Central Washington University Faculty Papers, George Beck, 1892-1945

George Frederick Beck was born on December 26, 1892, in Alvord, Iowa, to Lawrence Casper and Mary Moeller Beck. He attended public schools in Minnesota and in eastern Washington during his childhood and early adulthood years. He graduated from Marlin High School, in Marlin, Washington, in 1910. He began teaching history and music at Snoqualmie High School in 1914, but later that year attended the University of Washington. He was a student at the University of Washington from 1914 to 1916 but did not graduate. He returned to teaching in 1916 and taught at Moses Lake (1916-1917), Warden (1917-1919), Ephrata (1919-1920), Hartline (1920-1922), and Yakima High School (1922-1925). In the fall of 1925, Mr. Beck was hired by the Washington State Normal School (presently Central Washington University) as an instructor to teach music and introductory science. Soon afterwards he attended Washington State College where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in botany in 1931. He returned to the University of Washington in 1934 and 1935 to study geology. From 1935 to 1937, he was the geologist for the Civilian Conservation Corps camp in Kittitas County. He briefly attended the University of California in 1940 but returned to Ellensburg the same year. In 1942, he became the head of the Science and Health Division of Central Washington College of Education (presently Central Washington University). He received his Master of Science degree in geology from the University of Washington in 1947. He retired from teaching in 1959. Professor Beck was the co-discoverer of the petrified forests of central Washington and largely responsible for the establishment of Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park in Vantage, Washington. He published numerous articles in scientific journals related to his many findings and was the editor of Fossil Woods of the Far West. Prior to his death he was known to have the largest collection of petrified hardwood in the United States.