Mr. Phillip L. Beck Sr.

Phillip L. Beck, Sr. Passes

Mr. Phillip L. Beck, Sr. retired East Saint Louis School District principal slipped away peacefully. Wednesday evening, July 17, 2002, with his family by his side at Rosewood Care Center, Swansea, Illinois.

Mr. Beck was born in Rucks, Mississippi on April 21, 1917 and moved to East St. Louis, Illinois in 1923. He attended Dunbar Ele­mentary and Lincoln Junior-Senior High Schools. He graduated from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri in 1940. He received a Master of Education degree from the University of Illinois in 1953 and a Master of Education degree from the University of Illinois in 1953 and a Master of Science de­gree in mathematics from St. Louis, University in 1970.

Mr. Beck was a United States Army Veteran of WWII, worked at the Aluminum Ore Company, drove a taxicab and was a photog­rapher. He taught at Lincoln High School and Hughes Quinn Junior High School, was Assistant Princi­pal at Rock Junior High School and Principal of Johnson and John Robinson Elementary Schools at the time of his retirement in 1977. After retiring, he worked at Hauss Chevrolet and taught at St. Francis Borgia Catholic High School in Washington, Missouri and State Community College in East St. Louis, Illinois.

In 1956 Mr. Beck was the first African American to be elected president of the East St. Louis Edu­cation Association and a Charter Member of Local 1220, American Federation of Teachers. He was elected Phi Mu Epsilon, National Mathematics Fraternity in 1971 and Phi Delta Kappa, National Educa­tion Fraternity in 1975. His many organizations and affiliations in­clude member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. for over 60 years and served as Polemarch, and also served as Master of Joppa Lodge #79, member of the Lions Club, East Side Duplicate Bridge Club, AceHigh Bridge Club, N.A.A.C.P., and Trustee, Greater New Hope Baptist Church.