When Carles Beckett graduated from Fresno State in 1967 and began his career in education, he could look back on his first 22 years and recognize that his life had been a series of miracles.
Born in Piggott, Arkansas, he spent his first nine years living in a tent in a Buckeye, Arizona cotton camp and in a chicken coop on a chicken ranch in Petaluma, California. In 1954, his father was killed in a car crash, and his mother and three sisters came to live in Madera. Carles came riding into his new hometown riding in the back of a truck with everything his family owned.
In Madera, the community embraced Violet Beckett and her son Carles and daughters Ginger, Kay, and Alice. Folks made sure they had enough to eat, while Carles and his mother found work picking cotton in the Dixieland district. Miraculously, Carles and his sisters made it through school, and Carles began his teaching career at Ripperdan, where he remained for nine years. This was followed by three years as vice principal of Millview School, 15 years as Dixieland’s principal, and four years as principal of the new Lincoln School. From there, Carles moved to the district offices of Madera Unified School District where he served in a number of administrative capacities.