For Ben Shorr, Memorial Fund
Donation protected
Ben really loved his Animation Club that he attended while at JJ Pearce High School. This fund is being established in Ben's honor to give back to the club that he enjoyed so much. Any extra support will help Ben's family through this time with memorial expenses.
Thank you everyone for your support. - The Shorr Family
August 25th 2014: My world changed this morning around 12:30am. Please bear in mind that I’m not communicating this as an attempt to change things or to ask for help. I have learned, in the course of my life, that communication trumps virtually every single adverse situation. Unfortunately my son Benjamin did not share my opinion.
Benjamin graduated high school in June. He had a tough time with 9th and 10th grade; we got some medical advice that included a regiment of supplements (all over the counter) and these seemed to turn things around for Benjamin. His results in 11th and 12th grade were all A’s with just a couple of B’s – this at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson – and we were duly impressed and pleased. Then came the college conversation.
Benjamin never really warmed to the idea of college as a choice. He did not see the point of spending more time at an endeavor that seemed to result in wasted time with little result. Remember that Benjamin is from the current generation that outwardly appears to do little else than accrue large amounts of debt whilst attending college followed by a long period of time looking for any job of any kind much less one that matched their educational background.
After a number of discussions, Benjamin finally agreed to take the SAT toward the tail end of his junior year. And got a score that was too low to get into most colleges. We spent another few weeks persuading and discussing and he eventually took an SAT tutoring course. His next SAT result (you guessed it, after much cajoling) was substantially higher and was enough to get him accepted to UTD, which meant he could live at home and go to college. Saving substantial money for everyone involved.
During this summer, Benjamin started working both at my comic book store, Titan Comics, and at Madness Games, a store owned by my good friend Chris Mettler. I know that Madness was quite pleased with the work he delivered. Here at Titan, Benjamin was a quick study and a voracious reader. His customer service skills were picking up at a terrific pace and his knowledge of the point of sale software we use was expanding on a daily basis. Both Madness Games and I recognized this ability with generous raises. We had conversations about future possibilities up to and including perhaps taking over the operations of Titan Comics some day.
Sunday afternoon and evening Benjamin participated with the rest of the family just like normal. We had discussions about going to sleep earlier because of school starting. Benjamin and Freda, his younger sister, were playing and arguing the way they always had. Cecilia and I went to bed about 11:15 because we knew Monday would be a big day. We just didn’t realize how big a day it would be.
Around 12:20 we received a phone call from our alarm company that there was an unscheduled opening at the store. Cecilia volunteered to drive over and find out what was going on. When she got there she found Benjamin’s car parked out front – Benjamin had demonstrated sufficient trustworthiness and initiative that we had given him a key and an alarm code. Benjamin had gone into the back room of the store, gotten the revolver we keep at the store and killed himself. He left no note.
Please hug all your family members. Please be sure to say all the things that you need to say – in particular all the things that you don’t think need to be said. - Jeremy Shorr
Thank you everyone for your support. - The Shorr Family
August 25th 2014: My world changed this morning around 12:30am. Please bear in mind that I’m not communicating this as an attempt to change things or to ask for help. I have learned, in the course of my life, that communication trumps virtually every single adverse situation. Unfortunately my son Benjamin did not share my opinion.
Benjamin graduated high school in June. He had a tough time with 9th and 10th grade; we got some medical advice that included a regiment of supplements (all over the counter) and these seemed to turn things around for Benjamin. His results in 11th and 12th grade were all A’s with just a couple of B’s – this at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson – and we were duly impressed and pleased. Then came the college conversation.
Benjamin never really warmed to the idea of college as a choice. He did not see the point of spending more time at an endeavor that seemed to result in wasted time with little result. Remember that Benjamin is from the current generation that outwardly appears to do little else than accrue large amounts of debt whilst attending college followed by a long period of time looking for any job of any kind much less one that matched their educational background.
After a number of discussions, Benjamin finally agreed to take the SAT toward the tail end of his junior year. And got a score that was too low to get into most colleges. We spent another few weeks persuading and discussing and he eventually took an SAT tutoring course. His next SAT result (you guessed it, after much cajoling) was substantially higher and was enough to get him accepted to UTD, which meant he could live at home and go to college. Saving substantial money for everyone involved.
During this summer, Benjamin started working both at my comic book store, Titan Comics, and at Madness Games, a store owned by my good friend Chris Mettler. I know that Madness was quite pleased with the work he delivered. Here at Titan, Benjamin was a quick study and a voracious reader. His customer service skills were picking up at a terrific pace and his knowledge of the point of sale software we use was expanding on a daily basis. Both Madness Games and I recognized this ability with generous raises. We had conversations about future possibilities up to and including perhaps taking over the operations of Titan Comics some day.
Sunday afternoon and evening Benjamin participated with the rest of the family just like normal. We had discussions about going to sleep earlier because of school starting. Benjamin and Freda, his younger sister, were playing and arguing the way they always had. Cecilia and I went to bed about 11:15 because we knew Monday would be a big day. We just didn’t realize how big a day it would be.
Around 12:20 we received a phone call from our alarm company that there was an unscheduled opening at the store. Cecilia volunteered to drive over and find out what was going on. When she got there she found Benjamin’s car parked out front – Benjamin had demonstrated sufficient trustworthiness and initiative that we had given him a key and an alarm code. Benjamin had gone into the back room of the store, gotten the revolver we keep at the store and killed himself. He left no note.
Please hug all your family members. Please be sure to say all the things that you need to say – in particular all the things that you don’t think need to be said. - Jeremy Shorr
Organizer
Jeremy Shorr
Organizer
