2008 Woodie Awards
Alumnus travels abroad to teach
Yong Kim, Assistant Scene Editor
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The testosterone-charged antics of the men of McMillan Hall were still rampant during alumnus George Benson's days at Whitworth. Benson earned his bachelor's degree in '83 and later returned to Whitworth for a master's degree, which he finished in '93.
Benson currently teaches in Warsaw, Poland, for the American School of Warsaw as a fourth-grade teacher.
Benson recalled a time when he used to live in McMillan Hall, and his dormmates engaged in a prank that "impressed the whole school" - stealing a Bob's Hamburger statue (a burger joint right by campus) of a "big, fat hamburger guy" and putting it on the roof of McMillan Hall and then the Hixson Union Building.
"But, I was not the one who stole the Bob's Hamburger guy, just to clear my conscience," Benson said.
Other vivid memories Benson misses are the days of Traditiation, intramural sports, being sure to catch a virgin pinecone before graduation and sitting with his English professors and colleagues in class, discussing novels and questions about life.
Besides the social scene on campus, Benson said he has also been changed through Whitworth's education. He said his Whitworth education was a foundation not only for his career but also for who he has become as a person.
"Whitworth is a huge part of who I am and how I think, how I believe and how I work with people," Benson said.
Benson appreciated the student-teacher relationships Whitworth supported. He became close to mentors such as professors Leonard Oakland and Laura Bloxham and associate professor Gordon Wilson.
"It's a foundation upon which your life is built," Benson said.
Even with the firm principles, he said it wasn't easy to figure out what to do after graduation. During his 20s and after finishing his undergraduate studies, Benson said he was in a state of uncertainty.
"I explored quite a bit and stressed a lot about my calling and future. Some people know right away, but I didn't," Benson said.
Benson worked as a construction worker, ski instructor and as a sales representative, prior to being told by mentors to consider teaching as a career. Benson then decided to go back to Whitworth as a graduate student for a Master's in Education. He then started teaching in Oregon and later moved abroad to teach in places such as Indonesia and Poland.
"Whitworth gave me the desire to reach out to the world," Benson said.
The American School of Warsaw, which teaches American curriculum through a world perspective, is made up of people who are mostly international students from Japan, India, Poland, Korea, Denmark and the United States.
"The parents of my students own companies and work for companies that are headquartered here in Warsaw. For instance, this year I have students whose parents work for Volvo, Nordic Bank, GE Electronics, Media Forum and Samsung," Benson said.
Warsaw is the hub for economic growth not only in Poland, but also in much of eastern Europe, Benson said. He teaches American curriculum at the ASW through a world perspective.
Besides being a teacher, Benson is also an avid environmentalist. He rides his bike to school (about 15 miles) and advertises to get his fellow colleagues to do the same.
"I am passionate about protecting the environment and always have been," Benson said. "My dad was a forest service ranger when I was young and took us camping and on two-week back pack trips in mountain ranges all over the Western states."
Benson reads the monthly alumni articles that President Bill Robinson writes and is aware of Whitworth's commitment to being environmentally-friendly.
He said he is impressed with the 15 initiatives Whitworth has enacted such as its commitment to locally-produced food, electric carts and trucks on campus and sustainable systems in new building projects.
"I really miss Whitworth and I'm so excited for students right now to live it up. It's a wonderful place," Benson said.
Contact Yong Kim at yong.kim@whitworthian.com.
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George Benson
posted 11/23/07 @ 2:40 AM PST
Nice job Jong! Thank you for writing about me. I am honored. As time passes, I realize how important Whitworth is to me. I hope somehow to be of more service to the University that started me on my life path. (Continued…)
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