George Alfred Beck

He was born in Warren Ohio 23 October 1931.  Son of Frederick William Beck and Oro Laird Beck.

Mr. Beck attended his mother’s Alma Mater Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio from 1949-1951.He subsequently earned a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, Ohio in 1954, graduating with honors.  He served in the US Army at White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico in 1955 and 1956.

He studied Electrical Engineering in graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1956-1957.

Mr. Beck worked for RCA in Princeton and East Windsor, New Jersey from 1956 until 1986 where he began his career as a system engineer and design engineer and eventually participated in developing and sustaining the company’s commercial unmanned spacecraft programs.

He served as a Division Fellow and system design manager for spacecraft projects for General Electric Company from 1986 until 1991.

He free-lanced as a consultant for various aerospace engineering projects until his retirement.

Mr. Beck holds one U.S. patent, and he wrote or co-authored eight engineering publications.  He has been honored by the Space Technology Hall of Fame.

Mr. Beck and his beloved wife of 49 years, the late Anita Ruth Glaeser Beck, moved to Wilmington, NC in 2001.  They were members of Grace United Methodist Church. Mr. Beck spent much of his retirement keeping the financial records for Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard.

He is survived by his sons Frederick (wife Emmie and son William) of Bennettsville, SC and Kenneth of Woodland, CA and his ‘sweetheart’ Peggy Wardell of Wilmington.

A memorial Service will be held at Grace United Methodist church at 1:30 pm Tuesday, 6 November.

Memorials may be made to Grace United Methodist Church.

Condolences may be left at www.andrewsmortuary.com