New Fund Established to Support the Choir of Beckley Presbyterian Church and Two Others

A bequest from Charles & Frances Sayre Beasley was used to establish the “Frances Sayre Beasley Memorial Choir Fund”. Grants will be made annually to support the choirs at the following churches: Beckley Presbyterian Church, Beckley, WV, First Presbyterian Church, Charlottesville, VA, and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Buffalo, NY.

“Music is vital to worship and is itself worship, both in praising God and encouraging people. We very much appreciate the generosity of Charles and Frances Sayre Beasley, and the new memorial choir fund. The Beckley Area Foundation’s work in establishing and managing funds such as this preserves legacies and provides encouragement and help to people.”

— Monte Mitchell | Pastor, Beckley Presbyterian Church

Dr. Charles A. Beasley was born in Summerlee, WV, in 1934, to Emerson McKinley and Maude (Gwinn) Beasley. Like his father and grandfathers, Charles enjoyed a long and rewarding career in the minerals industry. His achievements spanned the worlds of advanced education, engineering, corporate leadership, the federal government, environmentalism, volunteerism, advocacy, theology, poetry, and loyal friendship. Charles received undergraduate and graduate degrees summa cum laude in Mining & Minerals Engineering from Ohio State University, a Doctorate of Minerals Engineering with a minor in Law from the University of Minnesota, and a Master of Theology from Colgate Rochester Seminary. He was elected to the Engineering Honorary Tau Beta Pi at OSU and was a Phi Sigma Kappa member.
 
Dr. Beasley held faculty positions at Ohio State, Virginia Tech, the University of Alaska, McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and was an adjunct professor at the Colorado School of Mines. He served as Professor and Chair of Mining Engineering at the Missouri School of Mines, where he was also Acting Director of the Explosives Research Laboratory. Notably, Dr. Beasley was Professor and Chair of five combined Engineering, Technology, and Education programs at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Buffalo. He served concurrently as Director of the Center of Environmental Research and Education and as Director of the off campus Industrial Effectiveness Program for Manufacturing. While at SUNY, he was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to build a water research station on Lake Erie. His corporate involvements include mining engineering duties at Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. in PA, OH, and WV; Senior Engineer for Dravo Corporation in Denver; Director of Mining for Law Engineering in Atlanta; and Manager of Eastern Mining Operations for Nuclear Utility Services. As a charter member of the Federal Government's Senior Executive Service (SES), Charles helped establish the Office of Surface Mining within the U.S. Department of the Interior, under the Carter and Reagan administrations, to regulate the environmental effects of mining in the United States. As such, Dr. Beasley served as Regional Director for WV, PA, MD, & VA; as Assistant Director in Washington to implement the abandoned mine land reclamation program; and as Special Assistant to the Director, Conservation Division, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA. Dr. Beasley co-founded two corporations: Geonomics Associates in Fairbanks, Alaska, to provide consultation concerning the petroliferous potential of the North Slope, and Resource Recovery and Reclamation (3R Corp) in Denver to provide mining services. He authored more than 50 publications and presentations and served as a consultant for more than 60 energy, mining, and manufacturing interests. He proudly consulted for the Crow Nation in Montana, the World Bank project in association with Oklahoma State in Jordan, lectured on Engineering Ethics in Germany, and served Spanish business interests.
 
Dr. Beasley established several funds at Beckley Area Foundation, to fund WV students' educational needs, and expressed so much appreciation for his life-long friendships within the very talented Woodrow Wilson Class of 1952. In retirement, Charles served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Abused and Neglected Children (CASA) and enjoyed writing 'really bad verse' for family, friends, and special events. The Mining Industry Hall of Fame named him Poet Laureate of the Mining Industry for 2002.
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Anyone interested in donating to this fund may mail contributions with “Beasley Choir Fund” in the memo to BAF, 1210 S. Kanawha Street, Beckley, WV 25801 or click the button below to donate online. If you are interested in starting a fund or leaving a legacy gift, call BAF at 304-253-3806 or email [email protected].

Support the Beasley Choir Fund