By Kimberly Hurley
Contributing Writer
February 9, 2000 is a day I won't forget, for, with no remorse, Charles "Chico" Ballard's life was taken. His body was found in his apartment, 328 E. 17th Ave., just after 6 p.m. with a bullet in his head, chest and back. After initial speculation of suicide, an autopsy ruled it a homicide.
Chico was a senior engineering student at Ohio State, from the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights.
He was a good friend to me. In fact, he was a friend to everyone. For the past five years we shared a common bond; going to classes together, struggling together, and having fun together. He taught us about ourselves, and showed us that despite the obstacles in our lives we can become somebody. He taught us to love each other geniunely and without prejudice. He managed to find a group of people who loved and accepted him for who he was. God placed him delicately in our lives so that we could learn from him. Now, he has returned home where he'll be valued and loved in the way that God's children deserve to be.
The days will be longer, the days will be sadder, but we will see him again, when God says it's our time. For now, we can only wait, while we carry a picture, a memory, or an object that reminds us of our fallen brother and friend.
As Chico would say, "let's be out."
Kimberly Hurley, a senior, is a psychology major.