The renaming of a building in honor of one of Yakima’s most revered community leaders will take place on Wednesday, November 9th beginning at 1:00 pm. The recently rechristened “Henry Beauchamp, Jr. Community Center” will be formally dedicated during a ceremony that will feature remarks by friends and colleagues of Beauchamp’s as well as other dignitaries, a musical performance by one of Beauchamp’s grandchildren, and more.
The event will take place in the gymnasium of the building now named after Beauchamp, which was previously known as the Southeast Yakima Community Center (1211 S. 7th Street). Everyone in the Yakima community is invited to attend the event and help celebrate the many contributions Beauchamp made to our area. Refreshments will be served following the ceremony.
The dedication will take place on what would have been Beauchamp’s 83rd birthday. Beauchamp passed away on April 25th, 2013 at the age of 79.
In August, the Yakima City Council unanimously voted to rename the building as a tribute to Beauchamp, who served as the director of the Southeast Yakima Community Center for several years beginning in the late 1960s. In recent weeks, new lettering was installed on the building identifying it as the “Henry Beauchamp, Jr. Community Center”.
Born in Louisiana, Beauchamp created a long-lasting legacy in his adopted hometown of Yakima. Among his many accomplishments, Beauchamp founded the Yakima Opportunities Industrialization Center (a non-profit agency providing education, work, and housing services), helped lead the creation of the local Substance Abuse Coalition, and pushed for eliminating barriers to jobs and business opportunities for minorities.
Beauchamp remains one of the longest serving members of the Yakima City Council. First elected in 1977, Beauchamp won repeated reelection to the Council until he finally stepped down in 2001. Beauchamp’s service on the Yakima City Council also included a year as Assistant Mayor (1985) and a term as Mayor (1986-1987).
For more information about the November 9th dedication ceremony of the “Henry Beauchamp, Jr. Community Center,” contact the center’s director, Adrianne Garner, by phone (575-6114) or by e-mail (ad.ga@yvoic.org).
Henry Beauchamp, Jr. Community Center Dedication – News Release