Brianna Becker * 1987-2009 * Rest in peace, friend
On Thursday, during the John Stossel luncheon hosted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, I had the privilege of sitting next to Brianna Becker, a brilliant and ambitious senior at the University of Texas, majoring in Government and Political Philosophy.
Last night, while watching the news, we saw a report of an unidentified young woman who was struck and killed by an SUV while she was jogging on a sidewalk in Downtown Austin (early story via the Statesman last night).
This morning, I found out from a friend at the TPPF that the young lady was our friend Brianna Becker.
From The Daily Texan this morning:
Austin Police Department officers responded to the incident at 5:36 p.m. and EMS promptly transported the jogger to University Medical Center at Brackenridge, where she was pronounced deceased.
“We got on scene and ascertained that a vehicle came out of a private driveway and struck a jogger who was jogging down the sidewalk,” said APD Cpl. Paul Kaderli.
He said as the SUV was turning eastbound on 15th street, out of a driveway between Lavaca and Colorado streets, it struck a female jogger who was running west. The distance from the sidewalk to the collection of blood on the street was about 12 feet.
Brianna was a remarkable young woman who was going to do remarkable things — the loss of such a bright and promising young life is such a painful tragedy. My sincerest condolences to Brianna’s family and friends; may your Heavenly Father give you strength and healing in this time of loss.
Doing What She Loved
Brianna was exceptionally passionate about politics, describing her political views as “ordered Liberty”. From her Student Spotlight at the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute:
Conservatism isn’t so much a decision as an identity, says Brianna Becker, a junior at the University of Texas at Austin. She thinks Russell Kirk put it best: “Conservatism is no ideology: it is a state of mind, a type of character, a way of looking at the order of commonwealth. […] The conservative person is simply one who finds the permanent things more pleasing than Chaos and old night.”
Activism, on the other hand, is a conscious life decision and one Brianna made early and enthusiastically. She attended the National Student Leadership Council in Washington DC at age 15 and participated in Junior Statesmen of America throughout high school. These experiences afforded an opportunity to refine her arguments on a wide array of issues, from life to law; and she discovered a passion for articulating the conservative perspective in controversial public policy debates. “It was an indescribable, electrifying feeling,” Brianna said of her first debate, “to speak on things that in my heart I knew were right.”
Brianna joined the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) in her freshman year and quickly realized that conservatives were a minority on campus and in Austin.
“Maybe it’s just a personality characteristic of mine,” laughs Brianna, “but I LOVE a challenge, and UT is full of them.” The largest student group on campus is University Democrats, and UT has a strong, vocal International Socialists Organization as well. The antics of these and other liberal groups have given YCT many unique opportunities to stand up and stand out.
She was a former Media Intern for the TPPF, and was the current Grassroots Campaign Intern for the Friends of Susan Combs Committee. She was also a deeply religious young lady, who served as the Vice Chairman of Chapter Development, Young Conservatives of Texas, at University Lutheran Church.
On her Facebook page, she listed her favorite quote as Micah 6:8:
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Brianna also loved this verse from the Bible:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God
so that at the proper time He may exalt you,
casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7
Her final status on Facebook, posted just before she went running was, “I AM ONCE AGAIN BRIANNA BECKER!!!!!!! HALLELUJAH!!!”
These are a couple of pictures from the John Stossel luncheon:
This is a photo posted on Brianna’s Facebook page of us sitting next to each other live blogging and Tweeting Stossel’s health care speech:
Media table: (from left) Jenny Hoff, Nancy Coppock, Tracy Karol, Brianna Becker, and Robbie Cooper
And here’s another that I took of us getting set up on Media Row:
Brianna Becker, getting ready to live Tweet John Stossel
And here she is with John Stossel after the event:
Brianna Becker and John Stossel in Austin
May you rest in peace, child.
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Robbie, thank you for posting this. Brianna was a such a wonderful person and it was a privilege getting to know her. She is already sorely missed.
A sad day for Austin, UT, family, friends and ULC… You are all in my prayers.
Such a tragedy.
God Bless Brianna and her family and friends.
