Letters comfort family

MINSTER - A family grieving the recent loss of their son found solace in an unexpected source - more than 100 letters written by college students hundreds of miles away.

Jim and Kathy Brackman, whose 18-year-old son, Austin, was struck by a car and killed Nov. 29 while walking along Schmitmeyer-Baker Road, east of Minster, said the letters from students at the University of South Carolina are comforting.

"We haven't read all of the letters yet, there were 120, but we're getting through them, and they are pretty touching," Jim Brackman said. "It seems that a lot of them (students) had a loss in their lives and they can relate to it. Reading them does help, but you kind of start tearing up when you read them."

The couple said they have been touched by the outpouring of support from family, friends, local residents and people they don't even know such as the college students.

Adrianne Dues, assistant professor at USC, told the newspaper she decided to have her sociology students write the letters after she learned of the Minster high school senior's death during a conversation with her friend, Minster native Kim Hausfeld of Columbus.

Dues said she has no personal connection to the Brackmans, but when she learned of the tragedy she thought writing letters of support would be a good way for the students to reach out collectively to help the family in a time of need.

"I thought it would be a good exercise in collective action," she said. "As individuals, we can only do so much, but when we come together we can do more."

Dues researched the tragedy on the Internet and provided the students with some basic background on Austin, including his love of sports, his family and school activities.

The students were given 30 minutes to write the letters. Dues said the class took the exercise very seriously, sharing their own experiences and offering words of support to the Brackman family.

"I was surprised by the letters and the way they put themselves into it," she said, noting some of the students said they will never forget Austin, even though they never met him.

Jim Brackman said one of the students referred to Austin's love of golf and wrote that "he is on a nice fairway" in heaven.

Kathy Brackman said not all the letters were written for her and her husband.

"There are letters to Jim and I and some to Austin and some to his brothers and sister, the community, just everybody surrounding him," she said.

She said the compassion from the college students was overwhelming.

"We already had a tremendous outpouring of support from Minster and other communities, but to have someone from South Carolina was just over the top," Kathy Brackman said.

The encouragement has been helpful, Jim Brackman said.

"The pain is just too great to go through by yourself without everyone's support to get through this," he said. "I don't know how to thank everyone. When you see someone every day for 18 years and suddenly he's gone, it's tough."

Kathy Brackman said she thinks the letters also have helped Austin's brothers, Matt and Jordan, and sister, Karen.

"I think it helps to know that someone else is thinking of us," she said.

The family has received many touching memorial gifts, such as a big throw with large photographs of Austin in various stages of his life, including one of him carrying his golf bag during a tournament.

The Brackmans said they were astonished at the number of high school golfers who paid their respects to Austin at the funeral, and the number of gifts they received from the teams, some from as far away as Miami East High School in Miami County.

The Minster teen's legacy lives on through organ and tissue donations, the family said.

"We discussed it when Austin got his driver's license. He wanted to do it," Kathy Brackman said. "He said, 'Can I do this?' and I said, 'Of course.' "

The family takes comfort in knowing Austin was able to help many others after his death.

"He was healthy and he had nothing wrong with him so he can help a lot of people," Jim Brackman said, adding he was told as many as 100 people could benefit from Austin's donation.

The recent Christmas holiday was difficult for the family. Kathy Brackman said to help ease the loss they started new traditions, such as having family members write little things about Austin over the course of a month and then taking turns reading them on Christmas Day.

"We just have to hang onto the memories," she said. "He is still part of the family, so we held up his picture when we took the family Christmas photo."