for hours on one of their first weeks at Dartmouth, talking about their religious views. Park, who said she is not religious, added that her conversations with Lolies were always interesting and never contentious.
"He had a close relationship with God, but in a way that wasn't demeaning [to nonbelievers]," she said.
According to Ballentine, Lolies "loved being around people", but would often be quiet in larger groups.
"He was kind of a one-on-one kind of guy, which speaks to his sincerity that he wanted to get to know everybody," he said.
Rueda similarly remembered Lolies as being personable and friendly.
"He was a surprisingly sentimental guy," Rueda said. "He really tried to keep contact with his friends from home. He even made me speak with them."
Lolies was also an avid poker player, according to Ballentine and Rueda, who characterized Lolies as a "poker fiend."
Lolies surprised the swim team by outmatching all of his opponents in a poker match with the teams' members of the Class of 2009, according to Ballentine.
"He just had this smile on his face for the rest of the term about that," Ballentine said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth.**##
Some of Lolies' friends were surprised that the College did not establish a memorial for Lolies following h is death, Park said.
Several of these students instead made their own tributes to Lolies. Each of his first-year floor mates sent a letter to Lolies' parents telling them what their son had meant to his friends, according to Rueda. The swim team also recognized Lolies before one of their meets, Ballentine said.
Park noted that, for someone whose illness often kept him away from Hanover, Lolies had many people who cared about him.
"It's amazing how little time we got to spend with him, but how much respect we had for him as a person," Ballentine said.
