Benny Benson

John Ben "Benny" Benson Jr. (Russian: Джон Бен (Бенни) Бенсон — младший; October 12, 1913 – July 2, 1972) designed the flag of Alaska. Benny was age 13 years old when he won a contest in 1927 to design the flag for the Territory of Alaska, which became a U.S. state on January 3, 1959.[1]

Benny Benson
Benson c. 1927
Born(1913-10-12)October 12, 1913
Chignik, Territory of Alaska, U.S.
DiedJuly 2, 1972(1972-07-02) (aged 58)
Kodiak, Alaska, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationFlag designer, airplane mechanic
Years active1927−1969
EmployerKodiak Airways
Spouse(s)
  • Betty Van Hise
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1938; div. 1950)​
  • Anna Sophie Jenks
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1972⁠–⁠1972)​
Children2
Benny and Carl's cubby-holes still exist in the former Jesse Lee Home in Seward, Alaska.
Benny Benson Memorial at mile 1.4 (km 2.3) of the Seward Highway in Seward, Alaska

Life

Early life

John Ben Benson Jr. was born in Chignik, Territory of Alaska, on October 12, 1913. He was an Alutiiq (Sugpiaq)[2] born to a Swedish-American father, John Ben Benson, and Alutiiq-Russian mother, Tatiana Schebolein.[3] When he was three 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 Home for Children in Unalaska and later in Seward.[4]

Fox Farm

After graduating from college in 1932, Benny left the Jesse Lee Home. He returned to the Aleutian Islands to work with his father at the Fox Farm in Ugaiushak Island. The rate for furs began to decline, so Benny moved to Seattle in 1936. He used the $1,000 prize from the flag design competition 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.[5]

Later years and death

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, Alaska, on July 2 of that year, at the age of 58.[6]

Flag design

32 years before Alaska was to become a state, the Alaska Department of the American Legion sponsored a territorial contest for Alaskan children from seventh grade (12-13 year old students) to twelfth grade (17-18 year old students).[7] Benny's design was chosen to represent the future of the Alaska Territory. Up to that time, Alaskans had flown only the U.S. flag since the territory was purchased from Russia in 1867. His design was chosen over roughly 700 other submissions from schoolchildren territory-wide in grades 7 to 12. Most other entries featured variations on the territorial seal, the midnight sun, the northern lights, polar bears, and/or gold pans. For his achievement, Benny was awarded $1,000, an engraved watch and a trip to Washington, D.C.[8]

Benny looked to the sky for the symbols he included in his design. Choosing the familiar asterism he looked for every night before going to sleep at the orphanage, he submitted this description with it:

The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the union. The Dipper is for the Great Bear — symbolizing strength.

Legacy
  • Mount Benson, a prominent mountain overlooking Seward, was named after him in 1974.
  • Benson Boulevard, a major east-west thoroughfare in midtown Anchorage, was built in the 1970s and named for him.
  • Benny Benson Memorial is located at Mile 1.4 of the Seward Highway in Seward, Alaska.
  • On April 11, 2013, in honor of his centenary, the Alaska Legislature passed SB31,[9] which named the airport in Kodiak "Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport."
  • Benny Benson School in Anchorage on Campbell Airstrip Road is an alternative school serving the educational needs of students who have been deemed at risk and is part of the Anchorage School District SEARCH program.

References
  1. India M. Spartz (2001) Benny Benson's winning design pages 8-9 in Eight Stars of Gold The Story of Alaska’s Flag Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine (Alaska State Museums)
  2. alutiiqmuseum.org: Benny Benson Day (in Alutiiq: Benny Benson-rem ernera)
  3. Alaska State Flag, and Song, Intertwined Around Benny Benson, Part 1
  4. "Alaska State Flag, and Song, Intertwined Around Benny Benson". The college of Alaska. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  5. "Benny Benson - Alaska's Flag". Fairbanks, Alaska Information Site. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  6. Alaska State Flag and Song Intertwined Around Benny Benson, Part 3
  7. "The Contest".
  8. "Benny Benson". The University of Alaska. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  9. "28th Legislature (2013-2014)". The Alaska State Leglisature. Retrieved 16 July 2014.

Further reading
  • Potter, Velma Moos (1989). God Flies Benny's Flag: A story of Benny Benson & Alaska's state flag. Seattle: Frontier Publishing. ISBN 0-939116-20-0.
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