Dante Silva
Dante Silva. Merely typing the name evokes a certain rapture. Mention the name Dante Silva to anyone who was ever a Duke East Term I contemporary and they will, without fail, tell you that he was undoubtedly the greatest TIPster ever to walk the face of the Earth. Some scientists speculate that he was actually a non-existent abstract form of the concept of "awesomeness", sent down by some higher being. If this was the case, it would explain why average humans all seem drastically dull by comparison; they're only human, whereas Dante was something more. Dante had a certain exuberance concerning life that was infectious, almost to a lethal point. He was frequently known to go into convulsions out of sheer euphoria.
In 2004, he came to TiP and graced the "Knights in Shining Armor" course with his presence, where he reputedly (accidentally) seduced his teacher and landed a date for a certain Saturday night. Dr. Song hasn't come back to East since; coincidence?! Others might regale you with the story of how his features bore a startling resemblance to the much celebrated good looks of Halle Berry. Others went so far as to say that Halle Berry based her look off of a doctor's sketched projection of Dante's maturity. His first year at TIP, Dante established a group of amazing friends and created what was called, "the cool gang". Known to hold meetings in "cooltown (bassett 309)", this group was very exclusive and was known for its crazy wild party on the last night when, after having lost his money on the first day, Dante found it lying at the bottom of his luggage and spent all 87 dollars he had on drinks, snacks, and other party necessities. The primary cool gang members were Julia, Geoff, Bob, Ridley, Rachel, and, of course, Dante. Mention the name Dante Silva to a TIPster, and they might regale you with how he single-handedly led the second years to beat the once-rigged Quadfest not once, but twice. While he only participated twice during his three years, none can disagree that he was the deciding factor in securing victory for Pegramites each time.
His second year at East, he took the "Existentialism and Beyond" course where he engaged in an ongoing unspoken contest with Dr. Benko to see who could drive the other insane first. It was called off because both were found to be clinically insane int the first place. Some might remember a certain "Back to Kindergarten Day" evening activity. After reliving his earlier years in a matter of hours, his inner child resurfaced. Unable to contain his energy, Dante ran (not walked) the length of his hall for forty-five minutes, while singing many popular tunes, before he could bring himself to stop, and even then, it was only to rehydrate. Many witnesses attest that they found themselves unable to stop themselves from having the time of their life; while many other TIPsters joined in his rambunctious antics that night, none managed to endure the full regimen of joy he set down. That night he got no sleep and at 4:12 AM, went to the commons where he waited...and waited...and waited...until at last he stopped someone one the way to do laundry at 5:45 and challenged them to various card games. In one run of blackjack, Dante won 14 hands in a row. While Dante was practically known by all at TIP, people really started to recognize him after the first dance, when he famously sported a fine Italian tuxedo and danced himself to incapacitation. From then on, Dante had, and upheld, a hefty reputation for being one of TIP's wildest dancers, but no Svusch by any stretch of the imagination. His odd dancing technique landed him recruited into the legendary IDT, whose membership was exclusive to the point that not even Chuck Norris could join when he asked nicely. Widely recognized as a slide fanatic, he could often be seen showing newcomers the ropes, or engaging in fierce hand-slapping action with Gwen the TA. But Dante's popularity stemmed not just from his wild and crazy mannerisms, more likely springing from his lack of discipline and autism. He showed a softer, more intellectual style when he recited a collection of poetry he had written during his "Social Psychology" class. Survivors of the initial reciting testified that they were moved to tears time and again, and one actually assaulted Dante when he said he was done. Known as Daring Dante to his classmates, he never failed to amaze with a personality that people found irresistible. Known for non-stop awesomeness and a serious radditude he refused to give up, Dante Silva was, and still is, the greatest person ever. Ever.