GAINESVILLE - Colonel John L. "Judge" Beaver, who served Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville as superintendent and vice president from 1946 until 1963, has died of complications from pneumonia at the age of 90. <br>
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When Col. Beaver retired for health reasons in 1963, he moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was living at the time of his death Wednesday. <br>
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He served on the Riverside board of trustees from 1938 until 1993 and was chairman of that board for 23 years. <br>
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"Judge" Beaver got his nickname because of his somber demeanor as a child, according to a news release from Riverside announcing his death. He was born in Columbia, S.C., in 1912. A few months later, his father, Gen. Sandy Beaver, became president of Riverside, which had been founded in 1907. In 1915, Gen. Beaver bought the school.<br>
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Col. Beaver is credited with "strategic management and growth" of the academy's investment portfolio, which enabled the school to recently rebuild parts of the campus to provide state-of-the-art academic and athletic facilities.<br>
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Funeral services for Col. Beaver will be announced later.