RE Log - Fall 2022

FALL 2022 Ransom Everglades LOG 91 Former faculty member Eleanor R. Backman , 103, passed away peacefully at home on June 26, 2022. The daughter of Dr. John J. and Alma Mann, she was born November 3, 1918, at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., where her father, an ENT and eye sur- geon, had been stationed to train medical interns for overseas military service during World War I. Eleanor spent most of her childhood years in Perth Amboy, N.J., where her father conducted his medical practice. From an early age, she displayed an unquenchable thirst for reading and excelled in school. Valedictorian of her class at Low Heywood School for Girls in Stamford, Conn., she graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Mass., with majors in English, histo- ry and philosophy. Later she earned a master’s degree with honors in English and education at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., where she studied under acclaimed author, poet and literary critic, John Ciardi. Her contagious love of literature, po- etry and creative writing impacted count- less students throughout her teaching career in Miami: first at the Everglades School for Girls, and then, following a merger, at the coed Ransom Everglades School, where she also served as chair of the English Department. Upon her retirement, the school designated her an Honorary Alumna, and the annual award for Excellence in English is still given in her name, 40 years later. In addition to her parents, Eleanor was preceded in death by husbands Charles Eckel, Paul Crawford and Herbert Backman; sister, Gertrude Lukens; and son, Edmund I. Eckel. She is survived by sons John Laurence Eckel ( Susan Pringle ’75 ) of Indianapolis and C. Ronald Eckel of West Hartford, Conn.; grandchildren Peter Eckel of Indianapolis and Nancy Eckel Foushee ’87 (Eric) of Brunswick, Maine; great-grandchildren: Connor, Martha, Lane and Asher Foushee; and nephews Terence Lukens (Anne) of Bellevue, Wash., and John Lukens (Deborah) of East Greenwich, R.I. Eleanor was devoted to her family, students, friends and church. All who knew her rejoiced in her kind, loving and gracious manner. She will be deeply missed. David “Zippo” Beaty ’65 , died on August 7, 2022, in Miami. He was 75. Born in Brazil, David grew up in Coconut Grove and attended the Ransom School for seventh and eighth grades, where he set state swimming records and was an All-American swimmer. He then attended The Lawrenceville School and Columbia University, where he joined the swim team and studied English. After graduation he moved to the island of Patmos to become a writer; once on a visit to Athens he entered a cafe and met the poet James Merrill. The mid ’70s found David in London working odd jobs, including one in the library of Time Magazine. Later, he bought a house in Coral Gables that quickly filled with books and Brazilian art. He swam laps in the pool of the nearby Biltmore Hotel, studied writ- ing at the University of Miami, taught part-time and earned a master of arts degree from FIU. During an evening in the early 2000s, David went to the Brazilian consul’s residence in Coconut Grove to attend a reception and found the consul was living in the same house where David had grown up. At the age of 60, he walked the pilgrimage to Santiago in Spain and sent dispatches home that were published on the Sun-Sentinel’s travel blog. David is photographed while attending the induction of the Ransom 1960 Swim Team in 2010. Pedro Pablo Bermúdez , 85, passed away on July 4, 2022, in Houston, Texas. Born in Havana in 1937, Dr. Bermúdez studied at Colegio de Belén, Marianao, the School of Law of the University of Havana and at Centro Superior de Estudios Clásicos San Estanislao. He taught Spanish at Staunton Military Academy in Virginia from 1962-66. He received his MEd from the University of Virginia, graduating in 1966 and immediately began his studies for a PhD in Spanish. He received his PhD in 1969 and worked at the University of Houston, where he was elected as chairman of the department. He married Julia Iturrieta in Houston, who was a graduate student at Rice University. In 1976, Dr. Bermúdez was elected president of the Institute of Hispanic Culture of Houston. In 1977 they moved to Argentina and then to Miami in 1987. He taught Spanish at Miami Jackson Senior High and Spanish and theater at Braddock Senior High before joining Ransom Everglades as a Spanish teacher. “Those of us who were lucky enough to have Dr. Bermudez as a teacher remember him fondly for his warm and approachable disposition, his genuine kindness and for his ability to take mate- rial and make it relevant and engaging,” said Claudia Miyar Angles ’96 . “He made his classroom a joy to be a part of, and in doing so he instilled a true appre- ciation for Spanish literature.” After RE, Dr. Bermúdez taught Spanish and religion and was Assistant Principal at St. Michael the Archangel. He also taught Spanish and was Dean of Students at Archbishop Carroll High School, and then finished his career at Columbus High School. He retired at age 72 and moved to Houston with his wife. He is survived by his wife, Julia Sara L-R: Ruben Millares ’98 , Dr. Bermúdez, Javier Millares ’97