He prepared for Princeton at Valley Forge Military Academy, where he played football, basketball, and tennis. Ben chose basic engineering as his major, but his primary interest was in electrical engineering. He was a member of Dial Lodge, sang in the Glee Club and was its publicity manager, and served as treasurer of the Wesley Foundation.
He spent three years in the Navy, becoming chief engineer on the destroyer USS Dyess in the Mediterranean Sea during the Suez crisis. He married Susan Benck July 20, 1957.
Following studies of business at Temple University and engineering administration at George Washington University, he spent three years with Turner Construction Co. He then established Concord Realty, which bought and managed properties in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Ben enjoyed woodworking in his home in Falls Church, Va. Ben and Susan moved to the Riderwood Village retirement community in Silver Spring in 2005.
Ben is survived by his wife, Sue; sons Peter and Tim; daughters Jenny and Jane; and seven grandchildren.