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"San José State is instrumental to the vitality of Silicon Valley," says Jim Beall. "The university has been effective in anticipating the valley's need for prepared graduates who have the technical intellect and the smarts to power our economy." More than a few of those graduates share the name Beall.
The Beall/SJSU legacy began when family patriarch James Thomas Beall Sr. met wifeto- be Katherine, '48 BA, '75 MA, Education, on campus.
Of the 10 children born to the couple, eight attended their hometown university. Jim Jr. graduated in 1974 with a degree in political science, followed by brother Patrick, '77 Geography, brother Fred, '81 Geology, and sister Colleen, '81 Liberal Studies.
Four years later a second wave of Bealls arrived. Mike Beall received his bachelor's in engineering in 1985. Frank Beall graduated in 1991 with a master's in social science, and in 1993, Mary Beall, like brother Mike, received an undergraduate degree in engineering. Sister Katie also attended SJSU.
Besides sharing an alma mater, do the Bealls also share a similar political viewpoint?
That question brings a laugh from eldest son Jim. "We have different perspectives, you know what I mean? In our family there are Republicans, Democrats and independents."
Nor does politics get much play when the Beall family gathers."We love to talk about what's going on with the family," the assemblymember reveals. "There's so much of us -- that takes a lot of time."