BECKHAM, RICHARD was a native of Wayne County, the son of W. I. and Mary SHULL BECKHAM. His home for most of his life was in the Houston community, later years were spent neary Waynesboro on Highway 64 West, a couple of miles from the county seat. He was the grandson of Thomas and Sarah McMULLEN BECKHAM, both natives of the county and of the Houston community. He and his wife, the former Dee Hazel MURPHY, were the parents of Frankie BECKHAM, now Mrs. Milburn SIMS, and Billie Jo, now Mrs. Charles GALLOWAY, both of Waynesboro.

Mr. BECKHAM had two sisters, Sue (Mrs. Hubert BURNS of Lutts, and Mae, Mrs. Maynard MELSON of Zip City, Alabama. He had six brothers: Alvin, Hooper, Hugh, Jack and Joe, all of Lutts, and Tom Frank of Savannah, TN. Two other brothers, Mack and Marvin, died early in life.

Mr. BECKHAM served as an enlisted man in the United States Army, being inducted into the service at age 22, as a member of the 316th Quartermaster Corps at Ft. Oglethorpe, GA, and honorably discharged at the cessation of hostilities. He served from 24 June 1918 to 21 June 1919. Entering the service, he traveled from Clifton by riverboat to Fort Oglethorpe, before leaving Clifton, he had spent the night in the home of Mrs. Marietta HARTWELL on the banks of the Tennessee River. The end of the war cancelled his orders for overseas duty in a few day. Besides his daughters, he is survived bu a granddaughter, Janice (SIMS) COLE, of Franklin, TN and two great-grandchildren: Matthew Ian COLE and Rachel Leigh COLE, also of Franklin.

Mr. BECKHAM was born at Houston, Tennessee December 28, 1895, and died at Thayer Veterans Hospital after a long illness, April 13, 1962.