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A night in Chicago church lifted Beckstein to life of service
Good News at Noon founder was an educator for 37 years
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Gene Beckstein, right, greets Brandon Martin, wearing a wrestler’s mask, before lunch is served recently at Good News at Noon. - photo by Tom Reed
Gene Beckstein’s early life wasn’t exactly picture perfect. He grew up in the ghetto of New York, and after serving as a Marine in World War II, he ended up in Chicago, homeless and drunk. Beckstein will turn 90 Sunday, and said that his past is what inspired him to found Gainesville’s Good News at Noon ministry with his late wife, Marjorie.