"His adult life was dedicated to teaching, and to comforting and confronting students and athletes for three decades at various public institutions serving the communities in Oakland from which those students and players came. It was an often thankless gig, as too many teaching jobs are, and yet not without its rewards. His work made him a local icon and little more,"
"His life's work as a teacher, coach, and athletic director in the heart of Oakland was the stuff of legend, starting with his work at Skyline High School in the foothills above town nearly forty years ago. Beam was the football coach, athletic director, confessor, ancillary parent, guidance counselor, and general beacon about town, a burly and empathetic presence who dealt with Oakland's kids in the world they inhabited rather than the more lurid and simpler version that exists in the public imagination."
"Between that and the similar job he held right off the 880 in the heart of town at Laney College, Beam coached football and shepherded kids to their best futures in Oakland for 43 of his 45 years in the workforce. He may as well have been the town's mayor for much of that time, and never wanted to be anywhere else or doing anything else."
John Beam dedicated his adult life to teaching, coaching, and mentoring students and athletes in Oakland for more than forty years. He worked at Skyline High School and Laney College, serving as football coach, athletic director, guidance counselor, confessor, ancillary parent, and community beacon. He engaged with students in the realities of their lives rather than simplified public perceptions. His work was often thankless but rewarding, making him a local icon who quietly shepherded many young people toward better futures. His profile expanded after appearing in Tim Keown's Skyline and as a figure in Netflix's Last Chance U, which made him posthumously viral.
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