Seddon Bennington

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Seddon Leonard Bennington (8 October 1947 – c. 11 July 2009) was a New Zealand museum

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1994 until 2002.[1]

Biography

Early life

Bennington was born in

New Zealand Prime Minister Richard Seddon, whom they admired for his efforts to benefit working class New Zealanders.[2]


Bennington attended Hanmer Springs Primary School, Culverden District High School and Shirley Boys' High School. He credited a teacher at Culverden with introducing him to biology, his favourite subject. An art teacher also took him and other students on a birdwatching trip to Kapiti Island when he was in seventh grade, and the trip left him with a lifelong appreciation for art and nature.[2]

Bennington joined the

Western Samoa in 1966.[1] He then returned to New Zealand to study across the arts and sciences, and during this time also worked as a teacher.[2]

He obtained his doctorate in

New Zealand history, Māori studies, art history and anthropology.[1]

Bennington had two sons, Emile and Marcel.

Early career

Bennington was appointed the head of the

Perth, Australia, and the Division of Professional Services at the Western Australian Museum.[4] He wrote a book entitled Handbook for Small Museums while living and working in Australia.[2]

Kamin Science Center

Bennington became the director of the Kamin Science Center, formerly the Carnegie Science Center, in Pittsburgh in 1994.[1] He is credited with reviving the science centre and making the institution financially stable.[4]

Bennington joined the Kamin Science Center at the height of the museum's financial and attendance problems. The museum, which opened a new building in Pittsburgh's

UPMC SportsWorks complex.[4]

Bennington became a fixture within Pittsburgh's cultural and artistic communities during his nine-year tenure as director of the museum, and volunteered with the city's theatre and art groups.[4]

The reforms which he brought to the center proved popular with the general public and it became the most popular museum of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh during his term as director, and continued to be the most visited museum of the Carnegie system in July 2009.[4]

Bennington left the Carnegie Science Museum in late 2002 to become director the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.[4]

Te Papa

Bennington sought to emphasise and redefine Te Papa's strengths to the public during his six years as the museum's head. He worked with staff to create exhibits which would grab the audience's attention saying, "I want our

exhibitions to be richer in things and richer in information."[2]

One of the highlights of his tenure was the opening of the "

Impressionists" exhibition at Te Papa in early 2009. The travelling exhibit, featuring Monet's masterpieces, arrived at Te Papa following two years of negotiations with the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. Bennington noted at the time, "It's the most significant collection of works by Monet that will ever have come to New Zealand or Australia. It's certainly the most valuable exhibition that has come to New Zealand."[2]

Death

Bennington and a long-time family friend,

tramping" (hiking) in the Tararua Range on the North Island of New Zealand on 11 July 2009.[5] Authorities were alerted[6] after they failed to return from a weekend of tramping.[5]

They had planned to hike from

Otaki Forks to Kime Hut within the Tararua Range, but were caught in a sudden winter southerly storm on Saturday, 11 July, on an exposed section of the Tararuas. Their bodies were recovered on 15 July 2009, four days after they went missing. Both had died from hypothermia. Bennington was 61 years old.[7]

Memorial service

A memorial service and

kahu kiwi (kiwi feather coats) as a sign of respect. One of the kiwi cloaks had been used for the tangi, or funeral, of the former prime minister, Richard Seddon, in 1906. The cloak was significant not only because Bennington was named after the Prime Minister, but also because Bennington had personally accepted the cloak from the Seddon family as a donation to Te Papa. The second cloak was originally from Tuhoe, where Bennington spent time during his younger years. The third kiwi cloak used to cover Bennington's coffin had been used previously to repatriate the remains of New Zealanders who died abroad back to their homeland. Bennington's funeral was held on 22 July 2009, at the marae at Te Papa in Wellington.[7]

References

  1. ^
    New Zealand Herald
    . 15 July 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  2. ^
    Stuff Ltd. Archived from the original
    on 18 July 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  3. ^ Some aspects of the biology and distribution of Amphibola crenata (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) : with special reference to possible effects of pollution from sewage outfalls
  4. ^ a b c d e f McNulty, Timothy (16 July 2009). "Ex-science center chief dies on hike in New Zealand". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  5. ^ a b Callick, Rowan (18 July 2009). "Museum boss dies in snow". The Australian. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  6. Dominion Post
    . Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  7. ^ a b Newton, Katherine (17 July 2009). "Te Papa offers help with funeral". The Dominion Post. Stuff Ltd. Retrieved 11 August 2009.


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