buzzsawBeaver 12 Report Share Posted May 13, 2005 I was just posting about jay in the general topics. Thought to post this here just because. It's been 9 years since he passed away, hard to believe. I hope he's walking tall on golden streets! God bless my friend. http://www.pbase.com/barkleyaddict/image/43306735/original.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluefield_Rules 46 Report Share Posted May 13, 2005 I never knew the man, or shall I say legend, but I've heard many great things about him. He did a lot for Bluefield both on the field during his high school days and off the field in the years following his terrible accident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefieldRocks 14 Report Share Posted May 14, 2005 [ QUOTE ] following his terrible accident. [/ QUOTE ] What happened? We also have a walk-a-thon every year some somebody named craig armbrister? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzsawBeaver 12 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2005 That's just it Br, his attitude after he was paralyzed was no different than before, just as thankful for the things he had and positive about everything. An inspiration for attitudes. To me the measure of how strong someone is isn't how strong they are on their best day, but how strong they are or how they react on their worst days and at their lowest,.. or when their back 's up against the wall....... "What happened?" He was shot in a randon drive by shooting at the city park a few weeks after graduating and was paralyzed from the shoulders down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzsawBeaver 12 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2005 And craig passed away in '91 in a vehicle accident. He was around 20 or early 20s maybe, really nice guy, bluefield graduate and his mother taught at bluefield for years, spanish if I recall.... I doubt she still teaches but not certain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefieldRocks 14 Report Share Posted May 14, 2005 [ QUOTE ] What happened?" He was shot in a randon drive by shooting at the city park a few weeks after graduating and was paralyzed from the shoulders down. [/ QUOTE ] Oh...im sorry to hear that im 16 though, its not like i knew any of this. And neither of my parents graguated from bluefield. My mom from Welch high and my father from Montcalm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swva_fan 94 Report Share Posted May 14, 2005 If I remember correctly, he was set to play football at Ohio Univ. before the tragedy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swva_fan 94 Report Share Posted May 14, 2005 I now see the Ohio Univ. mention in the image. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BHS85 10 Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 Jay was a dear friend and an awesome teammate. It's just hard to describe, you would had to have known Jay to see how special of a person he was. Thanks Buzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sources 10 Report Share Posted May 15, 2005 I never knew him but I've heard what a great individual he was. It's good to see that his legacy will live on through the ones who knew him best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom 10 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 the Craig, you refer to was Craig Armbrister, he was a friend of mine and graduated with me, my senior yr we spent alot of time together and he was killed while returning from WVU one night on I77 at camp creek hill..im not gonna go into the circumstances or the driver of the vehicle but Craig was an outstsnding person that liked to get a lil on the wild side when he drank..i distinctly remember tying him to a toilet at Myrtle Beach to keep him from balcony diving..lol..i was sad to hear the news when he died Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMan 3,569 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 [ QUOTE ] the Craig, you refer to was Craig Armbrister, he was a friend of mine and graduated with me, my senior yr we spent alot of time together and he was killed while returning from WVU one night on I77 at camp creek hill..im not gonna go into the circumstances or the driver of the vehicle but Craig was an outstsnding person that liked to get a lil on the wild side when he drank..i distinctly remember tying him to a toilet at Myrtle Beach to keep him from balcony diving..lol..i was sad to hear the news when he died [/ QUOTE ] I became good friends with Craig at Bluefield College...he was a great person to be around. I know what you mean about him getting "a lil on the wild side" too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futbolking 766 Report Share Posted May 17, 2005 those of us who played soccer with Craig affectionately called him "wease" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90bhsgrad 10 Report Share Posted May 18, 2005 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] following his terrible accident. [/ QUOTE ] What happened? My brother was a policeman back then, and the shooting was because Jay was black.According to my brother the a**hole also pulled a gun on Cortez Martin earlier.Jay was a amazing person! He used to come up and watch us practice when I played at Bluefield and he lived one street back from where I lived growing up.He was always smiling and very positive even after being paralyzed. It was truly a tragedy when he passed. Rip Jay We also have a walk-a-thon every year some somebody named craig armbrister? [/ QUOTE ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
total 12 Report Share Posted May 18, 2005 no, the shooting was because he was wearing shorts. him and bunch of people were hanging out at the city park - like we've always done. the guy who shot him was sick in the damn head and thought that if you wore shorts, you were gay. so his twisted mind thought he'd take it upon himself to rid the world of some gays and shot blindly into the crowd... it hit Jay in the spine. i didn't know Jay very well... pretty much only because of football and because he'd come hang out at the communtiy center. but God works in mysterious ways. and it's hard to give thanks in what God did there, but if it weren't for the accident, Jay wouldn't have become "Jay Sims" and he wouldn't have been such an inspiration for so many, and he wouldn't have had the impact on SO MANY young people in the Bluefield area. if i could have, i would have gave him my legs... if only for a day. and i'm sure there are enough in Bluefield that feel the same way... that he would have been able to walk forever. he was a great player, but a greater man and christian!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefieldRocks 14 Report Share Posted May 18, 2005 [ QUOTE ] the guy who shot him was sick in the damn head and thought that if you wore shorts, you were gay. so his twisted mind thought he'd take it upon himself to rid the world of some gays and shot blindly into the crowd. [/ QUOTE ] Hope that guy gets what he deserves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
total 12 Report Share Posted May 18, 2005 actually, i don't remember what happened to him? i remember him going to jail, but i don't know what really happened. seems like it came out that he was a mental case. and usually, insanity, is a catch to try and get off... so who knows what happened. i'm sure some on this board know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90bhsgrad 10 Report Share Posted May 19, 2005 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] the guy who shot him was sick in the damn head and thought that if you wore shorts, you were gay. so his twisted mind thought he'd take it upon himself to rid the world of some gays and shot blindly into the crowd. [/ QUOTE ] Hope that guy gets what he deserves... [/ QUOTE ] As far as I know he died years later of cancer of something while in a mental health facility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzsawBeaver 12 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2005 actually he had a stroke a few years after the shooting and was paralyzed himself because of it and in a wheel chair before he passed away. That's karma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluefield_Rules 46 Report Share Posted May 19, 2005 [ QUOTE ] actually he had a stroke a few years after the shooting and was paralyzed himself because of it and in a wheel chair before he passed away. That's karma. [/ QUOTE ] Now that's justice.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truhokie 10 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 I was a honorary pallbearer in Jay's funeral and consider him one of the greatest people I have ever known. I was good friends/classmates/neighbors with his sister and our parents have known each other for years. Jay was a tremendous influence in my life and I miss him almost daily. For younger Beavers and G-Men, I wish you could have known or just been around Jay. His smile alone could light up an entire room. I worked at the GBCC in High School, this was where you could find Jay almost every evening talking with youngsters and friends. In fact, he never met someone that wasn't a friend. One of my fondest memories of Jay took place one snowy night he winter before he passed. Many nights I would walk him home, up East River and down Albemare from the Comunity Center. Often, I would come in and visit with his Jay, his mom, and sister. On that walk I had to help me I helped him up the short incline of East River due to the snow. He told me while I caught my breathe, "Thank you. You know, God did this for a reason. Kind of like how we get to share this time together." I know that Jay is running around up there. God, he was a good man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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