Sunday, October 24, 2004

Bowdoin College official killed in motorcycle crash 


By KELLEY BOUCHARD, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
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A Readfield man who was director of facilities at Bowdoin College was killed Saturday morning when his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck on Route 128 in Woolwich.

David D'Angelo, 46, was riding his 2000 Honda motorcycle home after a meeting at the college when he failed to negotiate a sharp curve at the top of a hill on River Road, said Cpl. Gregory Siegel of the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Department.

Siegel said D'Angelo was killed instantly when his motorcycle crossed the center line and collided head-on with a 2000 Toyota pickup driven by Irma Puckett, 74, of River Road in Woolwich. The accident happened around 11:40 a.m.

Siegel said no charges will be filed against Puckett, who was uninjured. He also said road conditions were good, Route 128 was recently repaved and there was no evidence that alcohol or drugs were involved in the accident.

News of D'Angelo's death shocked and saddened his colleagues at Bowdoin College.

Barry Mills, the college president, said D'Angelo was a talented, hard-working and dedicated employee and a friendly face on the Bowdoin campus. Mills lauded D'Angelo's oversight of the recent reconstruction of the college's chapel towers, which he described as "a hugely complicated and successful project."

"His efforts, and those of the people he supervised, are all around us," Mills said in a prepared statement. "Just last evening, Dave was on hand as the college proudly dedicated our newest academic building, Kanbar Hall - another testament to Dave and his staff."

A graduate of the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, D'Angelo joined Bowdoin's staff in May 1995 as assistant director of planning and construction. He was named associate director of facilities and director of maintenance and construction in January 2002. He was promoted to director of facilities management in September 2002.

Siegel said D'Angelo had ridden motorcycles for 27 years. During his investigation of the accident, Siegel said he learned that D'Angelo enjoyed driving on unfamiliar back roads and seeking new routes home. He was wearing a helmet and proper motorcycle attire at the time of the crash.

"He was an experienced rider," Siegel said. "Today, he took the wrong road."

D'Angelo leaves behind his wife, Alicia, and three young children.

Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at: