Alumnus Gave Life for Country on Mission in Iraq
03/15/2021
Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 978-758-4664 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4994 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell will honor one of its graduates through the 10th anniversary Chris Sullivan 5K run in May. Any participant interested can take part between May 1 and 9, and those who register by March 26 will receive a commemorative medal while supporting student veterans pursuing their education at UMass Lowell.
The event is being presented by Sigma Phi Omicron, lead organizer Adam Hogue ’03, the Alumni Office and the Office of Veteran Services at UMass Lowell.
The annual 5K is held in honor of Capt. Chris Sullivan, a Princeton native who graduated from UMass Lowell in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. While attending the university, he became a member of Sigma Phi Omicron.
Interested in the military from an early age, Sullivan became a member of the Civil Air Patrol at age 12 and rose to the rank of cadet commander his senior year of high school, following a long line of family involvement in military service. He received his commission in the U.S. Army in 1999. His early military assignments included Kosovo and Germany, where he met and married his wife, Sandra.
In January 2004, Sullivan was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Two highlights of his time in Iraq were a telephone call placed from Fallujah, Iraq to the United States on Veterans Day 2004, arranged by the Shirley American Legion. Sullivan spoke through loudspeakers to a group of citizens, which included his parents, who had gathered in Whitely Park to celebrate the occasion. He closed by saying: “Be proud of your sons and daughters who are fighting here to keep America safe…from those who wish us harm.”
The second highlight for Sullivan came from receiving his first command, that of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Calvary Regiment, 1st Calvary Division on Jan.10, 2005. He was cherished and respected by both the soldiers and officers under his command.
On Jan. 18, 2005, just two weeks from his scheduled return home, while on a patrol of suspicious activity at a nearby bridge in Baghdad, Sullivan lost his life when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated.
He is survived by his wife and son, David; his parents, Dorothy and Jim Sullivan; and his two sisters, Jennifer and Amy. Sullivan is remembered for his quick smile, amazing sense of humor, his generous and giving spirit, his sense of responsibility to duty and honor, and his deep love of family and country. More on Sullivan can be found at http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/cjsullivan.htm.
To register for the event, please go to the Alumni website.
UMass Lowell is a national research university offering its more than 18,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu