Our Take: Funding sought for a good cause: ‘Terry Beck Scholarship’

If you haven’t visited McCoy Park recently — or, heaven forbid, ever — then you haven’t seen the beautiful memorial to Lance Cpl. Terry Beck and his dog, Seato. It was placed there in 2017 to honor “war dogs” and their handlers.

Terry was born in Iowa in 1949, moving to Fort Atkinson in 1963 when his father became president of a local bank. He had been enrolled in Northwestern Military Academy in Lake Geneva, but transferred to Fort Atkinson High School for his junior and senior years.

Those who knew him describe Terry as a person who felt strongly about serving his country, so it was no surprise that he chose to enlist in the military during a time when many young men held off until being drafted.

At age 17, Terry joined the U.S. Marines and underwent both basic and dog-handling training. He was sent to Vietnam upon turning 18.

Tragically, only three months later, Terry was killed in action by a sniper in Thừa Thiên Huế Province. Seato stayed by his side and also was killed. 

The Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson spearheaded the McCoy Park memorial to recognize the sacrifices of not only Terry Beck and Seato, but those of all military and law enforcement service dogs and their handlers. And now, the club is taking it a step further by establishing the Marine Terry Beck Protective Services Scholarship.

Two to five Fort Atkinson High School graduates typically enter the field of protective services each year, and this scholarship is designed to “satisfy an unfilled niche for these students, in addition to acknowledging Terry Beck’s passion to protect and serve his country and its citizens,” the Kennel Club says. It will be offered to Fort Atkinson High School seniors and graduates entering the field of protective services.

Of course, to give a scholarship, one must have money, and that’s where the community comes in.

The Kennel Club has set a $15,000 fundraising goal, the minimum required by the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation to initiate a recurring scholarship. That should be able to provide a $750 annual award. And if more money is raised, the amount can be larger.

Mail your check, made payable to “KCFA — Terry Beck Scholarship,” to: Terry Beck Scholarship, c/o Mabel Schumacher, Treasurer, 848 Messmer St., Fort Atkinson, WI, 53538.

For those wishing to give online, a gofundme page is available at https://gofund.me/0a85b46b.

Contributions made toward the scholarship will be held by the Kennel Club of Fort Atkinson in a segregated account and an acknowledgment note will be sent to donors. If the $15,000 goal is not met by the Sept. 1 deadline, all of the money will be returned to donors. 

But let’s hope that will not have to happen. When you’re done reading Fort Atkinson Online, click on the above gofundme page or get out your checkbook and donate toward the Marine Terry Beck Protective Services Scholarship.

And the next time you pass McCoy Park, stop and salute Terry, Seato and all who wear a uniform on our behalf.