Brett Benson
August 1, 1946 to June 22, 2020
Brett Benson was a retired public school teacher having worked over 30 years for the Chino Valley Unified School District. Prior to his retirement, he served on the Chino Hills Day at the Fair committee and was a volunteer employee of the San Bernardino County Probation Department on the Chino Hills / San Bernardino County Youth Accountability Board.
After his retirement in 2010, Brett continued to serve on the Chino Hills Day at the Fair committee and Youth Accountability Board. He was the founding Treasurer of Dog Park for Chino Hills and a founding Executive Board member and Treasurer for Chino Hills 55+ Club. In addition to his duties as treasurer, he designed websites for both of these groups.
Advocating for Senior Citizens of Chino Hills had become Brett’s main focus, thus his involvement with some of the other community groups had waned as his involvement rapidly increased with the 55+ Club. In May 2014, the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors appointed Brett to be one of only twelve District Commissioners serving on the San Bernardino County Senior Affairs Commission. He was initially selected by 4th District Supervisor Gary Ovitt, and then continued to serve newly elected Supervisor Curt Hagman in the same capacity. Commissioner Benson attended monthly SAC meetings in San Bernardino and was also on the Healthy Aging committee. The Senior Affairs Commission was mandated by the federal Older Americans Act and received staff support from the Department of Aging and Adult Services.
Mr. Benson had a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services and a Master’s degree in Education from Cal State University Fullerton and held several life teaching credentials. He served in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman in 1969 & 1970.
Brett was the recipient of the 1993 Clean Air Award from the American Lung Association for his efforts as founder of Smoke-free in 1993, a grassroots campaign resulting in Chino Hills becoming the first city in California to adopt an ordinance to protect its residents from secondhand smoke. In 1985, the San Bernardino Health Department presented Mr. Benson with an award for his leadership in the battle to reduce tobacco use countywide.
He was selected Chino Hills Volunteer of the Month in April, 2008. Serving as campaign committee treasurer for Chino Hills Founding Mayor Gwenn Norton-Perry for over 20 years, and treasurer for the Associated Chino Teachers for more than 10 years, Mr. Benson brought a wealth of experience handling finances for nonprofit community groups.
Brett and his wife, Jeanette, lived in Chino Hills for 34 years. Together, they worked to help the Chino Hills Incorporation Committee. Their family, however, was split between the Bulldogs and the Huskies since their two youngest sons graduated from Ayala High School and Mr. Benson taught his last six years at Chino Hills High School. He and Jeanette were very active members of Hope for the Hills. When not working on projects for community groups, Mr. Benson was an avid fan of the USA national soccer team and the L.A. Galaxy Soccer club.
Brett was the driving force behind the Chino Hills Veterans Monument. It was dedicated in January 2020 and Brett was there to celebrate the special occasion.
Brett was chosen as Active Adult of the month in July 2016. Click here to see the article: Brett Benson of the Month July 2016 a
Chino Valley Champion Newspapers article on Brett June 27, 2020: 
https://www.championnewspapers.com/eedition/page_0cf9d070-cd0f-5f9d-8e8d-2b21bb9c0e4d.html
Chino Valley Champion Obituary
July 18, 2020 Edition
