Sean C. Morgan
A 2007 Sweet Home High School graduate died Oct. 19 when he fell from rocks in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
Casey Eugene Hanscam, 26, fell while free-climbing on rocks to get a better view of the sunset on the Red Springs Trail in the Calico Basin just west of Las Vegas, Nev. He suffered blunt force head trauma due to the fall, and the Clark County, Nev., Coroner’s Office reported that it was ruled accidental.
“He was just out for the evening with a lady friend to watch the sunset,” said Adele Hanscam, his mother. It had just rained, and he had climbed higher to get a better a view.
He moved to Las Vegas after his friend Joe Salvador invited him, Adele said. He planned to remain there for awhile then return and attend the Oregon Institute of the Arts. He had applied and been accepted. He previously had attended Linn-Benton Community College and Oregon State University.
“He went to get some life in him, and he did,” Adele said. “He was living. He had work. He had a lady friend. He had his license and a car. He was happy.”
He worked at Amber Unicorn Books, a large used bookstore, owned by Lou and Myrna Donato, said Steve Hanscam, Casey’s father. “He was into Tolkien (and authors like that). He just loved working at that bookstore.”
That’s where he met his girlfriend, Steve said. “When he was home last summer, he just couldn’t stop talking about the job. He just loved books.”
“It was the perfect job for him,” said Casey’s brother, Kyle Hanscam. “He was a big bookworm. He loved books and reading.”
“He was a Star Wars nut,” Adele said, and the family is planning to see the next installment of the series in his honor when it is released in December.
He was interested in graphic design, she said.
And he was interested in designing and working on video games, Kyle said.
He also enjoyed the outdoors, his family said.
He was an Eagle Scout, and they did a lot of outdoor activities when Casey was younger, Steve said.
Casey wrestled and ran cross-country at Sweet Home High School.
“He was 26 years old,” Steve said. “He was just really hitting his stride.”
An obituary and memorial service are pending. Information will appear in next week’s edition, Nov. 11, of The New Era.