He excelled in swimming and later played football and baseball. As a teenager in Roswell, Maxwell Raymond Gruver volunteered as a coach for younger kids.
“Max was very lovable. He cared a lot about people,” Eugene Gruver, Max’s grandfather, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He was bright, he was intelligent. He was so talented. He knew all about sports.”
Max Gruver planned to combine those loves with his writing talent and study journalism at Louisiana State University, where the freshman planned to join a fraternity. But Thursday morning, Gruver died at a Baton Rouge hospital. He was 18.
Preliminary tests showed a highly elevated alcohol level, though an official cause of death has not been determined. Gruver also had THC — the chemical found in marijuana — in his urine, the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office said. No external or internal trauma was found on Gruver's body. Additional testing could take up to four weeks to complete, the coroner's office said.
Gruver’s death is being investigated as a possible hazing incident, LSU’s president and police department said. Until there are answers, President F. King Alexander suspended all Greek activities, and the Phi Delta Theta national office suspended the LSU chapter.
“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Gruver family, and all who knew Maxwell, during this very difficult time,” said Bob Biggs, executive vice president and CEO at Phi Delta Theta headquarters in Ohio. “We’re committed to investigating this situation thoroughly. The chapter and any individuals who are found to have violated our policies will be held accountable.”
Gruver was a Phi Delta Theta pledge, the chapter said.
“We are investigating this matter with the utmost seriousness,” Alexander said. “As we have continually warned, hazing is dangerous and unacceptable. It will not be tolerated at LSU. Period.”
Though most states have anti-hazing laws, an estimated 3 in 5 college students are subjected to hazing, according to the StopHazing group, which promotes safe campuses.
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Back in Roswell, family and friends grieved the sudden loss of the recent Blessed Trinity High School graduate. Eugene Gruver, who lives in Pennsylvania, made the trip in May to see his grandson accept his diploma.
“He was so happy,” the grandfather said. “He stayed with us that night, too. He didn’t even go out with his buddies. That’s the kind of kid he was.”
He said his grandson was very excited to get accepted to LSU and posted pictures of himself on social media holding the official letter.
One of his favorite memories is of Max as a toddler pretending to drive his grandfather’s new Mercedes.
“I was visiting with Max; he was 2,” Gruver said. “He liked to stand behind the steering wheel. He was acting like he was driving.”
Once, with the little boy in his lap, Eugene Gruver said he put the car in neutral in a safe area and leaned back, surprising Max’s parents.
“It looked like he was driving the car,” the grandfather said.
This weekend, Eugene Gruver will again make the trip to Roswell. But this time it will be to attend his beloved grandson’s funeral.
Max Gruver is also survived by his parents and a younger brother and sister.
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