Beloved former history professor and Dean dies at 74

Former American History professor and previous Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Richard Beeman died at the age of 74 on Monday, Sept. 6.

As a professor of early-American history, Beeman had a unique teaching style. Beth Wenger, current History Department chair, said “He was known for dressing in the costumes of historical characters in his classes in order to breathe life into the history of early America.”

Bruce Kuklick, history professor and a colleague of Beeman’s for almost 40 years, also remembered the costumes. “He would do all these little performances,” Kucklick said, “For the one he would do on Davey Crocket, he would dress in buckskin and suck on a corn cob pipe and have his trusty great big brown dog sit down beside him.”

Beeman brought this enthusiasm and his unique ideas to the administrative roles he held — Chair of the History Department, Associate Dean in Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences for social sciences and humanities, and later the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Samuel Preston, the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences when Beeman was the Dean of the College, said he respected Beeman’s tenacity in advancing undergraduate education.

“He was very warm and engaging but also very forceful,” Preston said. “Undergraduates could not have had a better advocate from the higher administration.”

Beeman was one of the forces behind the creation of the Center for Teaching and Learning and an advocate for increasing emphasis and research efforts in the subjects of economics, political science, history, biology, psychology and English.

Beeman and Preston recruited over 200 faculty members throughout their terms and supported the launch of new undergraduate programs including Biochemistry, Criminology and Life Sciences and Management.

Outside of the Penn community, Beeman was heavily involved in the National Constitution Center. Beeman served on the Board of Trustees and was the chair of Programs, Exhibits and Education there.

“It was an institution profoundly shaped by Rick’s suggestions, engagement and participation in events,” said Rogers Smith, Associate Dean for the Social Sciences.

On top of his collegiate roles and involvement, Beeman was the recipient of a number of awards and honors such as a Fulbright Professorship and a Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Distinguished Professorship.

Beeman wrote seven books and appeared on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” for “Plain, Honest Men,” a book about the drawing up of the Constitution. When Stewart was announcing that Beeman would be on the show, he made a joke about Beeman’s last name and started buzzing like a bee. Smith said, “I think deep down all of us dream of Jon Stewart making fun of our names someday.”

Many also remember Beeman for the strength with which he persevered through his Lou Gherig’s disease diagnosis. Even after he fell ill, he continued to be involved in the Penn and NCC communities as much as he could.

“His persona illustrated the optimism and the can-do spirit of our founding fathers,” Preston said.

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