NORFOLK, Va. — When News 3 first reported that Old Dominion University professor Dr. Kent Carpenter had been killed while on a research assignment in the Philippines, the comments quickly filled with former students sharing memories of the man they say inspired generations of marine biologists.
One of those comments led News 3 to Laurie Camp.
Camp first met Carpenter as a marine biology student at Old Dominion University in 2000 before later working alongside him in the university's biology department, helping care for his extensive fish collection.
When News 3 asked what went through her mind after learning of his death, she didn't hesitate.
"I logged in my computer and went to the news site, and there's this picture," Camp said. "When I read the story, I was shocked."Philippine police say Carpenter, 73, was killed Sunday night after three masked men forced their way into his home in the coastal town of Sibulan. Investigators say one of the suspects shot Carpenter in the head before the group fled with a laptop, cash and a backpack. Carpenter's companion was also injured but survived.
Old Dominion University President Brian Hemphill said in a statement that Carpenter's death "was the direct result of a violent act" and noted that the investigation remains ongoing.
Carpenter had spent nearly three decades teaching biological sciences at Old Dominion after joining the faculty in 1996. He was in the Philippines conducting research and preparing for his retirement, which had been planned for September.
Hemphill described Carpenter as a mentor whose influence stretched well beyond campus through his work with students, colleagues and the scientific community. He said Carpenter dedicated his career to expanding understanding of the world's oceans while protecting some of its most vulnerable ecosystems.
For Camp, Carpenter stood out because of the way he treated students.
"He was just a very gentle, very laid-back individual and made me feel very comfortable," she said. "He was always willing to go into the details and really sit with you and talk with you and get you through what he was trying to teach."
Camp said Carpenter's classes challenged students to think beyond textbooks.
"You have this image of what marine biology is," she said. "You learn both the good and the difficult, and he was very honest, open and honest about this."
She remembers Carpenter talking often about his research in the Philippines, where he worked to identify new marine species while documenting the effects climate change was having on coral reefs.
"He was able to... identify these species," Camp recalled. "At the same time, he worried because there might not be another species to be identified at the rate that they were disintegrating."
That concern for the oceans became a defining part of his teaching.
Camp said Carpenter encouraged students to appreciate how even the smallest marine ecosystems affect life around the globe.
"I think you'd see a bigger picture — something you wouldn't have seen before," she said. "He brought it together that this is something worthwhile saving."
After graduating, Camp returned to Old Dominion and worked alongside Carpenter in the biology department, cataloging and maintaining his expansive fish collection. She said he never seemed too busy to answer questions.
"I probably had a million questions for him," she said. "He would take the time, even though I knew he was busy, and explain what I was looking at."
She also remembers Carpenter's sense of humor. One day, she wore a T-shirt featuring fish from the Pacific Ocean after returning from a Caribbean cruise.
"He never let me live it down," she said with a laugh, recalling how Carpenter pointed out that the fish on the shirt didn't belong in the Caribbean.
Those are the moments she says she'll remember most.
"I think if anything lives on," Camp said, "it's that enthusiasm and that passion."
Philippine authorities continue to investigate Carpenter's killing and have not announced any arrests or a possible motive.
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