Alex Carr's The Jaguars' Spot column for Wed., Sept. 16, 2009

Farewell to a friend

This past weekend every Jag lost a friend. Taylor Benjamin died unexpectedly Friday night of causes yet to be determined as of this writing (Editor note: please update if you have more info). Taylor graduated from VCHS only a few months ago. He was an important member of our baseball team and was known by all to be a cheerful kid with a fantastic attitude. I asked current and former Jags for their memories of Taylor.

VCHS alumni and close friend to Taylor, Caston Turner, told me, “Taylor was one of the few people I knew that could put a smile on my face without doing a thing. His happy spirit was uplifting and dangerously contagious. We love and will always miss you Tay Tay. I'm sure the view from heaven beats the hell out of mine here and if we all believe in heaven, maybe we'll make it through one more year down here.”

A mother whose son was on the baseball team with Taylor (Editor note: Michele Bracken. Please DO NOT publish name) told me she was completely heart-broken by the news. “I have to put it all into perspective,” she said. “I miss my daughter, who left for college in August, so much you can’t even imagine but I can still talk to her and will see her. This family will never have another day together until they meet again in heaven. So very sad.”

VCHS ASB president Kord Roberts said he was at Orange Glen taking the ACT test when he and his friends heard about the tragedy. “The mood of banter and good humor passed immediately as the news sent shivers down our spines that a fellow Jaguar had his life ended so soon.” Kord said it was an devastating feeling knowing that a fellow classmate he had seen on campus just weeks ago was no longer among the living. “This is a reminder to all of us of how precious life really is and how quickly it can be brought to a tragic conclusion,” he said. “Taylor will not be forgotten and we all mourn his loss and we must all pay tribute to his family and wish them comfort.”

Longtime friend Nia Kiesow said, “Our golden boy ... Taylor -- or Tay Tay as we all call him -- always had the biggest smile on his face. Never stopped. It's what he's known for. We love him, and we miss him so much, but we know he's up there in heaven watching over us now. God bless, Tay.”

And Alana Hubers added, “Taylor was an amazing guy ... he could light a room up with just a smile or with his contagious laugh. Many people had the privilege of knowing him and being his friend and now God and his angels have that same privilege. He will me missed here, but he's waiting for us in a better place.”

My sister, Samantha Carr, sat next to him at graduation this past June. “Taylor made graduation practice fun with his fantastic personality,” she said. “He kept me laughing all the way through.” Sammi said one of Taylor’s best friends, Jeremy Rubio, told her that a memorial for Taylor is being planned for Saturday at around 11 a.m. at the Maxine Theater. Check the Roadrunner website (www.valleycenter.com) or call the Maxine at (760) 749-7390 for more details.

Tell me about it!:

Feel free to come up and tell me about your special memories of Taylor. Sometimes just talking about it is the best way to deal with a personal loss.

Do you have a great item for this column? Tell me about it! Catch me on campus or shoot an e-mail to alex@carrfamily.com.