By Cynthia Ellis

We were saddened to learn, in late January, of the death of George E. Beetham, Jr., Director Emeritus of our Board of Directors. That designation, “emeritus”, is indicative of how much George wanted to continue his participation in our work, and of our gratitude for his continuation.

A newspaper editor and dedicated hiker in the West Virginia mountains, George was broadly familiar with the highlands. 

The finely crafted family obituary for him noted, “George enjoyed traveling and was an avid backpacker, with a particular affinity for the wilderness areas of West Virginia. His travels inspired him to become an advocate for land preservation. He brought the beauty of the trails to others through his writing, rich with metaphor and vivid detail, and beautiful photography. He became a board member of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and sometimes wrote columns for their newsletter.”

One of his hiking companions was our own Peter Shoenfeld. Peter’s wife Marilyn remembers their after-hike dinners at home; George made a lively and witty guest. When invited to join the Conservancy’s board, George met then-president Frank Young. These were the early years of controversy regarding wind power on the ridgetops. George wrote, “I did a map study showing that if the development were moved north by a little more than a mile, intervening knobs higher than the towers might obscure it from Bear Rocks. It would also move it away from Stack Rock. Now, 16 years after the newspaper notice, some of the land we saved has been donated to the West Virginia Nature Conservancy.”

Titles of some of his articles for The Highlands Voice showed his passion: “The Highlands Conservancy’s Contributions to Wilderness” (2017) and “Now We Need to Work to Keep It Wilderness” (2018). Our tributes to Peter Shoenfeld and Frank Young were written by George Beetham. 

In comments to his family, Buff Rodman said, “I knew him from the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy where he made a terrific impact. I enjoyed sharing stories with him when we weren’t busy with Conservancy business. Lots of laughing and trying to outdo each other with tales of our adventures. We shared a love of geology and photography as well.” 

Veteran general member Frank O’Hara shared, “I remember his writings in the WVHC newsletter, he kept us informed. He had wit and humor. I think he grounded us.” 

Additionally, Hugh Rogers and I, when reminiscing, found we both knew that George loved the skewering humor of the “Pogo” comic strips.

That zest for fun was in addition to his appreciation for natural beauty. He wrote this poem:

Wisps of clouds ride on the wind

Scatter and then assemble again

Storm on the mountain rain for the land

Water to nourish both creature and plant

Sun fills the sky over the plain

Vapor then rises to form clouds again

[Copyright 2020 by George E. Beetham Jr.; reprinted by permission]

It was a pleasure to serve with, and to know, George Beetham. We, and the mountains, appreciated his help.