John Latchford Beck, unofficial mayor of Ellicott City Main Street, dies
Born in Baltimore and raised on Collins Avenue in Irvington, he was an Edmondson High School graduate. He enlisted in the Army, trained as an intelligence analyst at Fort Holabird and then as a Vietnamese linguist at Fort Bliss in Texas.
'He worked in intelligence under an assumed name and in civilian clothes,' said a friend, Jim Halcomb. 'He had a talent for languages and was told he was accomplished as a native speaker. He earned a Bronze Star Award for his work, first getting information about the Ho Chi Minh Trail and later in the interrogation of prisoners of war.'
He studied at the University of Maryland College Park and returned to Vietnam briefly — but a job as a guide failed to pan out. He then backpacked across Australia, Southeast Asia, Afghanistan and Europe.
He settled in Ellicott City in the early 70s and briefly owned a head shop. He found a walk-up apartment on the third floor of a 19th-century structure. He collected cameras and displayed photos of Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison.
'It was like a bohemian salon,' said friend, David Ditman. 'He was one of the kindest, most interesting people I have ever met. He was well-read, an artist and a photographer. We talked together, on and off, for 50 years.'
'He was a unique, genuine soul that touched many people's hearts,' said his nephew, Steve Beck, 'He was often called the unofficial mayor of Ellicott City Main Street.'
Friends recalled that he prepared the same dinner – chicken, rice and vegetables, then shot a photo of the meal. He then arranged the photos by date.
In a 2016 Catonsville Times article Mr. Beck said he'd 'witnessed the town change from a motley collection of grocery stores, a movie theater, hardware shops and hippie spots into a vibrant small town with restaurants and boutiques.'
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'People think we're just a tiny little tourist town. They think it's almost like a movie set,' he also said. 'There are people who live above these businesses. There are business owners who live on top of their businesses. This is a real community.'
'It's bohemian, in a way,' he said. 'It's out of the ordinary. It's off the beaten track. It's funky.'
At times he tended bar at the Cacao Lane Restaurant He cultivated a full head of hair, beard and mustache and wore oversized eyeglasses.
When not walking along Main Street in Ellicott City, he often appeared at festivals, including SoWeBo, HonFest, the Renaissance Festival and Artscape. He carried his camera and took numerous photographs.
Mr. Beck was an assistant librarian of the special collections at the Kuhn Library at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. He did archival work in the library's photographic archive section.
A life celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 22 at Howard County Historical Society Museum, 8328 Court Ave., Ellicott City.
Survivors include his brother, George W. Beck of Catonsville; and nieces and nephews.
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