Ben Is Jammin

During my freshman year at George Fox University, I lived across the hall from a guy named Benjamin Hawkins. We weren't really good friends, but we talked a bit and saw each other almost every day. He was the kind of guy that was always happy. He had a great sense of humor, and always had some little thing to say that would make you smile.

We both graduated in 2004 and I remember talking to him several times over our 4 years together. Talking to Ben wasn't like talking to most people, though. Whenever I talked to him I was always surprised because he always listened. I'm not sure how he did it, but whenever someone was talking to him, you could tell that he was really listening. He was a genuinely caring guy.

This was a guy who I never, ever saw do anything selfish. He was very interesting to talk to, an outstanding musician, and one of the greatest guys I've ever met - cheerful, honest, and trustworthy. On Sunday, he was struck by a car and killed in what is being called a freak accident. He was 25.

This simply couldn't have happened to a better guy. Keep on jammin', Ben.