Lynn L. Beckwith, EdD: 8th District
- Lynn L. Beckwith, EdD:8th District
Dr. Lynn L. Beckwith is one of the 8th district's most distinguished and accomplished members. He is a sought-after consultant and keynote speaker, having delivered addresses at venues ranging from Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations to symposia about urban education and Black males to high school graduations and university commencements. Well respected in the city of St. Louis and throughout the 8th district, comprising Missouri, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and North and South Dakota, Dr. Beckwith's imprint on the district, specifically, and fraternity, generally, is indelible. He is the 8th district's oldest living former District Representative. His commitment to the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., has been lifelong. His exposure to the fraternity came early, as he found himself surrounded by men of Omega even if he did not realize that the men who were impacting his life at the time were men of this illustrious fraternity, such as Brother John Henry Purnell, principal of the Cote Brilliante Elementary School where Dr. Beckwith was a student, and Brother George Brantley, principal of Sumner High School, the oldest Black high school west of the Mississippi, from which Dr. Beckwith graduated.1
Dr. Beckwith is highly valued for his expertise, having served on the Board of Directors for the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation, the chairman of the United Negro College Fund for St. Louis Public Schools, a member of the executive committee of the United Way of Metro St. Louis, the education committee for the St. Louis Urban League, and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Outreach Committee, to name a few. Below, readers will find material derived from several conversations with Dr. Beckwith that spread over several days in July 2021.
Good Evening Brother Beckwith, I trust this summer is treating you well.
Yes, I'm doing very well, thank you. [End Page 337]
Over the past several weeks, I have spoken to a number of Brothers who either lived in the 8th district at one time or live there currently and all of them mentioned your name when I inquired about a Brother of impeccable credentials and whose life story was full of interesting nuggets of wisdom and lessons. After conversing with four or five brothers, your name kept popping up. After about a couple weeks of hearing your name ring out, I knew I had my man. I was just hoping you had the time and the interest.
Well, thank you. I'm honored to be spoken of so highly by the Brothers, I'm glad that you chose me.
Let's start with the early years. Where did you grow up?
St. Louis, Missouri.
Name one or two things you were into as a youngster.
Well, I was a Boy Scout at King's Way Baptist Church.
How long were you a Boy Scout Brother Beckwith?
Approximately three years.
Talk a little bit about your family.
I grew up with both parents, four sisters, and no brothers.
Were you the first in your family to attend college?
No, but I am first generation—however my oldest sister was the first among us to attend college, she went to Lincoln in Jefferson, Missouri. I'm proud to say that all of my siblings are college graduates, two of which hold doctorates. And get this, three of the four went Greek—two AKAs and one Delta.
Other than you, who else went on to earn a doctorate?
My second oldest sister earned a medical degree—a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.
Man o' man, Brother Beckwith, that's quite an achievement for one household. Your parents must have been really proud.
Oh, they were.
Tell me something about your parents, please, Brother Beckwith.
I grew up with both my parents, my mother was a homemaker, and my father was a postal worker. He also worked part-time on the campus of Washington University, St. Louis. Neither of them went to college.
Now, neither was a college graduate, but I bet they...
