Difference between revisions of "Leon John Jack Beers (1923-2010), Architect & Engineer"

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dba: Jack Beers

Jack Beers was born in Lincoln, Nebraska to L. G. and Evelyn Cook. In 1940 his father was a cook and his mother was a waitress at a cafe in downtown Lincoln. Leon signed his draft registration card in 1942 as "Leon John Jack Beers" and served as an aerial gunner in a Marine dive bomber air wing in the South Pacific in WWII. He attended University of Nebraska in the late 1940s and was a member of the Architectural Society. By 1950 he was a draftsman for Lincoln architect Fritz Craig and by 1951 was an architect in Craig's office. They worked together, especially on churches, until Craig's death in 1960. Jack Beers died in 2010 and was interred at Lincoln Memorial Park, where his gravestone is inscribed "Engineer & Architect 450 Churches."[[#References[1][2][[3][4][5]]]

This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the format and contents page for more information on the compilation and page organization.

Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings

Lincoln, Nebraska, 1947-2000

Educational & Professional Associations

U. S. Marine Corps (PFC), January 1943-October 1945, honorable discharge (Air Medal with two gold stars).[6]

Student, University of Nebraska & member of Architectural Society, 1947-1950.[4]

BA, Architecture, University of Nebraska, 1950.[8]

Founding member of S.A.R.A. (Society of American Registered Architects).[1][5]

Advertised "Complete house plans drawn for FHA approval or private use. Call Jack Beers."[9]

1950, draftsman for architect Fritz Craig, Lincoln, Nebraska.

1951-1960, architect with Fritz Craig, Lincoln, Nebraska.

1960-2010, engineer & architect, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Buildings & Projects

1951-1960

After being listed in the Lincoln city directory of 1950 as a draftsman for Lincoln architect Fritz Craig, Beers was listed from 1951 to 1960 as an architect with Craig, or both were listed at the same office (Room 724) in the First National Bank Building, through 1960, the year of Craig's death. See Craig & Beers, Architects for their projects of this period.

1960-2010

Notes

References

1. Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current, s.v. "Pfc. Leon John Beers" [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

2. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census, s.v. "Leon Beers," [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

3. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, s.v. "Leon John Jack Beers," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

4. Cornhusker (yearbook), Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska, 1947, 252; 1948, 242; 1949, 204; 1950, 440.

5. "L. J. 'Jack' Beers," Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star (July 15, 2010), B-4.

6. "Leon Beers, Lincoln, Has Close Calls In Pacific; Now in U. S.," Lincoln (Nebraska) Star (May 23, 1945), 11.

7. "Leon Beers is out of marines," Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal (October 5, 1945), 4.

8. "Nebraska University Confers 1,799 Degrees...College of Engineering and Architecture," Lincoln (Nebraska) Evening Journal (June 5, 1950), 8.

9. Classified Advertisements--"Business Service...House Plans," Lincoln (Nebraska) Evening Journal (June 25, 1948), 15.

Page Citation

E. F. Zimmer & D. Murphy, “Leon John Jack Beers (1923-2010), Architect & Engineer,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, May 31, 2023. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, May 15, 2024.

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