By LYNETTE HAALAD, Four Points News
The Ryan Paul Begnaud Scholarship Fund has been established to honor local teenager Begnaud who lost his life in a tragic car accident on October 15 in Stillwater, Okla. where he was a freshman at Oklahoma State University.
In two short months at OSU, he had such a positive impact on so many people including three friends who started a GoFundMe entitled “In memory of Ryan Begnaud” to honor Begnaud.
“We started this GoFundMe in honor of raising money and awareness regarding the situation,” they stated.
Contributions may be sent to The Carson Cummings Foundation where the family established the Ryan Paul Begnaud Scholarship Fund. (Checks may be made out to P.O. Box 162304 Austin, TX 78716.)
“Ryan’s amazing smile, contagious laughter, bright light and kind heart will never be forgotten,” his obituary shared.
Begnaud, 18, died last month when he was the passenger in a car of someone he met earlier that night through a friend of a friend, shared his dad Kris Begnaud.
Luke House was the driver of a white Ford Mustang and is accused of driving the wrong way on Highway 51 in excess of 150 mph and causing the deaths of Ryan Begnaud and the passenger of the car House hit head-on at 4:15 a.m. on October 15.
House, 18, was arrested on October 20 and charged with two counts of second-degree murder of Begnaud of Austin and Jeremi Smith, 40, of Oklahoma City.
As of Monday, no preliminary hearing date has been set for House.
Most of Begnaud’s life was spent in Austin. He moved from Houston to Steiner Ranch with his family when he was a small child. He attended River Ridge Elementary, Canyon Ridge Middle School and Vandegrift High School his freshman year before moving to Hyde Park High School and graduating in May 2022. He began his college career a few months ago with intentions of getting a degree from OSU in business marketing and sports management.
Begnaud was described in his obituary as “brilliant without even trying and became a positive leader in many areas. He was a loyal friend and made everyone feel welcome. Basketball was Ryan’s one true passion. He was a humble teammate, always encouraging others to excel.”
His funeral was held October 28 at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Austin. A Celebration of Life followed at The University of Texas Golf Club.