Junior Robert Tremain (MSB ‘06) drowned early Friday morning after falling from a boat near the James Creek Marina in Southwest, D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department. His body was found Tuesday evening near the Frederick Douglas Memorial Bridge and was identified Wednesday afternoon, according to the D.C. Medical Examiner’s Office.
An MPD press release stated that eight other passengers traveled on the 36-foot pleasure cruiser with Tremain. Tremain, 20, fell from the boat as it neared the marina to dock at approximately 4:30 a.m.
A female passenger dove in after him, but was unsuccessful in her rescue attempt. Six police divers from MPD’s Harbor Branch then searched the river for several hours that morning without success.
James Creek Marina, located at 200 V Street, S.W., marks the junction of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers.
All other passengers on the boat were students at George Washington University, according to John Lasky (MSB ‘06), one of Tremain’s roommates.
“It is terribly sad when we lose a member of our community,” Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson said at a gathering Saturday that formally announced Tremain’s death. “We know that many people on campus will be touched by Bobby’s death.”
Tremain’s parents Ann and Robert and younger brother, Brett, a first-year student at Boston College, came to the district late Friday when informed of the news. Lasky said that Tremain had a close relationship with his younger brother.
Tremain, a native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., a Detroit suburb, attended Cranbrook Kingswood High School, where he was named an All-American lacrosse player in 2002.
He played as a goalie on Georgetown’s men’s Lacrosse team in his first year.
Although Tremain stopped playing after that year, he remained close with his teammates.
“It was a big decision for him to stop playing lacrosse because he really loved it,” Lasky said. “He just figured he was better off focusing on schoolwork. After he stopped playing, he did really well in school.”
Tremain had plans to attend law school.
“He was a great kid, a loyal friend and really smart,” Reyn Garnett (CAS ‘06), a former lacrosse teammate and close friend, said. “He was always trying to get ahead in life; that’s why he quit lacrosse.”
Emily Zenick, Assistant Dean in the McDonough School of Business was an academic advisor to Tremain.
“I fondly remember him from his freshman year,” she said. “He was an affable, likeable young man. The Business School is very sad about what happened, and our thoughts are with his family.”
The University is discussing plans to hold a vigil in Tremain’s honor, according to Olson.
“In a case like this, we consult with the family about their wishes,” he said.
Tremain’s family could not be reached for comment by press time.
