Media Credit: Courtesy of CPLA

07/02/09

David Prescott Twomey III, who graduated from Emerson in 2006 with an M.A. in political and organizational communication, died Tuesday of complications that resulted from H1N1, strep, and a staph infection, his family said.

Associate Professor of Communication Studies Dr. Gregory Payne, Twomey's former teacher and family friend, said the family informed him yesterday that Twomey was hospitalized Friday in Washington D.C., but his condition soon deteriorated.

After his Emerson graduation, Twomey was hired by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and most recently he was working on new media projects at the U.S. Federal Courts.

Media Credit: Jonathan Satriale

"He redid the entire EPA website for the US government in two and a half weeks," Payne said. He also hosted Emerson's Communications Policy and Law chapter at the EPA last year and arranged meeting with the secretary of the EPA.

Twomey received a B.A. communication arts from Gannon University in Erie, Pa., in 2005.

At Emerson he organized "Is New England Safe?," a conference which featured speakers from FEMA and state and local leaders discussing emergency preparedness in New England (http://forum.wgbh.org/lecture/emergency-preparedness-forum). He also played a key role in the first National Communication Association Press Project and designed and coordinated UNICEF New England's first Student World AIDS Day, according to Payne.

"Without a doubt David was probably one of the most exceptional students I ever taught. He had such a gift not only for political communication but he was the best person on the web and new media that I've ever known," Payne said.

Jonathan Satriale worked with Twomey in the School of Communication and remained in contact with him after graduation. "David was the most wonderful guy. He was incredibly smart and talented and cool under pressure. We both shared a love for the environment, so I was particularly thrilled for him when he went on to work in the Public Affairs office at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington," Satriale said.

"He was well on his way to greatness in DC and all of us were very proud of him. I am greatly saddened by the news of his passing and know he will be deeply missed," Satriale said.




Video, courtesy of CPLA--David Twomey introduces 2006 Preparedness Forum. (Click above to view clip.)

Twomey's Facebook page has already become a tribute page with friends and family posting their regrets. The day before Twomey became sick, he posted a link on his Facebook page to an article titled "Africa: Fights Off the Flu," which also mentioned that the H1N1 virus was "mutating rapidly."

"How could someone who is so...alive... experience this downfall in a country where he had every medical advantage. They had the very best doctors from Washington and nothing could be done. There were no complications, he was not sick before. So it's very, very frightening, I think, to see what this type of virus does to people," Payne said.

Twomey's wake will be 5-8 p.m., July 6 at Jones-Rich-Hutchins Funeral Home, 199 Woodford Street, Portland, Maine, 04103.
Funeral Services will be 11 a.m., July 7 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, Maine, 307 Congress St.
Portland, Maine, 04101.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, friends send contributions to the Memorial of David P. Twomey III Fund, Gannon University, 109 University Square, Erie, Pa., 16541, or to The David P. Twomey III Washington Award, Institutional Advancement, Emerson College, 120 Boylston St., Boston, Mass., 02116.

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