We gather here today to honor the birth, life, and death of our dearest former Humor Editor, Brian Ly. His whimsy, silliness, and holy crusade against typos pushed him to go above and beyond in every way possible. His mere presence was a welcome substitute for the light of a sunny day down in the liminal basement of Wilson Commons. Without him, the basement has become dark, and the skies of Rochester have opened once again.
In life, Brian was a lover of many things: Waldo-hunting (“After years of searching for Waldo, I realized that, perhaps, the real Waldo was the friends we made along the way”), the unofficial CT rabbit mascot Daisy (“Katie, when are you going to write another Daisy article?” – Brian Ly, every budget), and Getting Touched by the Boogeyman, his finest piece to date. Additionally, those close to Brian recall his love of fanfiction, with no less than four of his budgets urging writers to submit Trump slashfic and two explicit requests for smut-related articles. Coincidentally, his initials are “BL” which explains much of his love for fanfictions.
Brian was more than just a Humor Editor. He was also the self-proclaimed unofficial-official leader of the “Being Single is Cool” club, despite spending his time “flirting with hiring managers,” and urging those like him to “mog the huzz with your chopped aura.”
He may or may not have been the best Humor Editor there ever was, but he certainly was the Humour Editor in the Campus Times to be quoted on the office wall saying: “My eyes just loaded in a different font,” at 10 p.m. It’s his quotes like these that inspire generations of readers and writers to do the same.
Brian found joy in life’s simple pleasures. He “shuttlecocked a shuttle. Shuttled a shuttlecock. Shuttled a cock? With [his] eyes closed,” protected URochester students from the Hatman, and even “assaulted Mickey Mouse, stole mildly warm milk from Santa Claus, and ran over the characters from ‘The Simpsons.’”
It still feels like he’s here in the CT office, with his voice ringing out from the corners, editing articles in spirit. Even though he’s no longer with us, he has already left his mark in the CT — his astute advice to the future generation of editors: “Now that I’ve almost bubrned down the kitchenb, it’s your turn to cook.”
As we burn the extra newspapers left in the CT office in honor of him, may we send our best wishes to him for his afterlife — forever fussing over Oxford commas and double spaces. Under Brian’s guidance, may we continue to “crank [our] hog[s] and flick [our] bean[s].” May you finally rest well on Sundays and early Monday mornings, Brian “The Funniest Humor Editor. Ever” Ly.
