Age 16–Junior at JCMHS

On a winter night in 1995 Joshua Lewis was walking home from a friend’s house. He was walking along Railroad Street on his way to his home on W. Grand around 7:30 p.m.. As a habit, he carried a long stick to keep the many stray dogs away that were in the area. He was a peaceful person trained in Taekwondo. He may have been thinking about the upcoming trip to Arkansas for yet another competition. He enjoyed Taekwondo, it had helped him become more focused. His grades at Jackson Central Merry High School had improved and he had become more self confident.

His mother shared some of his journals with me. After reading them, I felt like I knew Josh. He loved his family and enjoyed the time they spent together. They may not have had material wealth but they had what money couldn’t buy, a respect and love for each other. In his Journal he wrote, "Beauty is not on the outside, beauty is on the inside a good heart, clean soul with no hatred and color blind. We need to give everyone a chance, we might find we have a lot in common." In another section he wrote about his fear, "If I lived in the wilderness I could take long walks at night without the fear of being a victim. I like walking at night." "Why does there have to be so much violence?".

Josh was a quiet soul. He wanted to finish school, maybe go to college and get a good job, teach Taekwondo and work with young people. Most of all, he wanted to be respected for being a good person. He may not have lived long enough to reach his goals but he had lived long enough for others to respect him for being a good person. When word of his death spread around school the next day many were in shock. For many of these young people, it was their first brush with death. "Why Josh?", these words were repeated many times in the classrooms along with phrases like "He was quiet", "He never spoke ill of anyone"and "He was dedicated and loyal to his friends", no one understood. In the 1995 Crossroads, JCMHS yearbook, one student wrote about Josh, "Though he is gone from our lives, I have to say – His memory will never dim."