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He Puts the 'Active' in 'Active Duty'
Retired Marine Makes Planned Donation to Tarleton
Richard Beil Jr. is a stick-with-it kind of guy.
The retired U.S. Marine lieutenant colonel was in the corps for three decades, he will be married to his wife for 32 years in September and he recently made a donation to support Tarleton State University, where he earned his master's degree more than 20 years ago.
Along the way he has been around the world twice, stepped foot on every continent, been a history and government professor on board warships and been a docent at one of the nation's premier military history museums. Now, he has been hired to teach welding to state highway department employees.
"I just try to figure out different things to do," he says, "rather than sitting in the recliner watching television all day."
His master's degree in government in 1993 was his connection to Tarleton. He needed the graduate degree to take what he called the most interesting job he has had since leaving the Marines.
"I applied for a special program with Central Texas College, which had a contract with the Navy providing college instructors to go aboard warships, forward deployed, to allow sailors the opportunity to get college credit while they serve," he explains. "I'd get a call, then a plane ticket. I'd go to meet the ship and sail for eight weeks. I did that for about 10 years."
Education was important to Richard, whose frequent moves during his military career required frequent starts and stops while studying for his bachelor's in criminal justice.
"I had to go to night school while I was on active duty. It took about 10 years, but I finally got my degree from Chaminade University while I was stationed in Hawaii."
After his career in uniform, Richard reconnected with the lady who would become his wife, Cathy. They had known each other during their high school days in Houston.
"After high school we went separate ways," he says. "I went into the Marines and she went to North Texas State and got her teaching certificate."
While he was serving across the globe, she was teaching school and raising a family, before becoming a widow.
"We met at our 20-year high school reunion in 1987," Richard says. "We were married three months later. We've been together ever since."
The couple lived in Gatesville for 30 years before recently moving to Copperas Cove.
Their gift to Tarleton had originally been earmarked for the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, where Richard had served as a docent.
He was so impressed with the museum, he purchased memorial plaques there to honor his paternal grandfather, who was a World War I veteran; his father and brother, who were both Marines in World War II; and his maternal grandfather, who was one of the original "Seabees" in WWII.
After much consideration, Richard and Cathy figured their donation could best be put to use at Tarleton. They donated $1,000 to establish the Tarleton State University President's Fund for Excellence, and they have made a bequest of their estate to the Foundation for that fund.
"We wanted to make a meaningful bequest," Richard says. "I really wanted to make it clear that there are no strings attached. I want the president to spend it on what he sees fit, whatever he thinks will benefit the University and the students."
It goes on the list of follow-through decisions.
It's what Richard Beil Jr. does: Stick with it.
There are many ways you can make an impact on Tarleton and on our students with a gift for the future, like Richard has. To learn more, contact Janice Horak at jhorak@tarleton.edu or 254-968-9857.
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