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Livingston Pangburn in an undated, submitted photo

(Submitted photo)

AMHERST — A 22-year-old Newton native killed in a weekend bicycle crash near the Amherst College campus was remembered Monday as an artist who had a soft spot for animals and a contagious smile.

Livingston I. H. Pangburn, most recently of Granby, died Sunday of injuries sustained in a collision with a truck that was turning onto a campus road near the corner of Dickinson and College streets. Mary Carey, communications director for the Northwestern District Attorney's Office, said Pangburn was bicycling east on College Street (Route 9) at the time of the crash, reported around 4 p.m.

The unidentified driver, who was not injured, stayed at the scene after the crash, Carey said. Pangburn was pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

The accident remains under investigation by the Amherst Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, and state police detectives attached to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office.

Amherst police on Monday afternoon referred questions about the case to the Northwestern District Attorney's office. Carey, reached by phone Monday afternoon, said she had received no further updates on the investigation, including information about whether any citations were issued.

Given the name Olivia at birth, Pangburn more recently adopted the name Livingston and was widely known by the nickname 'Liv,' said his partner, Michaela Schwartz.

Schwartz, who lived with Pangburn in Granby, said Pangburn was a 2009 graduate of Newton North High School who went on to study sculpture at Hampshire College, with plans to graduate in May 2014.

Schwartz described Pangburn as "one of the greatest humans of this century" – a kind, gentle artist with a love for animals ("anything alive, really," she added) and an interest in ending injustice in the world.

"He loved to ride his bike, drink good coffee, enjoy the beautiful outdoors, and draw," Schwartz wrote in an email Monday. "His heart was full and giving, and he brought joy to the lives of all of the people that loved him."

"His smile was contagious," Schwartz added.

For a time, Pangburn maintained an active presence on YouTube, uploading videos of original songs performed on guitar and vocals; spoken word poems; and video diaries on a number of topics. In a November 2009 video, Pangburn offered a heartfelt reflection on the news that a friend's father had received a terminal cancer diagnosis.

In addition to Schwartz, Pangburn leaves a twin sister, Margaret, of Amherst; a mother, Claudia W. Hoover, of Newton; and a father, David A. Pangburn, of Harvard. Pangburn's brother, Nathaniel A. H. Pangburn, died in February at the age of 26.