Memorials › Wallis Beasley

Wallis Beasley

8 Oct 1915 – 20 May 2008

Birth8 Oct 1915
Death20 May 2008
CemeteryPullman City Cemetery
Pullman , Whitman County , Washington , USA
Added bydebbie hendrix on 08 Oct 2020
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64417896

Bio

Wallis Beasley was born in Red Bay, Alabama, on October 8, 1915, the youngest of seven children born to J. T. and Emma Shaamblin Beasley. His father was at one time mayor of Red Bay. After graduating from Red Bay public schools, Beasley attended and received a B.A. degree from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. It was there that he met Totsie Smith, his wife for more than 40 years. He served briefly as a minister of the Church of Christ but soon realized that his future lay elsewhere. He turned to sociology and graduate school at Peabody University in Nashville, Tennessee. At Peabody he met T. H. Kennedy, another former-minister-turned-sociologist (a common career pattern among sociologists of the day). After receiving his Ph. D. degree from Peabody, Beasley began his teaching career at Pepperdine Uhiversity; but Kennedy, who had been appointed Dean for Social Sciences at the State College of Washington (Washington State University), soon brought him to Pullman. Rising quickly through the ranks at WSU, Beasley spent the remainder of his career serving the university community and the state of Washington in many capacities. He was Chair of what was then the Department of Sociology and Anthropology (later the Department of Sociology) during a period in which the department achieved national recognition. When the department was authorized to grant the Ph. D. degree in the late 1940s Beasley and Kennedy drew upon their experience with traditionally Black colleges in the South to open doors that racism had closed to aspiring Black students. Through this informal network word spread quickly – and Washington State University soon established a national reputation for producing outstanding sociologists of color. That legacy is reflected in the fact that four WSU alumni have been honored by the American Sociological Association with the Dubois/Johnson/Frazier Award, honoring the intellectual traditions and contributions of W.E.B. DuBois, Charles S. Johnson, and E. Franklin Frazier. The award, given either "to a sociologist for a lifetime of research, teaching, and service to the community or to an academic institution for its work in assisting the development of scholarly efforts in this tradition," was later given to the WSU Department of Sociology, the first department of sociology or institution to be so honored. Over his WSU career Beasley chaired or was a member of many university committees and for several years he was Faculty Athletic Representative to the Pacific Athletic Conference (now the Pac-10). President C. Clement French appointed him Academic Vice President of the university and, in the fall of 1966, upon the retirement of French, the WSU Board of Regents appointed Beasley interim President of the university, a post he served with distinction until the arrival of Glenn Terrell as President, in July, 1967. Gen DeVleming, long-time Assistant to Presidents French, Beasley, Terrell, and Samuel Smith, notes that Beasley's appointment as president was well received: "he kept WSU moving"; he "understood WSU very well and was respected by his faculty colleagues. He always said that making no decision was the worst way for an administrator to manage – a decision at least moved the institution in one direction and did not permit chaos to fill the void, and a direction could be altered by a later decision if it was deemed necessary." As his retirement neared, the WSU Board of Regents approved naming the largest building on campus the Wallis Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum "in recognition of 33 years of distinguished leadership to the university community as a teacher, administrator and civic leader, 1949-1981." Upon retirement Wallis and Totsie moved to Port Ludlow. There, with Art and Helen Brunstad and other WSU alumni, they hosted reunions for alumni and other friends of the university upon many occasions. Totsie passed away in 1986 and Wallis later married Constance (Connie) Robertson, a Port Ludlow neighbor who was also widowed. He returned to Pullman in March 2008. at age 92. He died at age 92 of age-related causes at Bishop Place in Pullman. He is survived by Connie, of Coronado, California, her daughters and their families, four nieces and six nephews, some still living in Red Bay, Alabama, where Wallis is honored in the local museum for his WSU achievements; and by countless friends and associates whose lives he touched deeply. Few, if any, have had the impact that Wallis Beasley had on the Washington State University Community. At his adamant insistence, repeated countless times in recent years and days, no memorial service will be held. On-line condolences may be left at www.kimballfh.com In the spring of 2002 Wallis spearheaded a WSU Foundation endowment campaign for the WSU Department of Sociology. A portion of that endowment in support of the research and teaching missions of the department was named for him. Memorial contributions, addressed either to the Department of Sociology or the Foundation, are welcome. KIMBALL FUNERAL HOME, PULLMAN, WA is caring for the family. May 24, 2008 Spokesman-Review

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