John L. Payne Jr., a 1990 SIUC English graduate, fell 300 ft. to his death while mountain climbing in Arizona.

Payne and his two friends, Marcus Plassman and Bruce McKinsey, were hiking up the Cochise Dome in the Dragoon Mountains considered a easy must do climb in climbing guides.

Payne’s friends rappelled from the top of the dome to a ledge about halfway down the cliff, where they waited to climb down the final leg of their descent.

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At about 4pm. the two men watched as Payne prepared to drop to the ledge where they waited.

Payne, originally from Decatur, tested the weight against the rope, began to release the line and started down.

In an article that appeared in the Arizona Daily Star, Marcus Plassman, one of the climbers, said Payne was doing fine until 15 feet down. He said after that it appeared that his rope came out of his rappelling device, then Payne fell.

Payne carried the second length of the rope the climbers needed for their final leg of their climb. The two men waited nearly 30 hours before they were rescued.

Payne’s body was not recovered until noon Tuesday.

Diann Depper, a graduate assistant in English and good friend of Payne, said Payne’s parents have requested that money be sent to the English department in his memory.

Depper said Payne was a very outgoing person.

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He was full of life, she said. He was also very bright and very talented.