Gifts

MSEF raises funds each year through fundraising events and races that we put on. A portion of what is raised is earmarked as “gifts” to be given to athletes who wish to participate in our programs. To apply for a gift from MSEF, please email for an application at info@msefskiteam.org.

Memorials

Memorial of a fine young racer
A fine young man who grew up ski racing through MSEF programs has died in a hang gliding accident in 2005. Below is his memorial. Due to Jeremiah's love of ski racing, his family has suggested donations be made to Missoula Ski Education Foundation in his name.

A Celebration of the Life of
Jeremiah Kaiwiki Thompson
Feb. 21, 1973 – Sept. 3, 2005

“Ski racing used to be such a major part of my life. I think my family and friends may have been a little worried at how single- mindedly I pursued it. I don’t know what it was that drove me-probably the same thing that drives me to be so focused on my work today-but I think it was the first time I found something that I was both good at and I enjoyed. It’s funny, my coaches always told me that no matter how fast or slow I skied the most valuable thing I’d get from ski racing was the friendships and the memories, and of course they were right.”
                                                 Jeremiah Kaiwiki Thompson, 1999

BIOGRAPHY
Jeremiah was born on February 21, 1973, in Missoula, to Gray and Eloise Thompson. As a young boy, he lived in Missoula with his parents and his sister, Lili. He was a pre-schooler at Sussex School and attended Roosevelt and Willard grade schools. He loved to play soccer, build things, and day-dream. His greatest passion, however, was skiing. He was a member of the Missoula Ski Education Foundation ski racing team, placing well in local and national junior races. In high school, Jeremiah moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, to attend Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School and to ski for the Rowmark Ski Academy. He was thrilled when he earned a spot on the US Ski Team, putting off college for a year. He then attended Dartmouth College, where he was a member of the Alpha Delta fraternity and was captain of the Dartmouth ski team.

While Jeremiah was an outstanding athlete, he was no slouch in academics. He was a National Merit Scholar and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics with a minor in physics. While at Dartmouth, he was nominated for a Rhodes scholarship. After undergraduate school, Jeremiah attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, graduating with a master's degree in mathematics. He started in the PhD program in physics at Santa Barbara, but decided to join the commercial world of the dot.com boom in the late 1990's. He went on to work for a number of start-up companies as a software engineer. While living in California, he became an avid and skilled surfer and also learned to make great sushi.
In 2004, he moved to Chicago, where he was working as a financial engineer for Epiphany Capital Management at the time of his death. He enjoyed the challenge of his work, saying that he was able to use not only his math, physics, and computer skills but also the decision-making skills he developed as a ski racer. He had recently developed a love for hang gliding and was taking the last of a series of lessons when he and his instructor, who were flying tandem, were both killed. While we, his family, are so proud and are really quite amazed by Jeremiah's many accomplishments, we'll miss most his wonderful personality; his ability, even as a young person, to have affected so many people in a positive way; and his ability to include his friends in our lives and us in theirs. We could not have had a better son and brother. Survivors include his parents, Gray and Eloise Thompson, Missoula; his sister, Lili and her husband, Sam Panarella, and their son, Jordan, and two daughters, Sophia and Olivia; his grandmother, Vivian Choy-Hee of Hilo, HI; his aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended families of the Thompson family, the Choy-Hee family, and the Panarella family. Jeremiah is also survived by his special childhood friends, Tor and Francisca Winston and their parents, Don and Bente Winston, and many, many friends from Missoula and all over the world.

MEMORIALS
We encourage you to be creative and personal in thinking of ways to remember Jeremiah’s life. One friend has decided to continue a surf trip that he and Jeremiah were about to take, and to keep a journal about his thoughts. Perhaps you can think of other ways to remember Jeremiah. Here are some suggestions for those who would like to remember Jeremiah, the skier:
• In Missoula, you may make donations to MSEF (Missoula Ski Education Foundation), Jeremiah Thompson Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 7046, Missoula, MT 59807.
• In connection with the Dartmouth College Alpine Ski Team, you may send donations to: Dartmouth College, Jeremiah Thompson Memorial Fund, Dartmouth Ski Team, P.O. Box 9, Hanover, NH 03755. THANK YOU