lbilkerTwenty-Second Scoutmaster of Paoli Troop 1 from 1984-2004
Paoli 1 Eagle Scout 1958
October 21, 1943 – June 22, 2026
Obituary
Richard “Dick” Bensing, born on October 21, 1943, passed away in his sleep at the age of 82 on June 22, 2026. Dick is survived by his many admiring friends, a few despised enemies (we all know what he called them), his stepson Sean Mckay and three Bensings (a niece, Dawn, and nephews, Billy and Jeff).
Dick was born and spent most of his life in the Philadelphia area where he attended Episcopal Academy and the University of Pennsylvania (BA & MA). After college, he served as an Officer in the U.S. Army and deployed to Korea where he commanded a tank platoon along the Demilitarized Zone. After returning home, he became a builder who designed and constructed projects big and small from downtown Philadelphia to the “Main Line”, and beyond. Dick was a fixture of “Center City” in the 1970s – 80s renovating and residing in occasionally still under construction urban industrial lofts, where he was known for hosting boisterous gatherings marked by lots of deep conversation, hearty laughter and great music.
Dick was an avid and capable outdoorsman, hiker, climber, boatsman and scuba diver. One of his greatest joys in life was his service to the Boy Scouts. He had a lifelong involvement with Paoli Troop 1 in Wayne, PA where he became an Eagle Scout and Scoutmaster. The members of the troop deeply appreciated and respected Dick, while occasionally having to dodge his wrath. Dick’s extraordinary decades-long efforts, inspired generations of Scouts who grew up to become capable and honorable men.
In his own understated words, “In 84’ I became Scoutmaster of Paoli Troop 1. A troop I had joined as a boy. I spent 20 years in that job. We were a very active group, canoeing, kayaking, climbing, biking, etc. Every summer we would take a trip to someplace special. Canadian lake trips, white water rivers… Maine, Katahdin. The Long Trail in Vermont, a month in England, Scotland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. We spent two weeks in Alaska where we flew to a glacier near Denali set up base camp and climbed and trekked for 8 days.”
Many others were fortunate to experience Dick’s generosity of spirit. He maintained lifelong deep relationships with his friends, including ex-girlfriends (and their future spouses), their children, his brother Bob and his niece and nephews. Of special significance was his relationship with stepson, Sean, who he was immensely proud of for his many achievements and particularly for his strength of character in overcoming adversity.
In the words of some of those who knew and loved him: “Really, such great company… He could put things in perspective. He was reassuring and made it so almost nothing was too big a deal.” – “He wasn’t just cool, he was cool-cool. Dick was refined and eloquent without being at all fancy. He was always so in on the joke.” – “Dick was made of tough stuff; he could sleep almost anywhere.” – “With Dick, it was sometimes like he took a vow of poverty in service.” – “He was generous to a fault but did not suffer fools lightly.” – Dick held others to a high standard but himself to the highest.” – “I believe that man really lived, for the most part, exactly how he wanted to live.”
Let’s all take pause in our day, look out at the beauty of the natural world and think about Richard “Just call me Dick” Bensing as he hikes off into the hereafter to the immortal lyrics of Lynyrd Skynyrd:
“If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on, now
‘Cause there’s too many places I’ve got to see”
Free Bird ‧ 1973
Dick Bensing is a Paoli 1 icon, plain and simple. He lives, breathes and has dedicated his adult life to the troop.
My first memory of Dick is from the spring of 1969 on a hike to and encampment at the Lisle farm. I was a recruit and it was my first campout. I don’t recall if he took the hike, but I remember the older scouts talking about this guy, Bensing, like he was a mythical creature. He had just completed active duty in the Army to return as an assistant scoutmaster. That evening, during the customary war games, Bensing was challenged by some of those older scouts, who thought they were pretty tough. They turned out to be more foolish than tough. In the ensuing years, Dick cemented his reputation as being larger than life; someone to be respected. Nothing has changed.
The picture that accompanies this tribute is my favorite from the troop archives. It is from the 47th Birthday in 1958. It shows newly minted Eagle Scout, Richard T. Bensing, receiving the Scoutmasters Cup from SM Frank C. McCown, III. Frank was another Paoli 1 icon who took Dick under his wing and also spent his adult life supporting the troop. If you overlap their commitment, Frank and/or Dick have been involved with Paoli Troop 1 for eight of ten decades. It is fitting that they both have been awarded the Paoli 1 Meritorious Service Award, the highest award the troop can bestow, and the modem day equivalent of having your picture above the Cabin doorway. Frank, like Dick, was one of those guys you could not say no to. In fact, it was Frank who asked Dick to be Scoutmaster in 1984.
During his twenty-year tenure as Scoutmaster, over fifty scouts earned the rank of Eagle. To say he affected the lives of these young men and others would be a gross understatement. You can see it in the respect and admiration on the faces of those guys when they see and talk with Dick.
When he retired as SM, we held a dinner in his honor and many of these same scouts attended to pay homage.
It was during that time that Dick took on the task of turning the Lisle site at Camp Horseshoe from a platform tent to stockade camp. He personally designed the structures, secured funding through the Hoxie Harrison Smith Foundation and oversaw the construction of the campsite the troop calls home for a week every summer. Today, as project chairman for the Horseshoe Scout Reservation Alumni Association, Dick continues to spend time and effort improving the camping experience for scouts from Chester County and elsewhere.
In recent months, as we have planned for this anniversary, Dick has spent countless hours on the grounds and on projects to get the place ready. His energy, dedication and selfless commitment exemplify all that scouting and this troop stand for. Those of us who know him are not surprised.
I have never known this troop without the presence, guidance and leadership of Dick Bensing. Most of us never have. I would hate to think where or what Paoli Troop 1 would be without him.
J Craig Hadden
