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Show UTAH HISTORICAL QUARTERLY into the Utah Newspaper Hall of Fame in recognition of the considerable contributions he made to his community and to the Utah newspaper publishing world through his many years operating the Chronicle.70 But Beckwith was much more than a newspaperman. He was a good father and grandfather, who drew cartoon horses for his granddaughter and took the time to explain to her the meanings behind the beaded figures on an Indian-made pair of gloves.71 He was an expert on the rock art, archaeology, geology, and history of the Millard County area, and he was always willing to consult in a kind and professional manner with any of the many amateurs and scientists who came to the desert seeking his knowledge. He was a story-teller and a teacher, both through the written and spoken word, and as one listened to him “the emptiness of the desert [began] to fade, and the wasteland [became] a fabulous storehouse of scientific information as well as an area of interest.”72 He was a photographer, a writer, and, above all, a scholar. At the time of Beckwith’s death, Marvel Wilcox Clayton, a life-long resident of Millard County wrote: Delta valley has lost one of its noblest citizens. It seems difficult to visualize Delta without an aristocratic-appearing, brilliant scholar—Mr. Beckwith. He was one of the few men you could know by name and sight only and yet feel an utter emptiness at the thought of not seeing him again. But we shall never forget him, for he has left so much to remember; and, after all, the most enduring treasures of life are those of memory.73 It is one such memory, recorded by his granddaughter in the year before his death, which perhaps provides the most timeless and encapsulating image of Frank Beckwith: “He sits by the fire smoking his pipe, eyes intent and foot swinging lazily. Dickens, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Kipling, and Greek philosophers are friends to him. No amount of research is too much for [him]….His studies never end, his interests never end, his knowledge ever grows.”74 70 Frank S. only survived his father by five years. He died of a heart attack on May 12, 1956 in Delta. He is buried in the Delta City Cemetery, and was inducted into the Utah Newspaper Hall of Fame in 1984. The Millard County Chronicle was owned and operated by Robert and Inez Riding from 1958 until 1970. Since then the newspaper has been back in the hands of the family. Today, the newspaper is skillfully guided by Sue Beckwith Dutson, a daughter of Frank S. Beckwith and granddaughter of Frank A. Beckwith, and her partner and daughter-in-law Shellie Morris Dutson. 71 Cook, “His Knowledge Ever Grows.” 72 Don Howard, “Frank Beckwith—Desert Scholar,” Salt Lake Tribune, December 17, 1949. 73 Marvel Wilcox Clayton, letter to Jessie Lynn Cook, June 13, 1951, copy in the possession of Jane Beckwith. 74 Cook, “His Knowledge Ever Grows.” 186 |