Husband Hugh McAllister Beaver 1 2 3 4 5
Born: 29 Mar 1873 - Bellefonte, Centre Co, PA 2 5
Christened:
Died: 2 Aug 1897 - Bellefonte, Centre Co, PA 4 5
Buried:
Father: Gov. James Addams Beaver (1837-1914) 6 7 8 9
Mother: Mary Allison McAllister (1842- ) 4 9 10 11
Wife
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General Notes: Husband - Hugh McAllister Beaver
He spent his entire life prior to entrance to College (with the exception of short periods while his father occupied the executive office of Pennsylvania) in his native town. His preparatory education was pursued at Bellefonte and Harrisburg Academies, at which he was prepared for entrance to the Freshman Class of the Pennsylvania State College, in 1891. He graduated in the General Science course in 1895.
His ancestors of the fourth preceding generation were all born in Pennsylvania, and all of the male members of his immediate ancestry of that generation served in the Revolutionary war, except Benjamin Elliott, who was a member of the Convention which framed for Pennsylvania the Constitution of 1776. On his father's side his ancestry was English, German (Palatine) and French (Huguenot), and on his mother's side, English and Scotch-Irish. The distinguishing characteristics of this varied ancestry combined to produce a personality which, in early boyhood, was characterized by earnestness, intensity, vivacity, courage and perseverance. These characteristics increased and developed with his growth, and found full play in his short, active life.
He developed very early a strong taste for military pursuits, and was, for several years, captain of a boys' company called the "Bellefonte Guards." It was difficult to communicate his own earnestness in this play service to his company, however, and his own views in regard to such service changed with his years. His father, knowing his tendency in that direction, and thinking that he had an opportunity of securing an appointment to West Point for him, wrote to him upon the subject, advising him to determine the matter for himself, and give his answer. His characteristic reply indicated the change which his views had undergone upon the subject. Although then only in his seventeenth year, he replied, after careful consideration, that "life was too real and too earnest to be spent in keeping Indians on their reservations or playing the dude at a swell fort," the latter part of the remark having been doubtless induced by what he had seen a year or two before at the "Hygeia Hotel" at Fort Monroe.
A signal illustration of his intensity of purpose and determination was exhibited in his last year in college. During a snow blockade which prevented the running of trains and all intercourse between the State College and his home, twelve miles away, by the ordinary means of conveyance, he walked the entire distance, most of the way on the tops of the fences. He was naturally much exhausted by the journey, and as a result had a serious affection of the eyes, which prevented his carrying on his studies. He was fortunate, however, in having several young lady friends who had graduated at college and who were familiar with the subjects then engaging his attention. Three or four of them were willing to give him an hour each day and, availing himself of their invitation, he took up the studies of the senior year with them and, by having them read to and discuss the subjects with him, was enabled to keep up with his studies and to graduate with his class.
During his college course he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, and was largely instrumental in securing the fine Chapter House which was occupied by that Fraternity at the Pennsylvania State College. In this, as in everything which he undertook, he manifested the most determined zeal and activity. One of his fellows in the Fraternity said in regard to it: "His marked business ability well fitted him for the work. He consulted on plans, supervised the work, negotiated the finances and, in fact, gave himself so completely to the task that he was familiar with the smallest details. His time and money were freely offered. When the fire swept away the beautiful structure, in a few months after it had been occupied, no disconsolate cry went up from him. His first message was: 'We must prepare to rebuild at once;' and it was done. He immediately took hold of the rebuilding, and we now have a house better than the one destroyed. Hugh lived long enough to see the work finished and the Chapter at home once more."
During his senior year in college a call from the Young Men's Christian Association of Pennsylvania, to become its College secretary, in the place of his older brother who bad been called to the service of the International Committee at New York, came to him. His plans had been carefully thought out and, to some extent, laid, but the call was carefully considered. The result was a contest between inclination and duty, which finally resulted in his acceptance of the call, and a complete dedication of his life to the highest welfare of the young men of this country or elsewhere, wherever God, in his providence, might call him. To this work he gave two years, diverging at different times to take the Bible work at College Conferences at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Northfield, Massachusetts. To this work he gave the best that was in him, and in it achieved marked and marvelous results. In the spring of 1897, he received a call to become the secretary of the Inter-Collegiate Young Men's Christian Association of New York City, which was then regarded as one of the vital points in College work for young men throughout the world. He accepted the invitation, and was to have begun his work on the 1st of September of that year, under auspices which seemed to promise immediate and far-reaching results.
His last public work was at the College Conference of young women at Northfield, which was held in July, 1897. He was selected as the teacher of the Bible Training Class and, although even more boyish in appearance than in years, as was said by one of the members of his class "old and young sat at his feet and delighted to learn from him." Many of the hundreds of letters which were received by the family after his death were from members of this class, and testified to the remarkable power which he exercised not only in his public teaching, but in his private interviews with its members. One of these letters, from a distinguished medical missionary, contains this tribute: "When we saw him, so young and so attractive, we felt the dangers of his position. He was such a good comrade, and so absolutely without self-consciousness or affectation. He was enthusiastically earnest, and filled with the Holy Spirit. His marvelous influence seemed due but little to his attractive personality. To that winsomeness was added an intangible something which warded off all foolish sentimentality, and drew the girls to him, because of the Christ in him. We sometimes wondered how the man in him was not spoiled, when nearly the whole Conference sat at his feet. It is clearer now-like his Lord he was not to be touched, because not yet (but oh, so soon to be!) ascended to his Father. What we felt and dimly understood was the radiant likeness which now in His Presence satisfied his loving heart."
Upon his return home, after his service in this Conference, he seemed unusually tired, but made no complaint. In a few days there developed an attack of appendicitis-of which, as was afterward learned, he had unheeded premonitions-which ran its course so rapidly that notwithstanding the most distinguished medical and surgical advice and assistance a fatal termination seemed inevitable, and so proved. The earthly life of Hugh Beaver, so consecrated to high aims and holy purposes-so full of loving service and so rich with promise-ended on the 2nd day of August, 1897.
At the same hour as the funeral services at his home, memorial services were held at the general Christian Conference at Northfield, Massachusetts, at which Mr. D. L. Moody spoke very feelingly, and alluded to the fact that he had urged young Beaver to accept the chair of the English Bible at the boys' school at Mt. Hermon, for which he regarded him as especially qualified.
An earnest effort was soon made to erect a Y. M. C. A. building at Lincoln University for the use of its students, to be known as the Hugh McAllister Beaver Memorial, so that the memory of this devoted young man would be perpetuated along lines of service to which his short life was so unreservedly given.