Historical December 1993 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Ray, Joan, and John Breun would like to thank all the members of the Skinker-DeBaliviere Neighborhood for their many kindnesses during this time right after the discovery of the body of Ben Breun in the Mississippi. Ben had left for work on Thursday, October 7.
He never made it.
His car was found stripped in an alley in North St. Louis on October 22.
His body was found in the river by a passing tugboat operator on October 24, badly decomposed to the point it could only be identified by dental records.
We miss Ben a great deal, and this time after his murder has been difficult, eased by the support of St. Roch Parish and the residents of this neighborhood, relatives, and friends.
A memorial fund was established at St. Roch Parish & School: the B.E.N. Fund (Best Education in the Neighborhood). Memorials to the fund have already come from Arizona to Wisconsin. Ben received an outstanding education at St. Roch.
He eventually volunteered in the Archives at the Old Courthouse where he was published under the title: Finding Aid to the Mechanics’ Institute of St. Louis Records, ca. 1830-1894.
This book is catalogued in the Library of Congress with a publication date of 1989.
He also volunteered in the curatorial division of the St. Louis Science Center in their Maps project.
In the summer between high school and college he was involved in an archaeological dig under the aegis of the University of Sheffield, England, among third century Roman ruins in south central France. Ben has left whatever mark he will make. Through the B.E.N. Fund perhaps others can be encouraged to do similar and even more successful ventures of an intellectual kind.
A number of SkinkerDeBaliviere neighbors have made memorials to this fund and we hope it will grow over time. We, his parents and brother, are very grateful for all the support this neighborhood has shown.
We hope out of this uncivilized event can come something to support the kind of civilization Ben stood for.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, December 1993.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1993_12.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
