ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 17, 1996 TAG: 9601170071
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: NEWS OBIT
SOURCE: NOTE: Above JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
THE DAY AFTER one of the captains of the North Cross football team collapsed and died, fellow students and teachers remembered Grayson Hooper for his work ethic and his sunny personality.
A North Cross School athlete who died Monday after losing consciousness at wrestling practice had complained recently of feeling ill and seemed lethargic the night before he died, a friend said Tuesday.
Brad Densmore, a friend and football teammate, said Hooper complained recently that he felt as if he had a cold or the flu. Densmore said he talked with Hooper on Sunday night and he didn't seem to be quite as energetic as normal.
That was unusual, because Hooper seldom, if ever, complained about feeling bad, he said.
Hooper had jogged about a half-mile in wrestling practice Monday when he complained that he wasn't feeling well. The coach advised him to rest awhile on the mats.
About 40 minutes later, the coach noticed that Hooper was having difficulty breathing and began CPR. A doctor and nurse who were working out at the school's athletic center assisted with CPR until the Clearbrook Rescue Squad arrived. Hooper was taken to Lewis-Gale Hospital in Salem, where he was pronounced dead.
Hooper's dream was to play college football, and he was trying to get into better shape so he would be quicker, Densmore said.
He said Hooper, who weighed about 230 pounds during football season, had lost about 15 or 20 pounds since then and was spending more time in the weight room. "He was in tip-top shape, and he wanted to be faster."
Hugh Meagher, the dean of students at the private school in Roanoke County, said Hooper, one of the captains of the football team, had no history of heart problems or other illnesses. Hooper had taken medical exams each year and was cleared to play sports, he said.
"He was a strong kid. Why this happened, no one knows," Meagher said. But Meagher said Hooper was not trying to reduce his weight so he could wrestle in a lower class. Hooper wrestled as a heavyweight, he said.
Hooper died of cardiac arrest, said William Stacey IV, school headmaster, in a letter to students and parents. But an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death won't be done until today.
The most common cause of sudden death in athletes is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease that involves an enlargement of the heart muscle that can trigger an irregular heartbeat, said Bruce Hagadorn, medical director of the Lewis-Gale Clinic.
A viral infection of the heart muscle and an aneurysm of the aorta also can be factors in sudden death of young people, he said.
"It's hard to grasp that an 18-year-old could die like that," said Andy Harrison, a senior who was on the North Cross football team with Hooper.
"He went through the entire football season, and he didn't miss a practice. He worked so hard and gave it everything," Harrison said Tuesday.
Counselors met with Hooper's friends and other North Cross students Tuesday to help them deal with the death.
"He was so likable and had so many friends. We are small enough that everyone knew him," Meagher said.
Meagher said this is the first time a North Cross student has died on campus, although others have died in accidents away from school.
"This grief is not a problem that is going to be taken care of in one day," he said.
Students remembered Hooper most for his smile, kindness and ability to make people laugh.
"He was always in a good mood. He always seemed to be laughing at something," said Ben Moore, a sophomore and football teammate.
"His smile is almost the first thing you noticed about him. It was a real smile," said Ann Fishwick, an English and ethics teacher at the school. "Frankly, you felt good when you were around him."
Friends said Hooper worked hard to make himself a better athlete and student, but he also enjoyed life.
"He worked hard at everything, but he still managed to have fun," said Densmore. Hooper also was a good guitar player who enjoyed music, he said.
"He gave it everything he had. He worked so hard, and he was proud that he was a team captain," Harrison said.
"I played center on the football team. He played right guard and often made the blocks that I couldn't," Moore said.
Meagher said Hooper had been on the school's dean list several times and had considered attending the University of the South in Tennessee.
Fishwick said Hooper was a young man who made others feel better. "He was very upbeat and positive. He could see the glass as half full, not half empty," she said.
He was the son of Robert W. and Bonnie Hooper. His father is a former executive director of Downtown Roanoke Inc.
North Cross plans to have a school memorial service for Hooper after the funeral. The senior class has begun talks about establishing a scholarship fund in Hooper's memory.
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Hooperby CNB