BYU-Idaho student Bradley Beaver was killed in a crash in Utah last Friday just days before BYU-Idaho’s track and field meet which Beaver organized. The track meet was held in his honor on Thursday.
Beaver worked as a track and field leader with BYU-Idaho's campus sports program. Alongside events coordinator Neil Patching and cross-country advisor Scott Shippen, Beaver put together a track meet as part of cross-country tryouts.
But just days before the track meet, he died when he collided with debris on I-15 in Utah. In his honor, everyone was invited to wear red at the track meet.
“He was a runner for SVU, Southern Virginia, and their colors are red there,” Shippen said. “He had a lot of clothes that are red and now, one of the things that we said, ‘What could we do to symbolize him?’ And red came up with his roommates and teammates who were in the cross country program. And he, being the cross country coordinator, had this whole event planned out so it’s kind of a neat tribute to him.”
Word got around campus and wherever students went, whether it was football tryouts, water polo tryouts or volleyball tryouts, people were wearing red to honor Beaver.
“I’m wearing red for Bradley Beaver,” Bean said. “I never met him personally, but I met a lot of people who did, and they said he was a really good guy, so I am showing respect.”
Heidi May was one of Beavers teammates when they both attended SVU. She said Beaver was always able to put a smile on someone’s face.
“He’s a lot closer with my husband than me,” May said, “but we ran with him for about a year and a half, and he just always had the ability to make everybody feel loved and happy, which is a hard ability to have.”
May ran the one-mile race at the track meet in six minutes and 16 seconds. But what’s even more impressive is she ran it while 5 months pregnant.
“Bradley had talked to us about running cross country and I was like, ‘No, I’m pregnant, I don’t want to do that,’” May said. “And I just thought about it and especially after his passing, I thought it would be a perfect way to honor him because it is what he wanted.”
Though Bradley Beaver’s life was cut short, the track meet he organized and the sea of red across campus became a lasting symbol of joy, dedication and the love he shared with those around him.