Dr. Dale Bedgood

Commerce- Funeral services for Dale Ray Bedgood will be held at 11:00 AM Tuesday, October 20 at the First Baptist Church of Commerce with Rev. Duane Alcorn of College Station officiating. Honorary pallbearers will be Dr. Trezzie Presley, Dr. Wendell Edwards, Gene Barnett, Dr. Vance Underhill, Bobby Young, Bill Draughn, Dr. Wendell Bryant, Dr. Bill Aslan and members of the Adult 8 Sunday School Class. Burial will follow at 2:30 PM at the Mt. Vernon City Cemetery with nephews serving as pallbearers. Dr. Bedgood, 83, passed away Saturday, October 17 at his home in Commerce.

Dale was born August 10, 1932 at home in Saltillo to the late William and Martha (Alcorn) Bedgood. He attended Saltillo Schools where he played basketball, baseball, ran track and graduated in 1950. His senior year he qualified for the Texas State Track Meet to run the mile. While in high school he worked various farm jobs including plowing, feeding and working cattle until he landed his first real job driving an "Ice Route" for the local general store delivering ice and groceries to rural families in the area.

After graduation Dale entered East Texas State Teachers College graduating in 1954. He joined the US Air Force serving four years in the 8th Weather Group (MATS) spending two years at Fairbanks, Alaska as a meteorologist. Upon release from the Air Force, he entered the University of Arkansas earning a Master's Degree in 1959 in Mathematics. He taught math at N.E. Louisiana State University then enrolled in Oklahoma State University earning a PhD in Math in 1964. He returned to East Texas State University as Chairman of the Mathematics Department in 1967 until 1988. He continued as Professor from 1988 until his retirement in 1995. Dale felt his greatest accomplishment at ETSU was establishing the Computer Science Department which developed from the Math Department and offered both BA and BS degrees for those who elected computer science as a first major. The program was designed for students planning to work in an industry of a technical or scientific nature.

Dale was married for 56 years to the former Betty Carolyn Langford. They were married on August 15, 1959 in Decatur, GA. Dale was a longtime member of Commerce First Baptist Church and a member of Adult 8 Sunday School Class. Dale was a handyman and enjoyed gardening and lawn care. He was an avid sports fan, especially rooting for the Texas Rangers.

Dr. Bedgood is survived by his wife, Betty of Commerce; son, Scott Bedgood and wife Margaret of Flower Mound; daughter, Jennifer von Drechsel of Commerce; sister, Carolyn Sue Beckett of Paris; brother, David Bedgood and wife Donna of Sherman; brother-in-law, Bill Langford and his wife Ruby of Tucker, Georgia; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Robert Keith Bedgood and Bill Bedgood and wife Marge; sister, Yvonne Byrd and husband C.T.; and two brothers in-law, Jack Hunter Morris and Argie (Bud) Beckett.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Dale and Betty Bedgood Endowment, Texas A&M University Commerce Foundation, memo: Endowment Account, P.O. Box 3425, Commerce, Texas 75429.

The family will receive friends from 10:00-11:00 AM Tuesday prior to the funeral service at the church. The online register book may be signed at www.waldofuneralhome.com.