Clendeninn ’71 Honors Edgar Beckham

January 16, 2007

Neil Clendeninn ’71, M.D., and his wife, Mary, recently pledged a major gift in loving memory of Edgar Beckham (1933-2006), first African-American dean of the college at Wesleyan.

“Edgar was at the forefront of the movement to create intercultural community on campus. He enriched my life with his passion, his example, and his work,” Neil said.

Their gift is the first to support the naming of Beckham Hall, a grand space in the renovated Fayerweather building that will be an important new venue for lectures, recitals and other events. “It is one way we can keep Edgar’s presence on campus to remind us all about his positive influence on Wesleyan, and in liberal education generally.“

The impression that Edgar Beckham left on Clendeninn’s life is apparent when he speaks about the late dean of the college: “He was such a pivotal person and a good friend. We wanted to do something to honor him. He introduced me to my wife, Mary.”

Clendeninn’s impressive career includes achievement in three disciplines: pharmacological research, architecture, and most recently, farming vanilla and tropical hardwood on the family’s farm on the island of Kilauea, where the couple live with their children, Martha, Anderson, and Dallis.

In his research career, he has received accolades for his contributions to HIV and cancer research. The distinguished pharmacologist credits his time at Wesleyan for his entry into the sciences, as well as adding to his personal development. “Wesleyan expanded my educational awareness. It changed me as a person. It was a great experience.”

An undergraduate during the politically charged early ’70s, he also remembers how Wesleyan influenced his political and humanistic concerns. He describes Wesleyan’s handling of the protests following the U.S. invasion of Cambodia and student shootings at Kent State: “So many schools were just shut down, but we had meetings on the lawn to decide what to do.” He was deeply affected by a place that valued the community’s ability to reason through difficult times.

An active member of the Wesleyan Alumni community, Clendeninn’s most recent role in the community includes serving on Wesleyan&rsuqo;s Science Advisory Committee. Clendeninn’s hope for the university includes a restoration of “the old WesTech,” the nickname given to the University because of its competitive edge in the sciences. Clendeninn would like to see Wesleyan move even further ahead of its peers in this arena in the near future.

Wesleyan thanks the Clendeninns for their generous gift, and for all of the important contributions they have made to the community.

Wesleyan continues to work with the Beckham family on ways to appropriately honor Edgar. Look for more information in this space in the coming months.