It is with sad and thoughtful reflection that I inform you of the passing of Dr. Lillian K. Beam, who died July 6, 2008.  Her funeral was held on the 12th.

  

Dr. Beam was President of the Educational Cultural Complex from 1979 to 1984. In those early years, Dr. Beam helped guide the growth and development of many of the programs we have in Continuing Education today, including ESL, Vocational Education, and the  Learning Center.

 

Dr. Beam earned a B.A. from Ohio State University in 1947, but did not begin her career until after her sixth child was three years old.  In 1970, she completed her Master’s in Education followed in 1975 by her Ph.D. in Human Behavior and Psychology from United States International University.

 

Anne Heller, Dean of DSPS, who worked with Lillian, described her as, “a gentle, kind, and caring person, who had great enthusiasm and inner strength.”  Anne also said that, “Dr. Beam was a woman who was way ahead of her time.”  This was certainly evident in her creation and administration of the annual “World Econoculture,” which was an ambitious program to expand world trade and economic relationships through cultural understanding.

 

After retiring from San Diego Community College District, Dr. Beam embarked on a completely new life and experience in Nairobi, Africa.  For 10 years (1984 to 1994), she worked as the Director of the Nairobi Campus for United States International University.  When she first got the position, the campus was operated out of the Mayfair Hotel with only a handful of students.  With great vision and tenacity, Dr. Beam purchased 20 acres and built several buildings, creating the current campus, which now serves thousands students each year.

 

No doubt drawing on her ECC experience, Dr. Beam was a pioneer in the development of the first pre-university program that subsequently became a model for many East African Universities.  Dr. Freida Brown, the Vice Chancellor for USIU in Nairobi, told me this morning that, “private higher education was not embraced in East Africa and Dr. Beam faced and overcame numerous obstacles.”

 

Even after her retirement in 1994, she continued to consult in the field of education including overseeing the Teachers for Africa Program and books for schools.  She lived in Kenya for 18 years and was committed to quality education.

 

The above is but a tiny sample of the great work of Dr. Lillian K. Beam.  Know that the educational world has lost a true leader, innovator, and pioneer.  She said once about herself that she has four major obstacles:  “I’m black; I’m a woman; I’m little; and I’m intelligent.”  She never let any of these things get in her way or slow her down from high achievement.  Maybe this is a final lesson we can all learn from this great educator.

 

I know you join me in expressing our deepest sympathies to her family.

 

Anthony E. Beebe, President

San Diego Continuing Education