I recently received a letter from Cindy Beck Deppe, a former fine student of this writer at Northampton High School. Cindy’s father was Mr. William Beck, a local icon who founded a Lehigh Valley landmark, Becky’s Drive-In, located in Berlinsville, Lehigh Township.
I called Cindy and asked her to share her memories of the drive-in with our loyal readers. She graciously sent a mountain of material to Mr. Larry Oberly, who works very closely with this writer.
William Beck was born in the family home in 1909 in Lehigh Township. William had three sisters, Iola, Virginia and Vera, and his brothers were Clifford, Roscoe and Eugene. As a youth, William was a student at the Berlinsville Elementary School. There he completed seven grades.
Cindy recalls, “During those years, my father saw his first movie in Slatington; he was so impressed that movies and films would later become his life’s ambition.”
At the time, there were over a dozen slate quarries in the area, some small, some very deep. William’s father and uncles were employed at the Genuine Washington Slate Company in Berlinsville. The quarry slate was used for roofing, blackboards, sink tops and grave covers. The slaters worked in the quarry 12 months a year. Their work was hard and dangerous.
Young Beck, at age 13, was told the quarry needed a water boy. The boy’s job was to carry water to the slaters. Working in 90-degree heat in a slate quarry was certainly an exhausting job.
Later, William was promoted to bell ringer and hoist operator. While working at the quarry William purchased his first film projector and camera.
A neighbor told Beck the Keystone Lamp Company was hiring. He left the quarry and was hired by the company. The lamp company had hundreds of employees and distributed lamps nationwide. At the plant, William operated a number of different pieces of equipment, from cutting to grinding and even packing lamps and related products. Each day he worked with metal preparing for lamp assembly.
One afternoon while working with metal, a piece broke loose and struck his right eye. The lamp factory insurance claim stated the accident was work-related. Mr. Beck was given monetary compensation because of the accident. William used the money to purchase a new camera and projector.
His film career had humble beginnings. A clean white cotton sheet in the living room of his home was his set for his first film showing. There he was, Charlie Chaplin on the sheet, entertaining the Beck family and their neighbors.
While reading a film magazine, Mr. Beck found an article advertising the New York Institute of Photography. The school offered a course in film making. Determined to learn, William signed up for a correspondence course. After a few months of study, he earned a diploma in film making.
See you all in two weeks!
