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Beegle, 57, retired in June after 35 years in education. He has been at Beltsville Elementary as a teacher and administrator since 1981, and became principal in 2004.

"I still liked what I was doing," said Beegle, who lives in Crofton with his wife, Mary. "I was still happy and I didn't want to leave on a bad note."

Beegle spent his first four years at the school as a general resource teacher, not teaching classes but dealing with unruly students and supervising lunch time, among other duties.

"Whatever the principal wanted me to do, I did," Beegle said. "I was probably your first ‘gopher.'"

He spent the next four years teaching fourth and sixth grades, and served another 10 years as the school's magnet program coordinator before becoming assistant principal in the late 1990s.

In 2004, he replaced retiring principal William Veater, who had led the high-achieving school since its inception in 1981.

"I wanted to continue what he had started," Beegle said. "If it's not broken, you don't need to fix it."

The success continued under Beegle, as shown by the school's 2008 scores in the Maryland School Assessment, a state-developed test to satisfy requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which requires states to measure and consistently improve overall student performance.

On the math portion, 86.5 percent of the school's students scored proficient or better, compared with 63.8 percent throughout Prince George's County.

In reading, 89.1 percent scored proficient or better, compared with 71.3 percent countywide.

"He was a good principal. He knew how to handle things," said Matthew Masangcay, 10, a rising sixth-grader at the school. "He's the best principal that the school has ever had."

In June, the teachers threw a farewell party for Beegle, who they said was a visible, caring presence.

"He was always in and out of the classrooms interacting with the teachers and the students," said Nicole Sherrod-Hill, a second-grade teacher. "He was an outstanding leader and he will be missed."

Prior to his time at Beltsville Elementary, Beegle spent three years at Gaywood Elementary School in Seabrook, one year at Glenarden Woods Elementary School, and two as a "floating teacher" at several county schools. It was at Gaywood that he met his wife, Mary.

"She was teaching second grade and I was teaching third grade," Beegle said. "She was a very gentle, kind woman. She reminded me some of my mom."

The two married in 1978 and have two children — Diana, 29, and Christopher, 26.

Beegle said he plans to stay active in retirement, visiting Beltsville Elementary for major events and doing missionary work for his church, Community United Methodist Church in Crofton.

In August, he and 12 church colleagues will visit Central America and assist teachers in Guatemalan villages. Beegle has volunteered for charities like Habitat for Humanity, but this will be his first foreign missionary work. He also plans to devote time to two retirement staples — gardening and golf.

"Hopefully, I can play [golf] at least one a week," he said. "I hope I can get my score under 100."

E-mail David Hill at dhill@gazette.net.