When he died today in Sturbridge, the 59-year-old had accomplished all three — just not in the way he had planned.
Mr. Beane, from Holland, was pronounced dead at Harrington Memorial Hospital in Southbridge at 2:30 p.m. today after a single-vehicle crash on Holland Road in Sturbridge reported at 12:39 p.m. by golfers at Hemlock Ridge Golf Course. The Red Sox, in a press release, said Mr. Beane suffered a heart attack while driving.
Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. issued a statement saying the accident remains under investigation, and the medical examiner will determine the cause of death.
In 2003, Mr. Beane became the public address announcer at Fenway, a place where he'd spent years covering the Red Sox for Central and Western Massachusetts radio stations and newspapers. His trademark booming voice at the start of every home game — "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Fenway Park" — was featured in the 2005 movie "Fever Pitch," and his is the lead-off voice in "The Baseball Experience," at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.
As a tribute to his team, he wore red socks every day and ordered them by mail in bulk, he once said.
While Mr. Beane's voice was heard around the world, people in the small towns where he got his start knew him from WARE 1250 AM where he has continued to cover high school sports, even though he'd hit the big time.
"That was part of what he did so well was to remember where he came from," said Wayne Higney, who covered high school basketball with Mr. Beane for years at the Palmer-based radio station. "He was always happy to come back."
Hours before the crash, Mr. Beane had filled in doing the 6-9 a.m. morning show and spent some time talking about local sports with station owner Bruce Marshall.
"He seemed fine, he was laughing and joking," Mr. Marshall said today, adding that the show Mr. Beane was slated to do tomorrow morning will now be a live broadcast and tribute to him.
Gary James, a disc jockey at WARE in the 1970s, remembered how Mr. Beane, whose nickname was "Rocky," idolized drummer Buddy Rich and could play the drums quite well.
"I heard him play a few times and I was in awe," Mr. James said.
Richard H. Vaughan, former owner of WARE and now general manager of WESO in Southbridge, remembers the 19-year-old Mr. Beane asking for a job.
"He used to tell people he went to the Dick Vaughan School of Radio," Mr. Vaughan said yesterday, adding that the then-booming station's sports manager covered all four major sports in Boston and broadcast live from Grenville Park in Ware, covering Little League games.
"He'd cover sports 24-hours a day if he could stay awake that long," Mr. Vaughan said.
The men were together recently, with Mr. Beane as a guest during a radiothon for a local food pantry.
In 2002, according to the Red Sox, Mr. Beane won a contest to become the public address announcer. He is listed in Red Sox records as the fifth regular public address announcer in franchise history, taking over from Ed Brickley to begin the 2003 season.
He was preceded by Jay McMaster, Sherm Feller, Leslie Sterling and Brickley, and held the legendary Feller in high regard as an acquaintance and role model.
"We are filled with sadness at this tragic news," said Red Sox President-CEO Larry Lucchino. "No one loved his role with the Red Sox more than Carl did his.
He adored the opportunity to pay homage each game to Sherm Feller, and to contribute to the culture of Fenway Park, a place he loved passionately. His legion of friends with the Red Sox and the media will miss him enormously, and all of Red Sox Nation will remember his presence, his warmth, and his voice."
When he took the job at Fenway Park, Mr. Beane told the Rev. Thomas Crouse of the Holland Congregational Church, where he was a member, that he believed it was a gift from God.
"It was part of his ministry," Rev. Crouse said. "When he got the job at Fenway, he believed the Lord gave it to him and he carried that as a responsibility."
He said that while Mr. Beane's family is grieving, they are taking comfort in their faith. Mr. Beane leaves his wife, Lorraine; his daughter, Nicole; and his granddaughters, Maddie and Gena, according to the Red Sox.
While baseball was the sport Mr. Beane was most connected with by the public, he was also a huge fan of professional hockey and was especially interested in the American Hockey League having grown up following the former Springfield Indians of the AHL.
Friends said Mr. Beane, who had diabetes, seemed to be slowing down of late.
Mr. Vaughan said he was slightly concerned when his friend didn't head to Florida for spring training this year.
Most everyone who knew him said Mr. Beane used his position at Fenway to bring joy to fans. He often slipped off his two World Series rings and allowed others to wear them. He frequently spoke with youth groups and at senior centers to share his love of sports. He has also been a national spokesman for the American Diabetes Association, and served as a narrator for Talking Books at the Perkins School for the Blind.
Today, a flurry of photographs of Mr. Beane posing with grinning fans who were wearing his rings appeared on his Facebook page. Many, including Red Sox player David Ortiz, took to Twitter to express condolences.
"My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Carl Beane. Stepping up to the plate at Fenway won't be the same," Mr. Ortiz posted.
Though he doesn't have a World Series ring of his own, former Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Billy Jo Robidoux from Ware has worn one at least for a few minutes, thanks to Mr. Beane.
"He'd let us wear his rings when we were at Fenway and he'd take us up to the press box," Mr. Robidoux said, adding that he'd known Mr. Beane since childhood because he would cover Ware High School sports teams.
"He was a great guy and he took care of the people from Western Mass.," Mr. Robidoux said. "He knew his roots."
Among members of the media, Mr. Beane was well-loved and even before he became the voice of Fenway Park, he was the manager of the Boston media baseball game versus the New York media, held twice each year, once at Fenway Park and once at Yankee Stadium.
Mr. Robidoux had served as an umpire for that game at Mr. Beane's request and plans to do so on July 6 if the game goes on as scheduled.
"I'm going to do it in his memory," he said.
