Benjamin Fine
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Fine was an American journalist and author. He worked at The New York Times
from 1938 to 1958. Fine was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts and died while on vacation in Puson, South Korea.
and Rhode Island
. It was Rhode Island where he began his college education, he received his Bachelor's Degree in 1928 from Rhode Island State College. In 1933 he received a Master of Science from Columbia University
's Graduate School of Journalism. His education continued at Columbia where, in 1935, he earned another Master's Degree and a Ph.D in 1941. Fine also held seven honorary degrees; they were bestowed by Bryant College, Rhode Island State College, Yeshiva University
, and the University of Toledo
.
"for the most distinguished and meritorious public service rendered by an American newspaper during the year."
On September 4, 1957, while covering the attempt at desegregation at Little Rock Central High School, Fine famously sat down beside a lonely and scared Elizabeth Eckford
and sympathetically said "don't let them see you cry." Fine was one of two whites at the scene that day who is said to have helped Eckford in some way. The other was Grace Lorch
, the wife of a professor who helped her get on board a bus and get away.
's 1955 testimony about Communists in the media before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee. Fine was subpoenaed by the subcommittee in Nov. 1955. He testified in January 1956.
Fine cooperated with the Senate panel calling his one year membership in the Communist Party from 1935 to 1936 while he was a student at Columbia University's Teachers College. He told the subcommittee that his advice to young people today would be "keep away from anyone who talks the Communist line to you on the campus."
The committee chair, Senator James Eastland
complimented Fine for his candor and called him "a fine citizen." Fine's appearance prompted Senator Thomas Hennings of Missouri to criticize the subcommittee. He objected "strenuously" that Fine was on public display after his "full disclosures in executive session."
His appearance also explained his brother's, David Fine, appearance two days earlier. David Fine was a New York movie exhibitor specializing in Russian films. He was the only non-newspaper witness.
, in Long Island, where he stayed until 1971. It was in 1971 that he founded Horizon School for Gifted Children in Key Biscayne
, Florida; the job he left Sands Point for. Fine retired from Horizon in 1974. An award is named for him at the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Benjamin Fine died May 16, 1975. He was 69 years old at the time of his death.
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
from 1938 to 1958. Fine was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts and died while on vacation in Puson, South Korea.
Early years
Benjamin Fine was born September 1, 1905 and spent his youth in MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. It was Rhode Island where he began his college education, he received his Bachelor's Degree in 1928 from Rhode Island State College. In 1933 he received a Master of Science from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's Graduate School of Journalism. His education continued at Columbia where, in 1935, he earned another Master's Degree and a Ph.D in 1941. Fine also held seven honorary degrees; they were bestowed by Bryant College, Rhode Island State College, Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
, and the University of Toledo
University of Toledo
The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...
.
Career
Fine began a twenty year career at the New York Times in 1938, where he started as an education reporter. By 1941 he had been named education editor, a position he retained for 17 years. In 1944 his series of articles on the teaching of history in American high schools and colleges won the paper the Pulitzer PrizePulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
"for the most distinguished and meritorious public service rendered by an American newspaper during the year."
On September 4, 1957, while covering the attempt at desegregation at Little Rock Central High School, Fine famously sat down beside a lonely and scared Elizabeth Eckford
Elizabeth Eckford
Elizabeth Eckford was one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who, in 1957, were the first black students ever to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The integration came as a result of Brown v...
and sympathetically said "don't let them see you cry." Fine was one of two whites at the scene that day who is said to have helped Eckford in some way. The other was Grace Lorch
Grace Lorch
Grace Lonergan Lorch was a teacher and civil rights activist best known for her work as a white escort for the Little Rock Nine....
, the wife of a professor who helped her get on board a bus and get away.
Senate testimony
During his tenure as editor at the Times he was implicated by Winston BurdettWinston Burdett
Winston Burdett was an American broadcast journalist and correspondent for the CBS Radio Network during World War II and later for CBS television news. He was born in Buffalo, New York. From 1937-1942 he was involved with the Communist Party...
's 1955 testimony about Communists in the media before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee. Fine was subpoenaed by the subcommittee in Nov. 1955. He testified in January 1956.
Fine cooperated with the Senate panel calling his one year membership in the Communist Party from 1935 to 1936 while he was a student at Columbia University's Teachers College. He told the subcommittee that his advice to young people today would be "keep away from anyone who talks the Communist line to you on the campus."
The committee chair, Senator James Eastland
James Eastland
James Oliver Eastland was an American politician from Mississippi who briefly served in the United States Senate as a Democrat in 1941; and again from 1943 until his resignation December 27, 1978. From 1947 to 1978, he served alongside John Stennis, also a Democrat...
complimented Fine for his candor and called him "a fine citizen." Fine's appearance prompted Senator Thomas Hennings of Missouri to criticize the subcommittee. He objected "strenuously" that Fine was on public display after his "full disclosures in executive session."
His appearance also explained his brother's, David Fine, appearance two days earlier. David Fine was a New York movie exhibitor specializing in Russian films. He was the only non-newspaper witness.
Later years
Fine resigned as education editor at the Times in 1958 to accept the position of Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Yeshiva University, a position he relinquished in 1960. In 1962 Fine took a job as Headmaster of Sands Point Country Day SchoolSands Point Country Day School
Sands Point Country Day School was an elementary and high school located in Sands Point, New York, from 1954 to 1974. The school was started by Marie L...
, in Long Island, where he stayed until 1971. It was in 1971 that he founded Horizon School for Gifted Children in Key Biscayne
Key Biscayne
Key Biscayne is an island located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. It is the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida, and lies south of Miami Beach and southeast of Miami...
, Florida; the job he left Sands Point for. Fine retired from Horizon in 1974. An award is named for him at the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Benjamin Fine died May 16, 1975. He was 69 years old at the time of his death.
Honors
- 1944: Pulitzer Prize for public service reporting (award went to New York Times for his reporting)
- 1948: George Polk AwardsGeorge Polk AwardsThe George Polk Awards in Journalism are a series of American journalism awards presented annually by Long Island University in New York in the United States.-History:...
Works
- Democratic Education (1945)
- Our Children are Cheated - the Crisis in American Education (1947)
- Educational Publicity (1943)
- Fine's American College Counselor and Guide (1955)
- 1,000,000 Delinquents (1955)
- The School Administrator and the Press (1956)
- How to be Accepted by the College of your Choice (1957)
- The School Administrator and his Publications (1957)
- How to Get the Best Education for Your Child (1959)
- The Modern Family Guide to Education (1962)
- Teaching Machines (1962)
- Stretching Their Minds (1964)
- How to Get Money for College (1964)
- Barron's Profiles of American Colleges (1964)
- Your Child and School (1965)
- Underachievers - How They Can be Helped (1967)
- The Stranglehold of the I.Q. (1975)
External links
- University of Rhode Island profile
- Time Magazine article, January 16, 1956
- New York Times article: by Benjamin Fine January 30, 1949