George Benson papers

George Benson was born on August 3, 1873, in Moline, Illinois, to John and Louise Benson. He attended Moline schools as a youth, then enrolled in the Augustana College Conservatory of Music in Rock Island, Illinois. He graduated in 1893, and became the organist for First Lutheran Church in Moline. Benson returned to Augustana College to teach piano, organ, and harmony. He was a private instructor as well. He published many original compositions, and became fairly well-known. Benson married Hilda Wahlstrand in Davenport in 1895, and the couple had two children together (J. Harold Benson and Ruth Thompson). Benson died on July 12, 1959. This collection consists of musical scores, drafts and unfinished scores, Augustana College course catalogs, and books (some related to music and others not). There are also photocopies of some of the scores. Many of the musical scores are originally composed by Benson and others are part of his personal collection. The materials are in both Swedish and English.