Stories With Jake
A Wall Full of Stars
Lauren Taylor, Baylor friend and classmate
When I think of Jake, I think of Van Gogh. Maybe in part because Jake knew everything about everything when it came to literature, philosophy, history, and the arts, but mostly because of one night during our first semester of college.
A group of us had all gone dancing, there was a buzz of energy in the group, and we had decided to go to a mural of Van Gogh’s Starry Night that was painted on the side of a building downtown. Once we had arrived and spent some time there, everyone started to get restless and turned to one another and began to talk and laugh and be generally loud, as was our normal.
Not Jake.
Jake had settled down on the cold, pavement parking lot and was gazing at this mural as if it were the most beautiful night sky he had ever seen. In that moment, I distinctly remember being convinced that Jake could see the world the way Van Gogh did: every star spinning and dancing, the colors of the world blending together as if they were music made visible.
I snapped a picture of him as he was in a moment entirely his own, the rest of us blind to the beauty he was witnessing, and then sat down beside him.
I wish I could remember exactly what he said to me in that moment. I wish I had a thousand of his insightful, inspiring, hilarious quotes written down so I could read them over and over again and learn something new each time.
The truth is, I have no idea what he said to me right then.
However.
The way I felt sitting beside him that night as he welcomed me into his mind and imagination is something I can never forget.
Jake was a constant reminder to slow down and appreciate the details and beauty in the world around you. He brought comfort and peace into every situation, and gave the most mature advice with such an air of grace and humility.
How someone can be so young and so old at the same time, I will never understand. Jake was present and joyful and energetic, but so full of wisdom and stories and deep, soulful commentary.
I walked away from the mural that evening knowing without a shadow of a doubt that Jake was something special.
Jake, every single time I see that mural I cannot help but think of you. I hope your view of the night sky is absolutely blowing your mind right now. ❤️
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Jake and the Tunnels
Meghan Thomas, Baylor friend and classmate
Freshman year, on a dark and bleak Thursday afternoon, 3 best friends embarked on a mission to explore the tunnels located underneath Baylor. Lauren and I started the journey like any sane people would by calling our best friend Jake and begging him to tag along. We entered the underground tunnels and walked toward a distant dim light. On our journey we saw many notes written by past Baylor students who walked before us. We climbed into smaller tunnels just big enough for us to crawl through. Poor Jake encountered many spiderwebs in these tiny tunnels. When we finally reached the end of the tunnel and the dim light grew nearer, we started walking a little faster and laughing in triumph. Jake must have been walking faster than Lauren and I because the last thing I remember seeing was a very calm, very concerned, puffy vest submerged in neck high water. Poor speedy had fallen off the end of the tunnel into the dim light which turned out to be about 5 feet of water under the BSB bridge. I’ll never forget how calm he was. But that was Jake. He was calm and collected and always watched out for us. We bought him a waterproof phone bag that Christmas as an apology for all the schemes we dragged him into. Truly he was the best adventure partner.
Shakespeare in the Park
Lauren Taylor, Baylor friend and classmate
One of the first things I ever learned about Jake was the fact that his memory was scary good. Anything he ever read or heard or studied seemed to be seared into his brain forever so he could pull out timely information on a whim.
As Meghan, Jake, and I were walking back toward our dorms after class one day freshman year, the topic of Shakespeare somehow came up. We began to discuss some of our favorite Shakespearean works (as you do), and I mentioned that I adored MacBeth the first time I read it.
Enter: the mind of Jake Kayner, stage left.
“Oh,” he mentions casually, as if he wasn’t about to floor us with the theatrical performance of a lifetime, “I have an act or two memorized from MacBeth.”
This kid then has the audacity to try and change the subject, mentioning something obscure about Othello or Hamlet, as Meghan and I look at each other before interrupting Jake in unison, our voices overlapping in a cacophony of questions .
“You have MacBeth memorized?”
“Which character?”
“Wait what? You’re joking right?”
“Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this?”
“So you could just perform it right now?”
That last question lingered in the air as Jake made eye contact with us and realized he had sealed his own fate. However, being the capable, ambitious human that he was, Jake set down his leather satchel and giant headphones and jumped up on a stone wall in the middle of campus, cleared his throat…
...and he performed.
We were absolutely floored.
People stopped what they were doing to turn their attention to Jake and his performance. He was the kind of person who people wanted to listen to, and in this moment he captivated the attention of everyone who was close enough to hear him.
Once he was finished, Jake hopped off the wall, collected his things, and then turned to us and asked, “how was that?”
We applauded. A few strangers applauded. I think he went a little red, but he couldn’t stop smiling. Neither could we.
That’s Jake for you, though - the most humble person in the universe, and also the most brilliant.
He was so full of surprises, and I will be forever grateful that I got to live out four years of my life witnessing the one-of-a-kind magic that is Jake Kanyer.
