Husband Morris Bryan "Moss" Beecroft [2346]
Born: 8 May 1930 - Newport News, Newport News, VA
Christened:
Died: 25 Apr 2020
Buried:
Father: Morris Bryan Beecroft Dr. [2344] (1891-1963)
Mother: Rosalind Muir [2345] (1906-1993)
Marriage: 31 Aug 1957 - Jacksonville, Morgan, Illinois, United States
Events
• Event: State meet, 1948. 1948
In the spring of 1947 the VHSL executive committee voted to separate the annual high school and prep school meet into two divisions, high school and prep. But in February of 1948 Executive Secretary, Richard Fletcher, announced that due to the lack of prep participation and the restrictive time schedule for use of Memorial Gymnasium at U.Va. the meet would remain a combined meet.
So on March 6, 1948 the State Indoor Championships were held at U.Va. Was this the first official indoor state meet? There is still a debate about this. University of Virginia had been hosting combined high school and prep indoor championship meets since 1943. The 1948 meet is usually recognized as an official state championship meet though some consider the first official state meet to be the 1954 meet held at VMI when the prep and high schools no longer ran together.
The meet in 1948 had only 9 events. There were no horizontal jumps as Memorial Gymnasium had no broad jump pit. The field events consisted of the High Jump, Shot Put and Pole Vault. There were two hurdle races: 50 Yard High Hurdles and 50 Yard Low Hurdles, a 50 Yard Dash, the Mile and 880 Yard Runs, and a Mile Relay.
Despite the efforts of Morris Beecroft of Newport News and Jack Gale of John Marshall, George Washington of Alexandria would win the 1948 state indoor championship.
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• Event: Founder of "Beecroft and Bull", 1958. The Virginian-Pilot
© September 11, 2008
I enjoyed clothing. It appealed to me all the way through high school. Not from a sales stand point, but just from wearing it. We wore jeans to school one day a week just because it was different. No one wore jeans in those days.
After I finished high school, they were still pulling triggers in Korea. And the deal was, you had to stay in college four years. But at the end of four years, you were drafted. Well, I'd done my four years, and I got drafted. Spent two years in the service, got out.
While I was in the service, I had met a gentleman who had a men's clothing store across the street from (North Carolina) State that was called Norman's Inc. I was having a beer with Norman at Virginia Beach, and he said, "Have you ever thought of going into the clothing business?"
I said, "Sure, everybody wants a pretty wife, a black Porsche and part of a clothing store, right?"
This was in 1955 or '56, every school in the region that I knew of at the time had a men's clothing store like his that sold what I called Eastern collegiate clothing. But Florida State wasn't one of them. They had 5,000 boys, 5,000 girls and no campus shop. Next weekend, I caught a plane down to Tallahassee to see this old restaurant that had gone out of business near the campus. I rented that store for $100 a month, and that's the way I started in the business.
And it didn't take me long to realize I didn't like Tallahassee. I met my wife; we got married. She wasn't real crazy about Tallahassee. I had a friend named Charles "Bunky" Bull, who graduated high school with me. He had a job in Chattanooga, Tenn., that he didn't like. He came down to Florida, and one thing led to another.
We decided to come to Newport News. We called a guy here who had just closed his store here. It was already a men's store. We sort of put an old English touch to it, paneled the front and put our name out and opened up Beecroft & Bull. That was September 1958.
I bought out my friend after two years, but at the time it was too expensive to change the name, so we left it alone.
I have to give credit where credit is due. If it had not been for my wife, I don't think I could have done it. Because she did things that I would have had to pay somebody to do. And she did them from the heart to make sure our business got done right. I was the front guy, and she was the gal doing all the dirty work behind me.
The first years were the hardest years. When I first started out, we knew what labels we wanted to carry, but if a customer were to ask me what's the difference between this blazer and that one over there that's half the price, we might just laugh at them, for not knowing what to say.
But you started to learn about things every time you sat down with a manufacturer. You'd learn about thread count, stitches per inch, single-needle tailoring in a shirt. What kinds of worsteds were good. It was just things that the manufacturers were proud of and would bring to your attention. And you had to absorb them or you weren't doing your job.
- As told to Pilot writer Josh Brown.
• Event: 61st Annual Southern Amatuer Championship, 1967. ... • Event: Southern Amateur Championship, 1971. ... • Event: Golf, 1986. FOR THE RECORD: Newport News native Moss Beecroft has claimed the VSGA Senior Amateur Championship on a record six occasions, with all of his victories coming since 1986. In addition to capturing the '86 title at The Homestead, Beecroft was victorious in 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994 before adding another title in 1999. Norfolk's Richard B. Payne posted a trio of titles for three consecutive years (1970-72).
• Event: Golf, 1990. 1990 \endash Moss Beecroft (Newport News) def. Arman Fletcher (Roanoke), 2 up at The Homestead, Hot Springs.
