I had fully intended to be at the dinner honoring the 12 people who lost their lives in the explosion at the Rocky Mountain Natural Gas Plant on Dec. 16, 1985. The Elks Lodge was.
Mike Vidakovich
I taught fourth grade with Jim Benson for 14 years, starting in 1988, at both Glenwood Elementary and Sopris Elementary school. Along with Fred Davidson, Bette Hart, Jackie Durrett, Paul Driskill, and Lesyle Grigsby, I felt like we had an all-star cast of teammates at that grade level. We were the Lakers of elementary education.
I didn’t fully appreciate it at the time, but I was very lucky to be surrounded by such caring and dedicated human beings.
When I first met Jim and his wife, Mary, who was brave enough to teach kindergarten, I walked away thinking these people are too good to be true. As the years wore on and the blind corners of life took their toll on us all, I realized that everything about the Bensons was genuine and true.