Killed BU student wrote own obituary

BOSTON -- A Boston University graduate student killed while riding his bicycle when he was struck by a truck described the pivotal moment in life when he decided he wanted to become a photojournalist in an obituary he wrote for himself for a class assignment.

Christopher Weigl was on his way to class Thursday when he was killed.

He said in the obituary written in September and reprinted in The Boston Globe that during a trip to southeast Asia following graduation from Skidmore College "he cemented his love for photojournalism" when he did a story about the government takeover of a Cambodian island.

The 23-year-old Southborough native also wrote about his love of music and the outdoors.

His professor in the class called him "the ideal student: smart, mature, curious."

Here is Weigl's obituary that he wrote:

Lifelong Massachusetts resident and Boston University graduate student Christopher Weigl, 22, passed away September 5 after protracted complications stemming from obituary writing.

Christopher was born in Framingham and lived most of his life in Southborough. An avid outdoorsman, Christopher obtained the rank of Eagle Scout at age 14 and remained an active member of Boy Scout Troop 1 till his 18th birthday.

In addition to scouting, Christopher was an accomplished clarinet player throughout his years of schooling, and played in a variety of ensembles including the Central District Band and Orchestra, MetroWest Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Worcester Youth Symphony ¬Orchestra.

After graduating from Worcester Academy in 2007, Christopher matriculated at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Although eventually deciding upon a bachelor’s in English, photography supplanted ¬music as the central passion of Christopher’s life, and he could often be found shooting campus events for the student paper or the school’s communications department.

By graduation, Christopher had served as Photography Club president as well as photography editor of the Skidmore News. These pursuits were in addition to internships with Panorama Magazine, Emma Dodge ¬Hanson Photography, and KCK Photography, as well as a semester abroad in Florence to take more specialized photography classes.

After graduation, Christopher indulged his love of travel by embarking on a six-week trip through Operation Groundswell, a voluntourism organization, to find a story and do service projects in Cambodia and Thailand. It was on the little Cambodian island of Koh Rong, where he interviewed locals and uncovered a government takeover of the island, that Christopher found a story and cemented his love for photojournalism. The experience in Southeast Asia seeded the first thoughts of graduate school, and after a year of working at Ritz Camera, driving limousines, building a photography business, and freelance reporting for the weekly Community Advocate, Christopher moved to Brighton to ¬attend BU’s photojournalism masters program.

Christopher leaves his parents, Bonnie and Andy Weigl, his brother Dustin, and cat Ivy.