Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – In appreciation for his many years of service and extraordinary contributions to Virginia Tech and the game of college football, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors has approved the renaming of the football program’s Team United Locker Room to The Frank Beamer Locker Room. A formal re-dedication ceremony will take place once new signage is installed.
Brian Callaghan (Class of 1993), Win Sheridan (Class of 1994), Jeff Veatch (Class of 1993) and Ted Hanson (Class of 1991) – the founders and principals of Apex Systems, Inc. in Richmond, Virginia – made the original gift in June of 2011 that facilitated the construction of the new locker facilities for the Hokies. These four passionate Hokies have been generous benefactors of Tech Athletics, having supported other projects such as the South End Zone and West Side Expansions of Lane Stadium, the Virginia Tech Indoor Practice Facility and the Hahn Hurst Basketball Practice Facility, in addition to The Frank Beamer Locker Room.
“The heart and soul of Virginia Tech football resides within the young men who will use this locker room,” Beamer said. “The locker room is a place where lifelong friendships form and teams grow stronger together. While this space will always belong to our student-athletes and Hokie Nation, if my name helps remind our student-athletes to give that extra effort on the field, study a little longer or do a good turn for a fellow Hokie, then I’m all for it.
“We should all be especially grateful to Brian, Win, Jeff, and Ted,” Beamer concluded. “Those guys have meant a great deal to me personally, and I’ll always appreciate their many contributions to our success at Virginia Tech. I know they join me in wishing Coach [Justin] Fuente and his team the very best this season and in the years to come.”
In August of 2015, Spring Road, which runs alongside the west stands and press box of Lane Stadium, was re-named Beamer Way to recognize the contributions made by Beamer and his wife, Cheryl. The official athletics department street address was changed to 25 Beamer Way in recognition of Beamer’s jersey number when he played football for Tech from 1966-68.
While retired from coaching, Beamer and his legacy of supporting noble causes lives on. Organizations such as United Way, Breast Cancer Awareness, Wounded Warriors, Cyrenius H Booth Library (Sandy Hook), Uplifting Athletes, Cycle for Survival, First Book, Hokies United and Intrepid Fallen Hero’s Fund have all benefited from his generosity and support.
As a tribute to his late mother, he formed Herma’s Readers, a non-profit organization that promotes the power of reading and literacy to youngsters during their formative years (grades K-3). This organization has raised more than $120,000 to purchase new books and collected more than 125,000 new/used books that have been distributed within the Commonwealth since 2008. Beamer can still be found in local schools reading to students on a regular basis.