Charles Dunlap Benson

Charles graduated from Winter Park High School in 1956. He was a three-sport athlete and earned spots on the All-Orange Belt Conference teams in both Football and Basketball as well as the All- State Team in football. In addition to excelling at sports, his academic accomplishments were numerous. He was in the National Honor Society, on the Student Council and was selected to Boys State. In 2001, Charles was named to the Winter Park Sports Hall of Fame.

He attended Davidson College on scholarship where he continued playing sports. There he earned accolades as an Academic All-American, All-Southern Conference and Honorable Mention All-American in football. His ROTC participation led to joining the U.S. Army as an officer upon graduation with Phi Beta Kappa honors.

Charles met Louise Perry when he was stationed in Texas. They married April 8, 1961 and immediately reported to Fort Bragg, N.C. Two children were born to this union of nearly sixty years.

Benson continued his education at Johns Hopkins University where he earned a Masters in Teaching. He rounded out his degrees with a Ph.D. in Military History at the University of Florida.

Known as Charlie by family and friends, he answered to various titles. “Mr. Benson” to his many students in Volusia and Orange Counties, “Colonel Benson” to his fellow servicemen in the U.S. Army, and “Dr. Benson” to colleagues at NASA. But his favorite moniker was “Great-Grandpa.”

Benson co-authored two official histories for NASA. The first, Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations first published in 1978 was split into two books due to its’ length upon reprint. This scientific and highly technical work was followed by Living and Working in Space: A History of Skylab. The latter of the two books is just as thorough as the former but much more readable for the general public. Thus, he considered the work on the Skylab history his biggest accomplishment.

Charles was an active member of Moose International Lodge 766 and served in numerous positions in the organization. He and Louise enjoyed attending many International Moose Conventions. He was a big supporter of Mooseheart Child City & School Inc. His work earned him lifetime status.

Born into a family of ministers and missionaries, Charles faithfully attended Moravian, Presbyterian and Methodist churches throughout his life.

Charles was preceded in death by wife Louise, son David, parents Charles and Margaret and brother Richard. He is survived by daughter Elizabeth and spouse, sister Elizabeth (Gary), four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, two sister-in-law’s and numerous nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to either the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or Mooseheart Child City & School Inc.

Graveside services will be held at Palm Cemetery, Winter Park at 11:00 A.M. on June 17, 2023.