Ben H. Adelson

ADELSON, Ben H.
Honored in war and peace, long-time L.A. educator Ben H. Adelson died June 9, 2011 at age 90. A virulent form of leukemia only diagnosed earlier this year caused his death.
Soon after a taking a master's degree with honors from USC in 1949, Ben began his teaching career at Sutter Jr. High in the San Fernando Valley. After about five years in that position, he was recruited to head the English Dept. at Fairfax High School in L.A. But higher education beckoned, and in 1969 he joined the faculty of Pierce College in Woodland Hills, where, again, he headed the English Dept. Later, turning to his love of high-quality journalism, Adelson joined the college's Journalism Dept., where, during a ten-year span that ended with his retirement in 1981, students and faculty alike recognized Ben as an inspirational teacher and a true master of the English language. Under his tutelage, and joined by a dream team of colleagues, he participated in seeing Pierce's journalism students go on to win national recognition and state journalism awards for more than nine consecutive years. During that period the California Newspaper Publishers Assoc. named Ben Community College Journalism Teacher of the Year.
But not long before embarking on his teaching career and as a First Lieutenant flying as a bombardier on four engine B-24 bombers, he was meting out destruction on the United States' WWII enemies. In fifty missions and some 300 hours of combat flying out of wartime China, Adelson earned himself both the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross and five Air Medals.
At his stated preference, Ben will be interred in a military cemetery. The Veterans Administration will reserve graveside space so that Ben and Nancy, his beloved wife of 65 years, may eventually rest side-by-side.
Nancy and a league of admiring friends, relatives, former students and colleagues survive Ben.
A memorial service is being planned.
Lorenzen Mortuary, 818-343-4677