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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 1, 2006 Campus community schedules memorial for SOU student, 24 By JENNIFER SQUIRES for the Mail Tribune Southern Oregon University will host a memorial service today for a 24-year-old physical education senior and track star who died Jan 22. The service for Nicholas Ryan Hanson, is scheduled for 1 to 2 p.m. in the Rogue River Room on the ground floor of the Stevenson Union. Hanson died from an apparent overdose of over-the-counter medications, according to the Jackson County medical examiner. He had also been shocked by a Taser stun device used by Ashland police officers who received a 9-1-1 call from Hanson’s mother in Bend, concerned about her son’s mental state. The medical examiner ruled out the shock as a cause of death. Friends and family remember Hanson as a kind-hearted guy with a great smile. "He was just a good guy," said Nick Baron of Portland, Hanson’s best friend in high school. "He had good character, was a good person ... just all around, somebody you would want as a teammate, a co-worker." Advertisement "Nick was one of those people who everyone on campus, they couldn’t say a bad thing about him," said Sammy Calterbos, a nursing student and Hanson’s best friend in Ashland. Hanson was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Ron and Joni Hanson adopted him when he was 8 years old. "Nick always had a sparkle in his eye," Joni Hanson said. "Everybody loved his smile." Always an athlete, Hanson played soccer as a youngster, tried basketball, then turned to track and field when he was cut from the high school hoops team. He lettered in both track and cross country at Mountain View High School in Bend. Hanson spent two years competing for Boise State University and placed seventh at the 2001 Western Athletic Conference high jump meet while on the team. He transferred to SOU in 2003 and earned NAIA All-American status in the triple jump by placing eighth at the national meet in 2004 and sixth in 2005. The two-time Cascade Conference champion posted the second-longest triple jump in school history (49 feet, 5 inches) during his junior year. Hanson also competed in the long jump and high jump at SOU. This year, he was an assistant coach for the Raiders while he finished school. "Things came difficult for him, but he was a survivor and he just pushed and pushed himself to do things, so we always looked up to him," Joni Hanson said. Hanson is survived by his parents and siblings, Jack, Angie and Amy. His family held a memorial service for him in Bend on Saturday. Jennifer Squires is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. She can be reached at 482-3456 or [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement