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Technology leader retires after 50 years
By Ryan Miller Mennonite Mission NetworkNEWTON, Kan. — Though he has no official training in electronics, Larry Becker has led the church through five decades of technological change.
Becker
Becker, 69, helped the General Conference Mennonite Church and Mennonite Church USA shift from typewriters to computers in the 1970s and stay on top of the rapid technological evolution in recent decades.
Becker, local systems administrator, left his position Jan. 29.
Becker, a member of First Mennonite Church in Newton, had dreamed of being a farmer, like his family in Turpin, Okla., but land was scarce. In 1960 he joined the General Conference’s Newton office on a 1-W assignment that replaced military service. His mother, Mary Ann (Boese) Becker, found the job for him from an ad in The Mennonite. He began in the printing and mailing department.
“I had never seen a postage meter or a press before, but I learned,” Becker said. “God gave me a knack for figuring things out. I think growing up on the farm gave me a feel for doing things myself and working with my hands.”
Over the years, Becker has worked in accounting, been manager of information technology, and been in charge of maintenance for the Newton office.
“Larry knows where every wire is for every office because he likely put it there, fixed it or saw it when he was crawling through the ceiling working on something else,” said Chris Graber, information technology help desk manager and systems trainer.
Becker repaired everything from typewriters to tin siding blown from the office building by powerful Kansas winds. His knack for self-education helped him stay current with technological advances that have made his job less about his hands and more about his mind.
Gone are the days when he fixed a malfunctioning Datapoint computer by noticing a spark on its circuit board and soldering a wire back in place. Today he just replaces the boards.
Becker was an early proponent of computers and other technological gadgets. He owned one of the early personal computers — the Commodore VIC-20 — and pushed for the Datapoint system for the GC offices in the late 1970s. Even as some employees grumbled, Becker said he saw the ability of technology to improve data collection and communication. But he thought one computer in each department for employees to share would be plenty.
“Then I could see how repetitious things could be processed; now I don’t know what can be next,” he said. “I’m not saying we’ve invented everything there is to be invented, but I’m sure the next 10 years will be a lot different than what we think.”
Contributing: Melanie Zuercher.
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