I believe it was the end of the year and we were just sight reading pieces in symphony when I was put as stand partners with Jay Lu. Since we were sight reading, no one knew how to play the songs, which made it quite chaotic. I just remember that through that chaos of him and me butchering the notes, we had a good laugh about it because we were playing it so terribly. I truly had a wonderful time that rehearsal. That is the only time I was ever stand partners with him, and that’s how Jay will live in my memory.  As someone who I just couldn’t help but laugh alongside with. As someone who could laugh at their own mistakes. As someone who could light up a room with their entertaining comments. 

I will always remember him and prayers go out to his family and friends. Let’s honor Jay by making sure his memory is never forgotten.

–Lucy Gamble

     I first met Jay Lu at a learn to sail day camp the summer before my seventh grade school year. Up until that week I dreaded going because I thought that it would be boring or that I would be bad at sailing. It turned out that that week would be one of the most fun times I had ever had at a summer camp, and a big part of that was because of Jay. The week is a little vague in my memory, but here are a few things that I remember from that week:  he was always keeping our little group, even all the counselors, in light spirits with his often cheesy jokes; he was one of the best at sailing in the group, if he had never even sat in a sailboat before and was picking it up just that week you never would have guessed. I remember all of us playing gaga ball and four square, or doing scavenger hunts in the yacht club when the instructors said that it was too windy for us as beginners to be out on the lake. Lastly, I remember being on a motor boat out on the lake on a hot summer afternoon, while Jay, my brother and I ate french fries and had conversations with the instructors about school, teachers that we all had shared, shower routines, and just our lives in general. After that year, my brothers and I went back to that sailing camp for two more years, but none of those following weeks at camp ever compared to the first one when Jay was in our group.

After that summer, every time I saw Jay at school or elsewhere, it was rare that he didn’t say hi to me first or ask about my family. He would hand out programs for concerts, and everytime my family’s car would pull into the auditorium circle, he would come outside and up to the car, or wait inside the foyer until we came in, ready to greet me and my older brothers with a big smile on his face. While this may have partly been in joking fashion because I was his friend’s little sister, I always appreciated it as something more than that. I want to end by saying thank you, even though we were never very close, I will always be appreciative of those little moments I got to share with you.

–Adeline Davies