Created in Loving Memory
Tributes & Other Stuff
Charise & I were Honored to be invited to the 2009 Monster Jam Banquet & Awards Ceremony in Virginia Beach. This event is comparable to the Las Vegas World Finals Awards Ceremony. All Drivers. Mechics, & Feld-Monster Jam Officials were in attendance. Dennis Anderson, GRAVEDIGGER, Tom Meents,MAXIMUM DESTRUCTION, Pablo Huffaker, BLACKSMITH, Alex Blackwell, CAPTAINS CURSE & Jesse's Best Friend & Roommate, MADUSA, George Balhan, Escalade, E, John Seasock, BATMAN. Scott Douglas, Mike & Peggy Wales, Chad Fortune, SUPERMAN, Damon Bradshaw, AIRFORCE AFTERBURNER, Dan & Lorrie Evens, DESTROYER, Charlie Pauken, GRAVEDIGGER, Adam Anderson, TAZ, Bill & Ellyse Easterly, Henry, as well as many others...
At the end of the awards presentations, Bill Easterly, Director of operations awarded Jesse, which was voted by the drivers and Mechanics unanamously, the highest award of "MVP" Most Valuable Player, & informed us all, that from now until eternity the MVP was going to be renamed the "Jesse Barden Award". followed by this was a Video presentation honoring Jesse.
Needless to say this award of Jesse's accolades was the proudest moment of my life. He truly was the best!
At the end of the awards presentations, Bill Easterly, Director of operations awarded Jesse, which was voted by the drivers and Mechanics unanamously, the highest award of "MVP" Most Valuable Player, & informed us all, that from now until eternity the MVP was going to be renamed the "Jesse Barden Award". followed by this was a Video presentation honoring Jesse.
Needless to say this award of Jesse's accolades was the proudest moment of my life. He truly was the best!
Charise Beaver Jim Alex
Becky Me
Squirt Jesse Nate
Sticker designed by Ken Navitsky Damon's Freestyle run - 2010 World Finals T-shirt designed by Henry for Feld Crew
Sticker designed by Jacob SmallWood My T-shirt design Pit Party Body - 2010 World finals
We'll miss you, Jesse...
It saddens me tremendously to announce that a very good friend has passed away. You probably don't know him, but have seen the efforts of his work. He has worked for the past couple years as the Crew-Chief of the Air Force Afterburner Monster Truck. His name is Jesse Barden, aka "Twig". Together, he and Damon Bradshaw won Monster Jam's 2009 Freestyle Championship in Las Vegas, back in March. They made a great team. Always being the highly respected representatives of Monster Jam and the entire industry.
Jesse had worked as crew-chief for several years on a few different teams, always giving 100% to everything he did. When everyone else slept in, Jesse worked. When everyone else went to lunch, Jesse worked. And his efforts showed. When his truck went out to perform... it always did, and in a big way. Jesse won several Monster Jam awards for his efforts, and I personally presented him one of them. But that's not why Jesse worked so hard. He wanted to please the fans. Because Jesse was a fan too.
I remember the first time I met Jesse. It was at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, summer of about 2003. I too was then a crew-chief, for Rod Schmidt's Grave Digger. Jesse and some of his buddies were there running their RC trucks for the weekend, he was fresh out of high-school. We talked for quite awhile, and he told me that he wanted to one day be a crew-chief. I encouraged him, and gave him a few pointers. A couple years later, I distinctly remember a race with him in Paris. He was crewing for Charlie Pauken's Grave Digger. I was proud of him and his efforts. Here we were, a few thousand miles around the planet and working on monster trucks. He skipped lunch earlier that day... to make sure the truck was 100%.
This saddens me tremendously. Godspeed, Jesse. We will miss you.
Jesse had worked as crew-chief for several years on a few different teams, always giving 100% to everything he did. When everyone else slept in, Jesse worked. When everyone else went to lunch, Jesse worked. And his efforts showed. When his truck went out to perform... it always did, and in a big way. Jesse won several Monster Jam awards for his efforts, and I personally presented him one of them. But that's not why Jesse worked so hard. He wanted to please the fans. Because Jesse was a fan too.
I remember the first time I met Jesse. It was at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, summer of about 2003. I too was then a crew-chief, for Rod Schmidt's Grave Digger. Jesse and some of his buddies were there running their RC trucks for the weekend, he was fresh out of high-school. We talked for quite awhile, and he told me that he wanted to one day be a crew-chief. I encouraged him, and gave him a few pointers. A couple years later, I distinctly remember a race with him in Paris. He was crewing for Charlie Pauken's Grave Digger. I was proud of him and his efforts. Here we were, a few thousand miles around the planet and working on monster trucks. He skipped lunch earlier that day... to make sure the truck was 100%.
This saddens me tremendously. Godspeed, Jesse. We will miss you.