University mourns death of Marianna Kistler Beach

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas community is mourning the death of avid university supporter Marianna Kistler Beach. She died Saturday, Nov. 1, at her home in Lawrence at age 94.

“On behalf of the entire University of Kansas community, I extend my condolences to the Beach family and Marianna Beach’s friends, as well as all of those whose lives she changed through her support for individuals with disabilities,” said Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little. “Her generosity helped make KU a center for research and service designed to help everyone achieve his or her full potential.”

Beach and her late husband, Ross Beach, were generous donors to KU. Their gifts created the Beach Center on Disability, which seeks to make a significant and sustainable difference in the quality of life for families and individuals affected by disability. Research focuses on disability policy, employment, family supports and services in early childhood.

Founded in 1988 by KU Distinguished Professors Ann and Rud Turnbull, the Beach Center honors Ross and Marianna Beach for their longstanding efforts on behalf of families affected by disability.

“Marianna was gracious to all people, foresighted and generous in the field of intellectual disabilities, determined to have research yield direct benefit to people with disabilities and their families, delighted by and full of laughter — and with her devoted husband, the major benefactor of our research center,” Rud Turnbull said. “Without her and Ross, the university would been greatly limited to have an international effect.”

The couple also provided generous support across the university, including the Hall Center for the Humanities, the Spencer Museum of Art, the Lied Center of Kansas and the Kansas Women’s Leadership Institute. They also established the Roy Beach Edwards Scholarship, the Marianna and Ross Beach Professorship and a dance scholarship.

“First and foremost, Marianna was a great Kansan,” said Dale Seuferling, president of KU Endowment. “Together with Ross, she did so much for higher education in Kansas, including the University of Kansas. They supported a wide range of areas that reflected their interest in improving people’s lives. On behalf of KU and all Kansans, we’re grateful for their generosity.”

Beach served on the President's Committee on Mental Retardation from 1969 to 1975. She was appointed to represent the U.S. as its delegate to the Inter-American Children’s Institute, a specialized agency of the Organization of American States, from 1981 to 1988. She was the first person from the U.S. to be elected as the presiding officer of the Institute’s governing council and the only person to serve in that role for three consecutive terms, from 1982 to 1988.

Beach was born Marianna Kistler in 1919, in Lincoln, Kansas. She graduated from Kansas State University in 1941. On June 1 of that year, she married Ross Beach. They were married for 69 years until Ross’s death in 2010. Survivors include daughters Mary McDowell, Port Townsend, Washington; Terry Edwards, Hutchinson; and Jane Hipp, Jackson, Wyoming; eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art in Manhattan, Kansas.