At first glance, Vinny Maugeri was intimidating — tall and stocky with a big personality.

But then he’d crack a smile.

His infectious smile, and the bear hugs that often came with it, were what Maugeri was known for, said Isaac Chevron, Maugeri’s little in the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

“It could be in the middle of a party and Vinny would run up to you and give you the biggest hug,” said Chevron, a junior political science and public relations dual major. “Not just like a big hug, it’s almost like an aggressive hug where he’s hugging you so tight that you’re like ‘C’mon Vinny, stop, go away.’”

As much as he’d get mad at the time, those hugs are what Chevron will miss the most about Maugeri.

Vincent “Vinny” Maugeri, a senior biology major, died Thursday from injuries he sustained in a car accident on Oct. 14.

The news of Maugeri’s crash sparked a Facebook group titled #AllInForVin, where friends and family could share support and memories. Many members took the hashtag #AllInForVin further, adding it to their profile pictures with an orange and blue icon — with many of those profile pictures also featuring Maugeri himself.

James Franco, a junior political science and history double major, shares Maugeri’s hometown of New Hartford, New York — about an hour away from Syracuse University. One of their high school basketball teammates created the #AllInForVin profile picture icon. Franco said he didn’t think it would spread beyond his hometown.

But it didn’t stop there. More than 450 people joined the group as of Sunday at 2 p.m., with members coming from SU as well as New Hartford.

“I’ve never seen something started from the grassroots spread so quickly,” Franco said. “I think the response shows just how much he impacted this campus, as much as one student could.”

Meghan Leonard, the girlfriend of Maugeri’s brother, organized a crowdfunding drive using the hashtag, which has raised $4,433 as of 7 p.m. on Sunday. Leonard didn’t set a goal for the campaign to hit, rather she started the page as an outlet for people who felt like there was nothing they could do.

The family hasn’t decided what to do with the money yet, but are thinking about starting a scholarship. For now, it’s just a way for people to support Maugeri, who brightened so many lives.

“He’s the type of person who could light up an entire room just by smiling or just by walking in the room,” Leonard said. “The main things people remember most about him are his amazing hugs and his beautiful smile.”

In the week after Maugeri’s crash and now after his death, many have also shown their support in person. Franco visited Maugeri in the hospital, where friends, family and even freshman floormates were constantly streaming in and out.

Some had only talked to Maugeri in passing and some hadn’t spent time with him in months, Franco said. But they didn’t forget that no matter how boring or typical a situation was, Maugeri would make the most of it.

Ashley Grates, a longtime family friend, grew up on the same street as Maugeri. They went on family vacations together, always waking up before their families to get breakfast together and put it on their hotel room’s tab. He was always cracking one-liners, saying or doing something unexpected to get a laugh, Grates said.

“He made people laugh all the time, he was never super serious or mad about anything,” Grates said. “He’s always just happy and happy to be where he was and who he was with.”

Chevron remembers mattress shopping with Maugeri, his former roommate and his father. It didn’t seem like it would be an exciting trip, but the banter between Maugeri and his father made memorable, Chevron said.

“They’re arguing with each other in the middle of the mattress store … they’re talking to the guy selling us the mattresses as if they’ve known him for 20 years,” Chevron said. “It’ll honestly be ingrained in my head as one of the most fun days that I had here.”

Maugeri’s big smile and bigger personality turned mundane tasks — mattress shopping, an algebra class, a long car ride — into memories, friends of Maugeri said.

“You couldn’t not like him. Once he gave you that smile, it was over,” Franco said. “Anything and everything he did, he did it with a smile.”

Published on October 23, 2016 at 10:08 pm

Contact Kathryn: kjkrawcz@syr.edu | @kathrynkrawczyk