Drew Rainer was a constant in my Rhodes experience. I met him when I first got to Rhodes, and over the course of enough Sig Nu parties and Curb Institute work I was happy to call him a friend. This semester we had Astronomy and lab together, so I saw Drew at least four times a week, and we would often walk over together when we both parked in the Curb lot or ran into each other on campus. He was always friendly, and kind, and really funny. I remember a few weeks ago when we were walking to class, and he made a joke about how it was Friday afternoon and he should have just skipped. At the time I laughed and agreed, but now I am so glad that he didn’t and that I got those few extra minutes with him.

Drew has always been there. I didn’t realize how important that was until he was gone. When I got the call I couldn’t believe it–I was supposed to see him today, October 4th, and maybe we would park at Curb around the same time and walk in together, and I’d ask him about his weekend, and he’d tell me some funny story or fill me in on an upcoming Curb event or even just say “it was alright” and ask me about mine. And then I was supposed to see him again on October 5th in lab and maybe we’d be lab partners again, or maybe we’d just say hello and get to work. And I’d know that I’d see him again the next day, October 6th, where maybe I’d razz him again for sitting in my unassigned assigned seat in Astronomy and he’d laugh and jokingly make a big deal of moving back to his unassigned assigned seat, a row up and a few over. But he’d be there. And he’d be there again on October 8th, and we would talk about the weekend, and he would tell me about whatever Sig Nu party was happening that weekend and I’d tell him I’d see him there. Then on October 9th I would come say hi to him and his girlfriend if I did see them and we would commiserate over the hassle of the sunset project for Astronomy.

That is what should have happened, but the early morning of October 3rd happened instead. As the clock creeps past when I should have seen Drew again, I’m still in shock. Drew was a great friend, a talented musician, a fantastic human being, and a man with a future. Now we have to refer to him in the past tense. My heart goes out to his family, to Fiona, to his bandmates, and to all the people who knew him better than I did, because I’m sure the pain I’m feeling is only a fraction of theirs. I’m sorry for the people who didn’t know him as well, or who never met him and never got to experience his smile or his kindness or his sense of humor. I’m sorry that this act of senseless violence stole such a wonderful person from us. I will always cherish my memories of Drew, and I wish I’d had the opportunity to make more of them. Drew was loved, and he will be missed dearly.