By Kristin Williams
It is with great sadness that I share the news that Beaufort lost a great and humble man recently.
Beek Webb, a man who truly embodied everything “Beaufort,” passed away peacefully at his home on Coosaw Island this past week.
I got to know Beek through my work at the Open Land Trust. He enhanced my love of birds, wildlife, and the people who call Beaufort home.
We could sit for hours talking about the importance of connecting our kids and grandkids to nature so that future generations would care about this place, like we do.
Beek led by example.
Much like Beaufort itself, he was eccentric yet sophisticated, polished yet self-effacing, scholarly yet unassuming, successful yet modest.
He served on the Open Land Trust’s board for several decades — a conservationist with saltwater in his veins and pluff-mud in his bones. At just 17 years old, he crafted what may have been the first conservation easement in our region to save Bay Point Island — decades before the idea became known.
One of his most treasured places, a campsite on Bay Point, known as Gale Brake, a place that he and his friends inhabited as much as their own homes back in Beaufort, helped Beek to articulate his love of the Lowcountry. It’s also how he knew the importance of kids having special places to explore and learn from early on, like he had.
Way back when, when he was only 17 years old, he asked each one of his friends to sign his manifesto agreeing to principles that would not only protect his campsite, but would guide Beek’s life:
- To preserve individual spirit
- To preserve the island, their last refuge against the monster of civilization
- To protect their campsite
- To promote fellowship through good times
The manifesto closed with “May we all strive towards perfection in the pursuit of these principles and may the great God of Gale Brake be with us always.”
His life was spent saving the places and things he loved most.
From the Robert Smalls House to The Green and the historic sea island cotton fields on Coosaw Island, Beek’s vision and heart are everywhere you turn in our community. He stayed curious until the very end, although he already seemed to know more about everything than anyone I’ve ever met.
He felt deeply, loved fiercely, and cared passionately.
In one of his recent emails to me, Beek shared a thought that resonates now more than ever:
“The life we have now is the only one any of us can be sure of. We all need to do the very best we can.”
Here at the Open Land Trust, we deeply miss Beek. I miss him deeply.
We are committed to continuing his vision for a place where people and place are connected and where people approach life with curiosity and fellowship.
To our supporters, we thank you for being part of this community and for helping us keep Beek’s spirit alive through the work we do together today, tomorrow, and for future generations.
If you’d like to read his obituary, you can do so at https://bit.ly/4hSYZVW.
They say that the best way to honor someone you’ve loved and lost is to embody the best of them. Beek gave us so much to aspire to.
I am determined to honor him together, as we save the land that he and so many others love.
Kristin Williams is the Executive Director of the Open Land Trust and can be reached at kristin@openlandtrust.org.
