Hendricks County Parks & Recreation lost two of our biggest supporters in consecutive years , leaving a huge hole in our hearts .
Ray and Mary Benson were huge champions of parks , and they generously donated incredibly large sums of money over the course of decades to fund countless amenities that you enjoy at McCloud Nature Park , W . S . Gibbs Memorial Park , and the Vandalia Trail .
Both were long-time volunteers with Hendricks County Parks & Recreation , and Ray was a charter member of the Hendricks County Park Board . In Ray ’ s own words , “ we planned and agitated county government elected officials until we were successful in getting an ordinance passed in 2000 which enabled the creation of a county parks system in Hendricks County .” They ultimately put together the plan for McCloud Nature Park , Sodalis Nature Park , and most recently W . S . Gibbs Memorial Park , where Ray and Mary spent many hours walking and exploring .
Mary received her undergraduate degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and her master ’ s degree from Indiana University . A retired teacher , Mary spent the last 30 years of her career teaching English at George Washington High School in Indianapolis . Although English was the focus of her formal teaching career , she also taught French and was a swimming instructor and a high school girls ’ basketball coach . In 1983 , Mary was honored as the Indiana Council of Teachers of English ' s Hoosier Teacher of the Year .
She received numerous awards from the community throughout her life
including " Outstanding Citizen Award " from Plainfield Plus , " Community Leader of the Year Award " from Leadership Hendricks County in 2001 , " Integrity Award " from the Community of Plainfield in 1996 , and many more .
Ray received his undergraduate degree in Biological Field Studies from the University of Massachusetts in 1951 , with a master ’ s degree in Recreation from Indiana University . UMass Amherst is where he met Mary .
After serving his country in the U . S . Army , the Army reserve , and the Connecticut and Indiana National Guard through 1961 , Ray worked at the Veterans Administration in Connecticut and Kentucky before working for the State of Indiana in various roles until his retirement in 1990 . Ray was passionate
about helping others , especially through therapy and recreation .
For more than 30 years after their retirements , Ray and Mary devoted their time to volunteering with several community organizations including Hendricks County Parks & Recreation . Ray served multiple terms as Park Board president and continued to attend Park Board meetings on a regular basis for years after he stepped away .
Ray and Mary were married for 69 years when she passed away on April 5 , 2022 . Ray joined her in heaven on December 21 , 2023 . Both were deeply loved and respected by our staff . We are crushed .
Thank you , Ray and Mary , for everything that you both did for us . We love you and miss you something fierce . Rest in peace , great friends . We ' ve got it from here .
Summer 2024 • 23