Editor's note: In honor of the university's centennial year, The Daily News is counting down 100 days to the university's celebration Sept. 6 with 100 of Ball State's most famous traditions and figures. Check back each day to read about Cardinal history.
The Beneficence statue, or Benny to most students, is located on the south side of campus, just west of the Administration Building.
Benny was commissioned in 1927 by the Muncie Chamber of Commerce in order to express Muncie and Ball State’s gratitude to the Ball Brothers for their generosity to the community.
By that time, the brothers had donated $7 million to organizations like the YMCA, Ball State University, Ball Memorial Hospital, the American Legion and the Minnetrista Cultural Center.
The Chamber commissioned Daniel Chester French, who sculpted the Abraham Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial, to create Benny. French enlisted the help of architect Richard Henry Dana to choose a location for the statue and design its surroundings. Neither of them lived to see its dedication.
Benny was unveiled in 1937. She cost $50,000 to create, which once adjusted for inflation, equals approximately $888,500. More than 11,000 people donated money to complete the memorial.
The statue’s name, Beneficence was chosen to describe both the community and the actions of the Ball Brothers. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines beneficence as “the quality or state of doing or producing good.”
Her hand stretches to welcome new students to campus, the treasure box she holds represents the “treasure of education” and her wings represent the flight students take when they graduate. The five pillars behind her represent the five Ball Brothers, for whom the university is named.
Benny has become a main icon for the university and is the current branding focal point of the University with the slogan “We Fly.” She has even inspired a pledge that all Ball State students, faculty and staff abide by.
The Beneficence Pledge states all members of the Ball State community pledge to maintain high standards of scholarship and excellence, practice academic honesty, act in a socially responsible way and value the intrinsic worth of every member of the community.
There are a variety of myths that surround Benny, but perhaps the one that has gained the most notoriety, is the idea that if two students kiss under her with their eyes closed and her wings flap, they are meant to be. However, if Benny does not flap her wings, the love isn’t meant to be.
Read more centennial content here.
Contact Brynn Mechem with comments at bamechem@bsu.edu or on Twitter @BrynnMechem.
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