Chicago bound- though the trip will be bittersweet as I remember the kindness and brilliance of Austin Hudson-LaPore. He touched so many of us along those 7 years together at the Academy. Rest in peace Austin.

I remember taking Calc with Austin Hudson-LaPore at The Academy. I have countless memories of him bouncing from desk to desk eagerly assisting his fellow student with their work. He was the kind of guy you wanted to be jealous of for his amazing intellect, but couldn't find it in you because of how sweet, kind and polite he was. He was beyond brilliant and had a beautiful smile that will forever be engraved in the minds of those who knew him. This terrible news is a loss for humanity. He had such a bright future ahead of him. My thoughts and prayers are with the Hudson-LaPore family. RIP Austin.

Austin, I have so much respect for you and you will be missed dearly.

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.

I offer my deep condolences to Laurie, Gregg, and especially Aidan, whom, like Austin, I worked with as college adviser here at Albuquerque Academy. Austin so clearly knew his mind in the college process, and was so easy to work with. In the end, his decision came down to two colleges, one of which would be a challenge for him personally, and the other being University of Chicago. Although intrigued with the personally challenging option, in the end, Austin could not ignore the allure of Chicago, it was so right for him. “It is who I am,” he told me once. And he was right. I am so glad I got to see Austin on campus in May of 2012 when I visited UChicago for a counselor program. He was clearly happy to be in his element.
As the scary, and then very sad news came in, I was attending a program called College Horizons on the island of Hawaii. The program assists Native American and Native Hawaiian students in the college application process. We do work in small groups of students with five faculty members. Included in my small group, amazingly enough, was Andrea Mondragon, our New Mexico admissions representative for UChicago. Together Andrea and I worried, and then grieved.
The last day of the program the whole group of faculty and students climbed a nearby mountain, Pu'u Hoku'ula. At the top, Andrea and I talked about Austin, and how he would have loved that climb. He would have been amazed to look over Hawaii’s majestic mountains on one side, and the ocean on the other. He would have been fascinated at how fast the temperature and visibility shifted from moment to moment. 
As we held each other and mourned, and cried, a group of the Native Hawaiian students lined up at the summit and began to sing, “Oli Mahalo,” a Hawaiian song of thanks. The last lines were translated for me as “Gratitude, admiration, thanks, and love—To all who are present, both seen and unseen.”
I leave you with a photo of those students singing, and with gratitude, admiration, thanks, and love for Austin’s memory.

I offer my deep condolences to Laurie, Gregg, and especially Aidan, whom, like Austin, I worked with as college adviser here at Albuquerque Academy. Austin so clearly knew his mind in the college process, and was so easy to work with. In the end, his decision came down to two colleges, one of which would be a challenge for him personally, and the other being University of Chicago. Although intrigued with the personally challenging option, in the end, Austin could not ignore the allure of Chicago, it was so right for him. “It is who I am,” he told me once. And he was right. I am so glad I got to see Austin on campus in May of 2012 when I visited UChicago for a counselor program. He was clearly happy to be in his element.
As the scary, and then very sad news came in, I was attending a program called College Horizons on the island of Hawaii. The program assists Native American and Native Hawaiian students in the college application process. We do work in small groups of students with five faculty members. Included in my small group, amazingly enough, was Andrea Mondragon, our New Mexico admissions representative for UChicago. Together Andrea and I worried, and then grieved.
The last day of the program the whole group of faculty and students climbed a nearby mountain, Pu'u Hoku'ula. At the top, Andrea and I talked about Austin, and how he would have loved that climb. He would have been amazed to look over Hawaii’s majestic mountains on one side, and the ocean on the other. He would have been fascinated at how fast the temperature and visibility shifted from moment to moment.
As we held each other and mourned, and cried, a group of the Native Hawaiian students lined up at the summit and began to sing, “Oli Mahalo,” a Hawaiian song of thanks. The last lines were translated for me as “Gratitude, admiration, thanks, and love—To all who are present, both seen and unseen.”
I leave you with a photo of those students singing, and with gratitude, admiration, thanks, and love for Austin’s memory.

