Biography
Benny Benson was born in Chignik, Alaska, to a Swedish father and Aleut-Russian mother. When he was 3 years old, his mother died, forcing his father to send him and his brother Carl to an orphanage, as Benny's father could not take care of them. Benny grew up at the Jesse Lee Children's Home in Unalaska and later in Seward.
After graduating from high school in 1932, Benny left the Jesse Lee Home. He returned to the Aleutian Islands to work with his father at a fox farm at Ugaiushak Island. The rate for furs began to decline, so Benny moved to Seattle in 1936. He used his prize money of $1,000 to enroll in the Hemphill Diesel Engineering School for diesel engine repair. In 1938, Benson married Betty Van Hise. The couple's first child, Anna May, was born in October 1938. Their second daughter, Charlotte Abbot, was born in June 1940. Benson divorced in 1950 and moved with his daughters to Kodiak where he became an airplane mechanic for Kodiak Airways.
Benny met his sister in the mid 1950s, 30 years after their separation. His sister died soon after. His brother Carl also died in 1965. Benson's right leg had to be amputated in 1969 due to an injury. Shortly after that, in 1972, he met and married a former Jesse Lee Home resident, Anna Sophie Jenks. Benson had several stepchildren and grandchildren. He died of a heart attack in Kodiak at the age of 58.
The Benny Benson Memorial is located at Mile 1.4 of the Seward Highway in Seward, Alaska.
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