Stewart David Beckley

West Point, 1968

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by William L. Robinson on March 13, 2020:

Not everyone knows that as we marched to supper and we heard the Protestant Chapel bells ring, that it was Stew high up in the belfry tower ringing the bells by hand. I only discovered this when, as a member of the Chapel Choir, I noticed that Stew was on our choir trips, yet I had never actually seen him singing with the choir on Sundays. That's when he explained to me that he was a "bell ringer" and what that meant. Several times he invited me to climb the long steep stairs to the bell ringer's platform below the bells. There on the platform was the manual with levers connected by ropes to each bell. I would watch fascinated as he pulled out the music and began pushing the levers to play carols and hymns that were so familiar. I even played one bell on occasion. It was cold and dark--no heat and open slats to the outside, but an experience that few of us were privileged to see yet appreciated--especially near Christmas as we marched to the mess hall. I had him relate the tale of the bells to my wife at the 50th and she was fascinated and entranced by his descriptions. He also gave us daily updates on the progress of the Kilauea volcano near his threatened and beloved Hawaii home. A kind and fascinating classmate with an infectious grin, who will be greatly missed by those of us who knew him. Grip hands and be thou at peace, my friend. We know that the bells of heaven are now being rung by our brother, kind, gentle, Stew Beckley.

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