| Gordon Beecher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | William Gordon Beecher Jr. |
| Born | (1904-01-19)January 19, 1904 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | (1973-12-07)December 7, 1973 Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. |
| Place of Burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1921–1955 |
| Rank |  Vice Admiral |
| Commands | Director, USNA Musical Clubs, 1933-1935 Commanding officer USS Pruitt (DM-22), then a minesweeper, 31 May 1940 through 2 December 1941 Commander of the Middle East Force in 1954 Chief of Naval Information in 1954-1955 |
| Battles / wars | World War II Pearl Harbor Iwo Jima Okinawa |
| Awards | Legion of Merit |
William Gordon Beecher, Jr. (January 19, 1904 in Baltimore, Maryland – December 7, 1973) was an American composer, writer and vice admiral. Many of his musical arrangements were done in cooperation with Johnny Noble.
Military career
Beecher was educated at the United States Naval Academy and at the National War College. He served 34 years in the United States Navy, retiring as a vice admiral in 1955. In World War II, Beecher commanded a destroyer squadron, and fought at Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. He received the Legion of Merit.
Creative work
Between 1933 and 1935, Beecher directed the USNA Musical Clubs and joined the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 1944. He composed around 700 songs. Known compositions, many of which he published under the pseudonym "Gordon Beecher", are "A Song of Old Hawaii", "Sing an American Song", "Counting On You", "All Pau Now", "Nimitz, Halsey and Me", "Just a Happy Kama'aina" and "The Ramparts We Watch". He served as technical advisor for the movie Shipmates Forever produced by Warner Bros.
Beecher died in 1973 and is buried at the Arlington National Cemetery.
Awards
- Legion of Merit
- Commendation Ribbon awarded by the Secretary of the Navy
- Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal
- American Defense Service Medal
- Fleet Clasp
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four engagement stars
- American Campaign Medal
- World War II Victory Medal
- Navy Occupation Service Medal
- Asia Clasp
- National Defense Service Medal
References
External links
- Gordon Beecher at IMDb Retrieved on 2008-02-10
- Detailed biography at SearchTrees.com
- 1904 births
- 1973 deaths
- American male composers
- United States Naval Academy alumni
- Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
- Recipients of the Legion of Merit
- Writers from Baltimore
- 20th-century American composers
- 20th-century American writers
- 20th-century American male writers
- 20th-century American male musicians