I had just graduated from Albuquerque Academy and was preparing to enter my first year at the University of Chicago. I received a message from an Academy graduate, also at UChicago, Austin. I didn’t know him very well when we were in high school, but this didn’t stop him from giving me the most thorough account of what life at UChicago I had received. More than the brochures, or college reps, or the on-campus tour guide, it was Austin who helped me to feel acclimated at my new school. He made this new experience so much more approachable, so much less daunting. In this critical transition, Austin was my greatest resource. It was his witty answers and thoughtful advice that eased my fears. After a particularly long email, after telling me to continue asking whatever questions I liked, he said this: “But then again, what will the suspense be when you arrive? You'll already know everything about this place!” It made me smile, this great wit and kindness. You were such a bright light in the lives of so many, Austin. You will be missed.

I had the great pleasure of teaching Austin Multivariable Calculus during his senior year at the Academy. I had just revamped the course and picked a new textbook, and it was a bit of a rough year for most of the students in the course. But Austin nailed it. He clearly loved learning the math, and boy did he do that well. I can remember the charmingly puzzled look he would always get when he asked a question about something really difficult, and the intensity with which he would dive back into his work after having figured it out. I also remember his unfailing graciousness and kindness. He seemed incapable of negativity.
I was glad that I saw him a few times since he graduated--it was great to hear about how he was doing. It saddens me greatly that he will not be able to fulfill his exceptional promise. My heart goes out to all of his family and friends.

Laurie, Gregg, Aidan,

words cannot express the deep sorrow I feel for you and all of us who knew and loved Austin. Teaching and learning with Austin in 6th grade drama class was always the best of times. I remember his smiles, his laughter, his zest for life and the way he flung himself into every task, every conversation, every activity. He is a treasure who will remain in my heart.  

Well, I was in the grades between Austin's and his sister, Aidan's, at Albuquerque Academy. I can't say I ever really knew Austin, but I'd seen him around a lot and, as a friend of Aidan's and her whole friend group in the grade below us, my heart just froze when I read that a boy in Chicago with the last name of Hudson-LaPore went missing. This particularly jump-started my heart because just the week prior, a friend of mine from Coe College (where I am currently) who lives in Chicago had posted about the police digging out a human limb from the lake near her house. I cannot even express how worried I was to hear that Austin had gone missing, and I followed the story intently.

Dear Gregg, Laurie and Aidan:

I can't even imagine your pain and sorrow right now but please know that my heart and thoughts are with you. I hope that all these wonderful stories about Austin bring you some measure of solace.

As Charlotte Casey already mentioned, an enduring image of Austin for the Albuquerque Academy community is him charging up the path with his backpack in tow. I remember when I first saw him, he was brand new to the school in sixth grade, and I remember thinking "when did they start admitting third graders?" But it didn't take me long to discover that although he was small in stature, he was an intellectual giant.

This revelation first came later that school year when Austin and his teammates Ari, Ben and Ryan were crushing their much older competition at the New Mexico Regional Science Bowl Middle School Tournament. All four members of the team were exceptionally strong but Austin would ocassionally go on these runs where he would answer question after question correctly and just lock out the other team.

The team's astonishing prowess culminated when they placed second in the National Science Bowl Tournament in 2006. They came home with this giant trophy that I am certain was taller than Austin was at the time.

Although I never had the opportunity to teach Austin in the classroom, I continued to interact with him throughout his Academy tenure through Science Bowl and Science Olympiad. What shone through in all those years was his deep love of science. Good scientists must have a keen analytical mind, a burning curiosity, sharp observational skills and a passion to understand the natural world around them. Austin had all these attributes in spades. He was the kind of young man who genuinely enjoyed getting advanced science texts as birthday and Christmas gifts. He would often ask me questions about all aspects of chemistry that would keep me on my toes, requiring careful thought and ocassionaly additional research to answer properly. He inspired me to be a better science teacher.

Austin was serious about science, but he was also fun-loving, kind-hearted, humble and a good friend to many. He loved competition, whether in a tight science bowl match or in a killer game of Scrabble. He was always helpful and willing to lend a hand in any endeavor. Austin and his science bowl teammates spent many after school hours helping to train the next generation of science bowl competitors for Albuquerque Academy. I guess it worked because an Academy middle school team took down the national championship in 2010.

I have no doubt that Austin would have made outstanding contributions in science and that he would have continued to be a wonderful human being. His death is a tremendous loss to family, friends and community. He will be sorely missed.

Agustin Kintanar
Science Faculty
Albuquerque Academy