• Event: USGA Champions, 1991. 1991 • Event: Golf - Seattle Times, 19 Sep 1991. -- GOLF • Event: New York Times, 22 Sep 1991. (AP) Bosshard Wins Senior Amateur: Bill Bosshard, 55, of Copley, Ohio, upset the co-medalist, Morris Beecroft, 61, of Newport News, Va., 5 and 4 yesterday to win the United States Senior Amateur golf championship at Crystal Downs Country Club in Frankfort, Mich.
• Event: Golf, 1992. 1992 \endash Moss Beecroft (Newport News) d. Ken Newlin (Nokesville), 5 and 4 at The Homestead, Hot Springs.
• Event: Golf, 1994. 1994 \endash Moss Beecroft (Newport News) d. Don Foster (Salem), 4 and 2 at The Homestead, Hot Springs.
• Event: 1999. Morris "Moss" Beecroft, Jr. • Event: Golf, 1999. 1999 \endash Moss Beecroft def. Stan Fischer (Richmond), 2 and 1 at The Homestead, Hot Springs.
• Event: Golf, 11 Aug 2008. Golf tournament winners • His obituary was published in the vsga.com on 30 Apr 2020. Moss Beecroft, 8-time VSGA champion, dies at 89 • His obituary was published in the Daily Press on 25 Oct 2020. Morris Beecroft Obituary Events
• Her obituary was published in the Daily Press on 22 May 2016. Frances Carey Beecroft "Beecroft", David Kendal Martin, 1964, Library of Congress.
"Beecroft", David Kendal Martin, 1964, Library of Congress.
Morris Beecroft
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Morris Beecroft, Newport News, VA
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http://www.senioram.org/2002/history/past_champs.html.
Co-medalists Clarence Moore and Morris Beecroft advanced to the second round of match play in the U.S. Senior Amateur in Frankfort, Mich.
Moore of Winnsboro, S.C., beat James Morris of Springfield, Mo., 7 and 6, and Beecroft of Newport News, Va., beat Charles VanLinge of Portola Valley, Calif., 2 and 1.
1999 Hall of Fame Inductee
Moss Beecroft is best known in golfing circles as one of the county's best senior players. The six-time Virginia State Golf Association seniors champion played competitively in the United States and Europe through the early seventies and became nationally ranked among seniors in the early nineties. Going into the final round of the 1992 U. S. Senor Open, Beecroft was tied with Jack Nicklaus after rounds of 70-75-70 but faded in the final round but was still low amateur of the tournament. Three years later, he was ranked No. 3 on the national senior's tour. Beecroft also held the Virginia state high school pole vault record for a number of years.
The fifth annual Paul D. Camp Community College Golf Tournament was held Aug. 11 at Cypress Cove Country Club in Franklin to benefit student scholarships and faculty needs. The following golfers won their flights :
First flight (see photo on page 24), RCS Smithfield Team, John Greenlee, Chris Kennedy, Matthew Opauski and Tony Stephenson; Second flight, Wal-Mart Team, Kevin Hudgins, Rich Ridge, Chris West and John Gray; Third Flight, Comfort Keepers Team, Ed Patnesky, Joe Mottiqua Jr. and Joe Mottiqua III.
Bob Stanley and Moss Beecroft won for shots closest to hole ; Chris West had the longest drive ; and Miles Car for closest to line hole . Jeff McClellan won the pre-tournament putting contest.
April 30, 2020
The Virginia State Golf Association joins in mourning Moss Beecroft, an eight-time Virginia State Golf Association champion, who died this past weekend at the age of 89.
Born May 8, 1930, Morris Bryan "Moss" Beecroft was the patriarch of men's clothing store Beecroft & Bull, which he built from the ground up with his late wife, Frances, more than 60 years ago. Three Beecroft & Bull stores operate today, with locations in Virginia Beach, Richmond and Charlottesville. Years ago, Esquire magazine created a yearly list of the "Best Men's Stores in the Country," a list on which Beecroft & Bull is a mainstay.
The Newport News native was an accomplished golfer and a longtime member at James River Country Club. Beecroft won six VSGA Senior Amateur Championships and added two VSGA Senior Stroke Play titles to his extensive resume. He was a finalist at the 1991 U.S. Senior Amateur and was the low amateur at the 1992 U.S. Senior Open.
Beecroft was a fixture on the highly regarded Society of Seniors Amateur Tour in Florida and was inducted into the Quail Ridge Hall of Fame in Boynton Beach, Fla., his home away from home. In 1999, Beecroft was inducted into the Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame. Beecroft also won the Kenridge Invitational at Farmington Country Club in 1967 and was runner-up of the Eastern Amateur at Elizabeth Manor Golf & Country Club in 1970.
Newport News native Morris Bryan "Moss" Beecroft, Jr., passed away peacefully this past spring after a long illness.
Moss was the son of Dr. Morris B. Beecroft, Sr., and Rosalind Muir Beecroft. At Newport News High School he was a multi- sport star athlete, where in Track & Field he set the state pole vaulting record that held for over a decade. After graduating college he was accepted at the University of Virginia Law School, but a chance meeting with a friend altered his destiny. They opened a small clothing store near the campus of Florida State University and was introduced to the beautiful Frances Carey of Jacksonville, an art student at FSU. After her graduation they quickly married and moved to Newport News, and with fellow Newport News High "Typhoon," Bunky Bull, Beecroft & Bull, Ltd was born.
