Beverly Hamrick Beggs Youmans, longtime Princeton resident and wife of Dr. Roger Youmans and the late Dr. James Beggs, died at her home Monday,September 22, 2008 after a long battle with ovarian cancer.
Beverly Hamrick was born September 23, 1933 at the Naval Hospital in Agana, Guam where her father was stationed as a military physician. After the family returned to the United States, they moved around the country, living for the longest stretches in Pensacola, Florida and San Diego, California
Upon her father’s death, of pneumonia in 1940, Beverly, her sister, Elaine and their mother, Clairebel settled down in Clairebel’s hometown of Lanett, Alabama.
As a young woman, Beverly was a warm and popular high achiever who inspired those around her. She was valedictorian of her high school class and salutatorian at West Virginia Wesleyan College where she graduated in 1955 with an honors degree in Chemistry. In addition, she was voted Homecoming Queen for both her high school and college classes. She was also President of her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, and President of the Benzene Ring, the campus honorary chemistry organization. Her charms were not lost on one particular Wesleyan senior, James Lee Beggs, who on setting eyes on Beverly, whispered to a friend, “That’s the girl I’m going to marry.”
Dr. Beggs was true to his word, and the two eventually settled in Pittsburgh, where he fulfilled his internship and residency in Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. Beverly helped support the couple in those early years working as a researcher in polymer science and organic chemistry at the Mellon Institute. While there she published several first-author articles in national chemistry journals at a time when this was exceedingly rare for women.
After Dr. Beggs’ residency, he accepted a position with the Central Neurosurgical Group and the couple found a lifetime home in Princeton, New Jersey and began a family that included son, Quinton, and daughters, Kristin, and Hilary. Along with being a mother, Beverly became active in the Princeton United Methodist Church, serving on the Board of Trustees as well as multiple church committees, and singing in the choir. She also was a member of the United Methodist Women, taught swimming to adult women at the Princeton YWCA, and helped to administer the Princeton High School scholarship fund.
Shortly after her husband’s untimely death in 1985, Beverly went back to work as Tour Manager at the world-renowned American Boychoir, a position that allowed her to pursue her lifelong love of music. She soon became Concert Manager, arranging concerts, planning tours, and traveling with this group of talented boys to England, Taiwan, France and other locales. Along the way she arranged meetings or appearances with such musical luminaries as Leonard Bernstein, Winton Marsalis, and Jessie Norman.
In 1997, after retiring from the Boychoir, she married Roger Lee Youmans, general surgeon of Tulsa, OK, and accompanied him on a humanitarian mission to Ghana, West Africa. While living in Ghana, Beverly became actively involved in helping women and children better navigate their often, substandard living and health conditions. Most recently she has worked to establish a children’s library in Amedzofe, a small village in a mountainous area of Ghana with no electricity or running water.
In Princeton and everywhere she has traveled, Beverly has made lasting friendships and given her time and endless energy to others. She has always been the sort of person to drop everything to help a friend, her daughters, granddaughter, or her new grandson. She has loved those in her life dearly and they in turn have adored her and continue to learn from her example.
Predeceased by her parents, Clifford D. and Clairebel Quinton Hamrick, her late husband Dr. James L. Beggs, and her son Quinton L. Beggs, she is survived by her husband Dr. Roger L. Youmans of Plainsboro, two daughters Kristin Fletcher of Princeton, and Hilary Beggs of Mill Valley, CA, her sister Phyllis Elaine Trayham Polly of Savannah, GA, and three grandchildren Christian Latimer, James (JJ) Barbash, and James Beggs.
The Memorial Service will be held Saturday, October 4, 2008 at 11:00 am at the Princeton United Methodist Church, Nassau St. at Vandeventer Ave., Princeton. Immediately following the memorial service, a reception will be held at the Smith House in Princeton Landing (12pm-6pm). This venue will be open all afternoon for all friends and family to get together and to share memories as Beverly requested. A buffet lunch will be served. Directions to Smith House Reception: Rt. 1 North to Sayre Drive Exit. After entering Princeton Landing, proceed around circle until you see the Smith House sign.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be sent to the endowment fund for the Princeton United Methodist Church, 7 Vandeventer Ave., Princeton, NJ 08542.
Arrangements are under the direction of The Mather Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.