Monday, November 06, 2006

another lovely article on matthew costa

i've written about him before and i also dedicated a piece i wrote for the peace train to him (and justin brady who also perished in the accident)

i've said it before and will repeat myself, THE WORLD NEEDS MORE MATTHEW COSTAs. MANY more. may his family retain ALL of the good and happy memories of him.

please know he DID make a difference in this world.

A Promising Life Of Giving Cut Down In Tragic Mishap

Matthew Costa, 24, of Cheshire, died Sept. 3.
By ANNE M. HAMILTON Special To The Courant November 5 2006

Matthew Costa combined a deep-seated idealism with practicality and, in his own unassuming way, set an example for others.He was a serious philosophy major who loved soccer, volleyball and the guitar, on which he played both classical and popular music.He starred in a play in high school and was interested in politics. He was so intrigued by West Africa that he extended his Peace Corps commitment and was planning to be a lawyer so he could help others.Costa grew up in Cheshire, the son of Frank Costa and Pam Cameron, and had a younger sister, Danielle. Wiry and athletic, he started playing soccer when he was 5 and excelled at running and jumping. He had an independent spirit: Around age 6, Costa flew alone to Washington to visit his grandparents, and the pilot invited him to sit in the cockpit.In middle school, he participated in a student ambassador program that sent him to England, Scotland and Wales."He understood that the world was way bigger than Cheshire," his mother said. In high school, Costa was elected treasurer of his class.His mathematical skills earned him a scholarship to the University of Connecticut to study actuarial science, but he turned it down in favor of a broader liberal arts education."He thought of college as a way of becoming an educated person, not as a vocational-technical idea," his mother said. Costa chose Tulane University in New Orleans because it offered a contrast to his Connecticut upbringing. It was in the South, in a city far from home.His college major was philosophy, and when his grandfather urged him to be practical and think of his future, "he said he was more concerned with public service," said Bernard Levin, his grandfather. "He wanted to use law to help people who were underprivileged.""People just liked being around him," said Todd Gilbert, a college friend. "He was incredibly funny. He made you smile."...........

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