Omar Q. Beckins

Omar Q. Beckins (1957-1989) was a medical researcher who attended White Plains High school and Princeton University. He is the namesake of the Omar Q. Beckins Academic Challenge competition held at White Plains High school every April.

Related Topics:
1957 - 1989 - Medical research - White Plains - Princeton University - April

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Omar was born on September 17, 1957 in Jakarta, Indonesia to Otto Beckins, an arms dealer from Bremen and Juann Sukarto, who was from Portuguese Timor.

Related Topics:
September 17 - 1957 - Jakarta - Indonesia - Arms dealer - Bremen - Portuguese Timor

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

His family moved from Indonesia to South Vietnam in 1963. On March 30, 1968, Omar's father was killed at Hué when weapons were not delivered to the North Vietnamese Army at the height of the Tet Offensive.

Related Topics:
South Vietnam - 1963 - March 30 - 1968 - Hué - North Vietnamese Army - Tet Offensive

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In late 1968, Omar and his mother moved to the United States, where at the age of 12, Omar is reputed to have worked with Nolan Bushnell on the original Pong program.

Related Topics:
United States - Nolan Bushnell - Pong

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He and his mother moved to White Plains, New York on July 25, 1972, where Omar enrolled in White Plains High School as a sophomore. Omar worked on and repaired the school microcomputer on a regular basis, and played lead guitar for a local bar band.

Related Topics:
White Plains - New York - July 25 - 1972 - Microcomputer - Lead guitar

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Omar left White Plains HS without graduating in 1975, despite the fact that he showed excellence in many fields, especially language. He knew English, Hebrew, Indonesian, German, Vietnamese, Japanese, Portuguese, Romanche, and the constructed language Esperanto.

Related Topics:
1975 - English - Hebrew - Indonesian - German - Vietnamese - Japanese - Portuguese - Romanche - Esperanto

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He left for Israel on July 27, 1975, and lived on a kibbutz near Hebron. He disappeared two months before Operation Entebbe, which he helped plan.

Related Topics:
Israel - July 27 - 1975 - Kibbutz - Hebron - Operation Entebbe

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the fall of 1977, Omar resurfaced to enter Princeton University with falsified records of high school graduation. He graduated with honors in the spring of 1980.

Related Topics:
1977 - Princeton University - 1980

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He then joined the Peace Corps for a two-year tour of duty in Ethiopia, but disappeared after only 11 months. He is thought to have been elected a Mustaf of a communist cell in Eritrea.

Related Topics:
Peace Corps - Ethiopia - Mustaf - Communist - Eritrea

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the fall of 1983, Omar resurfaced again to enter Harvard Medical School. After graduating, he joined the Research Foundation for Graves Disease until budget cuts by the Reagan Administration.

Related Topics:
1983 - Harvard Medical School - Research Foundation for Graves Disease - Reagan Administration

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Omar then moved into AIDS research, and subsequently contracted the disease in a lab accident. He passed away on March 24, 1989.

Related Topics:
AIDS - March 24 - 1989

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A note regarding Omar's middle name:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Omar Beckins, like his father Otto, had no middle name. He adopted the Q upon immigration to the United States in honor of his favorite president, Harry S. Truman who also had no middle name. He was fond of telling friends and colleagues jokingly that it stood for 'quixotic.'

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sources:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Roby, Les. "Omar Q. Beckins Biography."