Retiree says, 'Y stop now?'

Bill Beard, 77, still serves on the board of directors of the Clinton County YMCA, which he helped open in 1991.

When you knock on the door of Bill Beard's home in Frankfort, Ind., odds are that you won't get an answer. He and his wife, Jean, probably are at a meeting of one of the eight boards of which they are members, or a church council gathering, or they could be checking up on the happenings at the YMCA.

"Being actively involved in the community through such organizations as the YMCA and the Frankfort Kiwanis Club is just something I genuinely enjoy doing," Beard, BS '49, says.

Also, the 77-year-old was recently elected Clinton County commissioner, beating out several younger candidates. Then he won a second election, to become president of the Frankfort Kiwanis Club, a service organization designed to support youth organizations.

"Bill is one of the most respected individuals in our community, a self-made millionaire, warm-hearted and very generous," says Gary Paporello, director of the Clinton County YMCA. "I'm sure he will continue to do great things for our community."

Not only was the Clinton County YMCA founded, partly funded and organized by Bill and Jean Beard, but at age 77 and retired, Bill still serves on its board of directors and attends the occasional YMCA activity or event.

The campaign to create a YMCA began in 1983, when Beard recruited local business owners and community members to share his vision of building a YMCA in Clinton County. Serving as the chairman of the capital campaign committee, Beard and his committee members collected more than $4 million to fund the YMCA.

"If it wasn't for Bill, we probably wouldn't have a YMCA in Frankfort," says Tom Rohrabaugh, a past member of the YMCA capital campaign committee and retired president of the Farmer's Bank in Frankfort. "Bill and Jean saw that there was a need in the community, so they took the initiative and made it happen."

The YMCA opened in 1991, and today it has more than 4,000 members. The YMCA is the largest not-for-profit community service organization in America, working to meet the health and social service needs of community members.

Bill and Jean Beard were instrumental in bringing a YMCA to their hometown of Frankfort, Ind., where their pictures hang in the lobby.

"I have always admired the Christian values associated with the YMCA, my wife and I are very proud to be a part of such an influential organization," Beard says.

It was just two years ago that Beard retired and sold his company, Beard Industries, to CTB International Corp. Beard Industries was one of the country's leading manufacturers of grain dryers, developing the Super-B and Superb Energy Miser dryers and purchasing and improving the Meyer grain dryer.

Bill and Jean created Beard Industries in 1955 to distribute Steckley's Genetic Giant hybrid seed corn. At that time, Beard also offered a line of grain bins. With the change from ear corn storage to shelled corn in the '50s, the sale of bins began to exceed seed sales by 1960.

Then in 1963, the Beards discontinued the seed business and developed a line of independent grain dryers, soon becoming a major part of Beard Industries. Throughout the years, Beard Industries grew to become one of the most successful grain dryer businesses in the country.

“Partnered with a good product, we always put our customers first, and that was one of the reasons that our company became such a success,” Jean says.

According to their friends, Bill and Jean worked side by side at the same desk for all of the 47 years that they ran Beard Industries.

“It was pretty intimidating walking into the office with Bill and Jean both sitting there, together at the same desk,” Rohrabaugh says. “It was obvious they were good business partners along with having a solid marriage.”

With the sale of Beard Industries in 2002, Bill and Jean saw that it was time to begin a new chapter in their lives. At an age – 77 – when most folks would slow down, Bill just couldn't stop being involved in the community.

“We think life would be pretty boring otherwise,” Jean says.

Beard is an active supporter of Campus Crusade for Christ and an elder at his church. In addition, he is a Pinnacle member of the Purdue University President 's Council and a member of the Purdue Ag Alumni Association.

“Bill Beard gives so much to this community, and he is the kind of man who never expects anything back,” says Paporello, the YMCA director.

But even more than the YMCA and his other contributions to his community, the one thing that holds a special place in Bill Beard's heart is his family. He and Jean have two daughters, four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

“From Lebanon to Seattle to Maryland to Missouri, we travel all over the country to visit our family,” he says.

In addition to visiting their family throughout the year, the Beards also enjoy traveling to see all the wonders of the world. This month, they are taking a 10-day Baltic cruise to Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Germany, Poland and Estonia.

“There are so many beautiful places to see in this world, I want to make sure I see as many of them as I can,” Beard says.

And that's just another reason why you probably won't get an answer when you knock on the door of Bill and Jean Beard's home in Frankfort, Ind.

Contact Beard at wjbeard@sbcglobal.net