Although he was a freshman at Bowdoin College, Nicholas John Barnett of Lexington was already building upon his long list of accomplishments at Lexington High School, from which he had graduated in June. He was considering double-majoring in economics and chemistry at Bowdoin, and he was a member of the school's sailing team.
"He was sort of the glue with so many people in class and on the sailing team," said Tim Foster, dean of student affairs at Bowdoin, in Brunswick, Maine. "He was an extraordinary person who was academically gifted and passionate about all that he did."
Mr. Barnett died Thanksgiving Day from injuries sustained when the car he was driving with two friends veered off the road in Lexington and struck a tree. He was 18. Police attributed the accident to speed and slippery roads.
Mr. Barnett was born in Boston in 1989 to Christopher John and Elizabeth (DeMille). The family moved to Lexington when he was 5. While in high school, Mr. Barnett was cocaptain of the Science Olympiad Team and received two gold medals during the competition last year.
While balancing academics and sports, Mr. Barnett was also a musician, playing double bass for the high school Honors Orchestra.
He was an avid sailor since he was 7 years old. He spent two summers with the Learn to Sail Program at the Courageous Sailing Center in Charlestown, teaching urban elementary school students how to navigate.
He chose to attend Bowdoin in part because of its sailing program, relatives said. He was thriving at the school, they said, studying French, economics, and organic chemistry in a sophomore-level class.
"The day he came home from Bowdoin he was so happy and talked about how much he loved college," said Lawrence DeMille-Wagman of Bethesda, Md., Mr. Barnett's uncle. "He spent the night before Thanksgiving making pies and having tea with his girlfriend, talking about how much he loved Bowdoin."
A memorial service was held at Bowdoin College Sunday night, as students returned from Thanksgiving break. According to Foster, over 100 students and faculty members attended the service.
"You just have to be thankful that someone like Nick lived a large amount of life in a short period of time," Foster said. "Students expressed that he was someone who they will carry with them for a long time."
In addition to his parents, Mr. Barnett leaves his older brother, Alexander of Lexington; and his maternal grandparents, William and Barbara DeMille of Rensselaerville, N.Y.
A funeral will be held today at 10 a.m. in Follen Community Church in Lexington. Burial will be in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge.
