Oakland – A crowd of hundreds gathered outside of the Laney College Bistro on Wednesday to attend a memorial “luminaria walk” honoring the life and career of Laney’s late athletic director and former head football coach, John Beam.
Beam died on Nov. 14 at Highland Hospital in Oakland, less than 24 hours after sustaining a fatal gunshot wound at the Laney Fieldhouse during the regular school day. He was 66 years old.
The memorial was held on behalf of the Peralta Community College District. Attendees came from in and outside of the district, representing Beam’s colleagues, former students and community partners.
The crowd heard remarks from Peralta trustee board president Louis Quindlen, district chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson, Oakland mayor Barbara Lee, Laney employees Sakai Metcalf and Tania Mitchell, and Beam’s sister-in-law, Tish Gallegos. Following the speakers, attendees walked in a symbolic procession across the south part of Laney’s campus from the Bistro to the Dr. Bill Riley Stadium.
After a selection of songs performed by vocal group Portraits of Unity, Laney president Becky Opsata welcomed attendees to the memorial. In her opening comments, Opsata said that the journey to the football field would trace “the path that student athletes follow every day” during their time at Laney.
On behalf of his family members, Gallegos expressed gratitude to “the Oakland community” for its “outpouring of support” following Beam’s death. She announced the family’s plans to hold a public celebration of Beam’s life on Jan. 10 and highlighted the new Coach Beam’s Legacy Foundation, which she said had been formed by his family “in his honor.”
“As the Beam family navigates their grief and seeks peace, they are grateful to you for continuing to honor their wish for privacy,” Gallegos said.
Chancellor Gilkerson encouraged the audience to reflect on the “journey of belief, of possibility, of discipline” that Beam took with his students.
“Grief is not only about loss,” Gilkerson said. “It is about responsibility. It asks us, ‘What will you do with the light someone has handed you? How will you carry it forward?’”
The walk commenced immediately following the speakers. Employees assisting with the event distributed lanterns, each assembled from a small white bag and an LED tea light.
The procession walked over the estuary bridge and past the Fieldhouse before dispersing across the football field. The gathering closed on a video tribute to Beam’s legacy, featuring interview clips from the Netflix series Last Chance U, followed by a drone light show.
“I came here because of the inspiration [Beam] gave me,” Laney student Jalen Wilder-King said after the memorial.
Wilder-King has attended Laney since 2022, and currently studies communications, sociology and psychology.
He said he first met Beam in twelfth grade, when the former coach visited his class at Skyline High School. Wilder-King recalled how Beam’s words to his class challenged his self-doubts around higher education at the time, and ultimately convinced him to enroll at Laney College to play football for the Eagles.
While he didn’t end up making it onto the team at Laney, Wilder-King said that he benefited from the college’s resources and began investing more into his community – with Beam’s continued support.
Following the shooting, Wilder-King said that he and his peers had struggled to come to school.
“After the incident […] it kinda got darker, it kinda got more empty,” Wilder-King said. But despite ending the semester on a sudden loss, he said he is “finishing strong.”
Staff Writer Tamara Copes contributed reporting.
