Matt and I were short lived friends.  He and I met once at a small convention for Gay and Lesbian University Students Association.  I was just a low treasurer from a Louisiana college and he was just about the same from Wyoming.  We spent the weekend hanging out and laughing for a bit.  We parted ways but we kept in touch via e-mail.

When the attack first took place on October 9, 1998, NPR was reporting on the situation in Laramie, Wyoming but never mentioned the names of the victim or the attackers.  Just that he was a student from University of Wyoming there in Laramie.  I heard that and nothing hit me.  I just went to class and the world continued to turn.  When I got home, the radio was still talking about it and I knew Matt lived in Laramie, so I wrote him an e-mail asking him what was going on and if the University Association could help out in some ways since the radio was now reporting that it was in fact a hate crime that placed this man on the side of the road bleeding to death.  I didn't hear back.  The next day, October 10, 1998, my mom called and told me that Matthew Shephard was moved to a hospital in Ft. Collins, Colorado, which is where she and my sister lived at the time.  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  It wasn't that Matt and I were childhood friends or anything like that; but no one deserves that happened to him that night and through the course of the next three days.

Matt dies on October 12, 1998 at 3:15 in the morning of severe head injuries and internal bleeding.  The doctors were torn apart about everything from the time he entered the first emergency room in Laramie, Wyoming.  Like every human, Matt suffered from wrestling with a dark side.  For what little time I knew him, he could sometimes act a little childish, but then again, who of us doesn't.  He wasn't the strongest, or the most popular, but he was human and he was proud of that.  The following is a speech that was given at Matt's funeral.  You can find it on almost any web site that brings up Matthew Shephard, or the foundation that his mother, Judy Shephard, set up in his name.

"Matthew is a very special person, and everyone can learn important lessons from his life. All of us who know Matthew see him as he is, a very kind and gentle soul. He is a strong believer in humanity and human rights. He is a trusting person who takes everybody at face value and he does not see the bad side of anyone. "His one intolerance is when people don't accept others as they are. He has always strongly felt that all people are the same; regardless of their sexual preference, race or religion.

"We know he believes that all of us are part of the same family called Humanity, and each and everyone of us should treat all people with respect and dignity, and that each of us has the right to live a full and rewarding life. That is one lesson which we are very certain he would share with you, if he could.

"Matthew also feels strongly about family. He is a loving son, brother and grandson who has made our own lives much richer and fuller than what we would have experienced without him.

"Matthew's life has often been a struggle in one way or another. He was born prematurely, and he struggled to survive as an infant. He is physically short in stature but we believe he is a giant when it comes to respecting the worth of others. We know that he thinks if he can make one person's life better in this world, then he has succeeded. That is a measure of success which Matthew has always pursued.

"Matthew very much enjoys the outdoors and camping, and he has always loved acting in the theatre he started acting in community theatre at the age of 5. Acting and the theatre arts are skills at which Matthew excels.

"He knows he's not the best athlete in the world but he has a very competitive spirit. One time he participated in the Wyoming State Games. He had a respectable finish in a running competition and then he decided to compete in a swimming event. He did this even though he knew he would likely finish last. Which he did. Afterwards, he acknowledged to us that he knew his chances of winning were far from good but he wasn't going to let that stop him from trying. That's Matthew's lesson for all of us. It's a lesson that we hope everyone takes to heart.

"Matthew has traveled all over the world. He speaks three languages: English, German and Italian. He loves Europe, but he also loves Laramie and the University of Wyoming. We feel that, if he was giving this statement himself, he would emphasize he does not want the horrible actions of a few very disturbed individuals to mar the fine reputations of Laramie or the university.

"Finally, we would like to thank the sheriff's department of Albany County, Wyoming, and Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins for their very professional efforts on Matthew's behalf.