This is so tragic. I sat right next to her and she was so full of life, so kind. My prayers are with her family.
I am still in shock. So young, such promise. It is so hard to deal with the death of a child, especially for her parents. My heart goes out to Brianna’s parents.
This is a great loss to all of us. Brianna was such a positive conservative person. I hope that we all learn from her life what is means to have a conservative identity (CI). For Brianna, it meant beauty, grace, humility, a love for life, a love of country and liberty and I’m sure a lot more. That’s what I saw in her in the short time I knew her.
The last time I saw Brianna was on Thursday at the beginning of the Stossel event. The pictures of her on media/blogger row are how I last saw her. The last thing I said to her was to remind her that she was the most photographed speaker at the The Coalition for American Traditions and Ethics in Texas (CATE) news conference last month.
She certainly had what it takes to turn heads toward CI. If only God would have lent her to us longer.
Thank you, Robbie, for such a thoughtful and eloquent tribute to our friend.
I LOVE YOU BRI…MY ONLY COUSIN.. YOUR MISSED & WILL BE BY MANY FOREVER CHILD… YOUR SOUL TOUCHED MANY!! WE WILL ALL MOURN BECAUSE THIS WASN’T JUST LOOSING A COUSIN/FAMILY MEMBER-BUT A RARE-GREAT PERSON WE ALL COULD USE IN THIS WORLD. DAMN SAME. EXCUSE MY WORDS… ALWAYS LOVED BY EVERYONE SHE CROSSED PATHS WITH…I LOVE YOU BRI..LOVE YOU BRI……WATCH OVER US.
Incredibly sad. Life is so precious. Brianna leaves behind a really powerful imprint on a lot of lives from her short time here.
What a terrible tragedy and terrible loss. My deepest condolences to her family and friends.
I didn’t know her personally, but reading here that she held that Micah quote so dearly illustrates how wise she must have been, and that we all have lost someone dear.
A prayer for all affected.
Brianna was a shining light who spoke to so many hearts. I’ll never really understand why people like her are taken so early, just as their adult lives are taking shape. She was a gracious, gentle warrior for justice and righteousness. I clearly remember our conversations and am so thankful for them, not knowing how long it will before we’ll have another one!
I am speechless. I saw her yesterday and she was her wonderful radient self. Always smiling and so active in all things conservative. Brianna will be sorely missed. She lit up the room. My deepest condolences to all her friends, loved ones and family.
I can only echo what so many have already said: What a terrible tragedy. What a shame. A bright and shining light has been extinguished and we are all that much poorer for it.
My condolences to Brianna’s family and friends. May you rest in peace, Brianna, and may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Indeed, Robbie, thank you for this.
I only knew this young lady from afar, but my admiration for here was extraordinary. There was never any question that her potential was endless. She was a dedicated patriot who never missed an opportunity to defend the truth. The world has too few young ladies like Brianna in it.
My sincerest prayers will be said for Brianna, her family, and her beloved Tony.
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me.
The Carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality
~Emily Dickinson
Brianna loved liberty and we can be assured that she is loving heaven, the one place where we are truly free.
Thank God for her kind-hearted, strong spirit and all the energy she put into her noble causes.
I’m sure this was a tragic shock for you Robbie. I had a similar thing happen a while back. I had only met the person once, a few days before he was killed in an auto accident. I remember thinking to myself as he waved goodbye to me, that guy is one special guy and judging by the tributes that were in the paper, he surely was.
People like this touch our lives only once, but make an impression that lasts forever.
My deep condolences to all those who loved her.
[...] a personal level, the week ended with the loss of a great young woman. There are many, many people in Texas mourning tonight for Brianna. Only 21, her friendships spanned generations and her generosity of spirit, her bubbly joyfulness [...]
Damn, I just saw that story on the news the other night. Then I see Michelle’s post. We lost a good one. Prayers & Thoughts to her family.
“And may the blessing of the earth be on you, soft under your feet as you pass along the roads, soft under you as you lie out on it, tired at the end of day; and may it rest easy over you when, at last, you lie out under it. May it rest so lightly over you that your soul may be out from under it quickly; up and off and on its way to God. And now may the Lord bless you, and bless you kindly.”
