A family and college campus are in mourning after a South Bend professor drowned at 2 p.m. Monday.

It occurred at Kirk Lake in Penn Township.

Police say Eugene Carpenter, 69, was launching his boat, when the boat suddenly drifted away. Carpenter drowned when he swam out to catch the boat.
Carpenter was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a flotation device.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.

Carpenter was a professor at Bethel College in Mishawaka. An email was sent out to the college faculty notifying them of his death.

He is being remembered as a well-known publisher and scholar who was a great voice for the school.

"Dr. Carpenter was an amazing man," said Stephen Gresso, a Bethel college student. "He had knowledge of ancient languages, that very few possess, and he was a huge asset to the Bethel community, and for me, as a mentor for my studies. He is going to be very missed by people on campus."

The school will honor Carpenter in some way, in the near future.