Obituary of Leslie Scott Beck

Dr. Les Beck died at Indian Head Hospital on the 3^rd day of January, 2022 at 89 years of age.

Les was born in Whitley Bay, Northumberland, England on February 19, 1932, the only child of Arthur and Elizabeth Gladdace Beck. He received his early education at Gateshead Grammar School and then attended Leeds University to study Geology (BSc, PhD) and Kings College, University of Durham (Dip Ed). At Leeds University Les met his future wife, Marion Teal, and they were married in Gateshead in 1956.

After completing National Service in the Royal Air Force in the rank of Flying Officer, Les emigrated to Canada in 1957 to accept a geological position with the Saskatchewan Department of Mineral Resources in Regina. This started a long and distinguished career with the government, spanning 36 years. Les worked initially in Regina as a Minerals Geologist, followed by four years at Uranium City as the government’s resident Geologist. He then moved through the supervisory and administrative ranks with the following appointments: Chief Geologist in 1969; Director of the Saskatchewan Geological Survey 1975; and Executive Director, Geology and Mines Division in 1981, a position he occupied until his retirement from government service in 1993.

During his career with the government, Les’ geological work focused mainly on Precambrian Geology and mineral deposits and over 30 reports and scientific papers were published on various aspects of the economic geology of the province. Two major departmental publications, “Mineral Occurrences in the Precambrian of Saskatchewan” and “Uranium Deposits of the Athabasca Region” were used widely by prospectors and exploration companies.

During the period of 1972 to 1980, Les designed and implemented an accelerated program of geological mapping using full aircraft support to move mapping crews to and from traverse points rather than the former system of travel by foot and canoe. This program boosted map coverage from less than 20 percent to over 80 percent and provided a much better understanding of the geology and mineral potential of the Shield area. Moreover, the total cost of the program was only about 30 percent of what it would have cost under the former mapping system.

Apart from his work with the government, Les was appointed Adjunct Professor of Geology at the University of Regina and taught classes in Mineral Deposits, Uranium Geology and Geochemical Exploration from 1970 to 1995. Other appointments included directorships at the Centre for Precambrian Studies at the University of Manitoba and the Coal Mining Research Centre, Devon, Alberta.

Since retiring from government service in 1993, Les had worked as an independent geological consultant on a wide range of projects including gold and uranium exploration, oil shale studies and mineral evaluations for Treaty Land Entitlements. Over the course of his career, Les was a member of numerous geological and scientific organizations and was appointed a Life Member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan and a Lifetime Emeritus Membership in the Saskatchewan Geological Society.

In addition to family ties and geology, Les had a lifetime passion for sports. An accomplished athlete, he played soccer and cricket for his Grammar school and was school tennis champion for several years. At Leeds he played on the university tennis team and won university colors in the sport. He played competitive soccer and tennis in Saskatchewan and coached in both sports.

Les was predeceased by his loving wife, Marion and is survived by his four sons, David, Stephen, Martin and Geoffrey; grandchildren Monet, Maegan and Jorah; and great-grandchildren Adira, Darius and James.

A celebration of Leslie’s life will be held on Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Speers Family Centre, 2333 Cornwall Street, Regina, SK at 1:00 PM.