In loving memory of Brook Cheuvront ’26

Brook Cheuvront ’26 will be remembered for her kindness, intellectual curiosity, and deep love of the natural world. She passed away on Saturday, September 21, in a hiking accident near Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. She was 20 years old.

Brook’s academic and professional pursuits were a testament to her passions and versatility. She expected to graduate with a major in English and comparative literature, a second major in philosophy, and a minor in astronomy. She loved creative writing and utilized Morehead-Cain’s Lovelace Fund for Discovery to meet one of her favorite authors, Jeannette Walls, and gain a perspective how she might merge her Appalachia identity and heritage with a professional career in writing. Brook was also deeply passionate about the environment and outdoors: she engaged in a research project at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, North Carolina, and worked at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center as a full dome theater navigator, technician, and rambler. She ran on the UNC Marathon Team and served as the community outreach coordinator for the UNC Society of Physics Students.

“Brook was the kind of scholar you dream about working with when you step into a job like this one,” said Morehead-Cain President Chris Bradford. “On eclipse day last year, Brook, working at the planetarium, enthusiastically taught my daughter and other young children about the sun and moon. And throughout her journey as a scholar, she wrote the most stunning reports about her experiences to our staff and to her peers.”

Friends shared that Brook’s passion for astronomy was infectious, and her ability to navigate the night sky and identify stars was mesmerizing. She was fascinated by the Southern sky while studying abroad in South Africa this year. Described as a “force of nature,” she was an inspiration to her peers and treated everyone with kindness.

Brook saw Carolina as bursting with opportunity. Brook’s first Morehead-Cain summer experience took her to the North Cascades, where she explored sweeping glaciers and snowfields with a group of motivated peers over three challenging weeks. The summer before her sophomore year, she and a group of fellow scholars worked with the Pikes Peak Community Foundation to evaluate and prioritize funding needs in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado Springs, Colorado. In the summer of 2024, Brook interned with Pat Fox ’02, a partner at Hunt & Fox LLP in Helena, Montana. During downtime, she went on many adventures, including taking a trip to Yellowstone National Park, traveling down the Missouri River, and attending a local art exhibit.

Brook was well known and much loved in her hometown in western North Carolina. At Avery County High School, the Newland, North Carolina, native served as the president and founder of the Environment Club, captain of the Science Olympiad team, and cross-country team captain. She was also a member of the marching band and the varsity soccer and track and field teams. She graduated as her school’s valedictorian in June 2022.

The Morehead-Cain community is heartbroken by the loss of such a bright light, but Brook will never be forgotten. Our love and support go out to her parents, siblings, extended family, and many friends.

Brook’s family and friends are establishing the Brook Cecilia Cheuvront Scholarship Fund to support college-bound students from Avery County Public Schools. Gifts to support the Brook Cecilia Cheuvront Scholarship Fund may be made via the Morehead-Cain Scholarship Fund here. On step three of the online giving process, you may note that your gift is made for the Brook Cheuvront Scholarship Fund. For questions on gifts to the scholarship fund, please contact David Greer at Morehead-Cain.