HomeMy Public PortalAbout24-01-23 Proclamation: Honoring Dr. Barbara BeckWatertown City Council
Administration Building
149 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Phone: 617-972-6470
PROCLAMATION HONORING DR. BARBARA D. BECK
WHEREAS: The quality of life and spirit in a community is enhanced by the commitment and
willingness of a volunteer to give of his or her time and talents during term of service; and,
WHEREAS: Dr. Barbara D. Beck is being honored by the City Council, the Administration,
Colleagues, and Community Members for her twenty-eight years of dedicated service to the
Watertown community; and,
WHEREAS: Dr. Beck earned her BA in Biology from Bryn Mawr College and her PhD in Molecular
Biology and Microbiology from the Tufts University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, and
has also served as a Visiting Scientist at the Havard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and,
WHEREAS: Dr. Beck began working for Gradient in 1987 and ascended to the title of Principal
Toxicologist & Risk Assessor; and,
WHEREAS: Dr. Beck was appointed by Town Manager Michael J. Driscoll as a member of the
Board of Health in 1995; and,
WHEREAS: In 2020, Dr. Beck was nationally recognized by being elected as a fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science for her "meritorious contributions to the
fields of toxicology and risk assessment, particularly for pioneering work on the evaluation of
health risks of environmental chemicals", and was also appointed to serve as Vice -Chair of the
Science Advisory Board to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and,
WHEREAS: Dr. Beck worked tirelessly through decades of service as a stalwart of the community
and proved to be an invaluable steadying resource during a once in a century global pandemic.
NOW THEREFOR BE IT PROCLAIMED: That the Watertown City Council extends its deepest
appreciation to Dr. Barbara D. Beck and takes great pride in honoring her for her many years of
service.
In Witness Whereof, we have
hereunto set our hand and caused the
Great Seal of the City of Watertown
to be affixed on this 23rd day of January 2024
Mark Sideris, City Council President