In Memoriam: Virgil Beck, Renowned Wildlife Artist
Virgil “Virg” Beck ’76, of Stevens Point, passed away July 23, 2021, at age 66, after battling cancer for several years.
Virg held BA degrees of fine arts and natural resources from the University of Wisconsin. After graduating from the UW, he worked at Walt Disney Productions to create the artistic design of EPCOT Center in Florida. Virg worked for many years as a freelance artist. His painting Wisconsin Muskellunge, is the official painting of the Wisconsin state fish and hangs in the state capitol in Madison. His number one print of the Mepps 50th Anniversary Rainbow Trout and a Beck original English springer spaniel hung in the White House during George H. W. Bush’s presidency. Virg had more than 60 outdoor publication covers to his credit. During his career, he won many art contests for fish and wildlife stamps, as well as Artist of the Year. Virgil also had a love for conservation, donating paintings throughout his lifetime to raise money for several conservation organizations.
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