Posted Tuesday, May. 08, 2012
By Bob Ray Sanders
bobray@star-telegram.com
Charles "Eddie" Beckwith was 15 months old when his father left. The last time he saw his dad was at age 7.
Eddie's mother, Claudia Beckwith, recalled that day when the father came to see his son and younger daughter, and she'll never forget how sad she felt when he uttered his last words to them:
"You three will never become anything in life."
Oh, how wrong he was.
Eddie, a multitalented and driven young man, will graduate Saturday from the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in aerospace engineering.
His mom will have a great Mother's Day because she always told her children the only gift she ever wanted from them "is for you guys to stay focused and succeed in life."
On Monday at the UTA campus, Eddie, 26, talked to me about his life, his family, his drive to achieve (academically and in sports) and his passion for aviation -- a passion his mother saw at a very early age.
At age 2 or 3, his mom said, Eddie would take Legos and build an airplane, turn it into a car and then into a bike.
Born in Washington, D.C., he spent his early childhood in Germantown, Md. When he was 14, the family moved to Florida, where he became a high school track star, the third-fastest 400-meter runner in the state.
Because of his academic success, he was recruited by several Ivy League schools but chose to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. After he'd spent two years there, UTA came calling again, offering a full track scholarship.
The Beckwith family discussed it and decided that all three -- Eddie, Mom and sister Amanda -- would move to Texas.
They became a UTA family, with Amanda enrolling to study biochemistry and journalism and Mom taking a job as a grant budget support specialist in the School of Social Work.
In 2007, Eddie anchored the 4x400-meter relay team that helped UTA win its first Southland Conference track championship since 1997.
Often operating on only four hours sleep, he works as an intern at Hampson Aerospace Aerostructures and Composites, serving as a lead engineer on parts for a military surveillance plane. On the weekends, he works as an airplane mechanic at Arlington Municipal Airport. He also has a pilot's license.
Claudia Beckwith is a writer who uses the pen name Thesina Daniel, and Eddie designs her book covers and Web pages. When they recently produced a short film based on one of the books, Eddie did the props and the set and had an acting role. He was a child actor and model in Maryland.
Not having a father when he was growing up taught him to be self-sufficient, Eddie said. His mother told him early on that he was the "man of the house."
His mechanical skills for airplanes and cars were self-taught, he said, noting that he finds it easy to figure out things.
"People say, 'You're so smart,'" Eddie said. "And I say no, I'm a survivor. I just work as hard as I can."
His plans are to take the summer off from school, and then begin graduate studies in the fall, perhaps to get a master's in business administration and eventually a doctorate. There's also the possibility of running track as a pro for a couple of years, but he realizes a single injury could put an end to that.
One of his philosophies is, "Have a bold plan B and C, not a plan A only."
And what advice would he give to other young people?
"Put God first," he said. "Never let anybody tell you that you can't do anything. Listen to your parents. Don't give up on your dreams. And, remember, nobody's perfect."
He's an amazing young man, one any mother (or father) would be proud of.
Bob Ray Sanders' column appears Sundays and Wednesdays. 817-390-7775Twitter: @BobRaySanders
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