Reposted with permission from Aero-News Network
Narrator, Ground Crew Member For "Bud Light Air Force"The man best known around the air show circuit as "Big B" ... Bill Beardsley ... passed away June 11th after a reportedly long battle with cancer which he chose to keep private.
Big B came rather late in life to the air show world. His bio from the ICAS Hall of Fame website indicates that he served 25 years in the Army as a criminal investigator and then went to work for the Florida Department of Corrections. But his son Burner had been a pilot with the Blue Angels, and was flying the Micro Jet ... a BD-5J ... for the But Light Air Force when Big B got a call to become a member of the ground crew. He later became the act's narrator, as well as the recognized leader of a group which is known as the UAG ... Air Show Grunts.
Big B was inducted along with his son Burner into the ICAS Foundation Hall of Fame in 2000. His family asks that remembrances in his name be directed to the ICAS Foundation Family Fund. A celebration of his life is planned, though details have not yet been announced.
FMI:
http://www.icasfoundation.org======================================================================
I met Big B, here at KPDK last summer at our annual Good Neighbor Day air show. Big B was doing some narration for The Aeroshell Team, that my old buddy, Steve Gustafson flies with, & Steve introduced us. After being around this guy for about 5 minutes, I had already took a liking to him, & it usually takes me awhile to warm up to anybody I have just met. What a neat guy! I regret I did not have a chance to be around him some more.
Godspeed Big B!
Robbie