At Ball State, beneficence means more than goodwill andcompassion.
"Benny," as she is lovingly referred to by Ball State students,represents the Ball brothers' kindness and giving spirits, or atleast that is what Earl L. Conn, dean emeritus of the College ofCommunication, Information, and Media, wrote in his latest book"Beneficence: Story About the Ball Families of Muncie."
Conn spoke about the history and meaning of BeneficenceWednesday night in Bracken Library for the Friends of A.M. BrackenLibrary.
Since 1937, Benny has graced the southern end of the Ball Statecampus.
"She's a symbol of the university," sophomore Jessica Albrechtsaid. "She looks like she's inviting everybody to campus."
Beneficence was built in 1930 after a committee of Muncie eldersdecided that the Ball family needed a memorial of some sort tohonor the generosity that they showed towards Muncie.
According to Robert Myers, author of the 1972 book"Beneficence," the town of Muncie had the "feeling that somethingshould be done to honor the Balls." Options, such as an art museum,a bridge or an endowment, were considered, but a statue seemed mostappropriate to the committee.
Conn said that two of the three living Ball brothers did notwant any kind of honor, but they were convinced by the third,Frank. George A. Ball said that any kind of memorial would be a lotof show, Myers wrote.
The sculptor of Beneficence, Daniel Chester French, who is mostfamous for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., chose to useher because of the generosity shown by the Ball family to Muncie.He also handpicked Richard Henry Dana to design the statue'ssurroundings.
Benny is not only a symbol to students, but also an icon of manylegends that circulate around campus.
"There's a legend that the ashes of the Ball brothers are on topof the pillars," Albrecht said.
In the 1970s, many believed that a female student did notreceive coed status until she was kissed by a man "under Benny'swatchful eye," and still others, even now, think that if a mankisses a virgin in front of Benny at midnight, her wings willflap.
Conn condemned one major legend, or misconception, aboutBeneficence.
"The statue is not [about] the relationship of the Ball brothersto the campus," he said. "The statue is [about] the relationship ofthe Ball brothers. Period."
Nevertheless, students still look to the statue forencouragement.
"Ball State, Muncie, same thing," freshman Jennifer Tarrancesaid. "I appreciate what she stands for and the beneficence ofothers that created Ball State and the spirit that continues todaythrough it."
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