Taylor Tycer christens the airboat R.V. Eric Fabre in a ceremony to honor the late LSU College of Agriculture student killed in a hit-and-run accident in June. Tycer was Fabre’s longtime girlfriend. (Photo by Tobie Blanchard)

Milisa Hubbard, Eric Fabre’s mother, holds his boots, hat and gloves after the boat christening. Hubbard said she was amazed to see how many people’s lives her son touched. (Photo by Tobie Blanchard)

The back of the R.V. Eric Fabre has a tribute to the late student, including his favorite duck, the pintail. (Photo by Tobie Blanchard)

News Release Distributed 01/20/15

BATON ROUGE, La – With a splash of water and a flash of a grin, Taylor Tycer christened the Research Vessel Eric Fabre. The airboat, which is part of the LSU College of Agriculture’s research fleet, was named in memory of Eric Fabre, an LSU student who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in June 2014.

Tycer, an LSU senior studying education, was Fabre’s girlfriend of five years. She said the boat, with his name emblazoned across the sides and his favorite duck, the pintail, painted on it, would have made Fabre proud.

“He is floating on cloud 9 right now because we are celebrating his life and that we named a boat after him,” Tycer said.

Fabre was a student in the College of Agriculture’s School of Renewable Natural Resources with plans to work in wildlife management. His professors and classmates said he could often be found tinkering with the boats to keep them running.

His family, friends, classmates and professors gathered at Efferson Hall on the LSU campus on Jan. 16 to remember Fabre and dedicate the boat.

“Something like this is beautiful. Eric would be humbled to have his name on an airboat, but he would rather be sitting in that boat with his hat turned backwards,” said Jack Fabre, Eric’s father.

Fabre’s hat, boots and gloves sat on the seat of the boat for the christening. His mother, Milisa Hubbard, later took the gloves and used them to wipe away tears as she inspected the boat and looked over the crowd.

“This is amazing,” Hubbard said. “There is no other word, just to see how many lives my little boy touched.”

Fabre’s sister Allie Hubbard, 9, told the crowd how she missed Eric, but she said she remembers everything he taught her about the outdoors.

“Whenever I look at a tree, I think of my brother,” she said. Recently Fabre’s friends took Allie on her first hunting trip.

Kristen DeMarco, a graduate student in the School of Renewable Natural Resources, worked in a lab with Fabre. She said she was planning to teach him how to drive the airboat, and he was going to teach her to drive a mud boat.

“We’re so happy to have a part of him out there with us. It makes me feel safe and protected,” DeMarco said.

The airboat is scheduled to go out soon. Andy Nyman, one of Fabre’s professors, said because of Fabre the school has a running fleet. Nyman described Fabre as always helping out and staying until the job was finished. He said Eric’s memory will be with them for many years.

“This is one of newer airboats, so it could go on for another decade,” Nyman said.

Fabre’s family said he was planning to ask Tycer to marry him. Tycer said she wore a white to his funeral, and in her eulogy gave him his answer.

“I told him the answer would have been yes,” she said, adding that she is doing a lot better now than she would have expected then.

“I’ve just accepted these are the cards I’ve been dealt, and I am staying positive about it,” she said.

Fabre’s family is holding out hope that the man responsible for the accident will be brought to justice. Police have named Janneh Trench, of Vacherie, the suspect in the case.

Jack Fabre said he and other family members have gone to Vacherie and handed out flyers asking for help in finding Trench.

“We won’t rest until he is caught,” Jack Fabre said.

A friend of the family has created the Eric Fabre Memorial Scholarship in his honor. The scholarship will be awarded to a full-time junior or senior from Louisiana in the School of Renewable Natural Resources. Additional donations to the scholarship fund can be made through the LSU Foundation.

Tobie Blanchard