Brian James, 22, died this weekend in a snowmobiling accident in Aroostook County – doing what he loved, in a place he loved.

“He was most comfortable outside – kayaking, hiking – and loved being up to camp with his friends and family,” said Kristin Ireland, a friend of James and a UMaine student.

“The outdoors is where I want to be. I am from Presque Isle, and yes, I am a county boy and proud of it,” James wrote on his Facebook.

Family and friends were his No. 1 priority, but his kindness spread into the entire community.

“He would honestly do anything for anyone and was always there to help,” said Megan Sturgeon, a friend of James.

“Brian’s heart did not only extend to his family and friends. He once said to me, ‘Nobody wants to be hated because of their personality or actions. I think everyone deserves a second chance.’ Such a statement is symbolic of how he treated everyone,” Ireland said.

James was often captured smiling in photographs. He had a broad grin, encompassed by his round, rosy cheeks. His blond hair, kept in a short, military-style cut, peeked out from the baseball cap he often wore in his pictures.

A third-year student majoring in Public Administration, he was an accomplished student and soldier.

He was a senior airman in the 101st Security Forces, stationed in Bangor. Enlisting in the Air Force in 2005, the same year he graduated high school, James balanced school and his career with equal enthusiasm.

He was a distinguished graduate from his Security Force Apprenticeship Course. He also received awards for marksmanship and the Maine State Academic Achievement Award.

“He was an exceptional student at the military course he attended and at the University of Maine,” said Capt. Shannon Cotta of the Maine National Guard.

Cotta said James held an important position at the Bangor base. Because most military aircraft flows through Maine on foreign deployments, security is crucial. His division was also trained in refueling military planes bound for Afghanistan and Iraq over the Atlantic Ocean.

“He played an important role safeguarding those activities,” Cotta said.

James carried this sort of commitment over to his schoolwork as well.

“He was a very good student. I remember him with a big smile, cracking a joke here and there,” said Tom Taylor, chair of the Public Administration department.

“We were just shocked when we heard about this. . We really feel sorry we’re missing a good man.”

His classmates remember him similarly.

When Marie Guignard transferred to UMaine from University of Maine at Presque Isle, she was worried about meeting new people.

“I always found something to talk about or usually laugh about when talking to Brian and my other classmates. My worries about being scared about being a new person on a new campus were soon over,” Guignard said.

“Statistics class just will not be the same, especially being able to laugh at certain things in class – like laughing about last week’s lecture on three-way Chi-squares.”

James also kept himself busy outside school and work.

He completed emergency medical technician training at Eastern Maine Community College and had plans to become a firefighter.

He hoped to be a border patrol agent or a Drug Enforcement Administration agent after graduation.

“His goals were never-ending,” Sturgeon said.

James, 22, was a third-year public administration student and a member of the Maine Air National Guard. He was from Presque Isle.

The accident occurred in Township 9, Range 7 in Aroostook County, about seven miles from Ox Falls.

The wardens were notified shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday, but the accident happened at approximately 11:45 p.m. Saturday, according to Ward.

James fractured his neck and died on impact when the snowmobile he was driving left the trail and struck a large birch tree. “He was traveling a little too fast for the conditions,” Ward said. “… We have snow banks probably a couple feet high, and it appears he just got over to the right a little bit, and the corner probably came up on him a little too quickly, and he wasn’t able to negotiate it.” James was wearing a helmet.

James was snowmobiling with Cad Lavway, 22, also of Presque Isle. Lavway passed the scene of the accident without noticing it and continued to the family’s camp. When Lavway discovered James was not already at the camp, Lavway and two other men from the camp searched for him.

When James was found, the search team called the Warden Service. Four wardens, including Ward, responded, as well as Ashland Ambulance and Fire.

“He was a very good student,” said the chair of the Public Administration department, Tom Taylor. “I remember him with a big smile, cracking a joke here and there. … We were just shocked when we heard about this.”

James was taken to Duncan Graves Memorial Home in Presque Isle.

University of Maine student Brian James died from the result of a neck fracture in a snowmobile accident Saturday night, according to Sgt. Tom Ward of the Maine Warden Service.

James, 22, was a third-year public administration student and a member of the Air Force Reserve. He was from Presque Isle.

The accident occurred in Township 9 Range 7 in Aroostook County, about seven miles from Ox Falls. The wardens were notified shortly before 1 a.m. on Sunday, but the accident happened at approximately 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, according to Ward.

James fractured his neck and died on impact when the snowmobile he was driving left the trail and struck a large birch tree. “He was traveling a little too fast for the conditions,” Ward said. “We do have some snow up here, we got some more yesterday. … We have snow banks probably a couple feet high, and it appears he just got over to the right a little bit and the corner probably came up on him a little too quickly and he wasn’t able to negotiate it.” According to Ward, James was wearing a helmet.

James was snowmobiling with Cad Lavway, 22, also of Presque Isle. Lavway passed the scene of the accident without noticing it and continued to the family’s camp. When Lavway discovered James was not already at the camp, Lavway and two other men from the camp searched for him.

When James was found, the search team called the Warden Service. Four wardens, including Ward, responded, as well as Ashland Ambulance and Fire.

“He was a very good student,” said the chair of the Public Administration department, Tom Taylor. “I remember him with a big smile, cracking a joke here and there … We were just shocked when we heard about this.”

James was taken to Duncan Graves memorial home in Presque Isle.

James was from Presque Isle and was in the Air Force Reserve.

The third-year public administration student broke his neck, according to Vice President for Student Affairs Robert Dana.

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