Theodore Richard Beck

Theodore Richard Beck

Theodore (Ted) Richard Beck died on May 28, 2017 at the age of 91. Ted was born in Seattle to Gudmunda Elin Thorarinsdottir from near Oxarfjordur, Iceland and Theodore Beck from Silkeborg, Denmark. He grew up with his stepmother, Elsa, and sisters Elin Justice and Marilyn Willats. He enjoyed swimming in Lake Washington, digging caves in vacant lots, riding his bike, and conducting experiments with his chemistry set.

Ted worked his way through the University of Washington earning BS, MS and PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering by age 26. Ted met Ruth at the Skandia Folkdance Club while they were students at the U of W, and they married in 1951. They enjoyed hiking, backpacking and traveling together. Their daughters joined Ted and Ruth in trail ramblings, receiving their first hiking boots and little backpacks for their third birthdays.

Ted's career focused on industrial research and development beginning at DuPont in 1952. He subsequently worked at Kaiser Aluminum, American Potash and Chemical, Boeing Aerospace Division, Boeing Scientific Research Laboratories, Flow Research, and U of W where he was an affiliate Chemical Engineering professor. When BSRL closed he formed his own company, Electrochemical Technology Corp., that he ran for 20 years continuing his research in electrochemistry for government and business. He authored 77 technical papers and received 11 patents.

Ted joined The Electrochemical Society in 1954 and was active in local section, division and society affairs. He served continuously in many roles becoming President in 1975. He received the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Corrosion Division in 1981, the Edward Goodrich Acheson Award in 1990 and was elected a Fellow in 1991. He was a Fellow of American Institute of Chemical Engineers and served as Chair of the Puget Sound Section of the American Chemical Society.

During his years at U of W Ted made life-long friends with whom he explored the mountains and trails of the Northwest. He was a 50-year member of the Seattle Mountaineers. His week-long hikes with friends in the North Cascades led him join the board of the North Cascades Conservation Council. Ted's calculations helped the NCCC successfully prevent the raising of Ross Dam.

Ted was fascinated by his Icelandic family's genealogy and the Icelandic language and studied both extensively. Visiting his Icelandic and Danish families were great pleasures. He organized several large family reunions. He served on the boards of the Nordic Heritage Museum and The Icelandic Club of Greater Seattle.

Ted is survived by his wife Ruth, daughters Randi Beck and Maren Beck (Joshua Hirschstein), and grandsons Ari and Zall.