Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Beecher, John
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
- Beecher, John, 1904-1980
Other form(s) of name
- John Beecher
- Barbara Beecher
- Beecher, Barbara
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1904-1980
History
John Beecher was a poet whose works often expressed social concerns such as civil rights, non-violence, and workers' rights. During the 1960's, his work on the publication «Ramparts» got him dubbed a "Communist" by Governor George Wallace of Alabama, which Beecher claimed was an "honor". He would return to Alabama, where he claimed the KKK wanted him dead, in 1966 to serve as a visiting professor at Miles College, a traditionally black institution. He and his wife Barbara were received back to the Catholic Church in 1965, and he describes the changes in the Church in Birmingham since his boyhood days there. He and Barbara were also art printers, and Merton approached them to do specialty additions of some of his work.