An Infectious Smile

Amy Purkey, Staff Writer

      A smile. A huge, quirky smile. Even if you did not personally know David Joseph Betts, you probably have seen his crooked smile sometime on the sidewalk going to class or while eating in Marbeck. His smile was infectious and when anyone around him saw the smile, they too, had to smile and laugh. My day always consisted of seeing David’s beautiful smile and even if I was in a bad mood that day, my face would brighten and a huge grin would come over my face.

     I first met David last year at the beginning of the semester when the guys from first Ram decided to have a cookout. Even though we didn’t know David, we thought we should invite him because he was a freshman and just getting to know people. However, we quickly made David our “go-getter” for everything involved with the cookout. He could have become highly annoyed going back and forth, but he never complained and never let his smile fade. He enjoyed being around a group that was having fun and that was what David loved. He soon became a regular fixture with this particular group of guys on first Ram. He would regularly play ping-pong for hours at night, after studying and completing his homework. Betts never seemed to have trouble juggling all of his different activities. He always had time to socialize, study, practice his music, and be there for a friend; he never wanted to miss a good time.

      I remember one night we went to the Price Is Right hosted by MCB and David won a karaoke machine, but of course he didn’t just keep it in his room. He instead brought it down to a friend’s room where we all sang karaoke for hours on end, even during the day. We also had the great idea of putting big speakers in the window so that all of campus could enjoy David’s love for Neil Diamond. Now every time I hear “Sweet Caroline”, I think of Betts with a smile on my face.

     Along with David’s fun personality, he also had a strong passion for anything involving sports. He even made ping-pong competitive, getting angry when he was always put on the team of a “not-so-strong” player. With intramural basketball, he competed hard, only wanting to win even though it was just an intramural game. He would often make fun of my “mediocre” softball skills, as he would call it, even offering to throw the ball around with me. When we attended the Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees championship game, you could see David’s love for baseball after the Tigers pulled out a victory; just being in the crowd and making history, made David’s smile even wider.

     David Betts wasn’t just another regular guy to many. He was a beloved friend who loved to have fun and who was passionate about sports, music, friends, and his faith. Granted, I won’t have him to walk back from class with, or see his smile, or ever listen to his beautiful music and write lyrics together, or just randomly stop by his room to give him a hug, but I know that now he is always with me, guiding me throughout life. We all will always remember and dearly miss our Lil’ Betts.