Today in Wheeling History: June 13--Harold W. Becker, the president of the Wheeling Building Material Co. and a well-known businessman in Wheeling, escaped from the Weston State Hospital where he was sent after being arrested on January 7, 1932, for "acting queerly" during a trial and diagnosed with "acute delirium." Becker, who was a trustee at the hospital, was apprehended by Clarksburg police after his wife, who was living in Clarksburg at the time, complained about him cursing her, leading to his capture. (1935).
The Wheeling Building Material Co. was incorporated in Wheeling, West Virginia on February 26, 1917, with Harold W. Becker as its president. The company, located at 60 Peninsula St. on the East Side of Wheeling in the Fulton area, was successful due to its strategic location, advertising tactics, and credit policies. However, Becker faced personal struggles, including being arrested on January 7, 1932, for "acting queerly" during a trial and being sent to a hospital for "acute delirium." He later escaped from the Weston State Hospital on June 13, 1935, but was apprehended. The company was last listed in the Wheeling City Directory in 1934 under the direction of Becker's wife, Azelia Pogue Bullard Becker, who lived from July 27, 1893, to June 9, 1995, reaching the remarkable age of 101. Azelia and Harold W. Becker were married in 1916 in Wheeling and resided in Echo Point, Wheeling, on after their marriage. Harold W. Becker, born on April 8, 1893, passed away on August 8, 1940, at the age of 47, in the Medical Centre hospital at Weston, W. Va., following complications from an appendectomy. He was a resident of 19 Ninth Street, Warwood at the time of his death. Becker left behind his wife, Azelia, one daughter, Virginia, seven sons, Alvin, Lawrence, Kenneth, Gerald, Willard, Elwood, and Herbert, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Becker, one sister, Mrs. Ethel Davis of Warwood, and two brothers, C.L. Becker of Ferry Point, Maryland, and Roy C. Becker of Wheeling.
To learn more: (https://shorturl.at/uJwoC) (https://shorturl.at/rXcfX) (https://shorturl.at/oLukh) (https://shorturl.at/UxEDX) (https://shorturl.at/Rav9h)
Photo credits: Find a Grave, Wheeling Intelligencer, Rock Products and Building Materials (June 20, 1917, pg. 21-23), Wikimedia Commons
The Wheeling Building Material Co. was incorporated in Wheeling, West Virginia on February 26, 1917, with Harold W. Becker as its president. The company, located at 60 Peninsula St. on the East Side of Wheeling in the Fulton area, was successful due to its strategic location, advertising tactics, and credit policies. However, Becker faced personal struggles, including being arrested on January 7, 1932, for "acting queerly" during a trial and being sent to a hospital for "acute delirium." He later escaped from the Weston State Hospital on June 13, 1935, but was apprehended. The company was last listed in the Wheeling City Directory in 1934 under the direction of Becker's wife, Azelia Pogue Bullard Becker, who lived from July 27, 1893, to June 9, 1995, reaching the remarkable age of 101. Azelia and Harold W. Becker were married in 1916 in Wheeling and resided in Echo Point, Wheeling, on after their marriage. Harold W. Becker, born on April 8, 1893, passed away on August 8, 1940, at the age of 47, in the Medical Centre hospital at Weston, W. Va., following complications from an appendectomy. He was a resident of 19 Ninth Street, Warwood at the time of his death. Becker left behind his wife, Azelia, one daughter, Virginia, seven sons, Alvin, Lawrence, Kenneth, Gerald, Willard, Elwood, and Herbert, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Becker, one sister, Mrs. Ethel Davis of Warwood, and two brothers, C.L. Becker of Ferry Point, Maryland, and Roy C. Becker of Wheeling.
To learn more: (https://shorturl.at/uJwoC) (https://shorturl.at/rXcfX) (https://shorturl.at/oLukh) (https://shorturl.at/UxEDX) (https://shorturl.at/Rav9h)
Photo credits: Find a Grave, Wheeling Intelligencer, Rock Products and Building Materials (June 20, 1917, pg. 21-23), Wikimedia Commons
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