Gone But Not Forgotten

The life of UW Stevens Point’s own Rex Charles Beeckler.

Early years

Rex Charles Beeckler was the first UW Stevens Point student to be killed in World War I.¹ He was just 23 years old. Beeckler was born in Granton, WI in 1896.² He would attend the UWSP then known as Stevens Point Normal School.³ He was a student athlete in both Basketball and Football. Beeckler was known for his tough defense and aggressive play.  Even earning himself the nickname “Beek” from his fellow teammates. He planned on being a teacher. However, after two years at the university, Beeckler would leave to join the United States Army for World War I.

Military Service

Beeckler would take part in the largest draft in Clark County history on May 28^th,1918 at the Neillsville Opera House.⁴ There was a send off dance and celebration reception was held afterwards. Rex Charles Beeckler would then give up his normal life and learn to become a solider. Giving up the prime of his life in order to serve his country and answer the nations call.

Beeckler was assigned to Company M of the 130^th Infantry Regiment.⁵ He would then be assigned to Company B, 311 Infantry, 78^th Division. He is credited with having served in The Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France. Which was one of the most profound engagements in the war. His unit was on the third on final phase of their mission when tragedy struck. On October 30^th, 1918, Rex Charles Beeckler was killed by shrapnel to the chest from a shell that had been fired.⁶ He died within minutes of being hit. Just three weeks later the armistice was signed and the conflict ended.

Death and Tribute

He was buried in France near where he fell. Then after the war his body was returned to the United States.  He would be recommitted the ground and buried in Grant Cemetery in Clark County. The family would receive a letter from one of Rex’s Sergeants in the war. The letter detailed the events leading up to his death. More importantly it spoke about how bravely Beeckler fought and how well liked and respected he was by all those in his company. Even nothing that Rex was “A good solider and a brave one”.⁷ This letter with others would later be archived in the Clark County History project. UWSP would leave a dedication to Beeckler and the other student soliders lost in the 1919 edition of the Iris school yearbook.

Memorials

Rex would also be memorialized in the form of a plaque with his name on it along with the other students of UW Stevens Point that had died in World War I. His family including his mother, his father and his brother Ben would then honor the plaque for decades. As they would lay white Lilles and Dragon Snap as well as many other types of flower bouquets at in front of the plaque on the day of Beeckler’s death to remember him. This would last until 1940 which was the last public record found of the tribute as noted in the pointer.⁸ Rex Charles Beeckler’s story is that of a young man giving up his way of life to answer his nations call. He is the embodiment of how even the youth of America can stand up and fight for their country. He is gone but not forgotten.

Sources

1. “Pointer 1939-03-22 1,” The Pointer, March 22, 1939. ↩︎
2. “Clark County Gold Star Service Men,” accessed [4/20/2026] ↩︎
3. “Pointer 1939-03-22 1,’ The Pointer, March 22, 1939 ↩︎
4. “Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI, May 25th 1994,’ ↩︎
5. “Clark County Gold Star Service Men,” accessed [4/22/2026] ↩︎
6. “Clark County Gold Star Service Men,” accessed [4/22/2026] ↩︎
7. “Pointer 1939-03-22 1,” The Pointer, March 22, 1939. ↩︎
8. “Pointer 1940-03-04 1,” The Pointer, April 3, 1940 ↩︎