Man, 19, dies in Pennsbury crash

A young Chester County man eager to begin his second year of art school died early Friday morning in a one-vehicle car crash in Pennsbury Township.

Oscar "Okie" G. Regalado, 19, of Kennett Square, one of two passengers in a 1999 Audi driven by Alexander B. Moore, 19, of West Chester, was taken by helicopter to Crozer-Chester Medical Center, where he died, police said Saturday.

Moore and the other passenger, Justin P. Stearn, 19, of West Chester, sustained moderate injuries, police said. Police said that alcohol use was not suspected and that all three men had used seat belts.

Police, who said they believed speed was a factor, said Moore had lost control of the Audi on a sharp curve of Chandler Road just south of Conestoga Court. The driver "tried to overcorrect the vehicle, striking a tree on the rear passenger side," where Regalado was sitting, police said.

His death hit students and faculty members hard at Unionville High School. Regalado, a 2009 graduate, was a promising artist nominated for a regional award for his work on the set of The Man Who Came to Dinner, the high school's 2008 play.

The school community was still mourning the death July 30 of Jeffrey A. Wheet, the head of the school's art department, after a long illness. Wheet was Regalado's teacher and mentor.

After Wheet died, Regalado posted a Facebook photo that showed him with Wheet, both giving an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"It's been a difficult couple of weeks," said Dan Gower, 19, a friend who worked with Regalado for four years on the stage crew. "He was the kind of person who radiated kindness to everyone."

Gower said he and other friends would host a celebration of Regalado's life after a school memorial for Wheet on Tuesday evening.

"Okie was not the kind of person who would want people to mourn," said Gower.

Marco Sordi, 19, a friend of Regalado's since sixth grade, agreed.

"We need to cherish the time we had with him," he said, adding that Regalado had been looking forward to returning to the Delaware College of Art and Design. "He loved art school."

Sordi said the outpouring of condolences by phone and on Facebook were a testament to the Regalado's positive influence.

"Some of the people didn't even know him well, but they knew he was special," Sordi said. "It's a terrible loss. He was one of the most genuine people you could ever meet."