When he was in town, he stood along the sidelines at band practices. When a Spartan needed help, he was there.

And Alumni Association Executive Director Scott Westerman remembers him no differently.

“The last time I saw him, he came up here for a basketball game and he said to me, ‘MSU was the most important thing to ever happen to me in my entire life,’” he said.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Beals died Tuesday at the age of 85 at Vista Gardens Memory Care in Vista, Calif.

Graduating from MSU in 1949, Beals pursued a career in Hollywood. Born with a glandular condition that resulted in a 4-foot-6-inch stature, Beals was a perfect fit for the voice of many characters on children’s shows, such as Gumby in the 1950s series “The Gumby Show” as well as Davey in “Davey and Goliath” in the ‘60s.

Aside from perhaps his most well-known role as the voice of Speedy Alka-Seltzer, an animated character in a commercial, Beals also had smaller roles in shows including “The Bugs n’ Daffy Show,” “The Addams Family,” “The Jetsons” and “The Flintstones.”

“I don’t think people realize how often they heard his voice,” said Mark Evanier, producer and writer of children’s show “Garfield and Friends.”

Evanier said he created a number of characters with Beals in mind, and throughout the years, he discovered the wide range of talents the actor possessed. He could sing, he could play both boys and girls, he could make a character’s voice younger or older and he could conquer most accents.

Terry Denbow, former vice president of University Relations, said when Beals visited MSU, the two always caught up on sports, and while he was away, Beals still would call and check in.

“I used to tell him, ‘I know it’s Homecoming because you’re here,’” he said, adding Beals was a regular at Kellogg Center and had his own room to stay in.

On April 27, 2007, Beals was inducted into The State News Alumni Association Hall of Fame for his time writing at the newspaper during his college years. Denbow said he recalled having a long conversation with Beals on the drive home from the ceremony.

“He really, really was proud of that award,” he said. “It reflected students. He was always a student at heart.”

The last time they spoke, Denbow said Beals said he really felt the university was on the right track and he gave the future of MSU his blessings.

“If you asked him what he wanted to be remembered for, I would say he would have wanted (to be remembered as) an ambassador for MSU,” he said. “That would be the highest praise he would ever want.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, Beals has no immediate survivors.