James Henry Leonard V was a sophomore at Austin's St. Edward's University. On August 30, 2006 he was found dead in a house near the University of Texas campus.
Houston sophomore's death in Austin may be from alcohol, police say The 19-year-old had just begun classes this week at St. Edward's
By JANET ELLIOTT Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau
AUSTIN — The death of a 19-year-old college sophomore from Houston who started classes this week at St. Edward's University is being investigated as alcohol-related.
James Henry Leonard V was found dead Wednesday morning at a duplex near the University of Texas campus.
Austin police and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission are investigating the death as alcohol-related, said Mischelle Amador, communications director for St. Edward's, a private, Catholic liberal arts university with 4,900 students.
"It's a very tragic day for our community," said Amador. "We are in the process of reaching out to the student's parents and friends."
Leonard's father, James Henry Leonard IV, said he did not want to discuss his son's death because it is still unclear what happened.
Planned to learn Chinese
He said his son was a graduate of Strake Jesuit High School and was considering a business or pre-law course of study.
"His dream was to try to learn Chinese and to try to get into the business world with that knowledge," his father said, adding that his son had numerous Chinese-American friends from their heavily Asian neighborhood near Sharpstown Center.
Amador said Leonard lived off campus, but she did not know if he was a resident of the duplex where his body was found.
Two young men, who declined to be identified, said as they entered the duplex Wednesday night that Leonard did not live in the building. When asked if they knew him, however, one said, "Straight A student." They declined further comment.
No loud partying
A neighbor and UT student, Whitney Mack, of Houston, said several friends from Strake Jesuit and its sister school, St. Agnes Academy, live in the duplex.
Mack said she did not hear any loud partying Tuesday night.
Austin police are awaiting the results of an autopsy and toxicology tests to determine the cause of death, said police spokeswoman Laura Albrecht. She said foul play is not suspected.
Leonard attended St. Edward's as a freshman last year. Amador said all students go through an alcohol education program during orientation.
USTIN — No matter how many times his mother tried to talk to him about alcohol and drugs and other temptations that beckon in this raging college town, 19-year-old James "Jamie" Henry Leonard V never seemed to shake the idea that he was invincible.
"Oh, Mom,' " was his standard, dismissive response, Susan Leonard said Thursday.
Jamie Leonard was the life of every party, fearless in crowds, in love with all music, and Austin by association. For almost every situation, he had a joke. During a recent discussion over some funerals in the family, he proclaimed that, if his day ever came, he wanted pinwheels on the hearse and fireworks in the sky.
"He was full of life, always with a flair," his mother said.
The memory of his energy, his spirit, has kept her going since her son was found dead early Wednesday morning, apparently after a night of partying, two days after starting his sophomore year at St. Edward's University.
Austin police and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission are investigating the death as alcohol-related, but they are awaiting autopsy and toxicology results to make a determination on the cause of death. Those results could take several weeks.
Friends and family said they suspect alcohol was involved, but can't be sure. Susan Leonard said that if her son did fall victim to alcohol or drugs, it isn't because he didn't get the proper warnings.
A parent's dilemma
Although her son attended a private, tight-knit Catholic liberal arts school of 4,900 students, she said she was well aware of the party culture he would encounter in a city home to several universities, including the University of Texas, which the Princeton Review recently named the No.1 party school in the nation.
"As parents, you've got to go into this with your eyes open. I mean, there's not a shelter for these kids," she said. "I would have loved to have wrapped him up in cotton and kept him in his room, but he wouldn't have stood for that. At some point, the little birds have to leave the nest."
Leonard said her son attended alcohol-education programs at his high school, Houston's Strake Jesuit College Preparatory school, and at St. Edward's.
Leonard said she had several sit-down conversations with her son and repeated her warnings in phone conversations after he went to college. Last December, when another Houstonian, Phanta "Jack" Phoummarath, drank himself to death at a UT fraternity party, Leonard said she and her husband, James, discussed the incident with Jamie.
"We sat him down again and said, 'This can happen to you, you just don't know,' " she said. "You just talk until you're blue in the face, but at the end they think they're infallible. I don't think you can protect them. You can just talk and talk and talk and then pray."
Susan Leonard last spoke with her son Monday night. They discussed his first day of classes, supplies he needed to get, he seemed excited. He had a job at the Austin Hilton Hotel as a bellhop. He was healthy, except for an infected tooth.
