In Memory
Though Paul’s studies began at Amherst College and continued at the Univ. of Virginia where he received his B.A. in Religious Studies, he was certainly part of our class. He may have been in your orientation groups playing awkward icebreakers, sitting in your James dorm room watching bad reality television or he might have shuffled into Valentine next to you on Sunday mornings after exuberant college nights out.
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, July of 1982, Paul was born into a Christian home, played football in high school and eventually flew eastward for higher education at our fair college. He attended Amherst for a year, then transferred to Univ. of Virginia where his religious precocity did not alienate him from others but instead inflamed him to found the Jesus, Mohammed or Buddha Club and regularly attend UVA’s Atheist Club. Even while studying abroad in London, he would venture every Sunday to Hyde Park where he’d engage Muslims for hours in debates. Leadership, critical thought and a sense of vision set aside all Amherst applicants, and Paul was certainly a paragon of these qualities. After an intense religious epiphany, discovering Isaiah 53, he committed himself to sharing his faith in Christ and founded a television network to unite top evangelical preachers, scholars, scientists and community leaders. A perusal of his Web site shows a highly organized network with a mission statement of the highest quality Christian message, the highest ethical standards, the highest charitable standards and a deeply personal story of his religious revelation. From reading through numerous posts in his online guestbook, it is evident that he left quite an impressive legacy with those he met, many remembering him in his passion for Christian broadcasting—for spreading message of love through the world.
We are sorry to have lost such a passionate and vibrant individual. Thinker, debator, leader and lifelong learner, Paul Kelly Tripplehorn Jr., 26, passed away on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008.
Hae Jin Kim ’06