Tom Beale Jr. ’31

Wilson Thomas Moore Beale Jr., of Martinsburg, W. Va., died of heart failure Aug. 23, 1997, after a distinguished career in government service. He was 88.

Tom was employed as an economist by the U.S. Tariff Commission in 1936, and then by the Navy's Office of Strategic Services during WWII. Thereafter, he worked at the State Dept., becoming successively senior inspector for the Foreign Service, minister for economic affairs at the U.S. Embassy in London, and deputy assistant secretary of state for administration. Pres. Johnson appointed him ambassador to Jamaica, where he served until 1971.

Besides his AB from Princeton in 1931, Tom earned a MBA from the U. of Pennsylvania, and studied at the London School of Economics and the U.S. National War College. On his return to the Washington area, he became director and officer of several charities and PBA Inc., a manufacturer of electrical equipment. His marriage to Rita Williams Beale ended in divorce, and he left no children. His sister, Margaret Taylor, survives him. The class is proud of his service to his country.