John Beamon; Managed Bolling Air Force Base Commissary

John Murray Beamon Sr., 97, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant who was commissary manager at Bolling Air Force Base, died Oct. 31 of sepsis at Southern Maryland Hospital Center in Clinton. He was a resident of Forest Heights.

He was born in Savage, N.C., where he played high school football and was co-captain of the boys' basketball team. In the 1926-27 basketball season, he scored 84 of the team's 281 points and was its second-highest scorer.

He was drafted into the Army Air Corps in 1941 and sent to Hamilton Field in California as the supply squadron chief. Baseball greats Joe DiMaggio and Joe Gordon were under his command.

Discharged in 1945, Chief Master Sgt. Beamon was recalled to service in 1951 and sent to Bolling in Washington as the commissary manager. From 1957 to 1960, he held the same position at a base in France.

He returned to Bolling and served as commissary manager through his retirement from the Air Force in 1968 and as a civilian employee until 1978.

Over the years, Chief Master Sgt. Beamon received numerous awards and letters of commendation for his exemplary performance as commissary manager.

During his years at Bolling, Chief Master Sgt. Beamon played a key role in the founding of the Bolling Federal Credit Union and served on its board of directors for more than 20 years.

He was an usher at the base's Chapel One Protestant service for more than 50 years, serving as head usher for most of that time.

He also was active in the volunteer service of the Air Force District of Washington and was selected as the 1100 Air Base Group Volunteer of the Year for 1993-94. He helped coordinate the parish council program, the usher program and a housing visitation program and assisted in planning retreats, conferences and workshops.

He received a Commanders Club "Bronze Leader" certificate from the Disabled American Veterans Organization.

Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Dorothy "Jean" Beamon of Forest Heights; three children, Alvina Mae Bass of Charlotte Hall, John M. Beamon Jr. of Forest Heights and Jeanne-Marie Trinidad of Mechanicsville; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.