Mary Ann Beck
October 25, 1951 - November 3, 2021
notes by Sandra Dodd
Obituary, ABQ Journal site, November 7, 2021: Mary Ann Beck [and the newspaper version, Sunday Albuquerque Journal]
In case the online Journal version disappears, here's a backup on the Internet Archive
Older, happier things:
She Vows to Paint Again, New Mexico Daily Lobo, Thursday, March 23, 1978
[Profile in IMPACT]
, Albuquerque Journal Magazine, February 17, 1981 (I didn't save the whole issue, so I don't know what the section was called, but the other side of the page had an article on another quadraplegic doing rehab at St. Joseph's, too.)
A wonderful illustrated letter, eight pages, water-color details. Click an image to read the whole thing.
Photos sent in 2021 by Dottie, who was also on the rugby team with Mary Ann:
Art before the accident has black outlines. Mary Ann used a rapidograph pen lots, for art and handwriting, in the mid-1970's. After the accident, watercolors without outlines. Here are various things from older letters. Click for notes, details and biggerness.)
Pre-accident animations ROUGH, and not what Mary Ann would like people to see, but the finished video was lost following a showing at a local animation festival. There is no sound, but you can get an idea of the sort of art that would have been happening, if not for the injury:
Mary Ann Beck—
4 videos
After the accident, there were occupational therapists intent on making Mary Ann a computer graphics artist, so she practiced a bit.
There was a Christmas Card. I helped make it, though it was not my idea and I printed it "with trepidation" (and said so in the credits on back).
Mary Ann's mother was so unimpressed with it that she persuaded (would "persuaded" be the right word?) Mary Ann to send out an apology, to those on her Christmas card list.
The card and apology letter are now perserved for all posterity. (← you knew to click that, right?)
Mary Ann's mom sent me a needpoint dog she made from art Mary Ann had done (probably in a letter).
Holly Dodd (my daughter, a.k.a. Bitsy) and I tried to visit Mary Ann in 2019 when she was in a skilled-care facility with pressure sores. They said she wasn't there, but they weren't allowed to tell us where she had gone. Bill let us know she was at Presbyterian, so we went there! February 22, 2019
Click the photo to see a few others;
click upper right "x" to escape the photo folder.
Anyone who has art, notes or photos you would like for me to add here, e-mail me at [email protected]
