My name is Niall Hannan, I went to Benson for two years, 1980-1982. I am a General Contractor and Stonemason. I directly atribute my intrest in the trades due to my experiences at Benson. My time at Benson gave me hands on experience in many different trades. Such as welding, machine, foundry, electrical, and technical drawing. When I shifted schools to Salem I maintained my interest in Architecture and continued my education in that direction. I ended up with a fine arts degree from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. As I was finishing school I fell into the fine trades and have stayed. Now after many years I might be considered a Journeyman in the Fine Trades. Being in the trades should be an informed choice. Learning, in it’s many forms, practical and theoretical should be available to all. But especially to those that feel out of place when they are young in a more acedemic environment.
Going to Benson helped me gain confidence in myself and encouraged me to try new things. I learned to love to take things apart and figure out how to make them work again. To the point where I have taken a 1907 house apart and put it back better than it was before.
My Uncles and many friends are alums and I will be contacting all of them, but especially those that are in the trades.
Portland Public Schools have done nothing other than try to undermine the special aspects of our amazing school. From ending the Benson sponsored Drag races to allowing various trades to end at Benson due to lack of external promotion and no one doing industry promotion for upgrading facilities. Everything in the name of making Benson just like everyone else.
The big industries in Portland, FLIR, Precision Cast Parts, Intel, HP, Techtronics, Columbia Steel, Gunderson, Scnitzer, Zidell, Oregon Wire and many many more all continually upgrade equipment, often selling old equipment overseas for lack of options here in the US. We need a public/private partnership with our local industries and need to have it be a Benson centric system that allows Benson to reborn as a National model of Highschool/Assoc. Degree program. Most of the surviving big highschools in Portland have very specific feeder programs that help their survival. Bensons have been continually taken away in the name of parity. In doing so we have dumbed down the enire system. When I went to Benson we were the best technical trade school west of the Mississippi, I had friends that became robotics engineers at MIT and Carnegie Mellon. Yes, we had many guys that went on to careers far outside of what they learned at Benson and others that used what they learned to gain entry positions throughout thetrades. We need a strong training center for people that have an apptitude for working with their hands. There is nothing dishonarable in making a living with your hands and your mind, teaching young people that both aspects are honorable persuits is paramount to our continuing to be a strong industrial production country. Feel free to contact me at
