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Sean Fenton, a native of Newport Beach, California, showed ingenuity and dedication from an early age. In sixth grade, Fenton had to earn $150 to buy a bike. Ignoring baby-sitting and lawn-mowing, Fenton started a brownie business, passing out flyers and buying ingredients himself. The one-man operation earned him over $1,000.
Fenton also showed an early love of sports that would follow him to Yale, playing football and baseball and running track in grade school and high school.
"Sean really was one of the hardest working football players at our school," said Joshua Yelsey (Yale '05 grad), who had known Fenton since grade school and was on Fenton's high school track team. |
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Sean majored in computer science at Yale, and friends recounted how Fenton would help them with their computers and was generous with his encouragement. He took special pride in his job as a computer assistant, but he seldom billed Yale for the work he did for his friends. His father recalled his son's dedication to his friends at Sean's memorial service. "Anyone who knew him knew that," he said.
Sean also took special pride in his strength. None of the weights in the Davenport weight room were heavy enough to satisfy him. But ultimately, Sean was a gentle giant whose friends and teachers affectionately recalled his athletic prowess, his love for challenges, his helpfulness and his skill with computers, among other attributes.
"Sean connected with so many people, and he always gave people a big, friendly smile," said Davenport College Master Dr. Richard Schottenfeld, who also recounted how Sean spent the prior summer building a computer from scratch.
Rene Peralta, a lecturer in computer science who taught Sean, recalled how he was grateful to have had the Yale junior as his student. "I remember thinking that guys that big and strong shouldn't be that smart," he said of the former Yale football player. |
