Oilfield Roughneck to University President: Bruce Benson

Bruce Benson was a man in a hurry. Born on the Fourth of July, he drew on a fierce work ethic learned on a World War II-era farm outside Chicago to propel him through his eventful and remarkable life. He overcame an early family upheaval and elusive educational success to attend an Ivy League university. Unsatisfied, he left school and hitchhiked West, where he worked as a roughneck in the Wyoming oil patch. He learned rigs from the ground up before earning a Geology degree at the University of Colorado, where he learned the science of what was below ground.

After early struggles, he used grit and savvy to build a prosperous oil and gas business. Its success allowed him to pursue his passion for making a difference in education, politics, philanthropy and community service. After his first marriage ended, he met and married his soulmate Marcy, whose journey before Bruce took her from Oklahoma to the White House, where she worked for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. They were partners in all they did, and they did plenty, using deep commitment to elevate the fortunes of countless community organizations, causes and civic endeavors.

Bruce engaged in myriad endeavors to improve education, his particular passion. The capstone was 11-plus years as President of the University of Colorado, where he led the four-campus system to a period of remarkable growth and sustained success.

Bruce and Marcy's quintessential American story demonstrates the power and promise of education and of lives well lived.