Eleanor Roosevelt College sophomore Bradley Grantham passed away due to complications from pneumonia on Jan. 22. He was 19.
Guardian
Friends and family will gather to remember Grantham’s life at a memorial service on Jan. 31. The service will be held at 11 a.m. at Latter Day Saints Church, 7000 Central Avenue, Highland, Calif.
An on-campus vigil is still being planned for the UCSD community to gather in remembering Grantham. The Eleanor Roosevelt College Residential Life Office may be contacted for further information about the vigil.
Grantham, who grew up with disabilities that put him in a wheelchair, was not expected to live past age 2, according to his mother, Judy Grantham.
“”Boy did he show them a thing or two,”” she said. “”Bradley never wanted to be treated as a Œhandicap’ person. He was lucky to have friends that didn’t see him as any different than themselves.””
Grantham’s roommate, ERC sophomore Joshua Ng, said he greatly admired Grantham.
“”He never complained about his physical handicap, and instead looked toward everything optimistically,”” Ng said. “”Everyone who has taken the time to know him will admit that Bradley had an aura of serenity.””
Another roommate, Eleanor Roosevelt College sophomore J.D. Hicks, echoed Ng’s description.
“”Bradley was an awesome individual, and I think we can all learn something from his life,”” Hicks said. “”Bradley always remained remarkably determined and optimistic about life. I think that is very commendable because most of us would not be able to handle half of the adversity that Bradley dealt with in his everyday life.””
Grantham, who was born in Fountain Valley, Calif., started going to school at age three. In high school, he was an honor student and spent time at science and NASA space camps as well as Boy Scout camps, where he became an Eagle Scout. According to his mother, he traveled to all sorts of destinations, including Las Vegas, the Biosphere in Arizona and even the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C.
He also often visited Disneyland, which his mother said he loved, but enjoyed less as he got older because he was no longer able to go on the rides.
“”He thought someone should invent a seatbelt for all sizes of people,”” she said.
Along the way he met many famous politicians and celebrities, including Sen. Barbara Boxer, Sen. Diane Feinstein, Marie Osmond, Tommy Lasorda, Jack Kemp, Bob and Elizabeth Dole, Al Gore and Bill Clinton.
At UCSD, Grantham studied Japanese, and, according to ERC Resident Dean Rey Guerrero, was very involved in the ERC community.
“”You could always count on him coming out to events,”” Guerrero said.
Jordan Cross, Grantham’s freshman year resident advisor, said Grantham was an “”amazing”” resident.
“”Having had the pleasure of being Bradley’s RA and friend, I got to see a kind, compassionate person who worked harder on a daily basis than anyone I have ever met,”” Cross said.
Grantham, according to his friends and family, loved anime, video games and TV shows “”24″” and “”The Simpsons.””
His family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County or the Ronald McDonald House.
