As a public school educator, I sometimes write about the kids in Blanchard, kids I knew while coaching high school football, or kids I went to school with in Lindsay, Oklahoma. Every now and then, I even write about a child I once knew well, but neither coached nor went to school with - so this tribute is dedicated to one such child.
Twelve year old Austin was all boy in 1994 - he played on his 6th grade football team, had a girl he liked in school, and asked for all "boy stuff" at Christmas time. For all of his twelve years, Austin had grown up in a farm family as he had shown hogs in 4-H and FFA, and owned a horse (Risky). He lived, played, and worked in the Rush Creek area, which is how I got to know Austin... and also grew to love him. Austin and his best friend Evan ran the hills of Rush Creek, basically having the time of their young lives, as they both attended Lindsay Elementary School, and were preparing to begin jr hi, just one year away. He helped his grandparents in Erin Springs with their livestock, and helped his grandfather on Rush Creek, who was blind, feed the cows. Austin was just an all-around farm boy and had planned to always be a farmer/rancher. Christmas, 1994 was fast approaching and Austin had bought the girl he liked in school (Lexington) a pair of jeans. It was pretty forward of him to buy something so personal for a girl, but he really liked this girl - she was not just any girl. Austin had played organized football for the first time that fall of 1994, and told me stories about how good a player he was. He played running back, as I remember, and told me he broke several long runs during the season. I was very proud to know Austin back then. Finally, Christmas Day arrived and Austin opened his several gifts. One of the things he had asked his parents for was a gun, so he received a .22 pistol as a gift from a relative. Like I said before, Austin liked hunting, so for him to receive a gun as a gift was quite normal - even though he was only 12. The pistol was probably his favorite gift, as he began loading and unloading it. He was also quite aware of the importance of gun safety, and always handled it appropriately, being sure to always keep it unloaded unless actually firing it. The following day, December 26, Austin walked down the street to his friends house, taking along his new gun to show it off to his buddy. Austin arrived at about 10 AM and showed the gun to his friend who also began to show Austin the gifts he had received. It is very unclear as to what happened next, as Austin and his friend were probably the only ones home. His friend had the gun, and thinking it unloaded, pointed and fired directly into Austin's face. It was not unloaded . The .22 caliber bullet struck Austin just below the right eye, traveling into his brain and finally lodging in his sinus cavity. Even though I was not there, I have the scene burned into my lifelong memory, and it plays over and over... forever. At this point, in the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you that the young man shot was Austin Beckham, my nephew, as many close friends already know. Austin's father is Johnny Beckham, Baptist Minister (and my brother) and his mother is the former Kaona Lane.
Kristi Beckham (Austin's older sister) and Kaona began to call his grandparents to tell them of the tragedy and tell them Austin had been rushed to Norman Regional Hospital (NRH), as he was still breathing. They were hopeful that life still remained. Sherrie (my wife) and I passed by my father's home to pick him up, and hurried on to the hospital. When we arrived in the parking lot of NRH, Austin's best friend from Lindsay, Evan Lowe, was also arriving. Evan's mother told us she just couldn't keep him away from seeing Austin, so she had to bring him. We all were ushered in to the ER waiting room where about 25 other friends and relatives waited. After about 2 hours, at approximately 3 PM on December 26, 1994, Austin's dad came into the room from where Austin was, and told a few family members they could go in and "say goodbye to Austin". I went in alone, and said "Goodbye Austin" as I touched his hand, and "I'll see you a little later".
Austin was Johnny's only son, and was like a son to me - as Sherrie and I have no children. Although I know it broke Johnny's heart to lose Austin, I never saw him shed a single tear, as his faith in God was his strength. I, on the other hand, have never stopped crying, and did so again while writing this tribute. I also know that Kristi, Kaona, Ray (Austin's grandfather), Mary (Austin's grandmother), Dana (my sister), and Babe (my mother) will forever remember and love Austin, as will many cousins and other friends and relatives.
Austin's best friend, Evan Lowe, died of lymphoma 7 years later, so I know the two of them are now running the hills of Rush Creek somewhere up above.
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