My heart is broken, Brianna and my daughter Mallory shared many events in high school and Brianna was always so kind to Mallory when she was going thru hard times… My prayers and thoughts are with her lovely parents, words can not describe the pain they are going through- Lord help them, and comfort them…..In Jesus name.
My heartfelt condolence to the Becker family. So very sorry for the loss of such a vibrant young lady. Although I didn’t know Brianna personally, only knowing her uncle Donald and know what a nice person he is she was surely the same in heart and spirit. God Bless you all at this sad time.
Alan and Julie, we are praying for you. This is a devastating loss. I hope that you can somehow feel God’s presence with you as you move through this darkness.
My prayers to her family and friends.
Brianna and I went to LHN together in Houston, she was a grade or two ahead of me, and I have seen her around campus occasionally.. as recently as last wednesday. We never talked much, but in high school we had classes together and I had the opportunity to witness what a sincerely wonderful person she was. She had drive, eloquence, and humility. Characteristics that are difficult to find nowadays. She was a great role model and a hard-working student who strived for education. She was a government and political philosophy major, and she was one that it hurts to lose. I remember thinking to myself that she was going to go so far… she could really make a difference.. and it really. really. breaks my heart to know that this has happened to such a good person. It pains me to see such a tragedy, not only to her loving family and her dear friends, but to the places she was going to go, the people she was going to affect, and the things she was going to change.
So from the bottom of my heart, with the most sincerity, You will be missed Brianna. Rest in Peace, and may Heaven be all you ever thought it would be and more.
My utmost prayers to her family and close friends.
additionally, I could not help but notice that she had met with John Stossel. A very prominent memory I have of Brianna, is her relationship with our high school economics teacher Mr. Hyenous. He constantly referred to Stossel’s books and ideas, we watched countless videos of John Stossel in class. Being that Brianna and Mr. Hyenous were so close, I can’t help but smile that she met with John Stossel.
I’m sure she found some humor from it after the four years of Stossel-obsessed references in high school.
I never had the pleasure of meeting Miss Becker, but I am amazed reading about her. My deepest condolences to her family. I couldn’t help thinking of Hebrews 11:38, “The world was not worthy of [her]…”
Brianna had been faithfully worshipping and receiving the Lord’s Supper with us at St. Paul Lutheran Church for the past several months. I’m deeply saddened that we will not have the opportunity to see what we expected of Brianna’s bright earthly future blossom in front of our eyes. Yet while we grieve the loss of Brianna, we find comfort and solace that she has now received her bright eternal future, and already rejoices in the presence of her Lord, free of pain, suffering, and sin. Our love and prayers go out on behalf of her family.
Dearest Julie and Allan,
Our deepest heartfelt wishes and prayers go out to you right now. We are praying for your hearts and spirits. Brianna was a beautiful child of God. She embodied the best of her parents and her Lord. We are glad to have known her and the two of you. God’s peace upon you now and always.
John 11:25-27
Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes on me, though he die he shall live; and everyone who lives and believes on me, in no way shall die forever. Believest thou this? She says to him; Yea, Lord; I have believed that thou art the Christ, the son of God, who into the world comes.
We are so sorry for your loss. Comments made by friends and family are so touching. Brianna must have been the “sunshine of your lives”. We want you to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May his face shine upon you and give you peace.
I had the pleasure of meeting Brianna with her mother and her Aunt. We sat at dinner and discussed her college future in Political science. She was a bright star. I met her again at her Aunt’s wedding where she told me she was on track with her schooling and her dreams. This is the type of tragedy you hear about, but it isn’t someone you know. I knew her if only for two short meetings. But she left a very positive impression on me. Her future was very bright and she would have changed the world in some form of fashion. My sincere thoughts go out to her mother and her Aunt whom I have met and the rest of her family.
I’m so very sorry to hear about Brianna, It just broke my heart to have heard of your lost not only a daughter but young women with such love and compassion for others. We will keep you and your family in our prayers.
Has anyone heard of the idiot who killed her has been charged?