Mark
Birger Benson Sr. passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family,
on July 13, 2024, at the University of Vermont Medical Center in
Burlington, Vt. A beloved husband, brother, father, father-in-law,
grandfather, professor and patriot, Birger (ber-jer), as he
was known to friends and family, had a rich life, full of travel and
tinkering at home. Family was forever and always at the center of his
life.
Born
on May 18, 1943, in Hanover, N.H., Birger attended Hanover High
School and subsequently joined the class of 1965 at Dartmouth
College, where he majored in anthropology and was a member of the
U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps.
Upon
graduating from Dartmouth in June 1965, Birger married Portsmouth
native Eleanor “Ellie” Loughlin, a graduate of Mary Hitchcock
School of Nursing. Within days of their honeymoon, he was off to Army
training. After a year with his Ranger Battalion at Fort Benning,
Ga., he led a long-range reconnaissance patrol platoon on a tour in
Vietnam as a first lieutenant from 1966 to 1967. It was one of the
most formative experiences of his life, and he frequently recounted
stories of his fellow soldiers.
In
1969, Birger began an MBA program at Harvard Business School and
became a father to his son Mark. Two years later, Craig was born, and
in 1973 the family settled in Colchester, Vt., where Birger and Ellie
have lived ever since. In 1978, son Sean arrived, and in 1980
daughter Amy completed the family.
In
1979, Birger joined the faculty of Saint Michael’s College as a
professor of business and accounting. Teaching both undergraduate and
graduate students was a passion he enjoyed for 35 years, until his
retirement in 2014. According to one alum, Birger “created a
personal bond with students, which kept classes upbeat and
interesting.” He loved his students for the variety, energy and
humor they added to his life.
Birger
was founder and CEO of Pen of Steel, a successful management
consulting firm with hundreds of clients around the U.S. In 1985, he
and his close friend and business partner, Joanne
LaBrake-Muehlberger, established the Saint Michael’s College Center
for Organizational Development, offering management and leadership
development programs to local businesses such as IDX, Ben &
Jerry’s, Vermont Information Processing, and IBM for 17 years.
In
his free time, Birger enjoyed sailing, skiing, motorcycling, reading,
telling stories and spending time with his family. He is survived by
Ellie, his wife of 59 years; his sister Tina (Larry) Dow; sons Mark
(Katie), Craig (Sharon) and Sean (Kalpa); daughter, Amy (Matt); and
10 grandchildren, ranging in age from 3 to 28 years old. He was a
colorful character and a cheerleader to us all, offering valuable
advice whenever a family member faced an important life decision and
even when they didn’t. His guidance was often couched in humor,
sometimes laced with an off-color limerick or ditty, and always
infused with fierce love and a boost of confidence. He has left those
who loved him with indelible memories that ease the pain of his
passing.
A
brief liturgical service will be held on Friday, August 16, 2024, 10
a.m., at the Saint Michael’s College Chapel. A celebration of life
with refreshments will immediately follow in the Dion Center at 11
a.m. In honoring Birger, his family would like to express tremendous
gratitude for the six-plus years of loving care given to him by his
wife, Ellie; for the compassionate attention he received from the
entire medical team at the UVM Medical Center in Burlington at his
end of life; and for the years of quality care he received through
the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The
family respectfully requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations may
be made to the Professor Birger Benson Scholarship Fund, Saint
Michael’s College, One Winooski Park, Box 256, Colchester, VT 05439,
or online at smcvt.edu/giveback, with the name of the scholarship in
the comment box. Birger was proud that this fund (established by his
former student, Glen Farrell, class of 1983, in recognition of
Birger’s mentorship) provides assistance to deserving students with
demonstrated financial need.
This article appears in Seven Daysies 2024.