John Everett Benson (October 8, 1939 – June 13, 2024), known as Fud, was an American calligrapher, stonecarver, typeface designer and sculptor who created inscriptions for monuments including the John F. Kennedy memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, the National Gallery of Art, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC.
John Everett Benson | |
|---|---|
 Carving words on stone at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. | |
| Born | October 8,1939 Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Died | June 13 2024 ( aged 84 ) Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Rhode Island School of Design |
| Known for | Stone carving, calligraphy, type design, sculpture |
| Notable work | John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame National Gallery of Art Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Vietnam Memorial Civil Rights Memorial |
| Spouse | Karen Augeri (m. 1988) |
| Parent |
|
| Family | Christopher, Nicholas |
| Awards | Frederic W. Goudy Award 2019 |
| Website | www |
Life and work
editJohn Everett Benson was born in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1939. His mother, Esther Fisher Smith Benson, spoke using the archaic pronouns of Quaker "plain speech."[1] Benson began working for his father, John Howard Benson, at the age of fifteen at The John Stevens Shop, which his father had purchased. He studied sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design.[2] In 1964, Benson and John Hegnauer were commissioned to design and carve the inscriptions on the John F. Kennedy memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. In Rhode Island, Benson carved a number of inscriptions at the University of Rhode Island's Robert L. Carothers Library and Learning Commons.[3][4]
He designed and carved gravestones for Tennessee Williams, Lillian Hellman, and George Balanchine.
Benson created monumental architectural inscriptions for famous buildings such as the Prudential Center in Boston, the National Gallery of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, Rockefeller Center, Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center, and the Armand Hammer Museum of Art in Los Angeles. He lettered the date stones of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, DC, and the Federal Courthouse in Boston. He designed the National Geographic Society headquarters lintel, West Point's MacArthur Monument, and the reverse of a medal for the National Gallery of Art.[5]
He drew various photo-typefaces for architectural applications and a titling typeface, called Aardvark, for The Font Bureau in Boston, Alexa, Balzano, and Caliban.[6]
In 1993, he left the direction of The John Stevens Shop to his son, Nicholas "Nick" Benson and returned to sculpting full-time.[7]
Latterly Benson was doing portrait and figurative work in clay and bronze at his studio in Newport, Rhode Island.[8][9] He died in Newport on June 13, 2024, at the age of 85.[10][1]
Awards
edit- Frederic W. Goudy Award, 2019
References
edit- ^ a b Green, Penelope (16 June 2024). "John Everett Benson, Who Chiseled John F. Kennedy's Grave, Dies at 84". The New York Times. Vol. 173, no. 60192. p. B10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ "Font Designer – John Benson". Retrieved 29 September 2010.
- ^ "University Libraries". web.uri.edu. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ "The Library Inscriptions – Nippenowantawem". web.uri.edu. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ Kopper, Philip (March–April 1977). "Life in Stone: A Young Master's Antique Art". Quest. 1 (1): 13–18.
- ^ "John Benson – Font Designer of Alexa, Balzano, Caliban". LinoType. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ "Written in Stone: Master Stone Carver and Letterer Nick Benson". Smithsonian Folklife. Archived from the original on 18 December 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ "The John Stevens Shop". Retrieved 29 September 2010.
- ^ "John Everett "Fud" Benson - Obituary". legacy.com. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ "John Everett "Fud" Benson Obituary (2024) - Newport, RI - O'Neill-Hayes Funeral Home - Newport". Legacy.com. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
External links
edit- Final Marks, The Art of the Carved Letter Archived 23 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine (1979), by Frank Muhly Jr., Peter O'Neill
- The John Stevens Shop