George Beck

George Wayne Beck was born July 18, 1950, in Bethesda, MD and died of lung cancer in Knoxville, TN on January 5, 2024, at the age of 73. His father was an intelligence officer and aviator in the U.S. Navy, and George moved from base to base in his early childhood. When his father became an executive at Revlon cosmetics, George lived in Long Beach, NY, where he graduated from high school.  His college and post-graduate studies in multiple languages, theology, literature, and semantics were done at Harvard University, St. John’s University, the University of Tennessee, the Complutense University of Madrid and the University of Buenos Aires. His favorite authors were Jorge Luis Borges and Vladimir Nabokov. George was also an accomplished pianist and songwriter. In his later life, he became enraptured with dog training and was well known in AKC obedience competition with his Golden Retrievers.

He was preceded in death by both his parents. He is survived and will be missed by his wife, Barbara (Risa) Schwartz, his best friends, David (Ace) Russell and Anna Susie Stout, and countless others.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his name are suggested to AKC Canine Health Foundation at AKCCHF.org. There will be a celebration of life and sharing of memories at Meadowbrooke Kennels, Knoxville, TN on March 23, 2024, starting at 2 pm.