May 25, 2006 A passion for cooking leads to scholarship Family honors 12-year-old who died this year By Donna Porstner Staff Writer, The Advocate

STAMFORD - The family of Evan O'Connor, the 12-year-old city boy whose death in February brought attention to the "choking game," has established a culinary camp scholarship in his memory.

Evan, a seventh-grader at Scofield Magnet Middle School, loved to cook and wanted to attend a culinary camp this summer. He had a discriminating palate, craving lobster tails, filet mignon and shrimp cocktail, when his little sister was content with SpaghettiOs, his mother said.

"Cooking was something he really loved to do and he got his very first cookbooks for Christmas," Malani O'Connor said. "He would spend hours going through marking the ones he wanted to do."

Evan enjoyed looking up recipes online and watching his favorite celebrity chefs, Emeril Lagasse and Rachael Ray, on television.

Boys and girls ages 10 to 16 with an interest in cooking are eligible to apply for the scholarship. Applicants must submit a one-page essay explaining why they would like to attend culinary camp.

The scholarship covers the full $1,750 fee for tuition, room and board at The Kids Culinary Academy of Vermont. The winner will have a choice of one of five one-week sessions this summer. The winner's parents are asked to provide transportation to and from the camp in Highgate Center, Vt.

The scholarship winner will learn how to plan a menu, prepare meals, decorate cakes, and will go on field trips to restaurants and tourist attractions such as the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory in Waterbury, Vt. Campers will plan and prepare a luncheon for their parents on the last day.

The camp is owned and operated by Kelly Dietrich, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and owner of two restaurants in the Burlington, Vt., area.

Dietrich said he was glad to help establish a scholarship in Evan's name. Dietrich did not know the family but heard about Evan's death from a friend in Stamford.

Although the medical examiner initially ruled Evan's death a suicide by hanging, his family believes he accidentally died from playing "the choking game," in which children cut off their air supply with bags, belts, ties or their hands in hopes of getting a high. The state's chief medical examiner, Wayne Carver, recently reopened the case at the request of Stamford police.

Evan's family raised the money for the scholarship from donations sent to them after his death and from the proceeds of a tag sale at the Long Ridge Fire House last month.

Ó2006 Southern CT Newspapers, Inc.

Webmaster's Note:

As the above article indicates, the Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner initially ruled the cause of Evan’s death a suicide.  An investigation was launched and we are happy to announce that on June 6, 2006, the official ruling of Evan’s death has been changed from suicide to undetermined.   

We wish to express our deep gratitude and sincere appreciation to Sgt. Paul Guzda of the Stamford Police Department for his ongoing and thorough investigative efforts that ultimately resulted in the change of the official ruling of Evan’s death.