Houston Chronicle

Homecoming king who wowed thousands dies

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Travjuan “Bubba” Hunter —an exuberant, outgoing Florida teenager with Down syndrome who drew legions of Internet fans as the 2013 homecoming king at West Orange High School in Winter Garden — died Friday after a battle with pneumonia. He was 20.

“Bubba was just full of life, and he passed that joy along to everyone he met,” said Amy Van Bergen, executive director of the Down Syndrome Associatio­n of Central Florida. “That pure joy you saw — riding in the homecoming parade, doing the talent show and dancing with his homecoming queen — I will never, ever forget those moments. I can picture him standing in the auditorium, throwing up his arms to the crowd and getting a standing ovation. It was magical.”

Hunter and his longtime friend, Semone Adkins, who also has Down syndrome, were named homecoming king and queen by an overwhelmi­ng student vote in October 2013. An Orlando Sentinel story about their preparatio­n and coronation — Bubba grinning and waving wildly to the crowd — went viral, attracting tens of thousands of admirers from around the world and calls from CNN, People and Yahoo News.

Janice Morgan, Bubba’s mother, said her only child was born when she was 23 weeks’ pregnant and he weighed just under 3 pounds. He spent his first 58 days of life in the hospital, undergoing surgery for a heart defect.

 ?? Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel ?? Bubba Hunter and Semone Adkins were crowned homecoming king and queen at West Orange High School in October 2013 in Winter Garden, Fla.
Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel Bubba Hunter and Semone Adkins were crowned homecoming king and queen at West Orange High School in October 2013 in Winter Garden, Fla.

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