On January 1st, 2025, our beloved AP Physics teacher Mr. Drew Austen died. As with everyone else, I’ve been reflecting on good memories since I found out. He may not be here anymore, which has yet to sink in for many of us, but I genuinely don’t believe he will ever be forgotten. He was simply a fantastic, kind, hilarious, positive, supportive human being. None of these things went unnoticed by anyone he met. 

Many of my interactions with him were within the scope of Quiz Bowl, but I know this kindness and positivity radiated in all other aspects of his life too. Last school year, Quiz Bowl went to Blacksburg High for a tournament. We decided to leave right after Fall Fest–the one everyone remembers for the sudden heavy rain. As we’d decided only around lunchtime to stay overnight, my mom had to bring my bag. I was confused trying to figure out where my mom was, and Mr. Austen accompanied me with an umbrella in the pouring rain. He also gave me 20 or 30 of his Fall Fest tickets that evening to make sure I got enough food and wouldn’t be hungry that night. He cared so much about everything he did. He cared so deeply about all of his students, and not even just those he taught. 

His kindness wasn’t limited to just Maggie Walker. During one of our Quiz Bowl national tournaments, PACE NSC 2023, we went to a lovely Italian restaurant. The staff were extremely kind and even gave us a discount after learning that we were there for a Quiz Bowl tournament. Mr. Austen, being the caring person he was, asked us all to each leave the restaurant a five-star review online and tip them well. It was such a sweet moment, especially our waiter crying when she received our group’s tips. 

Mr. Austen was equally committed to the extracurricular activities he sponsored. He put countless hours into Quiz Bowl, including doing tasks that nobody asked him to do. For instance, he wanted us to be more prepared for the annual Battle of the Brains tournament, so he watched every episode available on YouTube and manually transcribed all the questions, even noting where teams buzzed in on the episodes. 

He also built a team for the United States Invitational Young Physicists Tournament (USIYPT) from the ground up. He hand-selected students from his physics classes and set them up so they could lead the team the next year, and they spent numerous hours preparing and practicing. Mr. Austen and 11 students attended the tournament at NC State University in February 2024. Devesh Kumar (‘24) explained that Mr. Austen had to “deal with many logistical issues” to get the trip to happen. Despite the troubles, Maggie Walker won the Bibilashvili Award, which goes to the highest-scoring team that does not make the finals. The team also achieved the highest score of any first-year team ever. Devesh noted that it was “super apparent that Mr. Austen had big dreams for the future of Maggie Walker’s physics team, and that winning the Bibilashvili medal was just the start.” 

Perhaps one of his most irreplaceable qualities was his sense of humor and especially his wit. I had him for a quarter of AP Physics 1. In those nine weeks, I had lots of laughs and genuinely enjoyed the class. I remember at the beginning of one class, I asked him if he got a haircut. He said no, and after a short pause, he continued, “I got many hairs cut.” Anyone who asked him to sign their yearbook knew he left witty, lighthearted comments. In mine, he wrote that he was glad to see me at Quiz Bowl practices since I “abandoned” him in AP Physics. Few people are able to make so many people laugh without really offending anyone, but somehow he managed that. That’s a testament to not only his kindness and care, but also his tactfulness, understanding, and respect for everyone.

At his service on January 9th, a number of students recounted worrying about failing his class after they or a family member had medical issues, and each one recalled him telling them that they could have all the time they needed to get caught up. One senior said that last year, he was absent frequently because his mom was having seizures. Due to that, he was very behind on his work, leading him to be stressed and unsure of what he had turned in. 

He said, “I didn’t see a grade in for my physics test for awhile but I was too scared to check if I had turned in test corrections.” He said the grade he got back was “VERY different from the score without test corrections being added.” A few weeks later, he found the test corrections still not turned in. He remarked, “Mr. Austen never said anything about it, always let me take tests later if I wasn’t prepared, and even wrote my letter of recommendation after all of it.”

Mr. Austen was a truly fantastic teacher, a kind, understanding, and helpful person, mentor, and teacher. He was always positive, supported his students whenever they needed it and in the ways he was able to, and always showed up having gone the extra mile. He had a way of explaining how he believed in his students that convinced them to believe in themselves. Mr. Austen was involved in so many different things, yet he poured his heart and time into all of them and was determined for each program and the students within them to succeed. I believe that we should continue the SCA’s purple Friday idea and make it a weekly thing. This way, his life and legacy will have a concrete, habitual way to remain at MLWGS. Mr. Austen, you will live on forever in our hearts.