Occasionally I’ll come across the tracks of a historian who came before me on this infatuated journey through Omaha history. Perhaps the most well-known and widely respected predecessor I’ve turned up died nearly 40 years ago, leaving a legacy I’m still uncovering decades later. This is a biography of Harold Becker (1908-1984), a historian who called himself the Omahologist.

A columnist for the Omaha Sun, Becker was a consummate researcher who made the short work of this city’s history into a long, intricate and fascinating story spanning generations. He also wrote extensively for the Douglas County Historical Society. One of the most frequent users ever of those specific resources was Becker.

W. Dale Clark Library was an iconic institution for many reasons. Among its floors of books, maps and other resources, there were massive microfiche machines and old newspaper collections that were the things of tactile dreams in modern times.

Becker was a committed supporter of the Great Plains Black History Museum, serving on its board of directors from its inception in 1975 and being actively involved with the Nebraska Negro Historical Society before that. In his obituary, Mildred Brown wrote in the Omaha Star, “He devoted more than half a century to the pursuit of local research, and knew Black history in the area better than some of the local residents.”

Known for his intelligence, Becker notably graduated at 15 from Papillion High School, teaching himself and becoming a theoretical mathematician along the way. He also taught himself French, German, Spanish and Italian in order to learn more math. Eventually getting to the University of Chicago for his bachelors degree, without taking any math courses “he took final examinations in algebra, trigonometry, analytic geometry and calculus, getting credit in all four courses.”

As a member of the American Mathematical Society, he contributed his own mathematical theories to the academic cannon.

Later teaching electronics and working as a furnace repairman, Becker was an adamant historian who demanded on sharing details over stories and wanted the public to care about Omaha’s history as much as he did. Living in the Montclair neighborhood by North 34th and Lafayette Streets, he was a North Omaha resident for a long time.

He was also a prolific poet, writing thousands of poems based on mathematics.

A lover of factoids, Becker was noted for carrying “a satchel full of books and notepads, an intimidating sight to those who might be tempted to debate him.” When he died, a newspaper writer said, “I shudder to think of the fine stories that have gone to the grave with this scholarly, congenial gentleman.”

Becker’s mother, Mabel (1880-1985), lived with him when he died. His father was Arthur F. Becker (1878-1948), and he had several brothers including Donald J. Becker (1910-1987), Byron Becker and Ivan Becker. After dying at Lutheran Hospital in 1984, I haven’t located where Becker was buried.

Despite having written hundreds of articles, Becker never wrote a history book about Omaha and almost none of his content is available online today.

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