A call from the police
On Wednesday morning, Austin police called to tell her that her son was dead, his body found at a duplex near the UT campus. Susan Leonard said some friends who were with her son when he died told her they tried to perform CPR when they noticed he wasn't breathing properly about 6:30 a.m. and called 911.
Adam Dyer, a 19-year-old UT student who has known Jamie Leonard since they were in the band together as freshmen at Strake, said he got a call about midnight inviting him to the same party Jamie had attended. Dyer said he declined because he had to get up early.
Dyer said his friend usually hung out with old Strake classmates and friends who are attending UT or St. Edward's. Underage drinking wasn't uncommon, Dyer said.
"My general, personal opinion of Strake is there are definitely students who are there that have been private-schooled their whole life and sheltered from all kinds of trouble that other kids get into," Dyer said. "Then there are kids whose parents have given them everything their whole life and they can pretty much do whatever they want and throw these huge, crazy parties and they have the funds to back them up." Jamie fell somewhere between those two groups, drinking no more than anyone else and usually sticking to beer, Dyer said.
Officials at St. Edward's said if Leonard's death is linked to alcohol, it would be the first one they can remember.
But underage drinking on campuses is regarded as a nationwide problem. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that drinking by 18- to 24-year-old college students contributes to 1,700 student deaths annually.
At St. Edward's, alcohol-education programs begin before students start class, followed by another class geared toward parents, said Will Pannabecker, director of counseling and health services.
Tom Sullivan, director of student life who has worked at Texas A&M, Texas State University and Texas Christian University, said he doesn't hear St. Edward's students talk about alcohol and partying like he has at other universities.
"I hear them talk about social engagement, hanging out with friends, going to movies, going out to eat. Alcohol, I don't hear them talking about it, which is surprising in a lot of ways," he said.
But other officials said they're not naive about underage drinking and that St. Edward's students face the same taunting vices as UT students.
"What we know is that, nationally, alcohol is a problem on university campuses," said Mischelle Amador, St. Edward's communications director. "We don't pretend that we're immune from that national problem."
Signs of Alcohol Poisoning
Alcohol
depresses nerves that control involuntary actions such as breathing,
the heartbeat and the gag reflex that prevents choking. A fatal dose of
alcohol will eventually stop these functions. After the victim stops
drinking, the heart keeps beating, and the alcohol in the stomach
continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate through the system.
The victim may experience the following:
- Mental confusion, stupor, coma, unable to rouse the person
- No response to pinching the skin
- Vomiting while sleeping or unresponsive
- Seizures
- Slowed breathing (fewer than 8 breaths per minute)
- Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths)
- Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness
Alcohol Poisoning Requires Immediate Medical Attention
Alcohol Poisoning Cannot Be Reversed By:
- Drinking black coffee
- Taking a cold bath or shower
- Walking it off
The victim must have immediate medical attention.
Call 911, stay with the victim to prevent him choking on vomit, and tell emergency personnel how much alcohol the victim drank.
These Children Died of Alcohol Overdose, So Their Parents Started Foundations:
Taylor Webster's memorial foundation. Taylor died of alcohol poisoning at age 19-- Now his family and friends are working to get the message out, telling their stories and providing information on alcohol poisoning and the signs and symtoms of alcohol poisoning in hopes that lives will be saved.
Bradley McCue's memorial foundation. On November 5, 1998 Bradley turned 21. . He celebrated his birthday in a way that has become increasingly popular, drinking "his age in shots". That amount of alcohol was lethal and he died that night of alcohol poisoning.
Samantha Spady's memorial foundation. A 19-year old student at Colorado State University, Spady died of alcohol poisoning on September 5, 2004, "an unintentional tragedy." The Spadys say the SAM [Student Alcohol Management] Spady Foundation will develop peer-to-peer counseling and other services meant to reduce the risk of alcohol abuse.
Gordie Bailey's
memorial foundation. (1) to educate the public about alcohol
poisoning; (2) to identify steps parents and students can take to
prevent such tragedies; (3) eradicate fraternity hazing in any form.
Kimberly Ostien's memorial foundation: "With binge drinking on the rise, we feel it necessary to get the message out on the danger of alcohol, especially excessive alcohol consumed in a short period of time. Students are educated on drugs and alcohol but they will continue to experiment no matter what. We want to educate on what to do when a friend falls down or passes out from drinking. Often we want to put that person to bed to sleep it off and that is when the trouble can begin." The card lists the information, above.
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