Dr & Mrs William McBeath

MCBEATH

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 9/21/2010 at 20:08:50

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Dr and Mrs William McBeath
By Pauline Pitkin Roman

Dr and Mrs William McBeath moved to Anthon from Madrid, Iowa, in August, 1909, and William bought the dental practice of Dr Mason. They had four children at the time: Barbara, 11; Pauline, 9; Vera, 7; and Carter, 4. The children attended the Anthon Public Schools and Barbara went on to graduate from Iowa State University at Ames while Pauline took a two-year teacher’s course in Kindergarten-Primary field at Mankato, Minnesota. In 1919, Dr McBeath sold his practice to William O’Neill of Correctionville, a graduated of the University of Iowa College of Denistry who had just returned from service as a first lieutenant in France.

The McBeath family still had two children to put through college so they moved to Vermillion, South Dakota, where Vera graduated from the University of South Dakota four years later with a B A degree. Carter attended the University of South Dakota but after two years returned to Anthon to work for his brother-in-law Roy Pitkin in the drug store. Later Carter attended Drake University and became a registered pharmacist. He served in World War II, even though he was 37 years old, and saw very rigorous service in New Guinea throughout most of the war in the South Pacific. Eventually, he came down with malaria and was brought back to Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco and, after partial recovery, he was sent to the over-crowded William Beaumont Army Hospital in El Paso, Texas. When he was finally mustered out, he decided to make his home in the city and his family joined him there. He managed drugstores in El Paso until his death in 1968 at age 63. He is buried in the National Cemetery in El Paso.

Dr William McBeath and wife, Cora McBeath, lived in Vermillion the rest of their lives and are buried there. He died in 1949 and she died in 1957.