- Benny Benson
John Ben "Benny" Benson, Jr. (1913–1972) {Russian-Aleut-Swedish} was the designer of the
flag of Alaska . Benny was 13 when he won in a contest to design the flag for the territory ofAlaska , which became a state in 1959.Biography
Benny Benson was born in Chignik,
Alaska . When he was four years old, his mother died, forcing his father to send him and his brother Carl toboarding school , as Benny's father could not take care of them. Benny grew up at the Jesse Lee Children's Home inUnalaska and later in Seward.After graduating 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 toSeattle in 1936. He used his prize money of $1,000 to enroll in the Hemphill Diesel Engineering School fordiesel 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, he met and married a former Jesse Lee Home resident, Anna Sophie Jenks in 1972. Benson had several stepchildren and grandchildren. He died of a
heart attack in Kodiak at the age of 58. [ [http://www.alaska.edu/opa/eInfo/index.xml?StoryID=188 Alaska State Flag and Song Intertwined Around Benny Benson, Part 3] ]The Benny Benson Memorial is located at Mile 1.4 of the
Seward Highway in Alaska.References
External links
* http://www.museums.state.ak.us/EightStars/src/exhibit_catalog.pdf
* [http://fairbanks-alaska.com/benny-benson.htm Benny Benson - Alaska's Flag]
* [http://www.alaska.edu/opa/eInfo/index.xml?StoryID=186 "Alaska State Flag, and Song, Intertwined Around Benny Benson"]
* [http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/flags/ak_flag.htm "The Alaska State Flag"]
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