John Eckhold loved to talk about music.
"John and I would converse about what kind of music we liked," said Ric Shahin, a teacher at Midland High School, which Eckhold attended.
Eckhold, a 23-year-old psychology junior, was found dead in his home at Woodside Apartments, on the corner of Haslett Road and Woodside Drive, on Sunday. The cause of his death is still unknown and police are awaiting the results of a toxicology report.
Immediate family members couldn't be reached for comment, but Shahin said he remembers talking with Eckhold in the halls of the high school vividly.
"I remember him listening to all sorts of cool stuff I never heard of and I would listen to it on his Discman in the hallway," he said.
Shahin also called Eckhold's sense of humor "wickedly funny."
"He was one of those guys that had a style of humor all his own, and people laughed," he said. "Even teachers would laugh in class when they didn't want to be interrupted."
Shahin was Eckhold's middle school social studies teacher and would often run into him at high school and they would converse in the hallways when both Shahin and Eckhold moved to the high school level.
"Academically he began to grow and flower the further he got into his academic career," he said. "His family and friends knew him and treasured his company."
At MSU, Eckhold worked with the Ingham County Adolescent Diversion Project, a program that allows college students to mentor teenagers in the area.
"He worked with a delinquent as a one-on-one mentor," said Sally Grady, a psychology adviser who worked with Eckhold during his time at MSU.
Kathy Snyder, Eckhold's high school psychology teacher, said he exhibited a passion for the field even in high school.
"I remember distinctly him being very interested in psychology and being a very good student," Snyder said.
Snyder said most of all, she appreciated his sweet personality.
"He had a couple of real close friends," she said. "If he had something to say, he wasn't afraid to speak out."
She added he will be remembered by all who knew him.
"He was always a very, very, very nice person," she said. "I was devastated today."
