Charles Addison Beckham USAF Sr. Ret

Charlie earned his first set of wings in 1940, graduating from the U.S. Army Air Corps Flying School at Kelly Field, in San Antonio, Texas. Charlie grew up in Dallas and graduated from Oak Cliff High School.

In 1936, after working in a battery factory in Dallas for three years to earn money for college, Charlie enrolled at Texas A&M University.

Three years later, with 96 hours in mechanical engineering but no money to finance the remainder of his college education or to buy his Senior Boots, Charlie accepted a $250 signing bonus to join the Army Air Corp and pursue his dream of flying. Thus began an over 20 year distinguished career in the Army Air Corps and the Air Force.

Learning to fly in a Stearman biplane, Charlie whose flying buddies called Satch concluded his career flying jets. Spending most of World War II stateside, Charlie was finally transferred to the South Pacific on August 1, 1945 to command a B-29 Squadron.

In 1946, Charlie was briefly deactivated and appointed into the Army Reserve. In 1946 and 1947, he flew with Mercury Airlines before being reactivated into the Air Force in 1947.

He served as commander in the Air Weather Service, Military Air Command in Japan, New York, Alaska, and Waco, Texas and received a Bronze Star for service during the Korean War.

He was also commander of the Pilot Training Squadron in Laredo, Texas. At the time he retired in 1960, he had attained the rank of Colonel, was serving as Executive Officer to the Chief of Staff, U.S. European Command in Paris, France and had racked up over 7, 100 hours of flight time.

Following retirement from the Air Force, Charlie enrolled at North Texas State University where he graduated with a BBA and a MBA at the ripe young age of 50.

The next year Charlie began a second career with civil service, first at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and later at Ft. Hood, in Killeen, Texas.

In 1981, after more than 40 years of federal service, Charlie retired from government service.

During the course of his two careers with the government, Charlie actively amassed real estate in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas where he grew up.

For the next twenty years, Charlie was his own carpenter, plumber and property manager. Although often teased by family and friends about being a slum lord, the Colonel lived on the block with his tenants and looked after their welfare and well-being.

In 2003, at the age of 89, he took final retirement and sold his properties to Methodist Hospital. Charlie loved dogs, the Dallas Cowboys, flying and studying the weather.

He was a member of the Masonic Lodge of Tokyo, Japan and the Highland Chapter of Newburgh, New York since 1951.

He is predeceased by his parents, Addison McLaurin Beckham and Rossea Louise Edwards Beckham Garland; his sister, Alice Kirkland; his first wife, Clyde Davis Hawk Beckham; and second wife, Wilda Nathalie Lewis Beckham.

He is survived by his wife, Deborah Knox Beckham, J.D.; his daughter, Barbara Jane Beckham, PhD of Corpus Christi, Texas; his son, Charles Addison Beckham, Jr., J.D., and wife, Jennifer Jackson Beckham, of Houston, Texas; their children, Cameron Beckham, of Los Angeles, California, and Charles Addison Beckham III of Houston, Texas; stepson, Charles William Church, and wife, Michelle Behe Church, of Allen, Texas; stepdaughter, Jessica Cornelius Cordova, and husband, Daniel Cordova of Cibolo, Texas; stepdaughter, Kristin Leigh Church, of Humble, Texas; and their children, Meghan Cordova, Madeline Cordova, Kaleb Crawford, Hannah Crawford and Connor Church.

Many thanks are given to Lidia Plaza, who took special care of Charlie for the last three years of his life.

A graveside service will be held at Ft. Sam Houston under the auspices of Somerset Lodge #1205 A.F. & A.M. with Chaplain Al Snyder officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Texas A&M Foundation or the Humane Society of Bexar County, Texas, 4804 Fredericksburg Rd., San Antonio, Texas 78229.