Beck, Peggy 1949–

(Margaret Ann Beck Haines)

PERSONAL: Born August 29, 1949, in Camden, NJ; daughter of Raymond S., Jr., and Peggy Doyle Beck; married Keith Haines (a teacher), March 4, 2006. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: College of New Jersey, B.A., 1971; Rowan University, M.A., 1974. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Storytelling, reading, writing, travel.

ADDRESSES: Home—107 S. Forklanding Rd., Maple Shade, NJ 08052-2747. Office—Cherry Hill High School East, 1750 Kresson Rd., Cherry Hill, NJ 08003.

CAREER: Cherry Hill High School, Cherry Hill, NJ, English teacher, 1971–88, media department chair, 1989–95, media facilitator, 2001–03, librarian, 2003–; Cooper Elementary School, Cherry Hill, librarian, 1995–2001. Editor of New Jersey English Journal; editor of Educational Media Asssociation of New Jersey Signal Tab.

MEMBER: American Library Association, National Educational Association, New Jersey Association of School Librarians, Cherry Hill Education Association, National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, Mid-Atlantic Region Asian Studies Association.

AWARDS, HONORS: Winnebago Progressive School Library Media Award, 1997.

WRITINGS:

GlobaLinks: Resources for Asian Studies, Grades K-8, Linworth Publishing (Worthington, OH), 2001.

GlobaLinks: Resources for World Studies, Grades K-8, Linworth Publishing (Worthington, OH), 2001.

Columnist for New Jersey Education Association Review.

SIDELIGHTS: Peggy Beck once commented: "Words have always been magic to me. From the time I was a small child, I kept a notebook of unusual phrases, names for characters and places I wanted to write about, and plot twists-and-turns. This collection later expanded to include menus from restaurants, napkins, and hard-to-read scraps of paper scrawled in the dark as I tried to sleep or awoke from sleeping with another idea.

"I taught English for nineteen years and creative writing for a number of years and felt my creativity drained. When I became a library media specialist and returned to full immersion in children's and young adult books, I rediscovered my drive to write to share the breathtaking and brilliant books I was savoring each day.

"My passion for language and books is reflected in my work as a librarian and in my spare time. I continue to present workshops, tell stories, review books, read, travel, and work on children's book ideas I hope to publish in my imminent retirement years."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Book Report, March-April, 2002, Linden Dennis, review of GlobaLinks: Resources for Asian Studies, Grades K-8, pp. 69-70.

NJEA Review, December, 2001, Martha O. De Blieu, "Peggy Beck: Probing Asian, World Studies Resources," p. 21.

Reference & Research Book News, February, 2002, Deborah V. Rollins, review of GlobaLinks: Resources for World Studies, Grades K-8, p. 240; February, 2002, review of GlobaLinks: Resources for Asian Studies, Grades K-8, p. 33.

School Library Journal, March, 2002, Mary Lankford, review of GlobaLinks: Resources for World Studies, Grades K-8, p. 263.

Teacher Librarian, October, 2002, Peggy Beck, review of GlobaLinks: Resources for World Studies, Grades K-8, p. 40; April, 2003, Peggy Beck, review of GlobaLinks: Resources for Asian Studies, Grades K-8, p. 43.