William Jack BensonIt was fitting that Jack Benson was buried on Monday, the day on which the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was celebrated, because he like the late civil rights leader dedicated his life to securing a better future for others.
In careers that included lengthy stops with the former Chattanooga City Schools system, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Chattanooga and as a Chattanooga city councilman, he served students, then parentless children, then his constituents and the wider city.
Those of us who came to know Benson at Big Brothers/Big Sisters -- his "retirement" job -- understood his clear-eyed desire for children who didn't have one or more parent to have a special connection with an adult who would stand in the gap. He also wisely knew how the adult, in turn, would benefit as much or more so from the match as the child being paired.
Following 15 years at one retirement job, he spent 12 years at a second in the demanding, "part-time" role as a councilman. It was never part-time, of course. He spent many hours figuring out what was best for his fellow East Brainerd residents -- and for the city -- and then trying to get it implemented.
Benson's service leadership should be an inspiration to many of a life well lived.