usvi-on-line
Guy Benjamin on his "Beloved Virgin"
Guy Benjamin on his "Beloved Virgin"
Honestly, Mr. Benjamin is one of STJ's true living treasures. I am so glad to see that he is well and sharing his experiences with residents and visitors.
For those of you that are new... the fact that you can get to STJ easily by ferry service is directly attributable to Mr. Benjamin.
He helped get the ferry service started so that children could continue their secondary education on STT. Tourism was the bonus.
Benjamin Delights Rotarians With Tales Of Changeby Lynda Lohr
http://www.onepaper.com/stjohnvi/?v=d&i ... 1223614394
Jan. 24, 2009 -- Ever the raconteur, Guy Benjamin, the 95-year-old retired educator whose name graces the Coral Bay elementary school where he taught years ago, had some stories to tell the nearly two dozen people gathered Friday for the weekly Rotary Club of St. John meeting. That includes the tale about the clever donkey in his room.
But before getting to that one, Benjamin had to pinch himself up and down his arm to make sure he wasn't dreaming that a black man became President of the United States this week.
"I have seen the impossible happen," he told Rotarians at the Westin Resort and Villas Beach Cafe. "The impossible dream has become a reality."
With the inauguration of President Barack Obama, Benjamin said the U.S. was the only place in the world where anyone can be anything they want to be if they have the ability.
"They can be anything from a sweeper to the president of the United States," he said.
In a wide-ranging talk, Benjamin also spoke about growing up on St. John's East End. Everyone was very poor but the children lacked for nothing, he said.
"We could fish, go to school, visit our neighbors, and we played from morning to night," he said.
And gifts from the "Red Cross" and visitors to his school often arrived as well.
Benjamin has seen nearly a century's worth of change, some of it unpredictable, some less so. As a child, for example, he said his grandfather told him that he'd see "ships in the air."
Later, when his grandfather was bedridden with cancer, Benjamin went to visit. When the two of them heard a strange noise far off, he went outside to investigate.
"It was coming," he said, "from ships flying in the air." The airplane had come to the islands.
Vast changes have come to St. John too, which Benjamin sees as a challenge facing the island's residents. In particular, he said the native population needs to realize that both black and white residents depend on each other.
And on a lighter note, Benjamin told a story about how he woke up one night and "felt there was a presence in my room."
"Did I die?" he said. "I opened my eyes, and there was a donkey, looking at me."
The beast apparently had somehow opened the door to Benjamin's house and sauntered into his bedroom. So, naturally, Benjamin told the donkey to open the door and go right back out.
Smart or simply compliant, the donkey did just that.
At the close of his talk, those in attendance gave Benjamin a standing ovation.
For those of you that are new... the fact that you can get to STJ easily by ferry service is directly attributable to Mr. Benjamin.
He helped get the ferry service started so that children could continue their secondary education on STT. Tourism was the bonus.
Benjamin Delights Rotarians With Tales Of Changeby Lynda Lohr
http://www.onepaper.com/stjohnvi/?v=d&i ... 1223614394
Jan. 24, 2009 -- Ever the raconteur, Guy Benjamin, the 95-year-old retired educator whose name graces the Coral Bay elementary school where he taught years ago, had some stories to tell the nearly two dozen people gathered Friday for the weekly Rotary Club of St. John meeting. That includes the tale about the clever donkey in his room.
But before getting to that one, Benjamin had to pinch himself up and down his arm to make sure he wasn't dreaming that a black man became President of the United States this week.
"I have seen the impossible happen," he told Rotarians at the Westin Resort and Villas Beach Cafe. "The impossible dream has become a reality."
With the inauguration of President Barack Obama, Benjamin said the U.S. was the only place in the world where anyone can be anything they want to be if they have the ability.
"They can be anything from a sweeper to the president of the United States," he said.
In a wide-ranging talk, Benjamin also spoke about growing up on St. John's East End. Everyone was very poor but the children lacked for nothing, he said.
"We could fish, go to school, visit our neighbors, and we played from morning to night," he said.
And gifts from the "Red Cross" and visitors to his school often arrived as well.
Benjamin has seen nearly a century's worth of change, some of it unpredictable, some less so. As a child, for example, he said his grandfather told him that he'd see "ships in the air."
Later, when his grandfather was bedridden with cancer, Benjamin went to visit. When the two of them heard a strange noise far off, he went outside to investigate.
"It was coming," he said, "from ships flying in the air." The airplane had come to the islands.
Vast changes have come to St. John too, which Benjamin sees as a challenge facing the island's residents. In particular, he said the native population needs to realize that both black and white residents depend on each other.
And on a lighter note, Benjamin told a story about how he woke up one night and "felt there was a presence in my room."
"Did I die?" he said. "I opened my eyes, and there was a donkey, looking at me."
The beast apparently had somehow opened the door to Benjamin's house and sauntered into his bedroom. So, naturally, Benjamin told the donkey to open the door and go right back out.
Smart or simply compliant, the donkey did just that.
At the close of his talk, those in attendance gave Benjamin a standing ovation.
*Another fine scatterbrained production
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designbyroe
- Posts: 1348
- Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:27 pm
- Location: Chilaxin on White Bay at least in my mind
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donkey-boy
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:50 pm
- Location: Fish Bay
Gromit,
Thanks for bringing to light the wonderful "living history" of this man.
It's a true delight to me that people like you bring such achievements to the forefront on this forum, as they could otherwise be overlooked,forgotten, and possibly taken advantage of.
Afterall, we wouldn't be here, if not for history!
Personally, I'm trying to learn more about the lives of the Oppenheimer family, in particularly the daughter, Toni.-(Very curious to me, as she hung herself on possibly the most gorgeous beach on the globe...)
Cheers to your love and respect of St John, and cheers as well to Mr. Guy Benjamin,a true visionary.
With a love and respect like his for this wonderful place, surely we can keep a hold on the serenity that follows us each day, as well as what we hope and dream about in the future!
And by the way, I don't need ANYONE to remind me that I'm an American, born in Philadelphia, PA.,so put that in your Sox, and smoke it.
Feeling groovy, missing Maho, and still,
Smiling-
MJ
Thanks for bringing to light the wonderful "living history" of this man.
It's a true delight to me that people like you bring such achievements to the forefront on this forum, as they could otherwise be overlooked,forgotten, and possibly taken advantage of.
Afterall, we wouldn't be here, if not for history!
Personally, I'm trying to learn more about the lives of the Oppenheimer family, in particularly the daughter, Toni.-(Very curious to me, as she hung herself on possibly the most gorgeous beach on the globe...)
Cheers to your love and respect of St John, and cheers as well to Mr. Guy Benjamin,a true visionary.
With a love and respect like his for this wonderful place, surely we can keep a hold on the serenity that follows us each day, as well as what we hope and dream about in the future!
And by the way, I don't need ANYONE to remind me that I'm an American, born in Philadelphia, PA.,so put that in your Sox, and smoke it.
Feeling groovy, missing Maho, and still,
Smiling-
MJ