The Becks

James Garfield Beck (1881-1969)

Ethel Benson Beck (1897-1970)

James G. and Ethel B. Beck were two of the most glamorous and influential members of the Black community in Knoxville during the period of the 1920s-1960s. James and Ethel married in 1913, and together they established the Ethel Beck Home for Colored Orphans in 1919. The Becks invested their money wisely and amassed a fortune in real estate and cars. James and Ethel were the last people to live in the Beck mansion. Funds from their estate were used to establish the Beck Cultural Exchange Center.

Ethel Benson Beck (1897-1970)

Ethel B. Beck was born and reared in Morristown, Tennessee and received her education at Morristown Normal College.

In the summer of 1919, the Colored Orphanage was established for the care and protection of the unfortunate children of the Negro race. The property that housed the orphanage, which was an old frame structure located at 1835 Brandau Avenue, after many years of operation, seemed headed for foreclosure. Ethel, was elected to head the Board Management, and in less than two years, the debt was liquidated and the home saved. In 1941, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to change the name to the “Ethel Beck Home,” a monument, to the faithful work of a noblewoman.

Ethel served as President of the Tennessee Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers, and she was Grand Matron of the Tennessee Order of the Eastern Star. Ethel was also well known as a promoter of athletics. She sponsored and participated in several tennis tournaments, including participating in the National Tennis Meet in 1928 in Bordentown, New Jersey. She was Superintendent of the Playground at the Cal Johnson Park for many years. Ethel was very active in social, fraternal and religious life of the city and she was a faithful and devoted member of East Vine Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church.

Sadly, in August 1970, while driving her car, Ethel was pulled over by a police officer. She was falsely arrested and confined to jail while having a medical emergency. Ethel died three days later at the University Hospital of a cerebral hemorrhage, that started when she was pulled over.

James Garfield Beck (1881-1969)

James G. Beck came to Knoxville to attend Knoxville College Normal School in 1898 from Camden, Alabama. He finished in 1902, and graduated from Knoxville College in 1906. James graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science, and held a fine record in foreign languages, especially in Latin and Greek. In college, James distinguished himself in several sports, he was particularly good in baseball. After graduation, he taught at several schools including Austin High School in 1910 where he was named head of the English Department. He also served as the first Black athletic coach at Knoxville College, and later accepted the job of athletic director. James was an administrator of the Knoxville Giants, a semi-pro negro baseball team, who traveled throughout the south.

In 1913 James became the first Black postal clerk in Tennessee. He was hired at Knoxville Post Office where he was employed for 29 years, retiring April 7, 1942. James was among the chief organizers of the of the Knoxville Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1919, and served as the first treasurer of the organization.

Beck was instrumental in the establishment of the Ethel Beck Home for Orphans in 1919 where he served as treasurer of the organization.

James was a life-long republican who served as a sergeant-at-arms at the 1940 National Republican Convention. He was a candidate for City Council in 1951. Later in 1963, James was elected first member of the Knoxville College Hall of Fame.

James died at the age of 87 after a lingering illness at Fort Sanders in 1969.