A Wheaton College graduate who was walking across the country barefoot to raise awareness about climate change was killed over the weekend when he was struck by an SUV.
Mark Baumer, 33, died at the scene of the crash on Saturday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. He was walking along US 90 in Walton County, police said, when a driver allegedly drove onto the road’s shoulder and hit him.
“We are deeply saddened,” Wheaton College officials said in a statement Tuesday. “[Mark] was brilliant, thoughtful, and passionate. He contributed a great deal to the Wheaton community and to the world, and he will be sorely missed.”
Baumer graduated from Wheaton, a liberal arts college in Norton, in 2006. He majored in English and was a member of the college’s baseball team that made it to the NCAA Division III World Series, school officials said.
An environmental activist, author, and poet, Baumer had been in touch with the school just one day before his death for an article by the school’s alumni magazine about his cross-country walk.
“Life is so short, unpredictable, and often just plain unfair,” the school wrote in an editor’s note, after publishing the story Tuesday.
Charlotte Meehan, an English professor who advised Baumer at Wheaton, recalled him as a unique talent.
“Mark lived his life as most of us would not dare do,” she wrote in an e-mail. “His genius writing comes from the bold choices he made and from his inner well of kindness and gentility. He was clear-eyed and stubbornly himself. He held his ideals close and because of that his words are pure.”
This was the second time Baumer was walking across the United States. In 2010, he completed an 81-day excursion that took him from the East Coast to Los Angeles, according to The Washington Post.
Baumer had been documenting his latest trek on Instagram. His last post was on Saturday from Mossy Head, Fla.
In the photo, Baumer was sitting down, his bare feet in the forefront, as he played with what appeared to be a piece of trash on the ground.
“Day 101 of crossing america barefoot,” the caption read.
Following news of Baumer’s death, dozens of people who had been following his trip on social media left their condolences.
“Thank you so much for everything you’ve given us, you beautiful artist, poet, activist, soul,” one person wrote. “We miss you so much.”
Before he began his trek in the fall, Baumer had been working as a Web content specialist at the Brown University library, according to his website, Barefoot Across America.
Baumer took a leave of absence from his job in October, school officials told the Globe.
Baumer earned a master of fine arts degree in literary arts from Brown in 2011. He began working at the school the following year.
The FANG Collective, an environmental group that opposes the natural gas industry, said in a Facebook post that its members were devastated by Baumer’s death.
“Mark was an amazingly compassionate, empathic, humble, joyful, generous, mindful, and caring person,” the group wrote. “He was a talented poet and artist with an ability to tap into the human experience with his work.”
The group said Baumer’s presence, online and in person, was uplifting.
“Mark was a friend who brought joy into the lives of anyone he met. If you were having a difficult day, watching Mark’s social media posts seemed to make everything better,” the group wrote. “We will work to commemorate and honor Mark’s life in the best way that we can.”
Steve Annear can be reached at steve.annear@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @steveannear.