I wish I had told Austin how much I admired him. Even though I didn't know him well, I could tell he was an incredible person. Even for those of us who didn't know him very well, it was clear how great his potential was and that he was going to do great things. My prayers are with his family and the friends who knew him best.
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The world did not get enough time to know the great things Austin Hudson-LaPorehad to shared. My thoughts are with him, his family, and those who knew him best. May he live on in those who love him.
Austin, my dear friend, you will be sorely missed. Always cheerful, always kind. Thank you for touching my life.
May you rest in peace. Austin was one of my greatest teachers, despite being thirty years younger than most of my other teachers. Unlike for me, being "too busy" was never an excuse for him to not mentor and inspire younger Science Bowlers. It has been an honor to have such a charismatic, benevolent, passionate, intelligent friend; he'll always remain dear to my heart and the hearts of all who have been graced by his presence. Rest in peace, Austin Hudson-LaPore.
Austin, It was such a pleasure to have you in the house and as a part of our community. You came to "Hot Drinks" and sat in our living room almost every week and could talk about anything from chemistry to sports. You were always good for lively discussion, always comfortable to be around and always so helpful. Even when you moved out of the house you were still here, still visiting your friends and still game for anything. You were loved and now we have to lay you to rest far sooner than we would have imagined. Thank you for being such an incredibly great person and for reminding us to cherish what we have. Goodbye, Austin Hudson-LaPore, rest peacefully.
Austin, I have so much respect for you and you will be missed dearly.
A year ago and after moving into our first apartment, my roommate and I went grocery shopping for ourselves for the first time. I pointed how new we were to doing this for ourselves and how obvious that must have been to the other shoppers. We were the stereotypical college students used to dining hall food and the cooking at home, unused to and inexperienced with living on our own. He found this especially hilarious, laughing uncontrollably, which, as I pointed out, must have made it even more obvious. Somehow, we survived that summer.
This is one of many memories I will always cherish. Rest in peace, Austin Hudson-LaPore. Austin, I will always remember your constant smile and curious mind in the AA classes we shared. You were definitely one of the brightest students to ever walk the Academy brick path, and you will be greatly missed. Que descanses en paz.
Second year, I decided to go on one of the Pierce trips to a White Sox game. I had never been to a Chicago baseball game before and thought I'd cross it off the list.
On the bus ride to the game, I met Austin. I'm not sure how we got to talking, but when he learned that I knew practically nothing about baseball he made it his mission to teach me. During the 2+ hour game, he answered all of my questions with a smile-- explaining everything from what all the stats meant on the board to the history behind a player who was being booed as he came up to bat. That night, as most Chicago nights are, it was quite cold. We all huddled under a blanket, ate hotdogs, and enjoyed the game. I couldn't tell you if the Sox won or lost that night-- all I remember is laughing and talking with everyone. Specifically, Austin. He was very easy to talk to. His laugh was genuine and his words were sincere. He was very passionate. He was very patient. He was very bright. We kept talking as we made our way back and it turned out he knew the town I was from. This was the first time someone from UChicago had heard of Terre Haute, IN. Strangely enough, he even knew my high school and asked if I knew a particular student who went there. I certainly did-- it was my boyfriend. Austin laughed and commented that it's a small world. It turns out they competed against each other in Science Bowl nationals. He talked about him fondly and asked me to tell him he hoped he was doing well. I did. And that's the last thing I remember about that night. Thanks for teaching me about baseball, Austin. Austin and I would take walks around campus, talking about our classes, our relationships, our research, and our plans for the future. It was our way of getting to know each other better, since we usually talked about other things at lunch. The last walk we took together was a relatively short one toward the end of spring quarter. I had spotted a turtle near Botany Pond on my way to inorganic chemistry, and suggested to him that we try to find it after class. First we searched the bushes near the main gate, and then we tried the pond itself. We discovered no fewer than red eared sliders, ranging from small adolescents to large adults. I told Austin that when I was younger I had wanted to be the next Crocodile Hunter. I don't remember how he responded. We watched as two of the turtles swam on top of lily pads and rested there, supported by the plants. We laughed when a big turtle tried to rest but was too heavy for the pads to hold it up. Eventually one of us had to go: either I had to get to lab, or he had to get back to his apartment (this was usually how our walks and lunches ended). We usually said goodbye in the following way: I would grin and say "well, see you around," and then he would grin and say, "yeah, see you around," and then we'd go our separate ways.
I never said this to him the last time I saw him, because we were taking a final for our Topics in Biochemistry class. He always showed up for tests just before they started, because he studied right up until he took the test and he couldn't study productively in the classroom. On the day of the Biochem final, he showed up just before the test was scheduled to start, as usual. We initially were quite worried because Marie hadn't shown up yet, but then I remembered that she took her final early. I asked him a couple of questions about the material to pass the time and review a little, but we were both feeling good about the test. When the final finally arrived and we got the test, we started it without saying anything to each other. He was still working on his test when I finished, and I was exhausted and didn't want to disrupt the class, so I just left. I prefer to think of the turtle pond walk as our last good friend time. |
AuthorCollecting stories so that everyone can see who Austin Hudson-Lapore was to each of us. Archives
June 2016
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