Beta Upsilon Chi’s website lists the fraternity’s core values as brotherhood, unity, faith, leadership and character. The late Stewart Trese upheld all five values, his fraternity brothers said.

Who was Stewart Trese?

Stewart Trese went to the Hill School in Fort Worth where he graduated as the valedictorian of the class of 2009. Trese enrolled at TCU that fall, where he then pledged Beta Upsilon Chi (BYX), according to his obituary. BYX, which also stands for Brothers Under Christ, is the nation’s largest Christian fraternity, according to its website.

BYX president, Michael Meek, and a few other members of the fraternity, helped coordinate Trese’s on-campus memorial service.

“I would describe Stewart as someone who was always encouraging and genuine. He was honest and always answered questions about how his day was going in an honest way,” Meek described Trese in an email to TCU 360. “He was also a funny guy, who loved to make jokes and make situations light-hearted.”

TCU alum and former BYX member Toby Hook met Trese during his freshman year on a BYX pledge retreat. Hook said Trese would occasionally spend the night in his dorm when Trese lived with his parents during their sophomore year.

“Stewart was a guy that would ask you about your day first and actually wanted to hear about it. I would say that was probably the best thing about Stewart,” Hook said. “He would always go, ‘Hey Toby, how are you?’ He would reach out to you and he would actually want to know how you were doing.”

How Stewart will be remembered

Trese, 23, planned on graduating this spring with a degree in marketing from the Neeley School of Business before he was allegedly murdered last Tuesday in his GrandMarc apartment. An acquaintance of Trese, 21-year-old David Hidalgo, confessed to WFAA in a jailhouse interview that he killed Trese in self-defense. The investigation is still ongoing, according to Fort Worth Police.

After learning about Trese’s death, many of his former fraternity brothers wrote farewell messages on his Facebook timeline. The names have been excluded from the Storify due to Facebook’s privacy policy.

Trevor Yarborough, a 2012 TCU graduate, wrote that he didn’t hang out with Trese much while they were both members of BYX, but enjoyed the time they talked at fraternity functions.

“He was always so friendly and eager to get to know people and such a good listener,” wrote Yarborough in a text message to a TCU 360 reporter. “Stewart would never want anyone to be upset or sad. That’s how I’ll remember him, a consistently friendly and engaging guy who remained hopeful and sought after the Lord.”

Parker Smith, a junior entrepreneurial management major, remembered Trese’s role in the BYX community.

“For me, Stew was a BYX brother who was always available and willing to talk with a heart for connecting with people,” Smith told TCU 360 via a Facebook message.

Meek said that Trese made an impact on the lives of his fraternity brothers.

 “Stewart was good at connecting with guys in BYX because he was always interested in what people had to say,” he wrote. “As a person, he was always willing to learn more, meet new people, and he was passionate about serving his community. He had a servant-heart and was very humble.”

Editor’s note: TCU 360 did not film or photograph Trese’s memorial service at Robert Carr Chapel on Monday, Feb. 10 due to a request by the TCU media relations team.