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Harry H. Beacham
Date published: 5/19/2006 Harry H. Beacham Dr. Harry Hoyt Beacham, 87, passed away Sunday, April 30, 2006, at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, after a brief illness. Dr. Beacham was the son of Harry Hoyt Beacham Sr. and Vera Lantz Beacham of Altoona, Pa. Born May 21, 1919, he graduated from Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. He then completed his master's degree in chemistry at Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., and his Ph.D. in chemistry, physics and mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pa. During the Second World War, he was employed by the Manhattan Project in the research and development laboratory at the Oak Ridge Y-12 facility, assisting in the uranium enrichment proc-esses used to develop the atomic bombs that ended the war. Dr. Beacham was awarded a citation from the United States War Department and a congratulatory letter from Dr. Albert Einstein as a result of his efforts. Following the end of World War II, Dr. Beacham went to work for National Lead Co., Dutch Boy Paints and FMC Corporation. He rose through various positions of increasing responsibility in the chemical research departments of each of these companies. His last assignment was at the research department at FMC headquarters in Princeton, N.J. He retired from FMC in 1981. Throughout his long and productive career, Dr. Beacham created many new chemical compounds that have enriched American lives including low phosphate detergents, the adhesive that holds non-stick coatings to cooking utensils, many food preservatives, Testor paints for plastic models, the insulation for telephone wires, spun glass angel hair, flame retardant treatments for fabrics, and fabric stain guard treatments, among many others. He was awarded over 200 American and international patents. He was also the author of the organic chemistry chapter in an encyclopedia of chemistry. Dr. Beacham was a sought-after speaker for many international chemical societies specializing in the application of phosphate technologies. This included a series of speeches given to scientific societies be-hind the Iron Curtain in the late 1970s. Since his retirement, Dr. Beacham and his wife have lived in Malakoff, Texas, Newport Richey, Fla., and in the Fredericksburg area. Dr. Beacham is survived by his wife of 64 years, Kathryn Myton Beacham; and his four children, Timothy Harry Beacham of Panama City, Fla., Janis Beacham Simmelink of Fredericksburg, Duane Harry Beacham of Chattanooga, Tenn., and Keith Harry Beacham of Panama City, Fla. He also is survived by eight grand-children. A private family gathering was held in Fredericksburg.
Date published: 5/19/2006
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