College Park, GA – Woodward Academy president Hank Payne gave a rousing speech at a faculty and staff luncheon to kick off 2008 at the College Park school.
"I've never seen him more upbeat," said close friend and the school's board chairman, Ben Johnson.
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Shortly after 3 p.m. Payne was dead. His fall from the eighth floor of a Midtown hotel has been ruled a suicide by the Fulton medical examiner's office.
"It is as close to totally inexplicable as anything I've ever dealt with," Johnson said.
Payne had served Woodward and its approximately 2,850 students for seven years. "He wasn't like this disinterested, indifferent type," said Roshani Chokshi, a junior. "He'd always say, 'Hello.' Or, 'You'd better be studying for exams!" as a joke. … The news is very shocking."
He came to Woodward in July 2000 after he resigned the presidency of prestigious Williams College in Massachusetts. He had previously served as president of Hamilton College in New York.
His wife, Deborah, teaches at Oglethorpe University. His sons, Jonathan and Sam, are an assistant professor and a postdoctoral fellow, respectively, at Stanford University.
Johnson the managing partner of the law firm Alston & Bird, said that the opportunity to live in a major city with an active Jewish community attracted Payne, who was Jewish, to Atlanta. [ajc]
U/D: 01/10/08. 18:28
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office said that Woodward Academy president Hank Payne wrote a suicide note before taking his life. The note was left in his eighth-floor Midtown hotel room before he jumped to his death, said Investigator Tami Schroder, who would not disclose the letter’s contents.
Actually, there’s a responsa from the Chassam-Sofer (in c’m, iirc) where he clearly states that to be ruled a halachic suicide, the niftar had to go up on the roof in the presence of witnesses, announce his intentions, be warned by the witnesses that it is forbidden, and jump anyway, all the while being of sound mind and NOT ‘merov tzorosov’ etc. So there’s a lot of leeway for a competent posek here, unlike all the fools who obviously never studied any halacha holding forth…
The speech was so moving that a guy standing next to me said the teacher ought to stop before he kills himself.
Gee wiz. And 5 minutes later….
Suicide should not be swept under the rug – BUT – that does not preclude finding a zchus for the niftar, so that halachically he can have a proper kvura
We should do both – advocate for the one that is gone (by finding a possible reason it could have been an accident), and also working in the community to prevent such things
moishie said…
Rabbosai,
you are all getting quite petty. I am sure we can all agree, that no matter which way you twist and turn it, it is very sad a nd a tragedy. May HKB”H Comfort the family in this very difficult time!
January 9, 2008 1:20 PM
Nah, better to be dan l’kaf chiyuv and defend your words before the bais din shel mailoh, where the niftar can tell his side of the story.
Rabbosai,
you are all getting quite petty. I am sure we can all agree, that no matter which way you twist and turn it, it is very sad a nd a tragedy. May HKB”H Comfort the family in this very difficult time!
Anonymous said…
If a person is mechallel Shabbos b/c he is upset. And acts out is he veiwed as a Fool? Of course not! So if a depressed person commits suicide – does he become less accountable for his action? Where do you draw the line?
January 9, 2008 2:44 PM
Perhaps he was very depressed and tried to talk about to a warm, caring and understanding person like this one and that pushed him passed his breaking point.
“b/c he is upset” – is not mental illness. Mental illness and the medication that is taken for treatment is a real issue, not like, well he is ‘upset’.
If a person is mechallel Shabbos b/c he is upset. And acts out is he veiwed as a Fool? Of course not! So if a depressed person commits suicide – does he become less accountable for his action? Where do you draw the line?
Perhaps we ought not to cover up suicides. Perhaps we ought to try and learn what motivated a person to do such a desperate act and thereby try and prevent such tragedies in the future. I do not think if someone comitted suicide out of extreme mental anguish or mental illness that it is considered a true halachic suicide. There is sufficient reason to presume that such a person does not have ample Bechira Chofshis to be held accountable for such an act. There are also medications that can cause a person to do this. Perhaps we all need to be nicer to one another to make sure that no one feels alone or depressed from their problems enough to do something like this.
al pi halacha, it’s almost impossible to be a real suicide, b/c even if he had charoto (regret) on the way down, the teshuva would be accepted.
I understand that a purported suicide is not considered such unless there is a suicide note left behind. I may be mistaken but I believe R’ Dovid Feinstein issued that halachic ruling regarding a case a couple years back.
May Hashem comfort his loved ones during this painful time.
just because the Medical examiner ruled it a suicide doesn’t make it a suicide ‘al pi halacha’
he is NOT the ‘Poisek Achroin’.
if nobody saw the actual jumping it is NOT a suicide.
I would venture to say that he probably became dizzy went for some air and fell.
He deserves a Kevurah the same way as any other yid.
To anon 10:11
Your comments are inappropiate. There is a family feeling real pain and sorrow. I would hope you should know better.
10:11…you’re one sick puppy.
VIN…THIS comment you let through? I’m disgusted.
Surely such a death shouldn’t be ruled suicide before Kevurah as this causes tremendous problems for Kevurah. Furthermore, it is terrible for the Neshoma to have this “label.” Add to that the extra distress for the family.
It sounds a strange series of events. I prefer to think of this as a tragic accident.
As a Chevra Kadisha member, I know just how difficult this will be for all concerned. As frum Yidden we would do well to hold off with the twisted jokes and judgments. Let’s just consider the consequences of such a tragedy and pray for no more Tsur.