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Roger A. Beatty, 57
Environmentalist was former director of NEED
Roger A. Beatty, 57, died Monday, June 4, at his Truro home of metastatic liver cancer from an ocular melanoma.
Although Mr. Beatty hailed from Ohio, he embraced Cape Cod and admired its rugged beauty. His passion for nature encouraged generations of new environmentalists to care for this earth he loved so much.
Mr. Beatty was the former director of the National Environmental Education Development (NEED) Collaborative; he devoted his life to fostering a love of the natural history of the Outer Cape in children for 19 years until the time of his diagnosis in February of this year.
NEED, an experiential, cooperative program in environmental studies, prepares pupils from the Cape towns of Falmouth, Dennis-Yarmouth and Harwich for the science section of the Massachusetts MCAS test. Throughout the school year at NEED, classrooms of fifth graders from across these districts, their classroom teachers and a team of talented naturalist educators spend a week living together in a historic lifesaving station within Cape Cod National Seashore tucked between Ballston Beach and the Pamet River in Truro.
Under Mr. Beatty's stewardship, thousands of children and a few privileged adults experienced an unforgettable week exploring the natural landscape. He and his staff were inspirational, and some of those children returned as staff members to teach with him in later years.
He loved birdwatching and participated as both member and captain of Team Pamet during Bird-a-thon (24 hours of insane birding). He had an enormous repertoire of birdcalls at his command and was particularly adept at calling out various species of owl during late night walks. He enjoyed winter vacations dog-sledding in Quebec City and summered in Alaska twice, having found the Alaskan wilderness profoundly restorative. Other summers, he visited with family and friends from Ohio, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington.
He had a deep appreciation for the written word and poetry in particular. He always managed to create a quiet moment to pen a handwritten letter to his many correspondents. When not tending his gardens, he could be found rambling about Truro exploring the marsh, river, bay and ocean, often with his dog at his side.
He is survived by his husband, John Magin; his sister and brother-in-law, Donna and Robert McCool, and their three children, Jared, Danielle, and Jamie, all of Greenville, Ohio. He leaves many dear, close friends and colleagues scattered around the country, as well as his beloved dog, Sadie Pamet Beatty, and Fred, his cat.
Gifts may be made in Roger's memory to any of the following environmental organizations: NEED Collaborative, c/o of Eleanor Moody, Director, P.O. Box 895, Truro, MA 02666; Mass. Audubon Society's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary; National Audubon Society; The Nature Conservancy; or if you prefer, to the "The John Magin Travel Fund." A memorial service will be planned for autumn and announced at a later date.
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Susan Levin, 65
Charles Sovek, 70
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Jun 21st, 2007