Edward H. Beales

DAKOTA DUNES, S.D. -- Edward H. Beales, 86 of Dakota Dunes, passed away Monday, Dec. 8, 2008, at a local hospital.

Abiding by family wishes, cremation has taken place. Memorial services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 13, 2008 at Augustana Lutheran Church, with Rev. Del Olivier officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Nelson-Berger Northside Chapel.

Edward "Edd" was born on Jan. 21, 1922, in Sioux City, to Edward M. and Florence (Swandollar) Beales. He attended Central High School, graduating in January with the class of 1940. He obtained his bachelor of arts degree from Coe College in Cedar Rapids in 1945.

He began his journalism career at the Sioux City Tribune in 1938, while still in high school. He later worked for the Journal, following its merger with the Tribune, as a general assignment reporter and deskman (which included stints as news editor, state editor, city editor and afternoon sports editor and columnist). While at the Journal, he served four years as a regional news correspondent for both Time magazine and The New York Times. During his career, he also worked for the Cedar Rapids Gazette, the Des Moines Register and Kansas City Star. After writing an 18-part series on Kansas City's hospitals, he left the newspaper field to establish the first public relations agency in 1959, exclusively serving hospitals and related health care institutions.

Among his achievements were serving as a consultant to the Social Security Administration in developing the first two Medicare Handbooks in 1966-67 and in receiving the Bronze Effie Award (third place) from the American Marketing Association. He devised a creative marketing plan to successfully launch a new health care product, a Stress Management Center for St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Wichita, Kan. (Gold and Silver Effie Awards were awarded to two pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson). He was interested in art and while in Wichita, he was the docent at the Wichita Art Museum. He was a past member of the American Hospital Association, past member of the Kansas City Area Society of Hospital Public Relations Directors, past member of The Greater Kansas City Public Relations Society, past member of Pi Delta Epsilon (national honorary journalism fraternity), and a past charter member of the American Society of Hospital Public Relations Directors.

He married Pauline Benson Cox, a high school classmate on Aug. 24, 1991 at Augustana Lutheran Church in Sioux City, where they are members. The couple resided in retirement in Scottsdale, Ariz. until returning to the Sioux City area to be closer to family in 2003.

He is survived by his wife, Pauline of Dakota Dunes; sister, Marjorie E. Beales of Sioux City; sisters-in-law, Donabelle Benson of Sioux City and Beverly Ball and her husband Jim of Sun City, Calif.; stepsons, Dennis Cox of Sioux City and Timothy Cox and his wife Kristi, along with their two children Xander and Shailey Cox, all of Omaha.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and first wife, Marjorie in 1990.

Memorials are to either Augustana Lutheran Church, or to the Pearl Street Research Center, where he served as a volunteer.