Third-year Engineering student Jack Chen died Saturday afternoon in a car accident on I-66 when the Honda Accord in which he was riding struck a tree on the side of the road.
The car struck the tree shortly after merging onto I-66 from Rt. 123 during a torrential downpour, according to several friends close to Chen.
Chen, along with two other members of the Lambda Phi Epsilon fraternity, was returning from a "crossing over" ceremony held the previous night at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, in which Chen officially became a Lambda Phi Epsilon member, according to Terry Hsiung, the service chair of the fraternity.
Lambda Phi Epsilon is the first nationally recognized Asian-American fraternity and established itself on Grounds last spring.
Chen, who was asleep in the backseat of the car at the time of the accident, sustained serious injuries from his seatbelt, Hsiung said. The driver, third-year College student and charter fraternity member Yuan Ren, as well as second-year College student Kevin Nguyen, who was sitting in the passenger side seat, both walked away from the wreck and attempted to assist Chen before the ambulance arrived to transport him to a Fairfax Hospital, Hsiung added.
Friends say Chen, who was an active member of the Christian community and the Chinese Student Association, will be greatly missed.
"The loss of Jack is irreplaceable," Hsiung said.
Many of Chen's friends spoke of his warm emotional support. All had stories of Chen, a diehard Redskins fan, watching games together or helping them move in.
"Being Christian, Jack was always striving to better himself," said Brian Yap, a friend of Chen since their first year. "He was real good about that. He wasn't perfect, but was always trying to better himself."
Lambda Phi Epsilon is planning a number of memorial events, Hsiung said. The fraternity will use their display case in Newcomb Hall to honor Chen's life "as a brother, as a student and as a God-loving person."
The front page of the fraternity Web page will be devoted to Chen as well.
Fraternity leaders also have discussed creating a Jack Chen Scholarship for undergraduate Engineering students.
Hsiung said recipients of the award would have to exhibit Chen's admirable traits: selflessness, brotherhood and friendliness.
A candlelight vigil also will be held Wednesday, but because of the suddenness of the tragedy, a time and place has not been decided yet, Hsiung said. A small memorial site will be created on the grounds of the Engineering School for Chen, who Hsiung described as "very friendly" and "really popular." Students are encouraged to leave flowers and messages for Chen, Hsiung said.
His passing was tragic but friends and brothers still carry a very real memory of him in their hearts, friends said.
Hsiung said he hopes other chapters of the fraternity recognize Chen as "an eternal brother."
"We have 12 members," Hsiung said, adding without missing a beat, "Well, 13 including Jack."
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