Friends and family remembered Kirkland House resident Dominic J. Armijo '95 yesterday as an energetic, upstanding person with a ready smile.

"He was a tremendous kid," his father, Frank, said by phone from the family's home in Boulder, Colo. "He loved Harvard."

Armijo was born in St. Louis on August 20, 1973, and the family later moved to Boulder.

He was writing a thesis in government and had participated in activities ranging from ethnic organizations to the Kirkland House committee.

"He was always interested in athletics," Frank Armijo said. "He played baseball his freshman year. He really liked the [Boston] Red Sox and the [Colorado] Rockies."

Friends said that Armijo's enthusiasm and leadership qualities made him a notable figure in his activities and in Kirkland House.

"He was a great leader...very good at helping younger kids, especially midshipmen," said Duane Lawrence '95, a classmate and fellow ROTC participant. "Everyone respected him."

Armijo was to be the future company commander of the Harvard-Tufts Navy ROTC unit. He looked forward to becoming a second lieutenant midshipman upon graduation, according to his ROTC advisor, Major Daniel S. Rogers.

"He was a determined young man," Rogers said. "He intended to stay [in the Marines] for some time.... He actually wanted to be an infantryman."

Rogers described Armijo as "a good man, sincere and concerned about his work and his performance."

Frank Armijo said his son was thinking about going to law school after a stint in the Marine Corps.

Friends remembered Armijo for what they called his steadfast integrity and his warm, inclusive manner.

"Dom was someone who an outsider couldn't easily have characterized as a 'ROTC guy.' He had a lot of close friends and admirers on campus from all different walks of life," said Nicholaas V. Peterson '95, a friend.

"He was funny, sincere, very outgoing and gregarious," Peterson added. "He was upstanding and cordial to everyone."

"His loyalty to friends was faultless, his drive for excellence motivated and inspired me," said Christopher B. Dewing '95. "Dom was the first friend I made at Harvard and the last I expected to lose."

Armijo's open-mindedness and sensitivity affected more than one student.