Charles S. Benson ’43

CHARLES DIED July 2, 1994, in Carlsbad, Calif., while on a weekend visit with relatives, of an apparent heart attack. He was 72.

An expert on the economics of education, educational administration, and policy analysis, he was a native of Atlanta. He received his B.A. in economics from Princeton, then got a master's and Ph.D. from Columbia. Early teaching positions included Bowdoin College (1950-55) and Harvard (1955-63). From 1964-91, Charles was on the faculty of the U.C.-Berkeley, and at the time of his death was a professor emeritus.

In addition to his numerous teaching credits, Charles was also the director and chief investigator of the Natl. Center for Research in Vocational Education. The center, based on the Berkeley campus, is a consortium of seven institutions financed by the U.S. Dept. of Education to study classroom-workplace relationships. During the 1960s and 1970s, Dr. Benson played a major role in the search for school finance reforms; his text, The Economics of Public Education, helped define the subject.

He is survived by his widow, Dorothy Merrick; two daughters, Michele and Sally; a son, Charles S. Jr.; a brother, Lawrence; and seven grandchildren. To the entire family, we offer our most heartfelt condolences.