BECKDAHL, Walter

BECKDAHL, Ph.D.,

Walter A.

97 of Springfield, left this life on November 14, 2020. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Jean Daugherty Beckdahl; son, Mark (Cindy) Beckdahl of Springfield; daughter, Lynn (Doug) Mitterholzer of Springboro, Ohio; grandchildren, Ashley Mitterholzer (Trevor Sloan), Alyssa M. Mitterholzer (Joseph Austin), Jordan (Patrick) Delgado, and Thor Beckdahl, and brother-in-law Jim Daugherty and his wife Jody. Dad also loved his many rescued cats and Dixieland Jazz Music.

He was preceded in death by his Swedish Immigrant parents, John Adolph and Hilma Beckdahl of Jamestown, New York; and sisters, Hulda Stromdahl and Anna Bjork.

A graduate of Jamestown, New York High School in 1941, he went on to graduate from Rochester Institute of Technology in Optical Instrument making; Northwestern University in

Mechanical Engineering; and earned an MBA and Ph.D, School of Business from The Ohio State University.

At RIT, he was a varsity athlete in wrestling and tennis, and varsity athlete in baseball and wrestling at Northwestern

University.

His working career took many turns. After Northwestern, he joined Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, as a

Research Mechanical Engineer and while there won a patent for the first model of the Xerox copier. Five years later, he joined Industrial Nucleonics as Chief Mechanical Engineer and then Landahl Conveyor Company as Chief Engineer. In 1953, he joined Edmonds & Taylor as a Management Consultant.

In 1955, he joined the faculty of The Ohio State University, assigned to develop the School of Systems & Logistics of the Air Force Institute of Technology at W.P.A.F.B., a school

attended by several thousand annually.

In 1970, he joined Wright State University School of Business faculty.

In 1975, he joined Community Hospital as Vice-President for Support Services including Engineering, Laboratory, Physical Therapy, Food Services and all new construction including a Physician Building, the Education Building and the South

Patient Tower and Emergency Room.

For many years, he served as a Management Consultant to area companies, and as faculty for Executive Development Seminars to numerous Fortune 500 companies and as a consultant to the American Hospital Association. His work in

Management Development included a five-week assignment to Ankara, Turkey, for the Turkish General Staff. For that work he was awarded an Honorary Membership in the Turkish Air Force. Other seminars included the USAF Controller Course, seminar at the Air War College and numerous other military installations.

Walt served as President and board member of the Central Ohio Hot Jazz Society and on the board of the Dayton Area Senior Olympics.

Athletics were a continuous interest. He played baseball at the amateur, college, semi-pro and professional levels for ten years followed by years of fast pitch and slow pitch softball in Ohio. Playing tennis was a major interest from age 12 and on.

He was full of joy and known for love, companionship and understanding to his children for their love and compassion, and grateful to God for a rewarding life beyond his expectations.

The family is thankful to all who have provided good health services all these years. And finally, a sincere thank you to all those persons who down through the years, have offered friendship and pleasantness.

Walt will be remembered, respected, and loved as an independent who embodied an indomitable will, extraordinary energy, creativity, a keen sense of fairness, sense of humor and generous and kind spirit.

Private graveside services will be held at Ferncliff Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Walt's name to The Tenth Life Cat Rescue, P.O. Box 178, Alpha, OH 45301 or the Animal Welfare League, 6330 Willowdale Rd., Springfield, OH 45502. Walt's memorial video and online

condolences may be viewed at www.littletonandrue.com.