Beard, Charles, 1827-1888

Epithet: of Liverpool

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000207.0x0000c8

Charles Beard (1923-1993) was born December 15, 1923, in Macon, Georgia. As a young boy, he and his family moved to Newport, Rhode Island. He enlisted in the United States Air Force during World War II and was sent to Tuskegee Air Force Base to become a fighter pilot. Charles Beard attended the public schools of Newport, Rhode Island, and the Institute of Design in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1945, he moved to Cleveland, and in 1947 he attended Western Reserve University. In 1960, Charles Beard married Peggy Lanton in Cleveland, Ohio.

Charles Beard's advocacy for community development and organizing was visible through his involvement in local organizations, as well as in his professional career. In 1946, Beard served as a junior city planner for the City Planning Commission, and in the 1950s he worked for the Cleveland Urban Renewal Agency. In the late 1950s, he was promoted to chief city planner for Cleveland, and became the Director of PATH (Plan of Action for Tomorrow's Housing) in the 1960s. From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, he held a position as a government liaison with the Federation for Community Planning. Beard was also a founder of the Friends of Shaker Square and Fair Housing, Inc. He played a significant role in organizing the North Coast Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. in 1993. He died on February 4, 1993.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Charles Beard

From the guide to the Charles Beard Papers, 1919-1975, 1945-1970, (Western Reserve Historical Society)