GROSSE POINTE WOODS, Mich. – Grosse Pointe North High School principal Kate Calabresa Murray hoped that the Craig Spencer being treated for Ebola was not the student who attended her school.
"I heard the name and I Googled it because I was hoping that I wouldn't recognize the picture, and I recognized his smile and his face immediately," she said.
Murray said Spencer played hockey and lacrosse. He was a member of the National Honor Society, which promotes community service.
"He was such a selfless leader and so positive, so energetic," said Murray.
Spencer graduated from North in 1999, then from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in 2008. He currently works at New York Presbyterian Hospital. He was willing to travel great distances and take great risks to help others.
"Very proud of his service," said Liisa Bergmann, who attended high school with Spencer.
Bergmann also is a physician.
"I'm not surprised whatsoever that he became a physician, that he joined Doctors Without Borders, or MSF as they're also known, and that he went to provide care for Ebola patients," she said.
Spencer's uncle, Arnold Spencer of Royal Oak, praised his nephew as a humanitarian.
"He's a wonderful person and a great humanitarian. We are praying for him. He's in good hands and I have no doubt that he will pull through," said Arnold.
Spencer is being treated by fellow doctors in New York. He is engaged to be married and his fiancee is in quarantine for now.