Passing of John R. Beaton, first dean

Word has been received of the passing of John R. Beaton, former dean of the colleges and an early administrator and adviser to founding chancellor Edward Weidner at UW-Green Bay. Beaton was 86.

He joined the UW-Green Bay faculty and administration in 1969 as dean of the College of Human Biology, and was named overall dean of the colleges a year later. A native of Oshawa, Ontario, he earned degrees through the doctorate at the University of Toronto. He was a widely acclaimed scholar in the field of nutrition with emphases in physiology, biochemistry and population dynamics. Beaton left Green Bay in 1975 to become dean of human biology at the University of Maryland’s flagship campus in College Park, saying “In my new position at the University of Maryland I hope to foster the UWGB philosophy of higher education — a philosophy and approach which I believe to be at the forefront of higher education.”

Beaton’s son, Eric, still resides in the Green Bay area, and says services will be held in Maryland.