DR. THOMAS HOWARD BEECHY

(1937 – 2026) Professor Emeritus, Schulich School of Business, York University - In Toronto, a city he loved, Tom let go the moorings on the morning of February 3rd, and set forth on the next great adventure to discover what lies beyond the horizon. He was just shy of his 89th birthday. Tom was born in Decatur, Illinois, on March 5, 1937, to parents, Lee De Forest Beechy and Emma Clairee Holcomb. He had one brother, William Porter Beechy (deceased). Tom spent his formative years enjoying the wonders of Chicago until the family moved to Washington, D.C., where his father joined the Pentagon. Upon graduation from High School, Tom continued his studies at George Washington University (BA), the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (MBA), and earned his doctorate (DBA) from Washington University (St. Louis). Tom taught for 10 years at IIT (Illinois Institute of Technology) before deciding that Canada was the place to be. Upon arrival in Canada in 1971, Tom joined the Faculty of Administrative Studies (now the Schulich School of Business) York University. Tom would say that is where the real story begins. He taught in the BBA, MBA, IMBA and EMBA programs. Tom authored the first Canadian textbooks on Advanced Accounting and Intermediate Accounting. He contributed to other professional books, published monographs, wrote journal articles, and gave professional presentations around the world. Somehow, he also found the time and energy to be the Accounting Area Coordinator, Associate Dean Student Affairs, Associate Dean Academic, Executive Director of International Relations and Assistant Dean, Special Projects. He did it all diplomatically with good humour and finesse. Outside of academia, Tom had an equally full and rewarding life. He loved spending time with family, friends, and colleagues. An excellent chef, having honed his cooking skills in the National Guard, the dining room table provided sustenance for body and soul. Excellent food and wine combined with wide ranging and witty conversation provided Tom's guests with that warm feeling of being valued and belonging. The garden was another canvas on which Tom painted friendship and welcome with a broad brush. Everyone was welcome. Tom made deep connections with people at all levels. The arts and travel were Tom's great passions. Tom positively danced down Yonge St. the afternoon he became a Canadian Citizen and that evening celebrated by attending a Toronto Symphony Orchestra concert. His name was ubiquitous as a donor in the programs of endless arts organization (TSO, COC, National Ballet, Opera Atelier, National Youth Orchestra, the Stratford & Shaw Festivals, the Mendelson Choir, and the list only grew). Music, dance, theatre, museums, art galleries, all benefited from Tom's philanthropy. He also gave generously of his time and talent as a board member of the National Ballet School, and as a founding board member of the Gay Appeal (now Foundation One) he continued his patronage and promotion of equality and acceptance in education and the arts. Tom was a world traveller. He managed to explore six of the seven continents (only Antarctica remained). Travel allowed him to combine his love of the myriad modes of transportation while discovering the cultural diversity he wished to know in more depth. He could be found on horseback, on a donkey, on buses, subways, river barges, planes, trains, ships, trucks and a wide range of automobiles. By far his favorite were ships and trains, and anywhere his feet could take him. As a teenager he enjoyed model railroading with his brother and father, and soon enough progressed to the real thing. He travelled by train throughout Europe, Britain, Australia, Southeast Asia, Central and South America, the United States and Canada. There was not a train he did not want to ride. Tom circumnavigated the globe aboard an array of remarkable vessel. He liked nothing better than to spend time watching the ocean roll by as he stood or sat on the deck of a ship. He found the preparations to repel pirates, in the Red Sea, particularly fascinating. Tom loved to sail aboard the last great ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2, and marveled at how she traversed any sea conditions. Tom had a full and rewarding life. He leaves numerous friends and colleagues around the world. Tom is survived by his partner of 51 years, Brian; family members in Florida: his niece, Carol Belzer (Roger) and nephew, Michael Beechy (Julie); his extended Irish family who shall miss his excellent craic; and his Canadian family who shall miss his ready smile and steady constancy. The family want to thank his amazing group of caregivers, Pilar, Mo, Aden, Martha, Kidist, Tabitha, and Juliana (the smile he greeted you with each day said it all), and his doctors and nurses of the Munk Wing, Toronto General Hospital. Cremation has taken place. Come spring, there will be a gathering to celebrate a life well lived. May Tom have fair winds and following seas. Bon Voyage. Adieu. Love you forever. Donations in memory of Tom may be made to the Alzheimer Society.