Kenneth Melwyn Beck (April 19, 1915 – May 1, 1982) was an American water polo player who competed with the U.S. team at the Summer Olympics in 1936 and 1948. He later had a long career as a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department.[1][2]
Beck was born in Lovelock, Nevada on April 19, 1995. He played water polo for Southern California's Inglewood High School in Los Angeles.[2] He greatly improved his skills playing for the highly competitive Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) from 1930–1948, where he served on teams that won the AAU Sr. National Outdoor Championship in both 1941, and 1947.[3] By June 1947, he played with several outstanding fellow Los Angeles area Water Polo players on the LAAC who would compete with him as team mates on the 1948 U.S. Olympic team including Bob Bray of Fullerton Jr. College, Lee Case of USC, and Devere Christensen and Dixon Fiske of UCLA.[4]
Olympic competitor
1936
He competed at the August 10, Summer Olympics in 1936 in Berlin where the U.S. Water Polo team placed ninth. The Americans were eliminated from play by a hard fought 4–3 loss against the Belgian team. The U.S. attempted a late comeback, against a difficult 4–0 deficit at halftime, and in the later part of the second half managed to score three quick goals. Though they had many goal attempts in the closing minutes of the game, they could not equal the score. Beck played Center and received two penalties in a game where the U.S. team believed the referee failed to call apparent penalties on the Belgian team.[5][6]
1948
In the 1948 London Olympics, the U.S. Water Polo team was eliminated by a loss to Sweden, though Beck scored and performed well. The U.S. team ended competition with a ninth place ranking, and was coached by Water Polo Hall of Fame member Austin Clapp.[7]
Later life
After his water polo career, he was a homicide detective for 33 years with the Los Angeles Police Department.[8]
He died on May 1, 1982 at Arcadia Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, California and was buried in Rose Hills Memorial Park. He was survived by his wife Ruth J. Beck and two daughters.[8]
