arnold BECKMAN
MABEL BECKMAN
ACADEMIC AFFILIATIONS
INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
CIVIC ACTIVITIES
AWARDS AND PATENTS
Philanthropy

Arnold Beckman, Ph.D: Civic Activities

A man of strong moral and ethical principles, Dr. Beckman was always compelled to give back to the community at large. One of his ongoing concerns was the growing problem of air pollution. He was instrumental in initiating the studies on the sources of photochemical smog and later helped develop control regulations and warning procedures for Los Angeles County. In 1953, Dr. Beckman served as chairman of a special technical committee on air pollution appointed by the Governor of California. The committee's report on scientific findings and its recommendations for smog reduction served as a standard reference for later air pollution control programs.

In 1970, President Nixon named Dr. Beckman to a four-year term on the Federal Air Quality Control Board. He was named Outstanding Citizen of the Year (1972) by the Orange Coast, Calif., Community College District for his continuing pollution control work in the state and the nation, as well as for the development of new instruments that have advanced man's knowledge. Dr. Beckman was a member of the Board of Overseers of the House Ear Institute, a director of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian and the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation. He was also an honorary trustee of the California Museum Foundation. Dr. Beckman was past president of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce (1956) and the California State Chamber of Commerce (1967). He was a director of the Security Pacific National Bank, the Southern California Edison Co., Continental Airlines, SCM Corporation and Stanford Research Institute. He also served as a director of the Automobile Club of Southern California and the Southern California Symphony Association, and as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the System Development Foundation. His long interest in the promotion of good government led him to help found the Lincoln Club of Orange County, which he served as chairman from its inception in 1962 until 1978 when he was elected chairman emeritus. Dr. Beckman was named "Headliner of the Year" by the Orange County Press Club, and he served as Southern California Chairman for Radio Free Europe and the Orange County Heart Fund. He was named Humanitarian of the Year by the North Orange County YMCA in 1985.