Brian Muth’s best friends remember only one time when he seemed
down in the dumps.

“I walked into chapter, and Brian was staring blankly at the
wall,” recalls Delta Sigma Phi fraternity brother Mark Chase. Given
Muth’s vibrant personality, Chase immediately sensed something was
wrong.

“I kept asking him why he was so upset,” Chase explained. Muth
didn’t respond.

After being asked repeatedly, he finally gave in.

“UK lost the game,” he told Chase.

On Tuesday, Aug. 24, in the early morning hours, Muth, a former
Saint Louis University student, died after his car was hit by a
semi-truck in Lexington, Ky. The accident occurred only days after
Muth had visited SLU’s campus to help friends move their belongings
into dorm rooms and say goodbye one last time.

Because of family reasons, Muth transferred to the University of
Kentucky this year, as a sophomore.

As his fraternity brothers spoke of their friend, Zach Wagner
remembered one of his last conversations with Muth on the Saturday
before school started. “He said to me, ‘If you ever need anything,
I’ll be there in two hours.'”

Tom Delaney, who met Muth during his second semester at SLU,
said Muth loved organizing get-togethers with friends. At these
events, Delaney was often out-numbered by Muth’s fraternity
brothers, but he never felt excluded.

“One of Brian’s greatest strengths was opening up to other kids
and making them feel welcome,” Delaney said.

Junior Kate Breen was Muth’s date to his junior prom in high
school, and described Muth as a “ladies man” with an extraordinary
spirit. “It was hard to bring him down.”

Sophomore Eric Barr and Muth attended high school together, and
both made the decision to enroll at SLU and pledge Delta Sig.

Barr served as a pallbearer at Muth’s funeral last weekend.

“Brian loved St. Louis, loved SLU and loved what this school
could offer him,” Barr said.

Muth was sad to leave SLU, but he wanted to make the most of his
UK experience, Barr explained.

Those who knew Muth weren’t surprised by this display of
optimism.

Barr told how he, Muth and three friends traveled 60 miles
outside of Lexington to the Red River Gorge the first week in
August for a two-night camping trip. On the way to the campgrounds,
the car full of guys was caught in a two-and-a-half-hour traffic
jam. When they arrived at the site, they were forced to pay a fine
because they had failed to purchase a camper’s permit. In addition,
it poured rain the entire time.

“We’re here; we’re having fun. Just look around,” Brian reminded
the group.

“Everyone wanted to turn around and go home,” Barr said. “We
only stayed two nights because Brian made us stay two nights.”

Delta Sigma Phi President, Kevin Shields noted, “Brian was an
intense person who was passionate about what he was doing.”

With his passion came ambition and an insatiable desire to
succeed.

Junior Matt Dittman said that whether it was Mario Kart, beer
pong or “lacrosse golf,” Brian refused to lose.

“He didn’t care what game it was, he just wanted to win,”
Dittman said.

And his friends admitted that Muth was fond of the party
scene–always up for a good time–but also excelled in the
classroom, graduating third in his class from Trinity High School
in Louisville.

“He was an extremely social guy who could hold his own in the
classroom,” remarked fellow fraternity brother, Lee Rinella.

Muth’s freshman year theology professor, Susie Chenot,
immediately noticed his unique attitude.

“On many levels he was very serious about what he was doing, and
very serious about life,” she said.

Chenot was also impressed by Muth’s determination.

“He was going to get an ‘A’ no matter what,” she said. “He was a
gentle man and a gentleman.”

Muth maintained a close relationship with his parents, brother
and sister, and often sought advice from his mom regarding the
girls in his life.

Muth’s mom shared a story with his friends about a time when she
was awakened by a phone call from Brian at 2:30 a.m.

“Mom, I want to transfer to UK,” he told her.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because the girls are just crazy here,” he said.

Muth had a particularly strong connection with his father, who
friends say was always there for him–and whom Muth never wanted to
disappoint.

“Brian and his dad were mirrors of each other,” Barr said.

After hearing the tragic news of Muth’s death, friends
immediately organized a memorial mass to be held that same night in
Demattias Hall. The pews were filled with tear-stained faces, many
sharing his or her own Brian Muth story.

The service ended with a slide show, but friends were reluctant
to leave, not quite ready to say their final goodbye.

That weekend, 40 SLU students traveled to Louisville, Ky., for
the funeral services, an act that overwhelmed Muth’s mother.

“She was so excited to see people from SLU, and she knew that
Brian had such a positive experience here, and she wanted to meet
everyone who came up,” said sophomore Ryan Rooney.

On Tuesday night, 20-some of Muth’s fraternity brothers gathered
to swap stories and share their recollections. Rinella talked about
seeing Muth last weekend, walking through the halls of his dorm
while holding his lacrosse stick; Dittman told the story of how
Muth kept him company while he was forced to work the desk in
Dematt at 4 a.m. Everyone laughed when remembering what Muth gave
up for lent–Gries pizza.

The group’s sentiments were summed up in a comment made by Kevin
Shields: “Brian passed away at an early age but probably did more
than any of us will do in our entire lifetimes.”