Photos for Headline Surfer / The images of retired Judge David Beck who died Saturday at age 69, with a strong legacy of having advocating for veterans. Beck, a US Army veteran and resident of Ormond Beach, received a special salute in May of this year: The Volusia County Veterans Court was renamed in his honor. ORMOND BEACH, Fla. -- Retired Circuit Judge David B. Beck of Ormond Beach died Saturday. He was 69 years old.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Lohman Funeral Homes with Pastor Robby O'Brien officiating. Exact arrangements are not yet complete. Internment will be at Volusia Memorial Park, 548 N. Nova Road, Ormond Beach.
It wasn't that long ago that Beck waved goodbye to his time on the bench -- eight years as a county judge and then two years as a circuit judge before he retired in 2013, having presided over family law cases on the east side of Volusia County at the Courthouse Annex in Daytona Beach.
Beck was appointed by Governor Rick Scott on Aug. 18, 2011, to fill a circuit court vacancy. created by the resignation of Judge John W. Watson III.
Beck had been a county court judge in Volusia, from 2003 to 2011, before his elevation by the governor.
Scott lauded Beck's extensive and diverse legal experience in appointing him to fill the vacancy created by Watson in the 7th Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties.
"As a sitting judge, David is well acquainted with the humility, as well as the depth of legal knowledge judges need," Scott said then in a prepared statement to Headline Surfer. "His previous practice as a mediator and as a prosecutor also plays an important part in qualifying him to serve on the circuit court bench."
"As a sitting judge, David is well acquainted with the humility, as well as the depth of legal knowledge judges need," Scott said then in a prepared statement to Headline Surfer, regarding his elevation of then-County Judge David Beck to that of circuit judge on Aug. 18, 2011. "His previous practice as a mediator and as a prosecutor also plays an important part in qualifying him to serve on the circuit court bench."
Previous to his tenure on the bench, Beck practiced with Upchurch, Watson, White and Fraxades from 1997 to 1998, and with Tindell, Beck and Davis from 1992 to 1997.
Beck also was a sole practitioner from 1991 to 1992, in addition to practicing in California from 1988 to 1989, and in Colorado from 1979 to 1980.
Between 1981 and 1988, Beck provided legal counsel for ComputerLand Corporation, ITEL Corporation and Investment Mortgage International.
Beck's experience as a prosecutor includes serving as an assistant state attorney with Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit from 1989 to 1991.
Then-Circuit Judge David Beck, shown here in the middle, was honored by United Cerabral Palsy of East Central Florida, with the Schwartz Family Community Service Award in April 2012, for his dedication to individuals with disabilities through his work with Special Olympics for more than two decades. Shown with Beck are UCP Board Chair Liz Francati and UCP President/CEO Craig Byrd.Beck first began practicing law on his own in 1979. Prior to that, Beck was the chief deputy district attorney for Colorado's 14th Judicial District from 1976 to 1979 and an assistant state attorney for Florida's 4th Judicial Circuit from 1975 to 1976.
Beck received his bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Florida.
The Volusia County Bar Association's Family Law Section, chaired by Rice & Rose partner, Paul Rice, welcomed the then-newly appointed Circuit Court Judge Beck to the family law division at its meeting on Sept. 20, 2011. Approximately 50 family law lawyers as well as various family law court personnel were in attendance to welcome him.
Veterans Court renamed in David Beck's honor
Beck, a US Army veteran, received a special salute on May 26 of this year: The Volusia County Veterans Court was renamed in his honor. Then-Chief Judge Terence R. Perkins presented Beck with the administrative order dedicating the “Judge David B. Beck Veterans Court,” the first of its kind among the courts in Volusia, Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns.
The honor was bestowed upon Beck during the ceremony at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, during which he said of his military service in Vietnam, “People didn’t like us very much back then. There I was, serving in a war that nobody wanted.”
Beck, who served in the U.S. Army, where he was a lieutenant and supervised a military police unit, returned home to Ormond Beach before the war ended. Beck worked to start the veterans court, having seen veterans snared in a circle of recidivism in the criminal justice system during his time on the bench.
For it was during a veterans court hearing in 2013, that Beck uttered the words that became a rallying cry for creation of the veterans court that November: “Don’t leave anyone behind,” Beck said. “You just don’t do that. You don’t leave your buddies behind. I truly believe at a much more profound level that’s what we are all doing.
Retired circuit judge and U.S. Army veteran David B. Beck received a special salute on May 26 of this year: The Volusia County Veterans Court was renamed in his honor.
Then-Chief Judge Terence R. Perkins presented Beck with the administrative order dedicating the “Judge David B. Beck Veterans Court,” as shown here, the first of its kind among the courts in Volusia, Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns.
The honor was bestowed upon Beck during the ceremony at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, during which he said of his military service in Vietnam, “People didn’t like us very much back then. There I was, serving in a war that nobody wanted.”
Beck, who served in the U.S. Army, where he was a lieutenant and supervised a military police unit, returned home to Ormond Beach before the war ended. Beck worked to start the veterans court, having seen veterans snared in a circle of recidivism in the criminal justice system during his time on the bench.
For it was during a veterans court hearing in 2013, that Beck uttered the words that became a rallying cry for creation of the veterans court that November: “Don’t leave anyone behind,” Beck said. “You just don’t do that. You don’t leave your buddies behind. I truly believe at a much more profound level that’s what we are all doing.
Beck received a proclamation from the Volusia County Council on May 18 of this year, declaring May 26, 2017, as "The Honorable David B. Beck Day."
News of Beck's passing first appeared in social media on Labor Day.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of Judge Beck," Volusia County Clerk of the Court Laura Roth noted on her Facebook page. "He will be missed by so many."
Retired Circuit Judge David Beck is shown with County Court Judge Bryan Feigenbaum on May 26 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.Wendy Beach Feigenbaum, wife of County Court Judge Bryan Feigenbaum on the news of Beck's passing, described him as "Forever in our hearts, Judge Dave Beck. Great judge, and an even better person!"