Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Junior Drowns in Potomac Boating Incident

A Georgetown junior drowned Friday morning after falling from a boat at a Southwest D.C. marina, university and law enforcement officials said Saturday.

According to a written statement released by the Metropolitan Police Department, the drowning occurred at 4:30 a.m. when Robert “Bobby” Tremain (MSB ’06) fell from a pleasure cabin cruiser as the boat was attempting to dock at the James Creek arina at 200 V Street, SW.

The boat was occupied by eight other people. When Tremain fell, a female passenger jumped in the water in an effort to rescue him, the statement said.

She was unsuccessful and the police were immediately called to the scene. Divers from MPD’s Harbor Patrol searched the area Friday morning but no body could be located.

Although an MPD police report released Wednesday identified a body found Tuesday at 6:25 p.m. near the Frederick Douglas Memorial Bridge as Tremain’s, the Chief Medical Examiner’s office said the identity of the body is unconfirmed.

An employee at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner who declined to state her name said Thursday that officials were waiting for results of a chest X-ray before confirming the identity of the body.

The incident remains under investigation by MPD. It is also unknown if alcohol consumption was a factor in the drowning. No criminal charges have been filed. According to friends of Tremain, all of the other people on the boat were George Washington University students.

Matthew Nehmer, a GWU spokesman, said that MPD officials had originally approached GWU university officials asking if Tremain was a student there.

“Once it was established that Mr. Tremain attended Georgetown, MPD did not ask us to provide them with any further information, nor did they provide us with any further information, including the names of the other passengers,” Nehmer said.

Todd Olson, Georgetown’s vice president for student affairs, notified the university community of the death in broadcast e-mail Saturday afternoon.

At a Saturday evening information session in the Village C Alumni Lounge, Olson said the university was mobilizing its resources to help Tremain’s friends and family in their time of grief. He said counselors as well as campus ministry officials are available 24 hours a day to provide services to those who may need them.

Olson said the university is currently deciding how best to memorialize Tremain’s life. He later said that a memorial service for Tremain is planned in his Michigan hometown for Monday. Georgetown may honor him with a memorial service next week, he added.

“In a case like this we consult with the family about their wishes. It is so terribly sad when we lose a member of our community,” Olson said.

Tremain’s immediate family including his parents Robert and Ann Tremain and his brother Brett, a Boston College freshman, came to Washington, D.C., after they were informed of the incident by university officials Friday.

A spokeswoman at the Michigan law firm where Tremain’s father works said that the family was unavailable to speak with reporters. A phone call to the Tremain family’s home went unanswered Thursday.

Friends of Tremain remember the 20-year-old junior as an ambitious, loyal and trustworthy companion.

Connor Hartley (MSB ’06), Tremain’s freshman year roommate, called him an exceptionally motivated and excited person.

“If he said he would do something, he would do it every time,” Hartley said. “He was a club promoter and loved music, especially hip-hop and rap. He just enjoyed having fun.”

Jenna Tysoe (MSB ’06) said she remembered Tremain’s laugh more than anything else.

“He was always laughing and he had the most distinctive laugh,” she said. “You could hear him everywhere.”

Tremain had ambitions to be a lawyer and work in his father’s law office. He also had a favorite car which he brought to campus with him. According to Tysoe he was “very specific about who he would let drive that car.”

Tremain was a goalie on Georgetown’s nationally ranked lacrosse team two years ago, during his freshman year. He was a First Team All-American as a senior at Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. He also founded the Entrepreneurs Club, an organization which raises money for the school.

“He was a quiet and steady student who was diligent and delightful,” said Charlie Shaw, the head of Cranbrook Kingswood’s upper school. “Bobby is going to be very, very missed. He was the ultimate example of an inspiring student athlete.”

Donate to The Hoya

Your donation will support the student journalists of Georgetown University. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Hoya