UA humanitarian alumnus dies at 22

Arizona Daily Wildcat Photo Courtesy of Michael Bond UA Graduate and the co-founder of Community Cruiser David Christopher Ord is pictured at Windy Point on Mt. Lemmon. Ord died Sunday from head and neck injuries after he slipped while watering plants at his home.

Ord was watering plants at his Tucson home when he slipped on wet steps, hitting his head and neck, said Thomas Ord, his father.

Before graduating in May from the University of Arizona, David Ord co-founded Community Cruisers, a nonprofit group that organizes low-cost recreational trips for those who have difficulty traveling without assistance, said John Foley, David Ord's business partner.

The organization took its first trip to Disneyland last month, Foley said.

He said he wants to honor David Ord by continuing to make the organization a success.

"Community Cruisers was his dream and I am going to continue his dream," Foley said yesterday.

He said the community has benefited from David Ord's accomplishments.

"He was my hero - in life and in death," Foley said. "The community is 100 percent better by having him in it."

Mikki McGee, David Ord's business associate, said his compassion made him well-suited for his occupation.

"He performed his job above and beyond," McGee said. "He was above standards."

David Ord saw past a person's disabilities, said Amber Winger, his girlfriend.

"He accepted the people society rejected," Winger said.

Throughout David Ord's life, he enjoyed taking care of people.

"If anything was hurt or suffering, David had a lot of compassion," said Barbara Ord, his mother.

Growing up in Palo Alto, Calif., friends said David Ord enjoyed playing baseball, fishing, camping and taking river raft trips.

"He was a source of energy and happiness," said friend Bryce Cranch, who knew David Ord for 16 years. "He always had a big smile."

David Ord once caught butterflies and released them in his disabled sister's room to cheer her up when she was sick, Foley said.

When David Ord was 17, his sister Lynn died of complications related to her premature birth, his mother said.

Friends said he didn't allow her death to effect his positive demeanor.

"Even though he had hard times in life it didn't harden him," Winger said. "He was an inspiration."

David Ord came to the UA in 1993.

While studying for his physiology degree, David Ord still helped the disabled, his mother said. He was involved in Best Buddies, a UA club that spends time with the disabled.

David Ord also enjoyed playing on three local baseball leagues while in college, said Lee Mullen, one of his roommates.

Mullen said he will remember the fun they had, especially watching the 1997 men's basketball championship.

"I could not have asked for a better friend in the world," Mullen said. "He made you want to be a better person."

David Ord's mother said she is amazed at the support the family has received from people who care about her son.

"It is unexplainable - everybody that meets him has been effected," she said. "A lot of love has flown into this house. He must have made a lot of friends."

Other than his mother and father, David Ord is survived by his brother, Thomas Jr., of Palo Alto, Calif.

Memorial services will be held Monday in Palo Alto, Calif. A date for services in Tucson has yet to be determined.

Rachael Myer can be reached via e-mail at Rachael Myer@wildcat.arizona.edu.