Phelan Beale, Jr.

Wikipedia bio: Phelan Beale, Jr. (16 June 1920 – 26 June 1993) was an American journalist and unemployment compensation law expert. Beale was a son of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and a brother of Edith Bouvier Beale whose lives were highlighted in the documentary Grey Gardens. Beale was a first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill. Phelan Beale, Jr. (aka “Phe”) was the middle child of Edith and Phelan Beale. Described as quiet and gentle, he preferred to let his brother, Bouvier, play the most active role in persuading his mother and sister to leave Grey Gardens. He studied journalism at Columbia University. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942 and sent to Camp Gruber in Oklahoma. He served in World War II in the Pacific theater of operations and participated in the battles of Saipan and Okinawa, where he was wounded in action. He was decorated with two bronze battle stars and a purple heart. He married Rosella Ramsey in Tulsa, Oklahoma on December 26, 1942. They had one daughter, Michelle. He delivered speeches to numerous organizations on a variety of subjects, and wrote magazine and newspaper articles. He also won hundreds of writing contests. He appeared in television commercials for MCI Communications. He enjoyed fishing, and remained active writing, speaking and judging dogs until his death. The following appeared in the Capital Times, Madison, Wisconsin (1971): “The Maysley Brothers – is that their name?” asks Phelan Beale, Jr. He deplores the attention accorded his mother and sister in recent times. “Such heartbreak and degradation…not the best publicity in the world for the family.” Phelan just might see Grey Gardens “out of curiosity.” His brother, Bouvier, sent him the reviews, though, and he is decidedly unhappy about “those two people (who) made the movie.” Phelan remembers “the entertainment, the parties,” his sister’s coming out party at the Ritz Carlton. “All that Great Gatsby stuff.” He says his father refused Mrs. Beale alimony. There was a trust fund but, “trying to keep up that white elephant (Grey Gardens) is what ruined it.”

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phelan_Beale,_Jr.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38192072/bouvier-beale