W.J. Beeners

MADISON, WIS./PRINCETON, N.J. - W. J. Beeners, Professor of Speech Emeritus at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey, died on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 after a brief illness in Madison, Wisconsin. Son of William and Sophia Beeners, he was born on May 19, 1921 and raised in Lennox, South Dakota, where he spoke only German for the first six years of his life. At Lennox High School, he excelled in oratory, debate, and athletics. A 1943 graduate of Dubuque University in Iowa, he was an actor and stage carpenter in Shakespearean theatre in Bayview, Michigan, before enrolling at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1944. After time out for service with the Merchant Marine during World War II, he returned to the Seminary where he earned his Master of Divinity degree and was ordained into the Presbyterian ministry in 1948. He became Director of the Seminary’s Speech Department in 1951. In 1960 he was awarded a Doctorate of Divinity by Dubuque University. A pioneer in teaching interpretive speech to prospective ministers, he created a world class multimedia studio at the Seminary’s Speech Department, hiring speech and drama specialists from Broadway and regional theaters. Beeners believed that good communication gets to the heart of the person, noting, “… we are all largely responsible, through communication, for who and what we are. We must learn to crack the shells of those we communicate with and speak to the person inside.” During the 42 years that he taught at the Seminary, he influenced the communication style of innumerable ministers. His influence was also felt through his teachings at such institutions as the Salvation Army, U.S. Army Chaplaincy, and New Brunswick Seminary. He was a member of the Council on Mass Media and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, and the Presbytery of New Brunswick. Beeners also helped many executives in the business sector become more effective in communications seminars he held throughout the country. He is survived by his wife, Hanneke Calmon-Beeners; children Susan Beeners, Sally Beeners Tanis, and Brian Beeners and their spouses; stepdaughter Grace Boekhoff-Falk and her spouse; stepson David Frank; grandchildren William Buckley, Samuel Falk, and Abigail Falk; former wife Dorothy Presnell Beeners; sister Sophia Beeners Miller; sister in law Betty Fodness Beeners; nieces Diane Miller Headrick and Mary Miller Korkow; nephews Rodney Beeners and Keith Beeners; and their families. A memorial service will be held this fall at Miller Chapel on the Princeton Theological Seminary campus, with private burial at Princeton Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in honor of W. J. Beeners to HospiceCare Inc., 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI, 53711; or to Princeton Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 821, Princeton, NJ, 08542-0803.