Purdue grad student leaves behind legacy filled with music and joy

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Life is filled with a myriad of fleeting moments that make us who we are, and for Purdue graduate student Sara Brown, those moments were likely filled with music.

It was fitting that the music playing Tuesday in the background of her on-campus memorial vigil would be from one of her favorite albums by her favorite bands — The Black Keys and Greta Van Fleet, to name a couple.

Brown, 24, died Friday in a car accident on Robinson Street while heading out of town to St. Louis, Missouri, for the Evolution Festival, and on Tuesday, family and friends gathered at the Unfinished Block P monument on Purdue University’s campus to hold a vigil in her memory.

From birth, music was ingrained in Brown’s existence. Her mother, Debbi Bryant, said she named her daughter after the song "Sara" by Fleetwood Mac.

In Fleetwood Mac’s 1979 single, "Sara," lead vocalist Stevie Nicks writes in the fourth verse:

“Sara. You're the poet in my heart. Never change, and don't you ever stop.”

That individuality and comfortability in her own skin was most evident in the times when Brown, an avid concertgoer, would travel by herself throughout the Midwest on weekends to see live shows and festivals — never changing and never stopping to wonder what others might think.

“When she first started doing that, I wondered, 'Are you sure you want to go to these things by yourself?' ” her mother said Monday night. “I just thought it was incredibly brave.

"I don’t think I could do that, but she just loved the music that much. She was willing to not have a partner to go with, just go on her own and enjoy the music.”

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Often labeling herself as an introvert, Brown would convey just what kind of power music had over her.

Friend and fellow Purdue graduate student Olivya Reyes recalled the times in which that power helped shape and mold Brown into the person she was.

“She always told us how shy she was, but every time she came back from a concert, she’d say, 'I made so many friends,'" Reyes said. "She always pushed herself to try new things and go to new places, and she always told us that when she was in the music scene, at a concert, those fears and anxieties, none of that mattered.”

A graduate from Greene County Tech High School in Paragould, Arkansas, Brown later earned her bachelor’s degree from Arkansas State University before moving to West Lafayette where she was working towards her master’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies at Purdue University.

In the fall of 2021, Brown became a graduate member of the Student Concert Committee, a campus organization that works behind the scenes in choosing and planning live acts to perform at Purdue University. She was set to become a student advisor starting this fall.

Mike Armintrout, senior associate director of Purdue Convocations and advisor of the Student Concert Committee, recalled Brown’s desire to share her passion with others.

“She was always willing to do whatever was asked of her," Armintrout said.

"If it was showing up to promote, be there on site, she was very intrigued and inspired by the concept of live music and what that can do for people,” Armintrout said, noting the invaluable asset she was to those around her.

“Last year, she just stepped up and did whatever was asked of her," Armintrout said. "I didn’t want to lose that. I didn’t want to lose a student that was eager, excited and clearly passionate about it.”

But, while Brown’s influence ranged from different bounds across campus, she left behind fleeting moments that will stay with those who knew and loved her.

“I’ll remember most how much she followed her passion and her joy with such humility, grace and gentleness. The gift of her passion in loving music, photography and art continued to inspire me,” Purdue Lecturer Marissa Knox said.

“I’m so grateful to have known her and been in the glow of her love of music.”

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue grad student leaves behind legacy filled with music, joy