On January 19, 2007, Sean Beall’s apartment complex caught fire. He did not make it out. I knew him as JSpaceman, his handle on The Future of Rock-n-Roll.
Sean lived in Indiana and worked as an on-air DJ for a radio station. He had been posting on Woxy.com since June 2003; his post count numbered 22,080 and he is still number 3 on the member’s list with the most posts. Sean visited Cincinnati as frequently as he could for board bashes and, up until his death, we had epic battles on the boards as to whether an online community was a viable, real community holding any significance in our personal lives or in the world.
We no longer have these discussions.
Sean’s co-worker and close friend posted his passing on our board in a thread titled ‘Goodbye JSpace’. You can view the thread here Goodbye JSpace but be forewarned; there are 51 pages containing over 1000 posts and you will cry upon reading it.
We organized and donated in Sean’s honor to The National Association for Music Education and, on March 29, 2007, the Association sent a letter to Sean’s family detailing the purchase of three bricks to be placed in Sean’s honor on the “Walk of Fame”. A total of 83 board members participated. Many of them lived in the Greater Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky area at the time and some had never met Sean.
This is how much he touched our lives…
Sean’s dad (DadSpaceman) visits the boards from time to time to say hi and to let us know he is thinking about us.
This is how much we touched his…
I post this thinking of yesterday’s blog and comments. For those who doubt that people will come together and for those who believe their own participation does not carry meaning; thank you Sean for teaching me to never underestimate the power of community and to never underestimate the ability of one person to influence the lives of others even in a virtual medium.
Classic
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Nice job, classic. Thank you.
Indeed, virtual communities can achieve a lot. Here’s some first hand experience of my own in that regard:
http://localknowledge.mercatus.org/highlights/networking-through-disaster/
-Loki, CV Founder
An incredibly touching story that shows that Sean’s legacy lives on in the music community that he was a large part of and in the students who benefit from the donation to the National Association of Music Education. I have experienced being a part of several virtual communities and the friendships forged there are as strong as many I have made in my own backyard. Touching lives is a powerful thing; thanks for bringing Sean’s story to light.
Love CincyVoices-keep the writing coming.