Devoted environmental activist dies

There will never be another Myrtle Beeson. For those who knew her, that statement needs no justification. But for those who didn’t, suffice it to say that she was a truly remarkable character.

Myrtle Beeson, 87, died Monday, July 28 in a Joliet nursing home.

She was born in Wales, and talked with a heavy accent, full of stories of her homeland. But she lived in Park Forest for 50 years. For much of that time she lived with her husband Roy and their two children. But after Roy died nearly 17 years ago, and the children had lives of their own that rarely included their mother, she lived alone. She was a simple woman who lived a simple life; an environmental activist with a unique understanding of the natural world around her. And she wanted to keep it that way. She fought every day of her life to keep it that way.

She gained some unwanted notoriety when Park Forest officials evicted her from her home, claiming it was unfit. Not only was Myrtle an avid newspaper reader, but she also saved every paper containing an article of interest to her. Her home was filled with them. She was in ill health and was eventually unable to maneuver around them.

But volunteers — many Myrtle became acquainted with during battles against incinerators, airports, pesticides, and so many other causes of which she devoted her life — came to her aid. They work enabled her to return to her home. They cleaned and repaired it and checked in with her often to see how she was doing. One of those was Jeff Tangle who heads the South Cook County Environmental Action Coalition. The group formed many years ago when proposals were considered for the Robbins incinerator and a medical waste burner at Governors State University.

Myrtle didn’t drive, nor did she walk very well. She relied on others to bring her to rallies and meetings. If no one was available, she took a cab, even though she lived a very frugal life on her meager social security check.

At various meetings she offered information, testimony, and her very pointed opinion — often citing facts from experts she got to know on the telephone.

Her telephone was her lifeline to the outside world. She used it constantly - literally day and night. She was well-informed, devoting her life to learning about and fighting the ills that harm human beings.

At times her facts became entangled with the many stories she told of people she’s met and places she’s been. But her motives were always pure. She wanted to do her part to make the world a better place, a safer place.

She never let government stand in her way. A tiny wisp of a woman, she stood toe-to-toe with anyone who got in her way. She loved her village and often attended village board meetings. Through the years, she attended incinerator meetings at Governors State University and anti-airport meetings in Chicago. She was no stranger to a well-placed picket sign and she always went armed to the teeth with information, always attempting to prove her point.

Tangle, who knew her as well as anyone, wrote a eulogy about her in the Chicago Tribune. These final words about a woman who was a legend in her time are worthy of reading. They can be found at the following link:

For those who knew Myrtle Beeson, Tangle’s words will bring smiles and tears. For those who didn’t, his words will make you wish you had. She really was one of a kind. And we all owe her a debt for her tireless, unselfish devotion.