(From Left: Suzanne Weessies, Kevin Harvey, Austin Price - Summer 1992)
Many childhood memories flood my mind and heart as I sit in front of the keys to type this. It doesn't seem quite real, though I sadly know it is, for I learned today of the recent passing of my friend, Austin Price.
Austin was part of the Climax-Scotts Class of 1998. Though he did not graduate with us from C-S, as most anyone reading this can attest, once someone has been part of your class at C-S, they are always and forever part of your group. And it hurts to know the 1998 gang has lost one of our own.
Today, I choose to share some of my favorite memories of childhood with Austin in the mix. And I encourage any friends or family please share in the comments below. I will ensure the stories we accumulate are shared with Austin's family.
Austin first came into my life in 2nd Grade. We played on a lot of youth basketball and baseball teams together. And we won a lot, even winning several championships along the way. Although I have to admit, that was FAR more thanks to Austin and other athletes' contributions than my own. I particularly remember Austin's unique basketball shooting stance. It was a bit unconventional, turning his right toe in. It looked a little different, but it sure worked! Those short jumpers put more than a handful of points on the scoreboards for C-S over the years.
My favorite memories of Austin came from things we shared outside of school. Summers would be for pool time, bike riding and almost anything that involved playing outside. We eventually discovered we had common ground of loving pro wrestling, and at a time pro wrestling wasn't exactly a popular thing to like. Between our love of all things Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage and wacky senses of humor which often skewed the direction of bodily functions and off-color material, we were good buds for a long time.
My most vivid memory of fun times with Austin comes from October 1991. My parents took Austin, my cousin, Kyle Weessies and me to the movies for the premiere of... SUBURBAN COMMANDO! Talk about a blockbuster weekend! We were the perfect age and mindset for Hulk Hogan's return to the silver screen. Sure, it probably wasn't even in the conversation for Oscar nominees that year. But for a couple of 6th Grade goofballs, many soundbites were repeated over and over, getting laughs each time. The one I recall the most was all of us laughing our butts off every time we recalled the typically stoic Undertaker's bit part in the film and his delivery of the line, "You're a deadman, Ramsay!"
After the movie, we all went back to Casa del Harvey and had an EPIC game of living room basketball! My dad fashioned a basketball hoop out of a metal hanger and hooked it on a piece of trim so the wall could function as our backboard. We'd all played on this "court" before, but this night, we were all on fire! Austin and Kyle were veritable Doctors of Dunkanomics and I was draining the long bombs!
The laughs and Super Bowl-like celebrations after dazzling feats of athleticism with an off-brand Nerf basketball on a carpeted living room court were surely highlights of our pre-teen lives.
And that is the Austin Price I will always and forever carry in my heart - the smart young man, the bright young athlete and a dear friend who shared my love and appreciation for the goofy and unusual.
When I decided to write this today, there was not even another picture to consider placing at the top. That photo is a near-perfect summary of my friendship with Austin. I could do something silly or gross, and he didn't mind. In fact, he rather encouraged it. And we'd both laugh ourselves silly.
Goodbye, Austin. Rest peacefully, my friend.
Time Out Lounge in Galesburg is hosting a Spaghetti Supper fundraising event November 18 from 3 PM - 6 PM to help Austin's family with expenses.
There is GoFundMe to help Austin's family with expenses as well. It can be found at this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/austin-price?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer
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