Karen McBeth, 59; aided at-risk youth

When Karen McBeth conceived of a program to provide adult mentors to youth who'd been imprisoned for serious crimes, many wondered if community members would step forward to help.

But since its creation in 1996, the mentor program has become a national model for reducing recidivism among juvenile offenders.

Friends and colleagues say that Ms. McBeth brought joy, energy and a gift for bringing people together to work for at-risk youth during her 25-year career with the state Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration.

"She never said 'we can't do that.' She always said, 'let's find a way,' " said Sharon L. Webb, who worked with Ms. McBeth for more than 20 years.

Ms. McBeth died Sept. 3 after a long battle with squamous-cell carcinoma, which had progressed to bone cancer. She was 59 years old.

Born Karen Leedy in Winthrop, Okanogan County, in 1946, she grew up with a love of the outdoors. She was an avid skier, hiker, camper and fly-fisher and in college was captain of the Washington State University women's ski team.

Ms. McBeth graduated from WSU in 1968 and earned her teaching credentials from California State College in 1971. In 1980, she received a master's degree in organizational psychology and management from Antioch University in Seattle.

Like many of her generation, Ms. McBeth embraced different lifestyles and experiences in her youth, living at one time in a yurt on a commune and at another on a kibbutz in Israel. She was married to Dale McBeth from 1968-73. She then traveled extensively through Europe and the Middle East, sometimes hitchhiking, sometimes riding a motorcycle.

She settled in Seattle and in 1984 married Al Bergstein. Their son, Isaac, was born the following year, in a bathtub, without a doctor or midwife present, while her husband was downstairs boiling water. Throughout her life, her husband said, Ms. McBeth challenged her own and others' limits.

As a program manager for the King County region of the state's Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, Ms. McBeth developed summer work programs for juvenile offenders, a substance-abuse program, as well as the mentor program.

She also served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations she helped create. Le Roi Brashears, who volunteered with Ms. McBeth on the Juvenile Justice Mentoring Network board, said she had "a fire within her for helping kids who didn't catch the breaks that others did."

Even as her cancer advanced, Brashears said, Ms. McBeth's focus was always on what the board could do to help kids.

"She lit a fire under all of us. She was something else," he said.

A memorial is planned for 1 p.m. tomorrow at her home, 1607 Admiralty Ave., Port Townsend.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her son, Isaac Bergstein of Seattle, stepson Michael Hentschel of Seattle, her parents Clayton and Pauline Leedy of Anacortes, sisters Suzanne Leedy of Spokane and Lori Bracchi and brother-in-law Roger Bracchi of Yakima.

Donations in her name may be made to the Juvenile Justice Mentoring Network or the Youth Development Fund, 500 Fairview Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109.

Lynn Thompson: 425-745-7807 or lthompson@seattletimes.com