Donald J. Beans

The MAB learned over the holidays that longtime broadcast engineer Donald J. Beans passed away on December 1 at age 84.  Beans worked for the University of Michigan Public Radio stations WUOM-FM, WFUM-FM and WVGR-FM taking care of the radio transmitters for 19 years before retiring in 2006.

Beans was a longtime member of the Central Michigan SBE Chapter 91.

Born and raised in Jackson, he graduated from Jackson Community College and then to the University of Michigan (Dearborn Campus) where he received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering in February of 1964. In May of 1964, he left the states to serve as a missionary with Trans World Radio on the island of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles.

After three years of service on Bonaire, Beans returned to the states and married Dianne on June 10, 1967 in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Together they returned to Bonaire on July 10 to begin their service with Trans World Radio which lasted 17 years. For several years before leaving the island, Don served as Chief Engineer for the transmitter site.

Don and Dianne left Bonaire in December of 1984 and spent 11 months serving TWR in Montevideo, Uruguay before returning to Jackson in May of 1986.

He is survived by his wife Dianne of 58 years, his daughter Angela (David) Claud of Dallas, Texas, his son Daniel (Janet) of West Chester, Ohio, 7 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. Services were held on December 13.