Betty May Preston Beck was born April 16, 1922 in Rochester, NY. She attended public schools and graduated from high school in Rochester where she played the flute in the high school band, keeping the art fresh in her adult years. She was active in many sports; swimming, canoeing, tennis, golf, ect. A love of the outdoors was developed early in her many years at summer YWCA camps. Betty attended Wellesley College, graduating in 1944 with honors as physics major. Her love of sports was continued at Wellesley as a member of the Wellesley rowing crew and a canoeing instructor during days before the college opened in the fall. Betty accelerated her college education by taking courses at other colleges during the summer. This resulted in her completing her college credits a semester early and being wartime, she took as position as an engineer in Sperry Gyroscope Co. on Long Island, NY, returning to the college to receive her degree in June 1944. Soon after returning to Sperry she met Emil Charles Beck who was a captain in the Army Quartermaster Corps. They were married on May 5, 1945.
Several years passed while her husband established himself after the war, becoming ordained in the Methodist Church. This led to residences in Queens, NY; Poultney and Windsor VT; Manchester and Rye NH; and Needham MA. During this time Betty began advanced education courses at Boston University to prepare for teaching science in public schools. This began many years of involving the family in her creative and learning projects such as a sea aquarium and ice fishing. In Massachusetts, after being a school volunteer in the Boston Public Schools, she became project director for seven years of the National Science Foundation’s project on developing unified science and math in elementary schools, operating workshops nationwide. After the ending of the project, she enrolled in a statistics course at Wellesley College which immediately led in 1980 to becoming a physical science laboratory instructor and designer at Babson College in Wellesley. She retired after 17 years.
In 1961 Betty purchased over 15 acres on First Connecticut Lake, in Pittsburg, NH. The owner, Pearly Terrill, was a well known old time conservation officer, guide, land owner, and lodge operator who saw Betty’s love of the outdoors, thus he sold at a bargain price. She pitched herself into the land’s development, inspiring her family to do the same. It has been a beloved focus of her attention and that and that of her family and has been a summer refuge through the ensuing years.
She and her husband have continued to reside in Needham, MA and have lived in North Hill, a senior retirement and long term care community since 2001. They have two sons Charles Beck of Ashland, MA and James Beck of Needham, MA and two grandchildren Deborah Beck and William Beck both of Ashland, MA.
A funeral service will be held on Wed July 25 at 10 AM in the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church 207 Washington St. Wellesley. Interment will follow at Needham Cemetery. Following the interment a reception will be held back at the church.
If desired gifts may be made in memory of Betty May Preston Beck to Farnum Memorial Church c/o Norma Covill, Pittsburg NH, 03592.
Arrangements by Eaton Funeral Home Needham, MA