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The Rock painted in honor of shooting victim Brian Fraser's 21st birthday

October 18, 2023
Brian Fraser's fraternity brothers from Phi Delta Theta paint The Rock on Oct. 18, 2023, in memory of Fraser's twenty-first birthday.
Brian Fraser's fraternity brothers from Phi Delta Theta paint The Rock on Oct. 18, 2023, in memory of Fraser's twenty-first birthday.

At midnight, Phi Delta Theta brothers painted The Rock with “Happy 21st Birthday Brian Fraser” and “Rest in Peace" written in green. Fraser was one of three students killed in the Feb. 13 mass shooting.

Fraser would have been 21 today, a junior studying business and chapter president of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. 

On Wednesday morning at around 10:15 a.m., brothers of Phi Delta Theta visited The Rock again. 

“I think it just speaks volumes that people want to go out and do this for him to remember his name,” communications junior Jon Reitenour said. “I do believe (The Rock) was very important for the fact that he may not be here with us physically, but spiritually and mentally he's here with all of us.”

Reitenour’s first interaction with Fraser during welcome week blossomed into a friendship after they both joined Phi Delta Theta and served on executive board together last year.

“I’d always known we’d be friends," Reitenour said. “He did a great job being our president for a little bit of time. His legacy has been carried on, and some of his values he wanted to push forward have continued within his legacy.”

Economics junior William White, a friend of Fraser since eighth grade, said it's important The Rock was painted in honor of Fraser as a "positive reinforcement" in his life.

"Makes it feel more like home,” White said. "Because you kind of take that for granted when you have a friend. Then once everything happened, it was like my life’s a lot different now, now that he’s not here. I didn’t realize the impact he had on my life until he wasn't here anymore."

Film production junior Andrew Johnson met Fraser through the fraternity in fall 2021.

“I met him night one with the other 40 of us, and, you know, obviously he stood out,” Johnson said. “He’s just like a really nice guy and really good person.”

Like White, Johnson said The Rock is a good way to remember Brian as a person. 

“It’s for the community and, more importantly, not just for the guys who knew Fraser, but for everyone else to see The Rock is important for his remembrance,” Johnson said. 

Johnson would tell Fraser, “Keep living, keep doing you. You’re a great guy, you’re a great leader.”

Reitenour said Fraser made a huge impact on everyone in his life, including him. 

“He's someone you can always rely on,” Reitenour said. "Someone you can have a deep conversation with ,someone you could trust. He was a true genuine human being, big heart.”

Phi Delta Theta will hold a river event to raise money for the Lou Gehrig’s Disease Foundation. The event serves for everyone to come together and remember the times they spent with Fraser. 

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