Beneficence, affectionately called “Benny,” is Ball State's institutional icon. She symbolizes the generosity of the five Ball brothers whose land donation to the State of Indiana allowed Ball State to flourish. Following Ball State's outdoor graduation ceremony, it is a tradition for students and families to have their pictures taken with Benny. Finished in 1937, Beneficence was the last commissioned work of sculptor Daniel Chester French, creator of the Abraham Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.