Class of 1950

Richard L. Beer

Director of Oakland County Law Library

President of United Cerebral Palsy Association of Metro Detroit

Richard L. Beer was a 1950 graduate of Royal Oak High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Michigan and attended law school at Wayne State University.

Although his cerebral palsy prevented him from achieving his dream to be a practicing lawyer, he found many ways to impact the profession. In 1960 he began his career as a temporary custodian of the Adams-Pratt Oakland County Law Library. He received his master's degree from Wayne State and served nine years as the director of the Oakland County Law Library and a trustee of the Oakland County Law Library Foundation. Under the stewardship of Mr. Beer, the library grew from 8,000 volumes to over 50,000 when he retired in 1993.

In recognition of his work, Richard Beer received the Marion Gallagher Award from the American Association of Law Libraries and the Liberty Bell Award from the Oakland County Bar Association.

Mr. Beer served as chairman of the Orion Township Planning Commission and Zoning Board and was a guest lecturer on legal research at Oakland University for 25 years.

He served as president of the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Metro Detroit and an inspiration to his classmates and colleagues. Richard L. Beer was inducted into the Royal Oak High School Hall of Fame in 2006