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In Memoriam







                 The Medical Society extends deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the following physicians.



                           Patrick Beckham MD


                              Patrick Beckham, MD, 88, passed   were no longer there. This endowment was instrumental
                           away on April 30. A native of Lamesa,   in helping the entire orphanage with 90 plus orphans
                           Texas, he was a graduate of Baylor   escape, bringing them all through a dramatic and
                           College of Medicine and completed    miraculous journey to the Buckner Children’s Home in
                           an internship and three years of     Dallas. As adults, they still celebrate their long journey to
                           a General Surgery residency at       the United States.
                           Minneapolis General Hospital. His        After completing his Air Force service in the
        training was interrupted by service in the Air Force    Philippines, Dr. Beckham and his bride, Margene, returned
        in 1966, spending his first year stationed as a general   to the States, where he completed additional training in
        surgeon at the US Military Base at Cam Ranh Bay in      Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and a hand fellowship
        Vietnam. Dr. Beckham had served as a missionary at      before moving to Austin where he began his long career
        a hospital in post-war Korea while in medical school,   in private practice.
        there meeting orphaned children and seeing the plight of      During those years in practice, along with Drs. Jim
        unsupported orphanages left after the Korean War. While  Fox and Jim Cullington, then a generation of volunteers,
        serving at Cam Ranh Bay, he founded an orphanage, the   he founded Austin Smiles, an organization that since
        Cam Ranh City Christian Orphanage. He worked with       1987 has blessed thousands of Latin American children
        the Chaplain at the air base and Christian missionaries in   with life-changing cleft palate surgery. Dr. Beckham had
        the area to set up an organization with an endowment to   a golden voice and sang in choirs and in quartets over the
        supply regular income to the orphanage after the troops   years. He loved cycling, flying, and Baylor football.


                           James Prentice, MD


                              James Prentice, MD, 86, passed     Upon their return to Austin, he joined Austin
                           away from ALS on May 19. He was       Anesthesiology Group and practiced there until his
                           witty, gregarious, and generous. He   retirement in 2002.
                           was a rare combination of dignified      Always community engaged, Dr. Prentice served on
                           and humorous: a connoisseur of        the vestries of Calvary Episcopal Church in Rochester
                           classical music and comic strips and   and St. David’s Church (Austin.) He served as president
                           excelled at correcting grammar and    of the Travis County Medical Society in 1996. He was an
        was quick with a joke. Above all, he believed in helping   active and productive board member of many
        others and led by example.                               organizations, including the TMA Foundation (president
            Dr. Prentice was a graduate of Austin High, UT       2017-2019,) Paramount Theater president), the Austin
        Austin and UT Southwestern Medical School. He            Symphony, UT College of Natural Sciences Advisory
        served in the US Air Force Medical Corps, completing his   Council (president), the UT Foundation (president),
        anesthesiology residency at Bethesda Naval Medical       and the foundations of St. David’s Church and
        Center and Yale-New Haven Medical Center, then the       St. David’s Hospital.
        USAF Medical Center at Andrews Air Force Base.              Friend and colleague, Dr. Joe Annis, recalls, “He
            Dr. Prentice and his wife, Linda, were married in    brought more than just his professional medical skills
        1967, with Linda attending medical school at Georgetown   back to Austin, he brought a deep-felt commitment to
        University in Washington, DC while he continued his      public service. He treasured his friendships and made
        service as an anesthesiologist in the Air Force, retiring in   regular efforts to keep in touch with friends. He
        1970 with the rank of Major. They moved to Rochester     extended multiple little kindnesses that sometimes
        MN in 1970 where he joined the staff of Mayo Clinic.     made big differences.”



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