Manuel “Manny” LaFont, a class of 1991 marketing alumnus, is one of five people confirmed dead in the collapse of a Florida condo building.
A father of two, LaFont, 54, was a Houston native living in the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida, according to Miami-Dade County law enforcement. His remains were found Saturday night.
“Mr. Lafont studied marketing and business at the University of Houston and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree 1991,” said UH spokesperson Shawn Lindsey. “The breadth of this tragedy is tremendous and is being felt around the world by the friends and family of those who died as well as those who remain missing. Our thoughts are with all who have been effected by this incredible loss.”
LaFont attended Sharpstown High School and worked as a business consultant. Some of his high school classmates offered condolences, most particularly on Facebook.
He also coached his son’s local baseball team named after Houston’s own MLB team, the Astros.
His ex-wife Adriana LaFont picked up his two kids hours before the collapse and asked for prayers from friends and family in a Facebook post.
Update: A previous version of this story did not include the University’s statement.
