Over the weekend a high school friend of mine passed away– Quinton Million Ayers — an individual truly unique, from his actual name to his character.
I remember back in middle school, finding some initials carved in the wood of school furniture. The initials were a clear giveaway for Quinton. A friend and I agreed, no one else had a name that started with a Q, much less the letters Q.M.A. I wonder where those initials are now? Are they still in the old Adairsville Middle School? Is that furniture even used anymore?
I really got to know Quinton in middle school. We spend many hours in a reading class talking about books and video games like Kingdom Hearts. At this period of his life one might describe him as a slacker, but he was so talented. He was in Gateway — an honors class — with several other students including myself.
I remember one of our teachers supposedly catching him cheating on a quiz. During the quiz, he had a white piece of paper with writing on it. When the teacher questioned the apparent cheat sheet, he quickly crumpled it up and stuck it in his mouth. Our class watched as he chewed the paper, while staring at the teacher innocently. I can’t remember what happened next, but I get the feeling Quinton got away with it. Even teachers found it hard to stay mad at him for long. No, he did not swallow the paper.
Quinton was incredibly smart. We learned in academic contests to always have Quinton on our team, as he knew the most random information. Later in high school, he took an Advanced Placement class to get college credit. This AP class required a standardized test comprised of a multiple choice section and three essays, to determine whether or not one got credit. Our class worked for hours taking that test. Quinton, on the other hand, finished early. He did the multiple choice section and then two essays before getting bored. He completed his third essay by drawing a dinosaur. A DINOSAUR!!
Quinton got a 3 — based on a scale of 1 to 5 — meaning he got college credit. I, on the other hand, did all sections of the test and barely made a 3. Quinton was sometimes a slacker, but a smart one.
These are a few of my memories of Quinton. After high school, we went on to different colleges. I only saw him one more time, when we happened to meet at the old Adairsville High School track. We briefly caught up, talked of college, and then went our own ways. I only wish our paths had crossed more.
Quinton Million Ayers, or Q-Money as some people called him, was a man with a million jokes and even more friends. He will be sorely missed, but remembered by the stories he left us.
I once knew a guy whose name was Quinton Million Ayers… that’s right, his middle name ‘Million’ and last name ‘Ayers.’ Awesome right?
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