George A. Beck papers

George Alfred Beck (November 15, 1896-July 28, 1991) was an educator and longtime principal of Duluth’s Central High school. Born in Harrisville, Ohio, George Beck graduated from Lafayette, Ohio high school and Adrian College in Michigan. He received his master's degree from Ohio State University and an honorary doctorate from The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. He came to Duluth's Central High as principal in 1939 from East Liverpool, Ohio after working for 19 years in education in Ohio and West Virginia. Beck co-authored the book Your Life Plans and the Armed Forces published by the American Council on Education for high schools and branches of the military at the request of the Department of Defense. In 1955, he took a leave from Central to become a consultant to the U. S. Air Force on improving high schools for children of service personnel stationed in Europe. He retired from Central after 26 years in 1965, the longest serving principal in Central's history. A Central scholarship in George Beck's name was first awarded in 1973. Before retirement, he was active in creating a public TV station in Duluth. He was the chair of a citizen group committed to that goal in 1953. By 1959, he and others had raised $350,000 needed to build the station which went on the air in 1964. WDSE first broadcast from a one-room studio in the former Bradley building at Lake Avenue and Superior Street, and later moved into its own Sax Memorial Building on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus. At age 67, he began a second career as general manager of Duluth's public television station WDSE-TV, Channel 8. He retired from his TV post in 1980 at age 83. His spouse was Leila Beck who died in 1981. The Becks had one daughter, Eileen Maddy. He was a member of First Presbyterian church. He died at the Benedictine health Care Center at age 94. Mr. Beck is buried at Duluth's Forest Hill cemetery.