Mattei Ion Radu, 28, legal scholar

Mattei Ion Radu, 28, of Radnor, a legal scholar, died of complications from asthma and heart disease Friday, May 7, in New York City after dining with friends.

Mr. Radu was to receive a master's degree in law from New York University later this month. He earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree from Villanova University and a master's degree in international history from the London School of Economics.

From 2007 to 2009, he taught history and jurisprudence at Villanova.

He wrote articles on topics including the Soviet Union, the Cold War, and post-World War II German constitutional law, and they were published in the Villanova Law Review, the Southern University Law Review, the Campbell Law Review, and the University of St. Thomas Journal of Law & Public Policy. Another article is to appear in a forthcoming issue of the DePaul Law Review.

Mr. Radu was a graduate editor of the New York University Journal of Law & Business and an associate editor of the Villanova Sports & Entertainment Law Journal. He presented papers at conferences sponsored by the Vietnam Center and Archive at Texas Tech University and the University Faculty for Life.

Mr. Radu became active in the antiabortion movement while a student at Devon Preparatory School. He was president of American Collegians for Life, staff supervisor for Generation Life-Philadelphia, and president of Villanovans for Life. In March, he presented a paper at the International Youth Pro-Life Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

His other great interest was travel, said his mother, Donna Radu. He had journeyed through Eastern and Western Europe, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Mr. Radu grew up in Radnor in a musical family. His father, Valentin, a native of Romania, is a conductor, organist, and pianist, and his mother is a singer.

"While the rest of us wanted to talk about music, he wanted to talk about world history," his mother said. He read the most erudite books for pleasure, she added.

A runner, Mr. Radu had competed in the London half-marathon.

In addition to his parents, he is survived by brothers Luc and Andrei and grandparents Donald and Madeleine Collins.

A Funeral Mass will be said at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 12, at St. Katharine of Siena Roman Catholic Church, 194 S. Aberdeen Ave., Wayne.