Pres. Benson remembered on 50th anniversary
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Ezra Taft Benson's lasting legacy of faith and service was recognized during a tribute at the Department of Agriculture on Wednesday, Nov. 5. The occasion was the 50th anniversary of President Benson's service as Secretary of Agriculture in President Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration beginning in 1953.
Speaking in the department's "Hall of Heroes," where a portrait of President Benson hangs, current secretary Ann M. Veneman said: "After a long and remarkable life, Ezra Taft Benson will be remembered as a man of faith. But he will also be remembered as a man of faithfulness to the men and women who work the land and live in rural communities and to the poor and hungry in our country and around the world.
"When he left office, he was asked about his work on behalf of American agriculture. After all the policy and legislative debates, after serving a president for two terms, after meeting with countless foreign leaders, he said his work as a county agent gave him the greatest satisfaction. 'Helping boys and girls grow up to be good farmers and good citizens,' he said, 'assisting neighbors to improve their fields, their livestock, their marketing, and their homes.' Those words speak volumes about Ezra Taft Benson."
The tribute was attended by members of President Benson's family, Church leaders — including Area Authority Seventy J. Willard Marriott Jr., Agriculture Department officials and other government leaders. It was originally scheduled for October, but was postponed when Hurricane Isabel virtually shut down the nation's capital.
Utah Senator Orrin Hatch said, "We honor a man who served God and country as few others have in history. . . . I have met very few people in my lifetime who even came close to him as a patriot standing for the principles of this country."
