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Daniel O’Neil

Daniel O’NeilDaniel O’Neil didn’t just have all-American good looks. He lived an all-American life.

The 22-year-old from Lincoln, R.I., was a first-year graduate student in environmental engineering.

At Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., where he graduated last May with a degree in civil engineering, he was particularly interested in managing floodwaters and flood damage. He graduated in the top 10 percent of his class at Lafayette.

O’Neil wasn’t just a scholar; he was an athlete, too. At Lincoln High School, he was a varsity cross-country runner — he ran 5,000 meters — and also ran track. He was in the National Honor Society and the Marquis Players, a drama club.

In his senior year of high school, he played the romantic lead role of Prince Dauntless in the musical comedy "Once Upon a Mattress," and he also designed the sets for the show.

He was also a noted fan of Disney films.

O’Neil taught guitar in high school and continued to write and record songs, which he posted on his Web site, residenthippy.com. Accompanying himself on an acoustic six-string guitar, he played original songs such as "Missing You," "Typical Love Song" and "Soon You’ll See," all from a collection he called "Live in Va."

O’Neil was the son of Jean and William O’Neil, the director of major gifts and planned giving at Connecticut College in New London, Conn.

According to the Providence Journal, one of O’Neil’s quotes in his high school yearbook was "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die."

— Dan Neman, Media General News Service

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