Oct. 7, 2016 By Hannah Wulkan
A popular Jackson Heights middle school principal, Dr. Dolores Beckham, died on Wednesday and was honored by community members with a candlelight vigil.
Beckham was the principal of I.S. 145 for 17 years, having started there in 1999. She was an educator in the City for nearly 30 years, according to her LinkedIn page.
Community members and students gathered outside of Joseph Pulitzer Middle School last night at 6 p.m. to remember Beckham with a candlelight vigil.
Other members of the community also shared their thoughts on social media.
“Saddened about the passing of beloved I.S. 145 principal for many years Dr. Dolores Beckham,” tweeted Senator Jose Peralta on Thursday.
Beckham focused on embracing the diversity of Jackson Heights in to her school, emphasizing the many cultures represented among students. She also introduced a dual language program to the school, and Chancellor Carmen Fariña chose it as one of the Citywide Model Dual Language Programs last year.
Upon winning the award, Beckham maintained that the school would remain focused on continuing “to help prepare future leaders to be bi-literal and bi-cultural,” she said at the time.
Having begun her career as a teacher in the Bronx, Beckham went on over the years to earn her Masters in Education, and later her Doctorate of Education in Educational Administration and Supervision, all while working for the NYC Department of Education.
In 2008, Beckham was selected as a Fulbright Award Winning Principal, which allowed her to present and attend conferences around the world.
