Benny's Story: A History of Beneficence

Introduction

Recognizing the immense philanthropy of the Ball family, a small group of men decided to establish a permanent symbol of Muncie and Ball State University's gratitude for the family's extensive generosity. They contacted renowned sculptor Daniel Chester French with their plans for the memorial, and he graciously accepted. He titled his work Beneficence, which he felt aptly described the feelings of the community and the actions of the Ball brothers. Finally erected in the midst of the Great Depression, Beneficence has become a chief icon of the University, and it symbolizes the selflessness of the Ball family in their affection for the community.

The Ball Brothers

Since they came to Muncie in 1885, the Ball family generously and continuously invested in the surrounding community and contributed to the growth of its culture. Attracted by the resourcefulness of the Ohio-Indiana gas belt, they opened their first factory in Muncie in 1888, and they subsequently expanded and diversified their enterprise; thus, they provided jobs to a growing number of employees and contributed to the commerce of the city and region. Business and employment, however, were not their only endowments to the community. By 1937, the monetary value of the Ball's philanthropies, most of which were concentrated in Muncie, was estimated at around seven million dollars. Locally, their generosity focused on the YMCA, Camp Crosley, Ball State University, Ball Memorial Hospital, the Masonic Temple, the American Legion, and the Minnetrista cultural center and golf course.

Muncie's Decision to honor the Ball brothers

The sculptor: Daniel Chester French

With the incredible actions of the Ball brothers in mind, members of the Muncie Chamber of Commerce decided that these men should be honored formally and perpetually in 1927. Without long, arduous deliberation on the subject, a committee formed to oversee the project chose Daniel Chester French as their first choice as sculptor for the monument. In November of 1928, French was contacted, and he accepted the undertaking. Well known for his past works, which included his statue of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial, his Minuteman at Concord, and his George Washington in Paris, the seventy-eight year old intently studied the Ball brothers with the objective of attaining a concept for a sculpture that would accurately embody these great men. Within a year and a half, French completed the sculpture, which he named Beneficence, at his New York studio, and he entrusted the architect Richard Henry Dana to go to Muncie, find a spot for the statue, and design the surrounding promenade. Dana contemplated six possible spots until he ultimately decided on Beneficence's current resting place facing University Avenue at the end of Talley Avenue.

The Great Depression delays plans

On September 4, 1937 Dr. Robert H. Myers placed a copper box, which contained scrolls with the contributors' signatures, and other memorabilia relating to the statue and the event, inside the base of Beneficence on top of a pedestal. Onlookers from left to right: Albert Glaser and George Schrieber

Ultimately, French's fee totaled $25,000, Dana's totaled $2,000, and the total cost of the completed project was estimated at $50,000. In October of 1929, the New York Stock Exchange crashed and the subsequent depression that followed by no means spared Muncie. Consequently, the statue itself went into storage, and the committee for the statue focused on paying the compensation that they were legally bound to with French and Dana, putting off the construction of the monument. Beneficence being his last work, French died in 1931, and Dana passed in 1933; neither man saw the completion of their project. Despite the economic hardship that plagued Muncie and the rest of the country, the community dedicated themselves to finishing the job. The Ball Recognition Association formed to channel donations from the financially strapped community toward the completion of the entire monument, for which remaining costs approximated $28,000.

Here, the radio broadcasters, an anxious crowd, and the ceremony leaders await the unveiling of Beneficence at the dedication ceremony.

In 1937, the Association far exceeded its goal by $3,500, and the number of donors exceeded 11,000 individuals and organizations. On June 21, 1937, groundbreaking commenced at the current site of the statue, and the project was ready for completion by September. For the finishing stages of the project, George Schrieber (Ball State's architectural consultant) and Lewis Cole (Ball State's landscaping consultant) assumed their respective duties as architect and landscaper. Albert Glaser, a local contractor, donated the services of his company free of charge, providing the architectural elements, constructing the complex, and erecting the statue. On September 26, 1937, the long awaited dedication of the monument took place, attracting the attention of several radio stations: WLBC Muncie, WIRE Indianapolis, and WLW Cincinatti, which channeled its broadcast nation-wide to forty-two additional stations. The fact that the Muncie community bound together so tightly and contributed so selflessly to finish the project amidst the Great Depression reflects their intense regard for the Ball brothers.

Since its completion in 1937, Beneficence has served as a reminder of the great generosity of the Ball family, and it has also become the main icon of Ball State University. Students and faculty have affectionately name the statue "Benny," and considerable corpus of popular myths have been generated about the monument. Perhaps the most notable of these myths entails that a young female student does not officially become a coed until she is kissed by a young gentleman beneath "Benny." Despite the multiple meanings Beneficence has accumulated over the years, her original significance as a monument to the Ball brothers has not been forgotten, and her importance as an exemplary work of art is inescapable.