Nilanjan Banerjee JGSM ’06 passed away last semester on Nov. 26, his 26th birthday. He died of cardiac arrest. His funeral was held on Dec. 1, in his hometown of Ottawa.
Banerjee earned an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth in computer science and economics in 2001, after which he worked for Microsoft as a program manager.
Robert Swieringa, the Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean of the Johnson Graduate School of Management, wrote in an e-mail to JGSM that Banerjee was an “outstanding student and a loving friend.”
Swieringa praised Banerjee’s “enthusiasm, great energy, talent, and wonderful humor.”
While at Cornell, Banerjee wrote for the Cornell Review and Cornell Business. At Dartmouth, he had written for the Dartmouth Review. His classmates remembered his intelligence and conviction, as well as his sense of humor.
They also noted his penchant for traveling, which took him from his Canadian home to Dhaka, Jakarta, New Delhi, Concord, Hanover and finally Ithaca. All told, Banerjee visited 37 countries and 36 states.
A memorial service at Cornell is planned for this month, although Simeon Moss ’73, deputy director of Cornell News Service, said he was unsure if an exact date had been set. He did say, however, that a community support meeting would be held tonight at Risley Living Center.
Students affected by Banerjee’s passing are urged to contact Janet Shortall at Cornell United Religious Work at 255-4214 or Counseling and Psychiatric Services at 255-5208.
Archived article by Michael Morisy
Sun Senior Writer