Peter Norman Curtin of Cambridge, Mass., and Wilmington, N.C., and formerly Princeton, N.J. and Chapel Hill, passed away while running the Baltimore marathon on Oct. 10.

He was born in Ridgewood, N.J. on Feb. 24, 1986. Peter was a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was awarded a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship.

Peter graduated from Princeton University in 2008, receiving a bachelor's degree in chemistry with highest honors. He received multiple awards, including the Robert T. McCay Prize, Malcolm H. Chisholm Inorganic Chemistry Prize and GPEC Solar Energy Innovation Award and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

Peter was valedictorian of the East Chapel Hill High School class of 2004 and president of the National Honor Society. He was goalie for the 2004 state champion East Chapel Hill lacrosse team, and was named All-American and All-State. He was also a member of the 2002 and 2003 state champion East Chapel Hill cross country team.

Peter is survived by his parents Michael and Anne, his brother Matthew, his sister Alison, and by all of his loving family and friends.

What we will remember most is what a wonderful, funny, thoughtful and caring person Peter was, something we will treasure forever -- a person who touched and benefited everyone who knew him.

A memorial service will be held at Princeton University Chapel on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 1:30 p.m., with reception to follow.

Peter's family has established the Peter N. Curtin, Class of 2008, Memorial Fund in his memory to support undergraduates in the Department of Chemistry at Princeton University. Donations may be made to "Princeton University" with the note "Peter N. Curtin, Class of 2008, Memorial Fund" and mailed to Helen Hardy, Princeton University, Alumni and Donor Relations, PO Box 5357, Princeton, NJ 08543.