Francis Beam

Francis H Beam Jr. retired partner with Ernst and Young

Francis H Beam Jr. joined the international firm of Ernst and Young in 1959 as a certified public accountant. He was born in 1935,and raised in Cleveland Ohio. High school years were spent at University School and during his junior year he met his future wife, Virginia, who was then a sophomore at Laurel School. Married while at Yale University, they often took their first born child to Frank's fraternity party's and placed her bassinet on the piano while their friends would sing and dance around her. Besides his wife and daughter, Jennifer Carroll of Atlanta, Frank is survived by two sons, Francis H Beam III of Solon and Judd Andrew Beam of Bainbridge.

Frank became a partner with Ernst and Young in 1967. He was appointed partner of management consulting services for the Cleveland office in 1969. He next became the partner in charge of the North Central regions management consulting services. He was managing partner of the Cleveland office until his transfer to Chicago in 1978 as Regional Managing Partner for the Midwest Region. He returned to Cleveland in 1981 and was named Vice Chairman and regional managing partner in the north central region. In 1988, Frank retired from Ernst and Young. His work efforts, in part, were then directed toward helping with the sale of St Luke's Medical Center and with leadership of the St Luke's Foundation. He so loved life and believed strongly in giving back to the community. In 2006, Denise Zeman, President of St Luke's Foundation said, "To institutionalize his memory, we are naming the Francis H Beam fellowship in his honor, so that the current and future fellows who will be mentored at the St Luke's Foundation will have the opportunity to embrace his philosophy of serving communities in which they live and work."

Frank has served on the executive council of Harvard Business School, and has been active in the Harvard Business School club of Cleveland, having served as trustee and past president. He was a member of the America institute of CPA's. He also served on the boards of a number of Cleveland civic and charitable organizations including Blue Coats, Play House Square foundation, Laurel School, North Coast Development Corp, St Luke's Hospital and University Circle.

For many years he wintered in Vero Beach, Florida. While there, he began a series of group meetings for people afflicted with Parkinson's disease. Many times, he enjoyed spending the summer and the fall weekends at the Castalia Trout Club or the Ottawa Shooting Club.

May all of us who knew him recall his magnificent spirit and infectious grin which betrayed nothing yet knew so much.



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