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Sasha McCarthy Clapper ’96

Sasha McCarthy Clapper ’96, April 25, 2009, in Portland, from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. Sasha came to Reed from North Carolina, and studied mathematics for three years before “succumbing to wanderlust.” From his public obituary, we learned that he traveled the world extensively, visiting nearly every continent, and all the islands in between: “He cross-country skied to the North Pole and rode a camel in the Sahara Desert in full motorcycle leathers.” In 2007, the Portland Mercury newspaper reported that Sasha had been working as a ditch-digger for five years-a job that gave him flexibility for travel and mental freedom. He considered Portland his home, and also lived in Anchorage, Alaska, and in Austin, Texas. Sasha was passionate about the environment and was pursuing an engineering degree in renewable energy at the Oregon Institute of Technology. He was passionate also about bicycles, motorcycles, windmills, fireworks, neck tattoos, rock 'n' roll (especially ZZ Top), Old Crow bourbon, and potatoes (“the quintessential food”). Survivors include two daughters, his parents, a brother, and girlfriend Sophia La Valley.

Appeared in Reed magazine: November 2009

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