Adam Ringguth GS died early Wednesday morning under hospice care after spending months in intensive care.
Ringguth, who was 32, had been transitioning in and out of consciousness since late November, when he was found unconscious on the floor of his apartment, said Tim Harris P’03, professor of history and Ringguth’s dissertation adviser. Harris said doctors found a blood clot in Ringguth’s brain but added that it was not determined whether a head injury had led to the clot or if the clot had caused him to collapse.
Ringguth had been in the Intensive Care Unit at Rhode Island Hospital following his November injury until Monday, when he was put under hospice care at the Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island.
“It is my understanding Adam was conscious, and he made the decision to be moved into hospice care,” Harris said.
Ringguth remained under hospice care until he passed away Wednesday morning.
President Christina Paxson notified the community of his death in an email Thursday afternoon.
Ringguth was born in Saskatchewan, Canada. He graduated in 2002 from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor of arts in history and a minor in economics. Ringguth received the Charles W. Lightbody Convocation Prize in History for his work from his undergraduate career.
From 2002 to 2005, Ringguth was a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History. He studied early modern British history and received a masters of arts in history in 2003.
In 2005, Ringguth met with Harris, sharing the news that he had applied to Harvard Law School.
“I knew he was going to get in,” Harris said. “Given the background he came from, he was very humble. He told me, ‘I can’t turn it down.’”
Ringguth received a juris doctorate degree from Harvard Law School in 2008. He then moved on to work as a litigation associate at the law firm Jenner and Block LLP in Chicago.
“I never thought he would come back,” Harris said.
But Ringguth returned to Brown in January 2012 to finish his Ph.D. in history. He anticipated completing his dissertation by the spring semester of next year, according to a research proposal he wrote. Before his injury, he had planned to research and study in England during the current academic year.
Harris and Ringguth worked closely over the years, building a friendship outside of the department.
“After a lecture, we would go have a drink and discuss it,” Harris said. “He house-sat for me one summer when I was away. He loved my dogs.”
Harris said the entire department was shocked and saddened by Ringguth's passing.
“He always had a smile on his face. He was keen and talked with great passion about his interests,” Hariss said. “He was such a sweet man. … He just had a chirpy face.”
Harris said Ringguth's family decided to donate his “big book collection” to the graduate students in the department.
Members of Ringguth's family could not be reached for comment.
Harris noted though it is too early to decide on details, the history department is planning an event to honor Ringguth. “He was probably the brightest graduate student I’ve ever worked with in my 27 years at Brown,” Harris said.
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