Class of 1955
1955 Maroon Spotlight
Danny Beakey
Boys State 54, Band President 54-55, Band Vice-President 53-54, Student Council 54-55, Band 51-55, Teen Town Council 52-53, Junior Play 53-54, Annual Play 52-53, School Revue 53-54, Class Assemblies 51-55, Home Room President 53-54, All State Concert Band 53-54, All State Clinic Band 53-55.
1955 Graduation EditionPerry Daily Journal
Danny Joe Beakey, 18, moved here eight years ago with his parents, Mr. and Mr.s F. A. Beakey. He was born in Seminole and has been a member of the PHS band since 1950. Beakey was on the student council this year, the all-state concert band two years, took part in the junior, senior, and yearbook plays, was band vice president last year and president this year. He was a member of the outstanding brass ensemble the past two years years at the Fort Smith, Ark., music festival. His hobby is hunting and fishing, and Problems of American Democracy is his favorite subject. He will enter OU in the fall.
Col. Danny Joe Beakey
January 28, 1937 – September 5, 2019
Danny Joe Beakey, Col. U.S. Army (Ret.) died on September 5, 2019.
Born on January 28, 1937 in Seminole, Oklahoma, he was the eldest son of Francis Augustine Beakey and Retha Jo Moore Beakey. He grew up in southern Illinois and Perry, Oklahoma.
Danny graduated from Perry high school in 1955 and continued his education at the University of Oklahoma. He received a BA in Business Administration and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1959. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and Scabbard and Blade. Later, he attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and received his MBA degree in 1970.
Danny’s career in the U.S. Army included assignments in Korea, the Republic of Vietnam, and the U.S. Army in Europe. He commanded units from Platoon to Brigade level and was a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington D.C. His commendations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, 2 awards, the Bronze Star Medal, 3 awards, and other ribbons awarded for service. He was awarded the Joint Chiefs of Staff Badge and the Army General Staff Badge for services in the Pentagon, Washington D.C.
Upon his retirement from the Army in 1988, Danny and Lee had the good fortune to move to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he served as Vice President for Finance and Business at Peace College. He retired from that position in 1998 and enjoyed travel and adventures with his wife Lee Bittman Beakey.
Lee, Danny’s wife of his wife of over 51 years, preceded him in death in 2009. His youngest brother, Ronald, died in 1964 as a result of an automobile accident.
Danny is survived by his son, Christopher Beakey, and his life partner Michael Weider; his daughter, Lisa Ruggere and her husband, John Ruggere; and his granddaughters, Molly and Allie Ruggere; and his sister, Becky Robinson.
Funeral services will be held at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery.