Benson E. Ginsburg

Benson E. Ginsburg, 98 years old, passed away, August 17, 2016 in Storrs, CT. He was born July 16, 1918 in Detroit, Michigan, to Morris and Sonia (Udkovsky) Ginsburg, immigrants from Russia. He married Pearl Miner on August 29, 1941. They enjoyed a wonderful marriage for 57 years, until her death in 1998.

Benson became a pioneer in the field of behavior genetics. In 1943, he received his PhD in zoology at the University of Chicago where he was an award-winning named professor until 1968 when he founded the Department of Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of Connecticut, training many doctoral students. Beginning in 1946, he was a Summer Investigator at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, where the family spent many summers. Known for his work on the evolution of behavior in wolves, coyotes, and dogs, he also helped develop a breeding program for Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California, while on sabbatical at the Center for Advanced Studies of Behavioral Sciences in Palo Alto. His many honors include the Dobzhansky Memorial Award of the Behavior Genetics Association. A dedicated mentor to his graduate students, they have remained devoted friends.

His brother, Danny, was killed in action on Iwo Jima in 1945. Benson is survived by his three daughters: Judy Meyer (Harold), Debby Szajnberg, and Faye Ginsburg (Fred Myers), six grandchildren: Daniel Meyer, Joshua Meyer (Michal Skarf), Steven Meyer, Sonia Sundelson (Eli), Lily Szajnberg-Martinez (Nicole), Samantha Myers, and three great grandchildren: Liora, Natan, and Ariel Meyer. The family is deeply grateful to Maureen Kelley, Sarah Stratton-Huber, and Vanessa Badnaz for their amazing support. Donations can be made, In Memory of Benson Ginsburg, to The Dysautonomia Foundation, http://www.familialdysautonomia.org/donate/.

A Graveside Service will be held on Friday, August 19, 2016 at 2:00 PM at Hillel Burial Society Cemetery, Rte. 32, Mansfield, CT. To sign the online memorial book please visit, www.potterfuneralhome.com

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