Clyde’s Corner: Small-town doctor sure did leave his mark on Stockbridge

by Clyde Whitaker

This month I have a special story to share with you about Dr. Sidney Beckwith, who started practicing general medicine in Stockbridge right around 1941.

I had a special bond with Dr. Beckwith you see because he brought me into this world, along with hundreds of others, at the Rowe Memorial Hospital on Center Street, which is now a private residence.

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Beckwith’s daughter Fran Laird and her husband Campbell Laird at their home on Maple Street in Stockbridge.

The story begins with Sidney Beckwith being born in 1910 in Yonkers, New York, an inner suburb of New York City. Growing up, Sidney lived in Yonkers, where his father was a doctor. Deciding he also wanted to become a doctor, Sidney enrolled in New York University. As an undergraduate, then afterward, he attended medical school at New York Medical College.

While attending medical school (and through a friend from Jackson, Michigan,) Sidney met his future bride, Hattie Kennedy. When Sidney graduated from medical school, he was at the top of his class.

Dr. Beckwith started his general family practice in Yonkers, New York, right around 1935, and continued there for about two years. Sidney and Hattie then moved to Fogo Island, Newfoundland, which at the time was a primitive island, where travel consisted of mainly boat and dogsled, as he attended to his patients.

While living on Fogo Island, the Beckwiths adopted a daughter, Irene, then afterward Hattie returned to the States, living in Jackson, Michigan. Dr. Beckwith soon returned to Jackson as well, deciding that he wanted to practice medicine somewhere in Michigan.

After exploring several communities, Dr. Beckwith visited Stockbridge and decided that Stockbridge was the place where he wanted to continue his practice. Fran stated that he enjoyed the diverse community we had at that time. Other family members of the Beckwith family included daughters Irene, Frances, Margarette and son Sidney.

When I asked Fran about hobbies that Dr. Beckwith enjoyed, she had many examples. He had a love for photography and even had his own darkroom to develop the prints. He became very interested in learning the German language, including poetry, and it worked out that local resident Charlotte Camp, who was of German descent, provided weekly German lessons to Dr. Beckwith.

He also loved gardening, caring for many different varieties of plants in his garden. Dr. Beckwith also enjoyed riding horses, having two that he rode periodically, kept in the barn on his property.

Behind the family home on Maple Street is about 30 acres of natural beauty. Years ago, Dr. Beckwith contacted the Stockbridge FFA to come out and plant spruce and pinewood in the Beckwith woods, which eventually became known as the “Beckwith Preserve.”

The Beckwiths originally lived on Main Street in Stockbridge, moving to Maple Street in 1948, where Fran and Campbell Laird still reside.

Dr. Beckwith was involved in the community in many ways, as president of the School Board, head of the Village Council, helping out at the Waterloo Farm Museum, and acting in the community plays.

Dr. Beckwith passed away in 1982 at the age of 72. Hattie Beckwith passed away in 1995.

A life well lived, Dr. Beckwith certainly left his mark on Stockbridge and we were fortunate that he chose Stockbridge to serve in his practice.

Stockbridge thanks you, Dr. Sidney Beckwith, and so do I.

Dr. Sidney Beckwith and his wife Hattie take a buggy ride at the Waterloo Farm Museum. Photo provided by Frances Laird

Dr. Sidney Beckwith loved gardening and grew many different types of plants in his garden. Photo provided by Frances Laird

The Beckwith house on Maple Street in Stockbridge. Frances (Beckwith) and Campbell Laird currently reside in the family home. Photo credit Clyde Whitaker

The barn on the Beckwith property where Dr. Sidney Beckwith kept his two horses. Riding horses was one of the doctor’s many hobbies. Photo credit Clyde Whitaker

Dr. Sidney Beckwith’s daughter, Fran, and her husband Campbell Laird received this certificate for their efforts and generosity in donating property to the Legacy Land Conservancy. Photo provided by Frances Laird

This bridge is part of the Beckwith Preserve located behind the Beckwith family’s home. Photo provided by Frances Laird

Clyde Whitaker is a 1973 Stockbridge graduate. He and his wife, Mary, raised four children in Stockbridge, and they still reside in the Stockbridge area.