Brother Martin Mourns the Loss of Mr. Tom Benson ’44 SA
The Brother Martin community greatly mourns the loss of Mr. Tom M. Benson, Jr. Mr. Benson was a 1944 graduate of St. Aloysius and a recipient of the 1986 Senator J. Ellender Alumnus of the Year Award. He passed away peacefully on March 15 at the age of 90 years old with his wife, Gayle Marie Benson, at his side.
About Mr. Tom M. Benson Jr.,
Mr. Benson was the owner of both the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans. He was widely recognized as one of the NFL’s most successful and influential leaders in his 34th year in ownership of the Saints and has helped steward both on-and-off the court improvement with the Pelicans since purchasing the club in 2012. Under his leadership, the teams are two of the leading economic forces in the entire region.
Since 2006, the Saints have enjoyed unprecedented success, posting a 119-85 overall record, including six playoff berths, four NFC South titles, two NFC Championship appearances and the Super Bowl XLIV title. New Orleans has hosted five Super Bowls with Mr. Benson serving as the leading advocate of the city’s campaigns to secure the NFL’s title game and its accompanying activities. In five years of ownership of the Pelicans, the city has hosted two NBA All-Star Weekends (2014 and 2017). In honor of his dedication to the region and its two major league sports franchises, he is a member of both the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. He is also the owner of several automotive dealerships, Dixie Beer and the Benson Tower office building.
In his early life, he served in the U.S. Navy aboard the U.S.S. South Dakota in 1945 and was the only enlisted man ever to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Pensacola Naval Museum. In 2007, he was honored by the U.S. Navy Memorial with the Lone Sailor Award, presented to those who exemplify the core values of honor, courage, and commitment. In January 2009, a replica of his Lone Sailor Award was permanently put on display aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, the last of the Nimitz-class carriers to be commissioned. A major contributor and past director of the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans with his pledges helping fund the Pacific Exhibit grand opening and the Midway Theater, Mr. Benson was one of five NFL owners honored with an American Spirit Award by the museum in 2011 for service in the war.
His steadfast loyalty to the civic and Catholic communities is well-known. Through the years, Mr. Benson has significantly been involved in the advancement of Brother Martin High School. In 1985, he and his brothers established the Benson Free Enterprise Resource Library at Brother Martin in honor of their parents, Tom and Carmen Benson. During the school’s 1995 Capital Campaign, it was through Mr. Benson’s initiative that the St. Aloysius Class of 1944 funded the building of the auxiliary gymnasium. In 2013, Mr. Benson and his wife, the former Gayle Marie LaJaunie, established the Brother Nicholas Geisenberg, S.C. Building Endowment. To honor their gift, Brother Martin named the student mall, the Gayle and Tom Benson Mall. In 2012, the Bensons received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award – for outstanding service to the Church and the Pontiff from Pope Benedict XVI, the highest Papal award granted to a layperson.
Click here for press release from the New Orleans Saints.
