Brian Warren Beard - High School 1969

Brian and Linda named their son Andrew Ralph Beard in honor of his father, Julian Ralph Beard.   Brian tragically passed away at an early age of a heart attack, and is buried in Richfield, PA; home town of his wife Linda and where he spent many weekends scouting hard woods.

Brian was a skilled geologist, a passion he picked up at an early age while working on a 4-H project with his father (the original PA geology project book was done by Julian Ralph Beard, Brian did many of the illustrations for the project book while in 8th grade, and also posed for the cover). His mother recalls that she always had to check his pockets for rocks before she did the wash. 

Brian was also a very skilled carpenter, and built many of the parts of his home in Maryland, including the wood floors, kitchen cherry cabinets, and various furniture pieces. 

4-H drove much of Brian's youth, while a senior in high school he won a national award and scholarship for leadership from the 4-H clubs of America.

Brian attended Penn State University (as did many of the Beard and extended Beard families..) and majored in Geological Sciences, he graduated in 1974.

Shawn Brian Robbins, son of Sheryl Beard Robbins and Christopher Robbins, is named in his honor.

Brian has two sons, Andrew and Patrick, which Andrew presently resides in Maryland and Patrick in Virginia with his mother and stepfather.

He is sorely missed.

[Update 8 Sep 07] One of the highlights of Brian's college career at Penn State was a field trip to Montana with the Geological Sciences Major students.  During this trip (shortly after this photo was taken) Brian fell off a cliff in Montana and required emergency surgery to remove his spleen ruptured in the accident.  My memories included driving my father to Philadelphia in the late night so he could catch an early morning flight to Montana to be with Brian, and Brian limping off the plane back in Philadelphia several days later.   During that time I stayed with my brother Paul in Conshohocken, PA, where he lived at a Karate School.  This courtesy of Andrew Beard. (note a good friend of Brian's in that photo is Skip Colflesh, who from memory carried Brian off the mountain and saved his life in that instance).

Front : Linda (Miller) Beard Corwin, Brian Beard

Back: Mary (Beard) Kuniski, Alan Lindley Beard, Paul Kellison Beard, Christopher Robbins, Sheryl (Beard) Robbins.

Aug 31, 1974

Brian Warren Beard - Penn State Senior 1973

Richfield Community Cemetery, Richfield, PA.

Through many countries and over many seas
I have come, Brother, to these melancholy rites,
to show this final honor to the dead,
and speak (to what purpose?) to your silent ashes,
since now fate takes you, even you, from me.
Oh, Brother, ripped away from me so cruelly,
now at least take these last offerings, blessed
by the tradition of our parents, gifts to the dead.
Accept, by custom, what a brother’s tears drown,
and, for eternity, Brother, ‘Hail and Farewell’.

Gaius Valerius Catullus

Psalm 121 : I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.  The Lord is my keeper; the Lord is the shade upon my right hand.  The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; he shall preserve thy soul.  The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.