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Tuesday, March 19
The Indiana Daily Student

MacLafferty remembered as hard-working, reliable

IU senior Brian MacLafferty, right, stands with his girlfriend Lexii Alcaraz outside the psychology building. MacLafferty died unexpectedly Wednesday, Sept. 10.

Brian MacLafferty always enjoyed seeing the people he loved happy.

The IU senior, 21, died unexpectedly Wednesday, Sept. 10. While no foul play is suspected in MacLafferty’s death, Monroe County Coroner Nicole Meyer did not return multiple phone calls last week and Monday for clarification.

Lexii Alcaraz, MacLafferty’s girlfriend, remembers his caring nature.

“He would always ask for pictures of me pursuing my hobbies so he could see me smiling, and I know that brought him joy,” Alcaraz said.

MacLafferty was formerly a member of the Delta Chi fraternity until February of last year, Kevin Mallen, chapter president said.

Mallen expressed his condolences for MacLafferty as the members of the fraternity keep his family and friends in their thoughts, he added.

One of four siblings, MacLafferty was from Indianapolis, where he graduated from Lawrence Central High School and played trumpet in the school band.

A member of the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, MacLafferty was set to play at the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, Alcaraz said.

“He loved music so much,” she said. “He really liked jazz and electronic music, pretty much just about any music you can think of. Except for country. He hated country.”

When he wasn’t listening to music, Alcaraz said, he was playing it attending concerts and disc jockeying at parties.

“He had a bunch of equipment that he just dabbled with,” Gabby Touchette, ?MacLafferty’s friend, said. “He was always mixing songs with his equipment.”

Touchette, who took ?several classes with ?MacLafferty, said ?MacLafferty hoped to combine his neuroscience major with his interest in ?entrepreneurship and small business management.

“He was very hardworking in everything that he did,” Cameron Doxey, MacLafferty’s friend, said. “He was always busy working on something.”

Alcaraz said MacLafferty was always taking on projects.

“He was building a table right now,” she said. “I don’t think he ever finished, but he was decorating a table, painting it, to make his apartment more comfy.”

When he wasn’t working or studying, MacLafferty also enjoyed playing golf and racquetball, Alcaraz said.

“He would make fun of me because I’m terrible with my hand-eye coordination,” Alcaraz said. “So he would play me (in racquetball) with his right hand and beat me terribly. And he’d be like, ‘All right, I’ll play with my left hand.’ And he would still beat me.”

His silly side stands out to Alcaraz. She thought back to all of the photos.

“I will remember him as a goofy guy,” she said. “We would take a billion pictures together, and it was so hard for us to get one with nice smiles, because we were always making faces.”

Touchette added she will also remember MacLafferty’s compassionate side.

“He had this professor that we both loved, Professor Beggs, and just out of the blue we decided to bake a cake for him,” she said. “And so we spent hours on it. We put on all his physics equations.”

Doxey said he will remember MacLafferty as a good friend and someone that could always be counted on.

“I will always remember him as someone I could count on to get things done the right way,” Doxey said. “People like him are hard to come by, and he will be sorely missed for being the great person he was.”

Students wishing to seek counseling can schedule an appointment with IU Counseling and Psychological Services by calling 812-855-5711. Students are guaranteed two free sessions per semester.

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