Student Dies in Marathon

A joint Business School and John F. Kennedy School of Government student died suddenly last Saturday while running in a half-marathon near Nashua, N.H.

Arthur H. Rosenfeld III collapsed mid-way through the race and could not be resuscitated despite immediate attempts.

Friends, family and professors of Rosenfeld packed a Hillel function room for a memorial service held yesterday afternoon.

The mourners, who spilled out into the corridor, described Rosenfeld, known simply to them as "Chip," as someone truly unique.

"[He was] such an extraordinary person to know," said Arthur I. Applbaum, assistant professor at the Kennedy School of Government. "He was someone for whom deed came before his wisdom...a man of great character."

Rosenfeld was in his first-year at the Harvard Business School (HBS). He was pursuing a joint program at the Kennedy School, which he attended last year.

After graduating from Haverford College in 1989, Rosenfeld helped found Help The World See, a not-for-profit organization which provides primary eye care and glasses to people in developing nations.

More than 25,000 people received eyecare under his leadership, according to a Business School news release.

Mourners also remembered Rosenfeld yesterday as unusually modest.

"Chip's power really came from his humility," said Scott B. Meyer, a first-year business school student.

"Chip represented the best of the Business School," Meyer said.

At the Business School, Rosenfeld had recently been elected education representative for his section of 90 people, "a highly prized position" according to Schiff Professof of Investment Banking Samuel L. Hayes III.

The cause of Rosenfeld's death was arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat, according to the Business School statement.

One of Rosenfeld's friends, Harvard Law School student Ismael Ramsey, said he could scarcely believe the cause of his friend's death.

"I thought it couldn't be his heart, because Chip had a huge heart...that filled his own body," said Ramsey.

While Rosenfeld's physical body does not remain, "the spirit of Chip's heart beats on," he added.

Rosenfeld is survived by his parents, two sisters, and his fiancee Sarah. A memorial fund has been established in his name.