BOULDER, Colo.—The father of one of the Americans killed in the sinking of a Vietnamese tour boat says she was “every parent’s dream.”
Samantha Kay Taylor graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in May and had been teaching in China. Her boyfriend, CU student George Fosmire, survived but his father told The Associated Press that an unidentified friend they were traveling with also died.
Taylor’s father, Edward Taylor, lives in Norfolk, Va. In a statement given to Boulder’s Daily Camera newspaper, he said she had a great intellect but was well-rounded and very loving.
“Samantha was every parent’s dream,” Edward Taylor said. “She was such a sweet child. She had everything going for her. Everyone says this, but with my Samantha, this was so true: She was God’s gift.”
Taylor graduated with degrees in math and physics. She worked to promote recycling at the university’s environmental center. She also helped build an after-school program aimed at getting elementary and middle school students interested in in science.
Kat Potter, 22, a friend of Taylor’s from high school and college, told AP she had been in e-mail contact with Taylor over the past few months.
“She seemed to be having a good time traveling around Asia, teaching English to Chinese students. She’s just an incredibly intelligent, beautiful, amazing person,” Potter said.
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Information from: Daily Camera,
