Edward Burton Beam

Male 1925 - 2009  (83 years)


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  • Name Edward Burton Beam 
    Birth 23 Aug 1925  Hemlock, Livonia, Livingston Co., New York, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Military Service Abt 1942 
    World War II (US)
    US Army Air Corps 
    Death 17 Jul 2009 
    Burial Lakeview Cemetery, Honeoye, Ontario Co., New York, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • EDWARD BURTON BEAM
      North Carolina /Hemlock - Edward Burton Beam of Bermuda Run, NC, died July 17, 2009, at the age of 83, after a brief battle with cancer.
      Ed Beam was born in Hemlock, NY on August 23, 1925 to Floyd and Pauline Burton Beam and was a graduate of Hemlock High School. After being discharged from the US Army Air Corps after WWII, Ed attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY, where he graduated in 1949. While in college, he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity and was active in the student newspaper, student radio station, yearbook and many other social and academic honorary organizations.
      In his professional life, Ed Beam's interests ran the gamut. After college he joined the family business, Beam & Company, becoming the fourth generation to work in the grain and milling industry. He operated facilities in Seneca Falls and the Portland Point grain elevator in Ithaca, NY, which was one of the largest grain elevators in the East with a storage capacity of over three million bushels.
      After he sold the business in 1964, Beam owned and operated a number of enterprises. He had an importing business, became a licensed stock broker and even spent time as a consultant to the Jim Beam Distilleries in Kentucky.
      In 1969, Ed was asked to become the Vice President of Cook-Gauntlett Travel Agency in Ithaca. A few years later he purchased the agency and renamed it Beam Travel Center. In his years as President of the agency he grew the business, opening offices at Cornell University and the University of Iowa, as well as working with many businesses and other schools on their travel needs, including designing overseas student tours and programs. Beam Travel was one of the first in its field to computerize the ticketing and reservation process over a system which would later become part of the internet. During his years in the travel industry, Ed toured the world, having visited every continent and over 80 countries. He flew on the Pan-Am inaugural trans-Atlantic flight of the 747 and on the British Airways inaugural flight of the Concord between Washington and London. Ed Beam sold the agency and retired in 1985, and three years later he and his wife, Carolyn, moved to Keowee Key in South Carolina.
      Throughout his life, Ed Beam was active in a diverse group of social and philanthropic organizations. He achieved the level of 32 degree Mason, was a Paul Harris Fellow in Rotary, a Commander in the Ithaca Power Squadron and headed the United Way Fund in Tompkins County. Ed remained active even into his later years, retiring as the President of the Resident's Association at Bermuda Village just this past May.
      Ed Beam also was an active supporter of higher education and the arts, having been a member of the Presidents Associates at St. Lawrence University, earning the Distinguished Service Award from Ithaca College. He also was a major donor to the Performing Arts Center at Cornell University and the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts at Clemson University.
      He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Carolyn Messner Beam; and his three sons, Edward Jr. of Plymouth, MA, Daniel of Los Angeles, CA and John of Burbank, CA. He is also survived by his sister, Geraldine Barnard of Hemlock, NY; numerous nieces and nephews and two dogs, Hannah and Freddy.
      In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to: The Chapel Fund c/o Rev. David Burr, Bermuda Village, 142 Bermuda Village Dr., Advance, NC 27006 or Habitat for Humanity International, 121 Habitat St., Americus, GA 31709.
      The interment will be at the family cemetery in Honeoye, NY. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Arrangements, Kevin W. Dougherty Funeral Home, Inc., Livonia - Honeoye. To send condolences or share a memory, please visit: www.doughertyfuneralhomes.com
    Person ID I8616  OurNorthernRoots
    Last Modified 16 Jun 2014 

    Father Floyd Curtis Beam,   b. 18 Jul 1892, Hemlock, Livonia, Livingston Co., New York, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 28 Jul 1969, Canandaigua, Ontario Co., New York, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 77 years) 
    Mother Pauline J. Burton,   b. 23 Dec 1899, Mendon, Monroe Co., New York, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Nov 1981, Hemlock, Livonia, Livingston Co., New York, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 81 years) 
    Family ID F11835  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 23 Aug 1925 - Hemlock, Livonia, Livingston Co., New York, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Lakeview Cemetery, Honeoye, Ontario Co., New York, USA Link to Google Earth
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