Lucile Elizabeth Beaver

Gainesville native Lucile Elizabeth Beaver passed away peacefully on December 15, 2020, at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA, at the age of 94. Due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time, a virtual memorial service was held in December 2020 at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C.

Per her wishes, her body was donated to Georgetown University Medical School for anatomical research. Her cremains now return to Gainesville, Georgia to be laid to rest in the Beaver-Lowry family plot at Alta Vista Cemetery. A memorial service will be held in the mausoleum on Monday, February 6, at 3:00 PM.

She was born February 1, 1926, in Gainesville, Georgia, the fifth child of Sandy and Annice Lowery Beaver. As a young girl her life was intertwined with the cadets whom her father, General Sandy Beaver, presided over at Riverside Military Academy. The campus was her playground, and when the cadets reported to the RMA campus in Hollywood, Florida for the winter semester, she traveled with her parents to Florida and attended classes with the cadets.

After graduating from Gainesville High School as valedictorian, she attended Agnes Scott College, where she was inducted into The Phi Beta Kappa Society, as was her father when a student at the University of Georgia. She graduated with a degree in math and continued her education at the University of Georgia, earning a master's degree in math. It was her next degree, a master's from Columbia University's School of Library Service, which launched her career as a librarian, first at RMA and eventually for the Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C.

Her life took her far beyond RMA and Gainesville, and she is remembered as a professional librarian who worked at the highest levels of the federal government and who traveled the world for opera. She was an active member of The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., for over 50 years. For many years she took pride in being the volunteer librarian for the church's prestigious choir.

With her master's in library service in hand, she returned to RMA to be the librarian and serve as the Academy’s hostess. She spent five years in those positions, which further cemented her love for RMA and especially the Corps of Cadets in Class A uniforms parading on Sunday afternoons.

In 1954 she accepted a civilian position with the U.S. Army in Europe as a librarian for the Army Special Services. In 1959 she transferred from Germany to Washington, D.C., to work on the overseas recruiting team of Army Special Services and was responsible for recruiting all librarians for overseas positions.

In 1963 she returned to actual library work, this time as a reference librarian for the Federal Aviation Agency. She eventually was named Chief of the Department of Transportation (DOT) Library. In 1976 she was promoted to the GS-15 position of Director of the DOT Library. She retired from that position in March of 1982, and, at that time, she was one of the very few women serving in the federal government at the GS-15 level.

Lucile was passionate about classical music, especially opera, and traveled annually to hear world-class performances and rarely missed the Salzburg Festival in Austria. Her favorite singer was Placido Domingo, and her favorite opera was Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Her affection and loyalty to RMA never waned. During her father’s Riverside presidency, she was a valued confidant and trusted advisor. After his passing, she joined RMA’s Board of Trustees in 1970 and traveled to Gainesville for board meetings for more than 43 years. In 2013 the RMA library was named in her honor, The Lucile Beaver Library.

Lucile was preceded in death by her parents, Sandy and Annice Beaver, her brother, John L. Beaver, her sisters, Betty Beaver, Dorothy Beaver, and Louise Chandler. She is survived by her cousin Angela Beaver Mack (Mrs. Dennis Mack) of Huntsville, AL, her loyal attendant Diane Downey, and many friends, including long-time attorney John Quinn.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Lucile's memory to the General Scholarship Fund at Riverside Military Academy, either online at www.riversideprep.org/make-a-gift or mail to Office of Advancement, 2001 Riverside Drive, Gainesville, GA, 30501.

Those wishing to send online condolences to the family may do so at littledavenport.com

Little & Davenport Funeral Home and Crematory, 355 Dawsonville Highway, SW, Gainesville, Georgia 30501 is in charge of arrangements.