After Bunky moved on, this dynamic duo opened other locations in Williamsburg, Va Beach, Norfolk, Richmond and Charlottesville, with three of those still in operation today. Along with sons Bryan and Craig, Beecroft & Bull shined and was named yearly to Esquire Magazine's list of the "Best Men's Stores in the Country". In addition, MR Magazine, an industry publication, tapped them for a Lifetime Achievement Award, and Moss would also become a proud member of the Old Friends Society, a "Who's Who" of industry leaders.
The legacy of Moss Beecroft doesn't end there. He was one of Virginia's great amateur golfers and competed successfully at the local, state and national levels. Highlights include Kenridge Invitational Champion in '67, Eastern Amateur Runner-Up in '70, Virginia Senior Amateur Champion 6 times, Virginia Senior Amateur Stroke Play Champion twice, Runner-Up in the US Senior Amateur in '91 and Low Amateur in the US Senior Open in '92, the same year he was ranked the #3 Senior Amateur in the nation. He was inducted into the Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame as well as the Quail Ridge Hall of Fame in Boynton Beach, FL. Most recently, was voted to the Class of 2021 of the VSGA Hall of Fame, his crowning achievement. Throughout his career, he built a reputation as a talented and fierce competitor with unwavering sportsmanship, matched only by his quick wit and smile.
Moss served as a Ranger in the US Army, was a Rotarian, a longtime member of Hidenwood Presbyterian Church and James River Country Club. He is predeceased by his wife Frances and is survived by sons Morris Bryan Beecroft, III and Robert Craig Beecroft, his wife Noël, grandsons Schuyler and Max, his sister Joanne Hamilton and her sons Matt and Mark. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Peninsula and Hampton Roads First Tee Chapters, and to the American Parkinson's Disease Foundation.
Wife Frances Carey [2349]
Born: 15 Apr 1935 - Miami, Dade, Florida, United States
Christened:
Died: 17 May 2016 - Newport News Co, VA
Buried:
OBITUARY
NEWPORT NEWS \endash Frances Carey Beecroft left us way too soon on May 17th. Symbolic of her life, she had just befriended a complete stranger when the Lord called her home to tend his garden. She suffered very little, which was her reward for a lifetime of caring for others as a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend. Frances was born in Miami, Florida on April 15, 1935 to Jefferson "Pete" and Eunice "Mema" Carey. The family moved to Jacksonville when she was a young girl, and she later attended Florida State University. She graduated with a degree in Art History and was a proud sister in the Pi Beta Phi Sorority. In her senior year in Tallahassee, she met a handsome young Virginian entrepreneur named Moss Beecroft. After they married, they moved north to his hometown of Newport News. Together, they opened Beecroft & Bull, Ltd. in Hilton Village in 1958. She was instrumental in the company's success and helped forge their reputation as one of the best men's stores in the country, which continues to this day. One didn't mess with "Frambo" when it came to their stores, and when she detested what the boys had ordered, "The Eraser" sprang into action! Her quick wit, self-assurance, style and expertise gained her respect and admiration amongst her peers and made her a legend in the clothing industry. Frances was also a fierce competitor on the tennis court. At her beloved James River Country Club, she won the Member Guest title with Nancy Watson, and was runner-up in the Newport News City Mixed Doubles with Walker Shivar. Flowers were another great passion of hers. She was a long time member of the Huntington Garden Club, and was a founding member of the Hidenwood Presbyterian Flower Guild. For part of the year, this quintessential "Florida Girl" and Moss lived in Boynton Beach and were members of Quail Ridge. She continued her talent in floral arrangement for the club and had recently joined the Quail Ridge Choir. Above all, she loved her family. She is survived by her husband of 59 years Morris "Moss" Bryan Beecroft, Jr., sons, Morris Bryan Beecroft III and Robert Craig Beecroft, his wife Noel Beecroft, grandsons William Schuyler Beecroft and Maxwell Carey Beecroft, her brother Jeff Carey, sisters Ivy Kool and Linda Carey and many nieces, nephews and extended family members. All, including her closest friends, would agree that she was a lover of life, beautiful to the core, and immensely loyal. She is already dearly missed. Our family wishes to thank the scores of friends who have been by our side during this painful time, as well as Frances' last new friend, who rushed to her aid near the end. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Hidenwood Presbyterian Charity Fund. Please join us for a celebration of Frances's life at the Hidenwood Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, May 25th at 2:00pm.
Children
1 M Morris Bryan "Bee" Beecroft III [2347]
Born: 21 Aug 1958 - Newport News, Newport News, VA
Christened:
Died: 2021
Cause of Death: cancer//pneumonia
Buried:
2 M Robert Craig Beecroft [2348] (details suppressed for this person)
Born:
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Noël [16941] (living)
General Notes: Husband - Morris Bryan "Moss" Beecroft
General Notes: Wife - Frances Carey