To the Astros family: As you may know, we suffered a terrible loss last week with the sudden passing of Alex Hero, our media relations intern and friend. We are sending this email to let everyone know how special and truly unique Alex was.
About Alex
Alex was an energetic, bright young man that seemed to have a constant smile on his face. He loved the game of baseball and often relayed how much he enjoyed working for the Astros. Over time, we came to appreciate the candor, intellect and enthusiasm that he brought to the office every day. He was passionate about baseball, but also about many other things. Alex was outspoken in his social and political views and enjoyed discussing both. He cared about people and had the desire to help those in need. He could also be fun and entertaining and always had us laughing.
In his 23 years, Alex accomplished a great deal. While attending the The Hill School, he was Class President, winner of the Award for Excellence in Leadership and captain of his soccer and baseball teams. A 2014 graduate of Amherst College, Alex helped lead the Amherst baseball team to four record-setting seasons. In November, he applied to the prestigious Columbia School of Journalism, to which he no doubt would have been accepted.
Below is a paragraph from a letter Alex sent to Columbia about his experiences as an Astros intern:
"I love it here. My mother was a professional athlete, so sports are in my blood. This ballpark, sixteen hundred miles away from my apartment in New York City, feels like home. Sports have brought me joy and pain. They have been cathartic and maddening. I believe it is now my turn to use my love of sports to give back to society."
This was truly a brilliant and impressive young man. While his life ended much too soon, we are thankful that we had the opportunity to know him. In a very short period of time, he touched all of us. Sadly, we must now say goodbye to our colleague and friend. We do so realizing that we are all better off having known him.