In five years, said Duane Cardall, his son had experienced about three manic episodes and "once he got on his medication all were generally short-lived."

The irony is that when Anna called the police last Tuesday, it was because she needed help getting Brian his medication.

Now the family, and society at large, is left to lament the loss of a high-achiever who was close to finishing his doctorate work in molecular ecology at Northern Arizona University.

"He had an extraordinarily adventurous life," said Duane Cardall.

After graduating from Salt Lake's Olympus High School, Brian, an Eagle Scout and outdoors lover, signed on as a fly-fishing guide at a resort in southern Utah. After that he spent two years on an LDS mission in Spain. Then he went to work for an air service in Alaska. On his days off he would arrange to get dropped off on the flanks of Mount McKinley where he'd climb and camp until he had to go back to work.

"I asked him once what's the one thing you've done that you don't want your mother to know about," said his father. "And he said it was a winter ice climb of the Grand Teton. He said it was the only time he's been scared."

Brian learned to play guitar in college at Utah State and wrote songs in the Dylan genre, recording CDs under the pseudonym "Jonah." As an artist, he painted oil landscapes using scalpels instead of brushes.

"The list goes on and on. He just had lots of interests," said Duane. "He was a voracious reader of the news and was always writing letters to the editor and commenting on the comments boards."

He might have commented on this latest story about a Taser death in southern Utah. But he didn't get the chance, so I'll comment for him. The Tasering was absolutely the wrong thing to do.

Lee Benson's column runs Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Please send e-mail to benson@desnews.com.

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