Beau Sam McGowan

            I am who I am because of the people I have met. Every interaction has edified me; I have learned not only from positive but also from negative experiences. I internalize the good qualities I encounter and jettison the bad aspects of people that I find within myself. Consequently, my character is perpetually improving. More than anyone else, Beau Sam McGowan cultivated my character.
            Beau Sam was an extraordinary man. He was a neighbor. He was a dear friend. He was a legend. As his obituary affirms, “Though he had a heart of gold, Beau Sam was a man of steel.” Proof of this lies in the reason he was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Cross: He led a charge against 100 Germans wherein he neutralized two machine guns, killing three men and capturing six; forced a prisoner to load a German machine gun, with which he killed or injured 12 more Germans; and despite suffering a severe wound that earned him one of his two purple hearts, he reorganized his platoon and placed his men in defensive positions before being evacuated. For his steeliness, Beau Sam earned four medals: two Purple Hearts, the Army Distinguished Service Cross, and the French Medal of Honor. Also, he was an Eagle Scout, which in turn inspired me to become one. Due to his heart of gold, his kith and kin included virtually everyone in Glynn County, Georgia and countless more in Beaufort, South Carolina. Beau Sam knew everyone, and everyone knew Beau Sam. Furthermore, everyone liked Beau Sam. I have yet to hear a bad word about him. He served as a protector to the shrimping community. He would drive himself 15 miles “into town,” as he would say, every day until he was hospitalized at 85 to check on the shrimpers and bail them out of trouble. A more compassionate man has never lived.
            I am eternally indebted to Beau Sam for his contributions to my character. Beau Sam had experienced everything worth experiencing, and he drew on his plethora of experiences to teach me the most valuable lessons of life. He taught me about living, about living vivaciously, and about living respectably. He taught me who to acknowledge, who to appreciate, and who to admire. He taught me what to quote, what to exaggerate, and what to invent. He taught me when to defend my beliefs, when to walk away from a situation, and when to fight. He taught me where to find the best shrimp, where to find productive people, and where to find trouble. He taught me why to love Jekyll, why to love America, and why to love the globe. He taught me how to cook shrimp, how to drive, and how to shoot a revolver. He taught me not to dismiss others, to learn from them, and to respect them—no matter what. He taught me that no one lives forever, that some people need help, that most people have a decent story, and that everyone needs a friend. Though, regrettably, my memories of Beau Sam will fade, the lessons he taught me never will.
            Beau Sam profoundly altered my perspective. Through his years of experience, he was able to enlighten me with the most treasured of life’s lessons and encourage me to experience experiences worth experiencing. He taught me how to drive, urged me to become an Eagle Scout, and served as a paragon of character for me to emulate. Everything about Beau Sam was inimitable; words do him no justice. There will never be another Beau Sam McGowan.