In Memorium

For those of us who knew John, this is indeed one of the saddest moments in our lives. John was special to Bunbury and me. He often attended our performances and his laughter was infectious. He loved the theatre and he loved Bunbury. At one point prior to his retirement we talked of him coming onto the board of directors. His health over the last few years kept him from doing so. This is indeed a major loss to our community and to the arts in general. I hope you'll join me on Saturday in celebration of a great man.--JKT

John S. Benjamin
August 4, 1941 - July 13, 2010

With profound sorrow we announce the death of John Stoughton Benjamin. John was the director of arts education programs at the Kentucky Arts Council from April 1, 1990, until his retirement on April 1, 2008. Passionate about the arts, particularly theater and arts education, John shared his joy in the arts with everyone he met.

John worked diligently on the state, regional and national level to help ensure that quality arts learning experiences were available to all students. He was a strong advocate for both arts education and life-long learning. John’s support of artists was legendary and he proactively offered assistance and support and made connections for the teaching artists on the Kentucky Arts Council Arts Education Roster. His generosity with his time and talents helped strengthen the professional careers of many artists.

John stated, “Theater is my life’s work.” And that was demonstrated by his extensive experience in both professional and community theater. For over 40 years he enjoyed a successful career as an actor and as producer and director of more than 100 plays. John served as executive director of the Chattanooga Performing Arts Center in Tennessee and as a consultant to theaters and other non-profits.

John believed in building community through the arts, and his personal community was large and all-encompassing. He loved people and enjoyed and embraced old friends and new acquaintances alike. John had the rare talent to make you feel that he’d rather be spending time with you than doing anything else, and he was always a delight to be with. His pride and joy and the center of John’s community was his family. He kept his friends and colleagues updated with news of his beloved wife, Bette, his daughters Arwyn and Beth and the most recent addition to the family, his grandson, Lex.

Everyone who knew John has a special set of memories. For those of us who worked with him at the arts council our memories are many and varied: entertaining us during van trips across the state, sharing a morning cup of coffee and discussing current events or the NPR features heard during the drive to work, his smile and upbeat personality, building bonfires with him at Faubush, his self-appointed charge to voice what everyone else was thinking but wouldn’t dare say, his delight in serving as master of ceremonies at events, knowing that when you were with him you should always be prepared for the unexpected...

 

John was born August 4, 1941, and died July 13, 2010, at the age of 68. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 17, at the Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church in Louisville. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to:

Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church
4936 Brownsboro Road
Louisville, KY 4022

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