(The following letter is from the family of Don Beaty, posted February 1st, 2003 for the CGC Communicator)

     "We have some sad news to share with you.  Don Beaty passed away last Monday (1/27).  It was a shock to all of us as he was healthy and active, returning from a week long visit to Oregon last Saturday. 

     We are grateful that all of his children had recently enjoyed his company.  He died peacefully at home while taking a nap... 

     Don was very committed to helping students understand science and to think for themselves. Doris would like anyone who wishes to make a remembrance to do so through donation to a charity that has similar goals. One possibility is the San Mateo County Community Colleges Foundation (call 650-574-6229 or e-mail: laberge@smccd.net.  Contributions can be designated for the support of physics or science students."

     Sincerely, Don's family,
     Doris, Jan, Mike, and Lisa

(Note: A memorial service was held in Burlingame, CA on Monday morning, February 3rd.)

From Marv Collins -

     " I  worked with Don at KCBH and also later at KPOL.  Don enjoyed working in broadcasting during his summer vacations.  For the last 20 years or so Don and I, along with Doug Nelson, K6HGF, have kept a Saturday morning ham radio schedule.  Doug and I always enjoyed our QSO's with Don.  We could ask him just about anything and he usually had an excellent answer for us.  Don was a great teacher.  Doug and I kept the sked this morning but it was not the same without Don.

     Years ago Don taught at San Gabriel High School.  I first met him when he came to visit KCBH.  Art Crawford, the owner of KCBH, had a dog at KCBH that bit Don during the visit.  I think it was a result of Don talking to Art Crawford about the dog bite that Don came to work at KCBH.  That was probably the summer of 1955.  A few years later Don moved to a teaching job in Denver, Colorado.  I lost track of him during that time.  Several years later during a RTTY QSO with Bart Bartlett, W6OWP, Bart mentioned that he was taking an electronics class at the College of San Mateo and the instructor reminded him of me.  When I asked for the name of the instructor and Bart replied Don Beaty, I just about fell out of my chair.  I asked Bart to take the RTTY copy to his next class and show it to Don.  Don was also amazed and as a result we started the Saturday morning sked that lasted until Don's passing.  That was about 20 years ago.

     Don, Doug and I have laughed several times over the years at an incident at KCBH.  I think it was a Saturday afternoon when I arrived to relieve Don from his shift at KCBH and start mine.  When I arrived Don was in the midst of diagnosing the problem of why the lights were out in the KCBH studio.  The lights were controlled by a low voltage control system that owner, Art Crawford, had installed so he could remote control most of the lights from his house next to the transmitter.  Don had removed the selector switch for the lights in an effort to find the problem.  I think he had also removed the two light fixtures from the ceiling.  When I arrived the only light in the control room was from the VU meters on the old General Electric console.  Poor Don was working in the dark studio.  Don could not stay around to continue work on the lights.  He had to get home.  So I inherited the problem.  After being puzzled by the problem for a few minutes I began to wonder if the two overhead light bulbs were burned out.  As it turned out by coincidence the two light bulbs failed at the same time.  The simultaneous failure caused Don to not consider that the bulbs were burned out.  It was only several weeks ago during our sked that we had another laugh about that incident.  In my eyes Don was a genius but not stuffy about it.  Don had a good sense of humor and could laugh at his own foibles.

       My wife, Herta, and I were returning from a skiing trip at Mammoth Lakes, CA on Thursday, January 30.  We were a few miles north of Lone Pine when I received a cell call from Doug Nelson who told me that Don had died on Monday.  The news came as a big shock to me.  Don was born in 1930 and it seemed he should have a number of years left.  I know from talking to Don regularly that he was enjoying life until it suddenly ended."

      Marvin Collins, W6OQI

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