Prudence Beckh

Prudence Hickman Beckh, 80, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, passed away on Sunday, January 8, 2023.

Prudence was born on September 19, 1942 to parents Frank Hayes Hickman and Ella McCargo Mason in Denver, Colorado. She has one brother, Mark Hayes Hickman of Hood River, Oregon; cousins: Peter (deceased) and Julia Hickman of Thames Ditton, England, Elizabeth Hickman of Steyning West Sussex England, John Blandford, Elizabeth Blandford, Charles Blandford, and Rebecca Cavanaugh who all reside in the United States. Prudence also had an affectionate companion, a cat named Miro who will surely miss her gentle touch.

After graduating from Moscow High School in Moscow, Idaho, Prudence went to Vassar College in New York state and then to Pomona College in California. While at Pomona, Prudence traveled to Kenya with Outward Bound which, as Prudence later recalled, was an intense learning adventure in self-reliance and environmental stewardship. Graduating with degrees in the social sciences and geology, Prudence moved to Greenwich Village, New York, then to Austin, Texas and finally to Albuquerque, New Mexico where, for many years, she was employed as a licensed therapist applying her understanding of cultural differences, mental health conditions and communication skills to help her patients resolve and manage one overwhelming issue after another. Throughout her work life, Prudence was committed to maintaining her professional credentials, reading technical journals, attending seminars, and consulting with leaders in the field.

While maintaining her full-time job Prudence was known as a woman who made time to enjoy life, she cultivated wild gardens friendly to bees, hummingbirds and other living things; she kept her binoculars and bird books in her kitchen close at hand, and she immersed herself further in nature whenever possible by hiking, cross-country skiing and bicycling. She enjoyed swimming, usually at the UNM or Valley High School pool but especially, in the ocean where she would spend pleasant hours collecting the seashells that today decorate her home.

Not only a woman with an abiding environmental sensibility, Prudence had an intense interest in art and, perhaps more so, in the people involved in the production and curation of art. Prudence recognized and respected talent. Once retired she, in essence, began working again; putting in hours at the renowned Weyrich Gallery in Albuquerque and traveling to exhibitions and craft fairs throughout the area. Over the years Prudence amassed an impressive and important personal collection which included paintings, ceramics, textiles, wood, and glass. She was particularly interested in contemporary work done by local artists in New Mexico.

Also enchanted by music, Prudence talked about her early infatuation kindled by her mother playing the violin. Prudence recently donated that violin to Chatter ABQ, to be used by promising young musicians. Prudence appreciated the innovative concept of Chatter ABQ and attended their Sunday morning concerts on a regular basis. Prudence also supported the Santa Fe Opera and together with a long-time high school friend attended several opera performances in Santa Fe each year.

Prudence also loved to travel and to experience, first-hand, places and people around the world. She was a woman who would just get her tickets and go on an international adventure. She visited family in Great Britain and Hawaii, visited friends in Portugal, cruised up the coast of Norway, got a glimpse of Italy and absolutely loved visiting New Zealand. Prudence so enjoyed the southern pacific that she went to the Cook Islands, and for a few months, volunteered as a mental health clinician and so immersed herself in the local culture and connected with the pulse of the South Pacific Ocean.

Prudence’s legacy will carry on forever reminding us of how important it is for us to respect and care for our precious planet, and all its people. She will be missed.

Prudence’s Life Celebration will be held later this spring.

Donations in Prudence’s honor may be made to Chatter ABQ via this link: https://www.chatterabq.org/support/ Or to The Nature Conservancy via this link: https://preserve.nature.org/page/81523/donate/1?locale=en-US