Tipping our top hat to Kurt Hilburger

In Brown College there have always been students that were destined to have their story become a part of the oral history of Brown. These stories are passed down each new year as first years and upperclassmen join this incredible community. After three dynamic years residing in Brown, Kurt Hilburger had already become a main feature in this narrative, though now and forever those who pass through these tunnels will know his name and who he really was.

There is no way in which to perfectly describe this person who has touched our lives and impacted them in a way that is unrepeatable. The best description was that he was Kurt, just Kurt. He was like no one you had known before and I’m positive there is no one who will ever compare. Kurt was a person that a few people did not understand, but for every person who did, every friend he let in and graced with his presence, they knew he was one of the best of us.

There are so many stories to be told about Kurt Hilburger, and some of the best come from his roommate and good friend Colton Ladbury. Kurt and Colton were very different people, they were similar to oil and water, in that they were always paired together and created something unique.

Colton has many stories that express their time together, and they truly show how much Kurt cared about his friends and those important to him. Colton, who graduated early as a part of the Class of 2015, now attends the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

To say Kurt played a meaningful part in this process is an understatement. Not only was Kurt the first person to learn that Colton had been accepted to medical school, but Kurt was also there at the beginning, driving Colton to take his MCAT early one morning in Lynchburg. Kurt not only drove Colton to Lynchburg, but he also waited outside the entire time Colton was testing. When Colton had finished, he found Kurt quite sunburned and slightly sick from eating a whole pie, but Kurt did not mind. The bond of friendship between these two was strong. Colton expressed to his friends that, “Kurt is a big reason I have such fond memories of UVA.”

I am sure we can agree that our memories with Kurt were singular and very enjoyable.

Two great memories I have of Kurt are the first time I can remember us having a real conversation of substance, and the time he joined me at a concert downtown.

As one of three First Year Liaisons (FYLs) in Brown College, our job was to help the new first year residents become a part of the community, and to create events for them to enjoy. In the second semester of that year, I found myself and Kurt up late one night in the kitchen of Brown’s lounge. Kurt was cooking some delicious meat product that night and the smell pulled me in, and I just sat watching him cook.

I asked Kurt about his classes, and he immediately began telling me about a writing assignment that he had on a certain book. He spoke with such passion and depth about this particular book, and the interpretation he would be presenting. It was that specific night in which I saw Kurt in a whole new light.

That next year, two years ago this month. I had bought a ticket to see the band Cold War Kids at The Jefferson Theater. I was beyond excited to go, then on the day of the concert I found out that I would have to go alone. I searched the entire day for someone wanting to attend or already heading to the concert. An hour or so before the it was set to begin, Kurt messaged me on Facebook letting me know that he and possibly a friend of ours were coming to join me.

As the theater doors opened and I reached the lobby, Kurt and our friend Louis appeared. I was relieved and excited to see them, and we were all rather psyched to see the band. The concert was spectacular, we were in the very front against the stage and everything seemed right in the world at that moment. After multiple encores, we departed and Kurt drove us back in his car. In his car we could not stop talking about everything we had thought during the concert and how awesome of an experience we just had. It was fantastic.

As our friend Kelly Strauch put it, “He could be prickly, I don’t doubt that, but Kurt was a true friend when you needed him.” No words could be truer. In his own way, Kurt was outspoken but candid, kindhearted and loving, spontaneous, driven, and an intellectual.

Though, most of all he was a brother and a son, a boyfriend, a leader by example, a character, and a friend of the best sort. In a tribute to Kurt, Colton Ladbury said it best, “The world is a much emptier place without you Kurt. I love you. May you rest in peace. So lets blast David Bowie and take a drink in memory of one of the most charismatic people we have been blessed to know.”