With sad hearts, we share the news that David L. Benson, vice chair of the IDRA Board of Directors, passed away June 23, 2025. He was a man of hope and determination for justice.
“I have profound gratitude for David’s almost 15 years of service to the IDRA Board and for his broader commitment to social and educational justice,” said IDRA President & CEO Celina Moreno, J.D. “David was truly one of a kind and one of the most good-natured people I’ve ever encountered. We miss him deeply.”
The Honorable Juventino “Tino” Guerra, IDRA board chair, said: “An excellent and compelling storyteller, David enjoyed life to the fullest. With his wife, Helen Berger, he gave of himself in so many endeavors to the underserved children and people of this world. David was especially proud of the service he and Helen had done in setting up a school for children in Acapulco. And as a board member since 2011, David was an invaluable asset to IDRA. I already miss him. Until we meet again, my friend.”
For 26 years, David L. Benson served as the director of programs and special projects in the Office of the Harris County Commissioner for Precinct One in Houston. Since his retirement from that post in 2016, he continued his more than 40 years of public service by participating on boards that address a wide range of educational, social, health and environmental issues including the Rothko Chapel, the Hermann Park Conservancy, the Ryan White Council, the Baylor College of Medicine Teen Clinic, Houston Preparatory Academy, Wonderworks at the University of Houston, and Target Hunger – all in Houston.
Mr. Benson received his B.A. degree from the University of Houston where he was awarded the Joseph S. Werlin Fellowship for Academic Achievement. Also, he was a doctoral fellow in comparative sociology in the Departments of Sociology and Psychiatry at Michigan State University and achieved advanced study in sociology at the New School for Social Research.
In the 1970s and 1980s, he served as a social worker for the State of Texas in the areas of civil rights and protective services for the elderly and disabled. In 1989, he was chosen as Mental Health Professional Leader of the Year by the Houston-based Coalition for Mental Illness Awareness, and the Houston Mayor declared October 7, 1992, as David L. Benson Day. From 1993 until 2000, he served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities in Austin. In 2015, he was honored for his contribution to education in Mexico by the Justo Sierra Institute for Superior Studies.
Mr. Benson delivered presentations and papers in Austria, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Cuba, Canada, Mexico and the United States on the global need for and development of quality educational opportunities for all children. He was a decorated Vietnam combat veteran.
David passed away peacefully at home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Helen by his side after a perfect day that he planned for them and fully enjoyed.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the David L. Benson Memorial Education Fund, in care of Houston Preparatory Academy by mail (3262 Westheimer Road #321, Houston, Texas 77098) or Zelle.
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