Word: noonan
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Patrick “Pat” Noonan ’03 has been waiting all his life to come this close to death. While many of his classmates opted for more mundane—and less life-threatening—wishes, Noonan’s fantasy was to be dumped from a small jet some 10,000 feet...
...keep on going faster and faster,” he says. But surprisingly, he rejects the label of thrill-seeker: “Never do anything that falls on the wild [side],” he declares. And roommate Daniel R. Fish ’03 corroborates that Noonan doesn’t keep the most exciting of schedules: “[You’ll] find him Sunday night in the common room, asleep with the opening credits of a movie rolling,” Fish says...
...Noonan, apparently, it’s not scary enough. After reading the densely-worded four-page liability agreement that any would-be sky-diver must accept—“like signing away your whole life,” Noonan says—the Second Class Marshall still shows no fear of taking the plunge. “This is going to be awesome,” he grins...
Noonan’s dream is deferred four hours due to overcast skies. He waits in the backyard of the skydiving center, looking wistfully at the landing strip he hopes to hit on his way down. Finally, the skies clear and up Noonan goes in a six-person jet, sporting a full bodysuit, a Harvard T-shirt and an extra pair of shorts to ward off the possibility of chafed legs...
After a 15-minute ascent in the cramped six-person plane, the pilot levels off at 10,000 feet and looks for a two-mile stretch of cloudless sky through which Noonan can jump. When suitable sky is located, a professional skydiving instructor attaches himself to Noonan’s back with a network of straps and four metal clamps strong enough to tow a car. When Noonan says he’s ready, the instructor leans off the edge—and down they...