John W. Beckham

John W. Beckham, 63, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. John was born to the late Robert and Dorothy Beckham on January 14, 1957 in Barberton, Ohio. He was the eldest of five children. John was a graduate of Norton High School, 1975. He further received a BS in History, the University of Akron, 1979; MD in History, University of Akron, 1981; MD in Library Research, St. John’s University, NYC, 1984; all Degrees were Magna Cum Laude. John first worked at the U.S. Customs Service in NYC, then moved on to ABC News Show “Nightline” for several years.  From there John moved to Los Angeles and worked for the Los Angeles Times Newspaper, finally locating in Chicago and working for the LA Times Chicago office for many years. John finished his career back at the University of Akron working at Bierce Library. He could find out anything about any subject well before the internet came into existence.  John also spoke fluent Spanish and was an accomplished chef. John leaves behind brothers, George and Joseph both of Akron, Thomas of Warren and sister, Kimberly of Boylston, MA.  He also leaves his partner of 35 years, Paul M. Ehrlich; along with many good friends at the University of Akron and all around the world. Following John’s wishes, cremation has taken place. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.

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