So I’m just gonna start with drunk driving is about the dumbest possible thing a person could be doing. Ever. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that driving while under the influence is not a good idea. So why don’t people just not drink and drive? What’s so hard about that? Just get a cab or call a friend, for goodness sake, instead of getting behind the wheel. Don’t be such a dumbass; you could hurt somebody. Drunk driving really pisses me off.
I remember a few years ago, a Huntingdon graduate named Aaron Stidd was hit by a drunk driver and, after having barely survived, had to relearn the basic functions of life, including walking and (if I remember correctly) talking. The entire community rallied together, selling “Stidd Strong” t-shirts that said “End Drunk Driving” on the back. They sold them again this year at the high school (my sister ordered one for me, and I can’t wait til they come in).
But I wanted to write about Ted.
Ted Braxton, 2010
Ted Braxton was a friend of mine in high school, and I guess you could say our families are friends in general (his siblings are friends with my siblings, we’re friends with each other kind of thing). I never had a deep or especially emotional friendship with Ted, but he was my friend.
He died yesterday while riding a moped in Hawaii. He was hit by a drunk driver.
The walls of my bedroom are plastered with quotes and pictures that have been compiling since I was in seventh grade. Four or five years ago, Ted wrote “Bed Peace Hair Peace ❤ Ted” right above where, at the time, the head of my bed met the wall. I don’t even remember what brought him to my house that day, let alone my room, but there it is, the ineffable proof that Ted Braxton was here.
Ted as I think of him, 2006
After Ted graduated from Huntingdon, he moved to Hawaii and joined a circus or something of the kind (at least that’s how I remember us referring to what he was doing; the accuracy of that statement is debatable). From what I can tell on his facebook, he’s been having a fantastic time the past few years. He’s part of an acting group that looks pretty boss from the pictures. That’s what he wanted to do.
Ted in HAHS Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, 2007
It’s been a couple of years since I’ve seen him, and this is killing me because I was just thinking about Ted and wondering what he was up to earlier this week. Two days ago, I saw the phrase “Bed Peace Hair Peace” in Barnes and Noble and thought of Ted.
We may not have been close friends, but I think Ted and I were good friends. That is to say, our friendship was good.
So rest in peace, Ted Braxton. We miss you in Huntingdon.
Mutual love for John & Yoko
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