Benson Polytechnic High School - BluePrint Yearbook (Portland, OR)

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Simon Benson We of the class of l966, as did the class of l9l6 in the very first issue of the POLY TECH ltorerunner of the BLUEPRlNTl, dedicate this i966 BLUEPRINT to the man who is described in Volume l, Number l, as Oregon's Eirst Citizen . . , Mr. Simon Benson, the founder of Benson Polytechnic School. The article in the first edition ot the POLY TECH was written by L. R, Alderman, then superintendent ot Portland Public Schools We quote the following passages from the article: Mr, Simon Benson, tor whom the Benson Polytechnic School is named, was born in the year l855, in Gilbert Valley, Norway. When he was twelve years old he worked his passage to the United States, then worked his way westward, and spent several years on a farm in Wisconsin, working for his board. He worked several years in the lumber camps there and learned much about logging and lumbering and the control of men, When he was 25 he came West, and went to work in a logging camp at Deer Island on the Columbia River, It was not long until he had his own logging camp, and by his grasp otevery detail and by working from 5 o'clock in the morning until nine at night, he soon made his camp the most successful one on the River. Efficiency seemed to be the motto ot the young Norwegian, and no detail was too small for him to take hold of and master. Mr, Benson's advice tc his workers was always lor their welfare. He is described by those who knew him in those days as a most con- siderate husband and father. l-le was desolated with grief when his wife died in l89l. He took trips from his camp at Deer Island to all parts of the country, personally inspecting timber, As his income permitted, he bought this piece and that piece of land until his holdings were very large. When the increased demand of the times brought a lumber boom, he decided it was time to sell, He sold for 54,000,000 and found himself a yew wealthy man, lvlr, Benson's interest in a trade school came by observing the number of applicants for menial iobs who claimed to have college edu- cations. The thought occurred to this systematic, fair-minded man that everyone should not have the same kind of training and that a man's education should have some bearing on his life's work. He was appealed to for donations to all kinds of schools, but when he saw Portland's School ot Trades he realized this was the real open door to success for many young people. Realizing all this, he gladly donated SlO0,000 to the school that now bears his name

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In IQU6 Benson Pcdytecnntc School ccnsnsted ot what ts now the front nal! and the C wing, Today Benson Polytedwnm School has grown to more tnan twtce its origunat size and tnpled nts student bcdy

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