It is with unparalleled sadness and deep regret that the Center for the Study of Canada and Institute on Quebec Studies at the State University of New York Plattsburgh announces the passing of Dr. Richard Beach. Richard died on Wednesday, August 21; he was 83. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.
Richard served as the founding Director of the Center from the time of its establishment in 1975 until his retirement in 2000, standing at the forefront of Canadian and Quebec Studies throughout his career. An accomplished scholar, professor, and steadfast outreach advocate for all things Canadian, it was Richard’s vision and tenacity that led to the establishment of the Center. With the support of many dedicated colleagues – including Martin Lubin, Bruce Butterfield, Prem Gandhi, Malcolm Fairweather, Tom Rumney, and the Associate Director of the Center, Jeanne Kissner – Richard demonstrated that SUNY Plattsburgh, a small regional higher education institution principally dedicated to serving undergraduate students, could succeed as an internationally recognized center of excellence on Canada and Quebec.
As SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geography, Richard’s professional engagement knew no disciplinary bounds. His scholarly contributions included an array of books, journals, magazines, and reports including Introducing Canada: Content Backgrounders, Strategies, and Resources for Educators (co-editor, National Council for Social Studies, 1997), Canada in the Classroom: Content and Strategies for the Social Studies (contributor, NCCS, 1985), and co-editor and/or managing editor of the Canada Focus Series, O Canada: Its Geography, History, and the People Who Call It Home, Teaching Canada, Geography of Canada Bibliography Series, and the Canadian Children’s Literature and Selected Bibliography. A passionate and charismatic instructor, Richard organized a variety of Canadian content courses, including the benchmark multidisciplinary offering, Introduction to Canada – CAS 111.
Richard successfully expanded the national and international reputation of the Center in the 1980s and 1990s by offering a range of original, compelling professional outreach activities focused on Canada and Quebec. These initiatives, designed to expand the academic footprint of Canadian and Quebec Studies primarily at American academic institutions, included: (1) the Quebec Summer Seminar, which provided an in-depth profile of Quebec for professors, which in the process successfully served to singularly expand and institutionalize the teaching and study of Quebec in universities (and secondary schools) across the US and abroad; (2) the perennially popular Quebec Winter Symposium, annually convened at different locales across Quebec, dedicated to examining, in French, a range of subjects grounded in the humanities; (3) the launching of the Canadian Film and Video Distribution center, effectively positioning the Center for the Study of Canada as a national repository and dissemination venue for an incredible range of Canadian content visual materials; and, (4) featuring significant public speakers on Canada and Quebec – often ambassadors, consul generals, and delegate generals – for SUNY Plattsburgh and the North Country communities.
To his unmatched credit, Richard always promoted and included programming that featured the involvement of SUNY Plattsburgh students. International exchanges, internship opportunities, directed studies, engagement at regional and national conferences, and regular field trips to Ottawa, Montreal and to various regions of Quebec, allowed successive classes of Canadian Studies students at the university to experience first-hand the vibrancy of Canadian and Quebec societies. Due to his prodigious fundraising efforts, Richard established an endowment in Canadian Studies at SUNY Plattsburgh; an endowment, that to this day, continues to offer generous scholarship support for students and assists with Center program activities.
Dr. Beach’s professional service to the world of Canadian and Quebec Studies proved nothing short of remarkable. Richard was an omnipresent force within the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS), American Council for Quebec Studies (ACQS), and International Council of Canadian Studies (ICCS), amongst others. He served as President of ACSUS from 1985-87, as President of ACQS from 1995-97, and spearheaded efforts to have the Center host and serve as the Secretariat of ACQS for more than 15 years. He received, in 1996, a Certificate of Merit for his work on Canadian Studies from the ICCS. He was also the recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the SUNY Distinguished Service Award for his many positive contributions to the life of SUNY Plattsburgh. Richard’s service was not limited to our academia. He was constantly engaged in local service organizations in Plattsburgh and northern New York state, including serving as Chair of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of the Board of Directors of The Development Corporation.
All of us, myself included, have directly benefitted from the commitment Richard made to advancing Canadian and Quebec Studies. We are all better as a result of his passion, creative powers, and sense of purpose. In the words of Amy Sotherden, Assistant Director at the Center/Institute (and a former student and staff member while Richard was Director), Dr. Beach “was a master of his craft, a great adventurer, and renowned from various corners of the earth. His prominence and leadership within the Canadian Studies community impacted innumerable people and lives. Decades of countless American students and educators benefited from his knowledge, insight, and teaching which thankfully made this world more curious and informed about Canada.”
In lieu of flowers, Richard’s family encourages memorial gifts to be directed to the SUNY Plattsburgh Center for the Study of Canada at Plattsburgh College Foundation, 101 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, NY 12901 or by calling 518-564-2090. A donation form and link is available here.
Christopher Kirkey, Ph.D.
Director, Center for the Study of Canada and Institute on Quebec Studies
SUNY Plattsburgh