A ‘role model for how to be in the world’: Friends remember Bob Beck

A conservationist. A leader. A friend.

The list goes on for Robert “Bob” Beck, a man who put his heart and soul into nature in Dryden and surrounding areas within Tompkins County.

“Anyone who knew Bob couldn’t help but be inspired by his selfless dedication,” said Alice Green, a close friend of Beck and his wife, Gwen. “He had that rare combination of tenacity and determination, along with humility and unwavering kindness to everyone he encountered.”

Beck passed away on June 14 following a brief illness. While his passing sent shockwaves throughout the county, Beck’s friends and family are determined to carry on his legacy.

From 2015 to this year, Beck anchored the Dryden Rail Trail project and led the task force that came along with it. Dan Lamb, Dryden town deputy supervisor, said the rail trail project — a 14-mile, multi-use trail that runs through Dryden and connects to the East Ithaca Recreation Way — will “go on for decades” due to Beck’s leadership.

More than 20 years ago, Beck worked with The Nature Conservancy to preserve the land that is now O.D. von Engeln Preserve in Malloryville, which is just outside of the village of Freeville. He was also a member of the town of Dryden’s conservation board.

Lamb knew Beck for 25 years. When Lamb first met Beck at the unveiling of the preserve on Malloryville Road, Lamb was working for the late former Congressman Maurice Hinchey.

That was when Lamb, currently the Dryden town deputy supervisor, became “aware of the force of Bob Beck.”

“His perseverance in helping to establish a unique little park that has a trail going through it was incredible,” Lamb said. “I got to know him as a friend and a trusted advisor to the town of Dryden. He’s just somebody who really led by example.”

Green noted in her statement, on behalf of the task force, that Beck was responsible for acquiring and drafting a majority of the 48 easements in the past decade needed to reclaim the rail trail as “a community resource.”

“Bob had deep roots in the Dryden community, and he knew every inch of the rail trail corridor,” Green said. “He has given us the groundwork and the example, and we are dedicated to making a reality of his vision to complete the trail across Dryden, truly connecting communities.”

Lamb, a professor at Cornell University’s Brooks School of Public Policy, said that Beck had “servant leadership.” Lamb described Beck as the kind of leader who put the needs of others in front of his own.

“[That kind of leadership] is critical when working with volunteers, and Bob had it,” Lamb said. “We’ve benefited a lot from him. Bob brought people in and empowered them. He had this leadership style that we have to emulate. He left us with this sort of gift of how to work together and move a project along.”

When Lamb spearheaded the rail trail project, the town board saw Beck as a “natural decision” to appoint him as the chair of the task force.

“Bob did not resist. He wanted the challenge,” Lamb said. “I don’t think any of us knew what we were getting into, because it’s been a long haul. That was eight years ago, and the project has moved considerably along, mostly due to Bob’s sheer and relentless work ethic to engage people and a vision. He brought this vision to Dryden and this determination to do big things. I knew from his work on the park at Malloryville that he would be the right person to lead the rail trail task force.”

Green and the task force expressed how it’s been a privilege to have known and worked with Beck. Green mentioned the tributes that have come in from rail trail supporters, including how Beck was a “role model for how to be in the world” and how he was a “good and kind man.”

Supporters are thankful for Beck’s service to the community and his friendship.

“I think we all feel privileged to have known and worked with Bob,” Green said. “He touched so many lives. He put his whole, big heart into his lifelong work for the environment, the rail trail, the community of Dryden and beyond.”

Lamb and others knew of the “big influence” that Beck carried when working on a project of the magnitude of the Dryden Rail Trail.

Green noted in the task force statement, “Words cannot express how much we will miss him. Our hearts are with his wife, Gwen, sons, Nathan and Gordon, and his large extended family. We hope there is some consolation in knowing that his memory and legacy will live on, and that he was loved by so many.”

Dryden Dispatch appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Child passenger safety certification training available in Dryden

The Neptune Hose Company #1 of Dryden, Inc. will host a National Child Passenger Safety Certification training course in August at its location at 26 North St. in the village.

The course will be held from Aug. 13 to 16 and will go from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Individuals interested in the course must be at least 18 years of age.

For questions or more information, contact ReBecca Main at 607-758-5509 or rmain@cortlandcountyny.gov.