The Benson Family Reunion: Jim is 50!
Mac came into the world 12 days after his cousin Jim.Mac is 50!
Some remember that he came into the world in June of 1954 just a mere 12 days after his cousin Jim. But to most, Mac was just a pleasant, chubby little guy donning a patch of bright orange hair. He was soon to find that people responded favorably to him.
As his mother puts it,
"No one could resist that chubby little face - so full of smiles - and topped with a bright orange mop. From very early on, he knew that people liked him. He felt very comfortable walking right up to strangers and extending his little hand. I think his political career really began at age one and a half!"

Mac as an outgoing toddler, playing on Ann St.
Indeed, Mac seemed to have it made as a youngster. He was comfortable in any situation and adjusted well to school. It was about this time that his younger sister, Betsy, came into the picture.
"We thought Mac was a happy boy before, but once he met his little sister, his smile got even brighter!" says Mac's Uncle Bob.

Mac, with his pride and joy, sister Betsy. She brightened his smile.
Childhood friends say that Mac would seldom leave his baby sister's side. He seemed to feel a responsibility to her. Some weeks, he would even skip his cub scout meeting to just hang out with Betsy. As one fellow scout puts it, Mac, seen here in his cub scout uniform, would rather play with his sister's dolls than tend a campfire.
"It got old and a bit weird! I mean, what kid would rather stay home and play with dolls than learn how to use a pocket knife? I can answer that...Mac!"
As Mac grew older, he found that Betsy had less time for him, but he continued to let his hair work for him. In high school, he enjoyed being known as "Torch" and "the Flame".
"You couldn't miss him." says Duff, a high school friend. "His hair was so bright, it was like a luminous chick-magnet! Girls couldn't keep their hands off of it! It was amazing! I used to stand by him in the hall during class change...just to meet babes. Those were the days!"
Mac, in high school, was known as
He really had it made...until his hair began to fade as he aged.
Mac, was known to use his orange hair as a chick magnet.
"Once Mac's hair began to fade, he would do anything to get the girls to notice him. It was really sad. Sometimes, he would dress in disguise - as a girl - with a wig and everything! He liked being the prankster, but it seemed a bit desperate to me. He loved to hear them giggle." says another childhood friend who prefers to remain anonymous.
Mac in Dress - circa 1976
Soon, however, they weren't giggling anymore. Mac was losing his touch. The girls were becoming offended by his pranks. One even threatened to call the police when she found a dead iguana in her locker. The top of his head was painted orange - the mark of "the Torch". Mac's father somehow managed to keep him out of jail. But, it was at this time that he turned to alcohol. Mac, in a playful pose.:
In another act of desperation, he began trying to find ways to restore the brightness of his fading hair. He went through a phase of eating just carrots. He read somewhere that carrots contained a form of melanine that was found in the genetic code of most red haired people. He was on a strict carrot diet for three months until his doctor made him stop (for undisclosed medical reasons).
Mac, in a playful pose.:
Friends describe this period of Mac's life as his darkest hour. Friend Jamie remembers that Mac "would walk around with a basketball in his hands and stop at the mirror to see if his hair was getting closer to the color of the basketball!" He was always dissapointed to see what the mirror told him.
Mac using basketball to determine if his hair color was coming back.
Mac's disposition eventually improved when he found that hair dye could give him the look he craved. He worked as a model briefly in the 80's. Here he is seen in a shot for a men's hair salon. Needless to say, the photo campaign was less than successful.
Mac, in an early, rough modeling photo for a men's hair salon.
Mac was pleased with the look he found using hair dye and had this publicity still made and circulated in 1981.
Mac in publicity still - 1981.

Mac,seen here in his modeling days.
Mac continued to find bit work as a model into the late '80's. But, was eventually blacklisted when several photographers described him as 'hostile'. This photo was taken on a photo shoot right before Mac broke the photographer's jaw.
Mac was blacklisted from modeling when photographers described him as 'hostile'.

Mac still tries to spend as much time as possible with his younger sister, Betsy.
As Mac has aged and grown wiser over the years, friends and family say he has mellowed and found his niche as a TV repairman. His hostility has eased and he no longer dies his hair. He still tries to spend as much time as possible with his younger sister, Betsy.
"Her youth seems to rub off on him." says Mac's mother. "It's great that he has Betsy around to keep him young! Especially now that he has turned 50!"

Share your thoughts/memories with Mac as he begins his 5th decade!


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*Note: Mac may not be able to resond to your emails due to arthritic pain and severe bunions.
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