Haley Rue ’17 Dies While Traveling in Germany

UPDATED: July 21, 2014, at 2:34 p.m.

Haley A. Rue, a rising sophomore in Pforzheimer House, died on Friday while traveling in Germany, according to German press reports and an email to the College from Dean Rakesh Khurana.

According to the reports, Rue, 19, drowned after falling into a whirlpool at the bottom of a waterfall.

Rue was traveling in Europe as a researcher-writer for Let’s Go, a Harvard Student Agencies company that produces travel guides in print and online.

As a writer for Let’s Go, Rue had spent the summer traveling through Austria, Hungary, and Germany, documenting her trip on the agency’s blog and collecting information for future travel guides. According to a blog post dated July 16, Rue had recently spent time in Innsbruck, Austria.

Keyanna Y. Wigglesworth ’16, the associate director of publishing for Let’s Go, declined to comment on Rue’s death, citing the agency’s efforts to collect more information before issuing a statement.

Khurana, in his first email to the whole College community since assuming office July 1, wrote that “no words can truly express the sense of loss Haley's death brings.”

“Haley had an adventurous spirit, and loved to write and travel,” Khurana wrote. “Those who knew her marveled at her kindness.”

A native of Tacoma, Washington, Rue lived in Canaday Hall during her freshman year at Harvard. She was also a writer for The Crimson’s weekly arts magazine.

Prior to entering Harvard, Rue attended Mount Rainier Lutheran High School, where she played soccer and basketball, and ran track.

The Tacoma News Tribune reported that affiliates of Rue’s high school and her church, Our Savior Lutheran Church in Tacoma, held a prayer service on Sunday attended by several hundred people.

—Check TheCrimson.com for updates.

—Staff writer Ivan B. K. Levingston can be reached at Ivan.Levingston@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @IvanLevingston.

—Staff writer Tyler S. Olkowski can be reached at tyler.olkowski@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @OlkowskiTyler.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: July 21, 2014

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the day on which Rue died. In fact, it was Friday, July 18.