A wide, toothy smile is emblematic of the memory of Tyler Brown, a senior in the Pratt School of Engineering who passed away over Fall Break.
At a remembrance held in the Goodson Chapel Sunday afternoon, friends, family and professors shared their loving memories of Brown's unfailing optimism and their grief over having lost him.
Brown, killed in San Francisco by a drunk driver Oct. 11, was remembered as a great student and humanitarian.
An excerpt from Brown's 2002 personal admissions essay that was printed on the back of the remembrance's program read, "I know that if I can defy complacence and face the elements, I will be rewarded with life's greatest gifts."
The various speakers at the remembrance recalled Brown's positive outlook and selfless desire to make a lasting impact on the world.
"Tyler grew physically, intellectually and spiritually at Duke," said his father, Wendell Brown.
The elder Brown described how his son, who applied early decision, chose to attend Duke. Their first visit to the University was informal, he said.
It was only by chance that Brown was around the engineering school buildings to take the place of a student who cancelled his noon interview with a dean.
After talking with the dean about the transplant of an artificial liver into a veterinarian, Brown fell in love with Pratt and biomedical engineering, his father said.
He would later become a double major in biomedical and mechanical engineering.
"Tyler was best symbolized by his smile," his father added.
Brown's friends Mike Giedgowd and Jason Loughnane, both seniors, also shared their memories of him.
Loughnane, a friend of Brown's since their freshman year, explained that they were "inseparable."
He said that through their trials and tribulations together, "no matter what mess we were in, we were in it together."
Loughnane remembered once feeling down after receiving a write-up.
Brown only had to put in his "Feeling Groovy" CD to change his friend's perspective and help him realize that whatever the problem, he would get through it with Brown, Loughnane said.
Giedgowd, who was in the car in San Francisco with Brown, shared stories of games of wiffle ball in the parking lot and said Brown was always up for anything.
He also acknowledged Brown's trademark smile. "Tyler put a smile on your face whenever he entered the room," Giedgowd said. "Maybe this is because smiles are infectious-and he always had one."
In a photo montage created by Loughnane and senior Keith Lam, Brown was displayed in settings familiar to Duke's student body.
Pictures of faces and bodies painted blue in Krzyzewskiville and Cameron Indoor Stadium beamed from two projector screens in the chapel.
Brown was also shown standing proudly in front of a bonfire on the Main West Quadrangle, participating in Beirut games and partying with friends.
The second half of the montage displayed Brown's travels in Europe and Asia, highlighting his humanitarian efforts in the program "Engineers Without Borders" in Indonesia last spring.
Kristina Johnson, dean of Pratt, also shared a few words. She reiterated Brown's innate positivity, imparting his "A- average" and further describing Brown as someone who "made the most of his moments."
A poignant speech in the remembrance service came towards the end, as senior Emily Wren extended a tearful plea to the Duke community to end drunk driving in Brown's memory.
A notebook in which people could personally pledge to end drunk driving was located just outside the door of the chapel for all who wished to sign.
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