Memorial service set for Lorin Maurer

A memorial service for Lorin Maurer, a Princeton staff member who died when Continental Connection Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo Feb. 12, is set for 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, in the University Chapel. A reception will follow in Prospect House. No photographers or TV cameras will be permitted inside the Chapel, and the reception is for close friends, colleagues and members of the campus community.

Maurer's family also is planning a memorial service for 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at St. Ignatius Church, 2810 St. Albans Drive, West Lawn, Pa.

Maurer, 30, was the athletics friends group manager in the Office of Development, serving as a liaison to the athletics friends groups and facilitating annual fundraising for them. She was traveling to Buffalo to attend a wedding.

"Lorin was a wonderful member of the University community and a very cherished colleague," said Brian McDonald, vice president for development. "We extend our deepest sympathy to Lorin's family and friends and everyone who had the privilege of knowing her."

Maurer joined the Princeton staff in 2005 to work in a newly created position that was a joint venture between development and athletics, and she helped athletic giving grow to unprecedented levels.

"We are stunned, grief-stricken and angry that someone so young and full of promise and vitality was taken from us so suddenly and unexpectedly," said Director of Athletics Gary Walters. "We can only think that we never appreciate what we have until it is taken from us."

West Coast Conference Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich, formerly senior associate athletic director at Princeton, said, "What made Lorin so special to all who were lucky enough to meet her even once was her infectious enthusiasm and the joy she found in literally every facet of her life. We all have a collective hole in our hearts today that will never be filled."

Maurer had a strong interest in intercollegiate athletics, and her background included an internship in branding and communications at the NCAA and a year in the marketing department at the Mountain West Conference.

A native of Sinking Spring, Pa., Maurer was a 2001 graduate of Rowan University, where she was a team captain, four-time team Most Valuable Swimmer and three-time Academic All-America in women's swimming. She was the 2000 New Jersey Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Year, and she still holds the school record in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:12.59.

She also worked for the Rowan Department of Athletics in a number of capacities, including student-athlete eligibility, ticketing and event operations. She was a dean's list student and winner of the Athletic Director's Award for academic excellence.

She went on to earn a master's degree in sports management from the University of Florida, where she also served as an intern in women's administration.

Maurer is survived by her parents, Scott and Terry Maurer of Moore, S.C., and her brother, Chris, of Atlanta. The family has established a scholarship in Lorin's memory with her former school district in Berks County, Pa. Checks may be made payable to "The Wilson Education Foundation," and Lorin's name should be included in the memo field of the check. Donations should be mailed to: Lorin Maurer Scholarship, c/o Kati Farrer - Executive Director, Wilson Education Foundation, 2601 Grandview Blvd., West Lawn, PA 19609.