First United Methodist Church

Marsha Beckermann

 

September 17, 2017

Marsha Brandt Beckermann was born in Houston and married Raymond Beckermann in 1977.  Marsha and Raymond joined FUMC Taylor in December of 1980. Marsha and Raymond have two sons, Christopher and Daniel, two daughters-in-law, Michelle and Amber, and two grandsons, Brandt and Turner. 
 
In 1960, she moved to Seabrook just 5 blocks from Galveston Bay.  Just days before the Hurricane Carla made landfall, Marsha had a dress up birthday party with 10 or so of her friends.  In the photo taken at the party, the girls all went a sheltered side of the house, but still all the veils and dresses were blowing one direction.  That night, just before dark, the National Guard came around with bullhorns saying all families had to evacuate or the National Guard would move them. 
 
Marsha’s parents loaded up Marsha and her brother, David, plus the dog and cat.  They went to her paternal grandparents’ house in Wallis.  By the second day, there was no electricity and they were pummeled with rain and wind, but Marsha remembers that time fondly because of several things. 
 
First, her father taught them how to take a bath in one quart of water, which he had learned in the navy.  “I thought that was the coolest thing,” says Marsha.  Also, their grandmother taught them how to play Canasta with 3 decks.  There were so many cards that young Marsha could barely hold them.  And the experience of seeing the hurricane, especially the eye of the hurricane, was an experience Marsha will never forget.
 
The heavy rain and winds stopped, and sunshine came out.  Her father said, “Y’all go out with me.”  They looked up in the vortex of the storm.  Thousands of birds were flying desperately, caught in the eye wall.  Within 15-30 minutes, the winds picked up and started slamming the other side of the house. 
 
When they got back to Seabrook, their house was spared, and only lost 3 shingles, but all around were the effects of the hurricane.  Debris was piled up 10 -1 5 feet high.  Spears of glass and even grass stems were blown through telephone poles.
 
In 1961, President Kennedy announced the goal of putting a man on moon.  This goal brought very exciting times to Marsha’s community because NASA began to build the space center at Clear Lake.  Seven astronauts and their families were members of Marsha’s church:  Seabrook Methodist Church.  Scott Carpenter’s son was in Marsha’s 6 or 7^th grade class.  For show and tell, Astronaut Carpenter sent space food samples – astronaut squeeze packages of peaches and chicken salad.
 
Marsha’s maternal grandmother got her interested in nutrition as a young child.  In the 1930s, her grandmother was conscious of spending the grocery money to buy whole wheat bread and whole grains.  She continued her interest in health and nutrition her whole life.
 
Once her grandmother brought home ten pounds of organic carrots.  Marsha started salivating because she knew there would be carrot juice.  Her grandmother said, “They have to be scrubbed first.”  She put little Marsha up on a step stool, and Marsha kept going until they were finished.
 
Marsha took art lessons from a retired commercial artist, Mr. Fred Weis.  He offered free lessons and all supplies to any kid in the neighbor who wanted to come.   Marsha found she loved art.
 
When she started university at SW Texas State in San Marcos (now Texas State), she first studied art but she found academic art to be stifling.  “I don’t want to produce art on demand for a grade for a professor,” she says. 
 
At SWTS, she also was studying German, and during the summer, she and a friend decided to go to Germany.  They signed up to be in a work exchange program but when the government cancelled the program, they decided to go anyway. They each had $300 in travelers’ checks and they would stay until they ran out of money.  They lasted 11 weeks.  Their moms and dads were amazed.
 
After that summer, she transferred to UT and she changed her major.  In 1974, she got a BA in Psychology.  During her senior year, she started exploring job opportunities and found a BA in Psychology was rather limiting.  She switched over to a pre-med track and filled her electives with microbiology, bio chemistry, and human nutrition.  After a year’s break, she came back in January ’76 and got a BS in Biochemistry and Nutrition in ’77 and later become a registered dietician. 
 
In October ’78, Marsha was hired at UT.  She was the first registered dietician for residence halls at UT, she managed five kitchens and 6000 students until 1990.
 
During that time, Marsha implemented many innovations in the kitchens, including computerizing the entire recipe and food service operation.  She supervised the student workers who coded recipes and developed nutrition program tours for students who led tours through the residence halls.  She was featured in a report on the CNN show “On the Menu.”
 
The sports nutrition niche becoming de rigeur in 1980s.  Marsha became very interested in pursuing that area in her career.  She went and introduced herself to Food Service Manager of Longhorn dining room.  He was interested in computerizing his system, so he created a job for Marsha, and she was able to pursue her interest.  They had to do some extensive remodeling of the Longhorn Dining Hall so that she would have an office and a ladies’ room.  She became the first sports nutritionist at UT.  Marsha worked as a sports nutritionist until her retirement.

 

The next time you see Marsha a big hug, and congratulate her on all her accomplishments and all the gifts she brings to Taylor FUMC.  You might even be able to twist her arm and get her to fill you in on all the interesting tales that wouldn’t fit into the Member Spotlight!

 

Written by Robin McKinley