Reference
Z1231
Title
Records, mostly of Luton Arts Council, kept by long-serving Chairman Frederick George Benson, and donated in November 2005
Admin/biog history
Frederick George Benson - 'Freddie' - was born at Luton on 29 September 1929 and educated at Luton Technical College where he studied design. After National Service in Photographic Intelligence at HQ, Bomber Command, he joined Skefco at Luton, where by 1963 he was Assistant Publicity Manager. In 1965 he was publicity manager for the Molins Machine company of London and was responsible for staging their events at the British Exhibition at Tokyo. Outside work, he was in demand by local societies as a scenic designer, as an actor, and as an organiser of the local Drama Festival and Film Society.
Frederick Benson was Chairman of the Arts League of Luton (founded in January 1948) before taking on the role of founder Chairman of the Luton Arts Council in 1962. A major achievement was successful collaboration with librarian Frank Gardner and other borough officials for the inclusion of a theatre in the specification for the new Luton Central Library which opened in 1962 (see Z 1231/1/3]. After a five-year term as Chairman which saw the Arts Council firmly established as the independent body controlling the expenditure of increasing subsidies from Luton Corporation, Frederick Benson offered his resignation in October 1967 (effective from February 1968). A major factor in the decision was his new job of Exhibition Manager with the BBC (see Z 1231/1/1/8 for press cutting) with responsibility for promoting colour television, local radio, and the new Radio One which began transmission on 30 September 1967. He still found the time to act as drama reviewer for the Luton News between January 1967 and July 1973 (Z 1231/2/2)
In 1972 he was invited to return to the Arts Council and chair a Forward Planning Committee to campaign for a civic hall, theatre and related amenities (Luton 2000: A Case for the Arts). In June 1973 he became Chairman again, this time until c1978. Frederick Benson continued to comment on Luton's failure to build a civic centre for cultural activities (see Z 1231/2/6) until shortly before his death on 21 February 2005. Luton Arts Council itself was in crisis in 2003-4 (Z 1231/2/6) and the Council was formally wound up in March 2005.
Level of description
fonds