Thanks to Carl Woideck for sharing this —
Edward Beach
January 4, 2010
Edward A. Beach, a Eugene resident who worked for 25 years in New York theater and radio, died December 25th. He was 85.
Beach was born January 16th, 1923, in Winnipeg, Canada, to Peter and Matilda Beach, and moved to Portland Oregon in 1950.
Educated at Grant High School, Lewis and Clark College, and as a graduate assistant in Cornell University’s Theatre Department, for most of the 1950s he worked in theatre as a professional actor. In 1957 he joined New York City’s WNYC; then from 1961 through 1976 produced and hosted a daily jazz show on that city’s WRVR-FM. By the mid-`60s he was recognized as “The Dean of Jazz Air Personalities,” winning awards for excellence in broadcasting from Jazz Interactions, Inc., and the Council of Churches of the City of New York. The distinguished composer-conductor-jazz historian Gunther Schuller, in his “Early Jazz” history’s Preface, thanked “Ed Beach and station WRVR in New York for providing endless hours of superb listening, for his indefatigable enthusiasm, incorruptible taste, and unpretentious, accurate comments.” The tape recordings of the program, Just Jazz with Ed Beach, are in the Library of Congress collections.
He returned to the Portland area with his family in 1977, and moved to Eugene in 1999.
He is survived by a son, Mark Peter, and grandsons Kamon Alexander, Jack Kamon, and Alex Kamon of Eugene.
Disposition was by cremation. A private family celebration of life will be scheduled. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name to The Child Center, 3995 Marcola Road, Springfield, OR 97477, 541-726-1465, are appreciated.
JAZZ LIVES 