Jesse Dweck was only a few days shy of experiencing his first finals week at Baruch College when he was tragically struck by a van at the corner of 26th St. and Lexington Ave. on Friday, December 12, 2003, in the early afternoon. He died at a hospital later that evening.
Dweck, 18, a freshman at Baruch was walking with friends the time of the accident. His friends automatically called for an ambulance and reached his cousin, Baruch College Psychology Professor David Sitt.
“Jesse [Dweck] was a very special person,” said Sitt, who was the first to be alerted of the accident. “Jesse [Dweck] struck a balance in life beyond his years.”
Dweck had recently settled into a new apartment in Manhattan. “Despite a busy life, he kept out of trouble and maintained his confidence,” said Sitt. “[Dweck] was a renaissance man. He was a smart kid. He really enjoyed Baruch.”
Neil Sullivan, professor of Dweck’s Public Administration 1250 class returned his paper to the family with a note:
“He was a very good student. His work will remain with me always,” recalled Sullivan. “He had a wonderful smile. It was the smile of a little boy who was caught with the chocolate cake before dinner. He warmed other students and brought grace to our class.”
“I hope knowing how Jesse helped my son will give you comfort in the time of your loss,” said Joanne Colorundo, a parent of one of Dweck’s classmates in a letter to the family acknowledging the help Dweck gave her son in his CSTM 0120 Math class. “My son expressed what a nice kid Jesse was and how he was willing to help.”
“Jesse was in my Music 1005 class at 7:50 a.m. He was on time to class which is very important,” said Anne Swartz, professor of Music in the Fine and Performing Arts Department. “He was astute, creative, generous and beloved by classmates.”
Swartz noted his great interest in Federic Chopin.
“He was generous looking at people and events,” said Swartz. “When he spoke about music, he said that he was greatly moved. His comments were very intellectual.”
“His writing was sensitive and beautiful,” Swartz added. When I read his work, I found something artistic about him.”
Swartz found out about Dweck’s passing the morning of the final and saw the concern that students had prior to the final.
“Baruch is a very caring place and Jesse benefited from it,” said Swartz. “On behalf of the students in Music 1005 section BD13 and myself, we all wish our deepest condolences to his family.”
Dweck took a Dale Carnegie course in self-organization, lived in Deal, New Jersey and was a graduate of Hillel High School.
He had deep artistic interests, was an avid photographer, biker, and a devoted son, brother and friend. He was looking forward to declaring a major and deciding on a career. His father Sam is a Baruch alumnus.
The family opened the Jesse Dweck City Learning Center in his memory where young men will study two days a week at the Edmond Safra Synagogue located at 11 East 63 St. between 5th and Madison Aves.
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