Dust blew in the young boys blonde hair, heart beating and adrenaline pumping, he ripped through the field of corn and dirt. On four wheels he leaned with every turn, agile, thinking ahead to what he must do next. Racing his best friend Corey they went into the final turn, and determined not to be beat, Dustin leaned down and pulled the throttle back as far as it would allow. When they crossed the finish line made of two corn stalks and Dustin was victorious.
Sports were a hobby that always had a place in Dustin Fankhauser’s heart, so he always surrounded himself with competition. From Motocross, to wrestling, to golf Dustin truly enjoyed quite a variety of competitive hobbies. Dustin wrestled for four years at Francis Howell High School and he devoted a large part of his life to the sport. One of his best friends Nick would always say, “He never gave up… ever.”
As much as he loved wrestling, his competitive spirit could also be seen in motocross. Nick was always found racing Dustin. Racing through a field one day, Nick took a hard turn and narrowly cut off Dustin. Dust burning his eyes, he was not about to lose to Nick. Through the straightaway Dustin caught up and rammed his front tire on Nick’s back causing Nick to catapult through the air. Dustin crossed the finish line and still remained victorious.
Dustin Fankhauser is intelligent, loving, and a family oriented boy that loves competitiveness. Dustin grew up in the farm-town of St. Charles, Missouri just outside of St. Louis. He moved only three times during his life and each of these moves consisted of trips of no more than a few miles. His friends and family were his life and he loved the fact that he never had to leave them.
“Family is important to me and I love spending time with them”, Dustin stated. Every weekend Dustin went to his grandfather’s house to go fishing, swimming in the lake, ride the four-wheeler, and hang out on the farm. He used to love to go out and do the farm chores with his grandfather and have lunch by the lake followed by a nap in the hammock.
When asked what meant most to him the names of his parents Bill and Nancy along with Jessica Matyiko, his girlfriend, and Josh and Kesley his brother and sister all came first to his mind. He said, “There are not a couple people that I love, everyone I’m around I love and I’m surrounded by them all the time.”
Dustin’s brother, Josh, has always been close to him and Dustin’s departure for college was especially rough on the 16 year old. Plagued with Downs Syndrome, Josh didn’t want the special attention he needed but Dustin was always there for him. “When we were younger, we would always play games, card games, board games, ect,” Dustin said.
“He never liked to lose and he would never give in,” stated Corey, Dustin’s next-door neighbor and best friend. His strong competitive attitude could also be seen in elements of his life such as schoolwork. Dustin always studied and fought his way through school just as he had fought his way to the top in wrestling. Dustin was ranked in the state for wrestling and his coach had plenty of positive things to say about him. “He honestly was one of the most determined people I know,” stated Coach Stroh. He was runner up in the state championship and wrestled varsity all four years of his high school career.
Not only was Dustin Fankhauser talented in the area of contact sport but he also is an excellent cook. Starting off at a young age and learning quickly from his grandmother, Dustin learned to love cooking. One of his favorite meals to cook is steak and not only the steak but also the sides along with them. Creamy scalloped, baked, or even twice baked potatoes, whatever the dish Dustin was in the mood for. He loved food and not only that he loved preparing it.
His uncommon love for cooking was also evident in his choice of high school hangout. Green luscious trees hills surround all view and a nice gust of wind that blew in your face when you looked towards the sun. This was heaven, and this was his favorite high school hangout. For Dustin, his high school hangout was no Starbucks, but a cottage in the middle of the Missouri countryside that Corey’s mother left the two of them. Every weekend over a hundred people would flock to the cottage to throw a party. Volleyball, movies, and just plain fun brought many from Dustin’s school to the cottage. He loves the outdoors and this remote cottage was the place to be on weekends.
Architecture; building a dream into reality. That is the final goal that Dustin plans to achieve. He has wanted to be an architect ever since he was a young boy and now his plans are falling into place. His college career has just started rolling and he plans to finish with flying colors and a dream fulfilled. Judging by his past successes, he will not stop until he is victorious once again.
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