Gordon Beecher
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William Gordon Beecher, Jr. (b. January 19, 1904, Baltimore, Maryland; d. December 7, 1973) was an American composer, author and Vice Admiral. Many of his musical arrangements were done in cooperation with Johnny Noble.
Beecher was educated at the United States Naval Academy and at the National War College in order to serve 34 years in the United States Navy; he retired as Vice Admiral in 1955. In World War II Beecher was commander of a destroyer squadron, and fought at Pearl Harbor, Iwa Jima, and Okinawa; he received the Legion of Merit for it.
in 1933-1935 Beecher directed the USNA Musical Clubs and joined ASCAP in 1944. Known compositions, of which many he published under the name "Gordon Beecher", are "A Song of Old Hawaii", "Sing an American Song", "Counting On You", "All Pau Now", "Nimitz, Halsey and Me", "Just a Happy Kama'aina" and "The Ramparts We Watch".
Beecher died in 1973 and is buried at the Arlington National Cemetery.
