On the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, stands a statue officially known as Beneficence — though everyone simply calls her “Benny.” Over the years, Benny has earned quite the reputation for responding to the thoughts, hopes, and dreams of those who pass by or sit before her — by flapping her wings.
The Ball brothers and their family gifted Ball State the land that would become its campus. The brothers owned a manufacturing business that produced the famous Ball jars used for home canning. They relocated from New York to Muncie in the 1880s in search of a better supply of natural gas, and their business, along with their philanthropic influence, flourished. The Ball Brothers Foundation continues their charitable work to this day.
Beneficence was created as a gesture from the community and the university to honor the Ball family’s generosity. She was sculpted by Daniel Chester French — the same artist behind the Abraham Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial. The statue cost about $50,000 to complete in 1930, though it took another seven years to raise the funds necessary for her installation.
According to Ball State lore, if a couple kisses beneath Benny and she flaps her wings, they are destined to be true lovers. Another tale claims that if a virgin ever crosses her path, Benny will take flight entirely. Myth also suggest that the severed heads of each of the five Ball Brothers rest in individual urns on the top of the respective pillar. These stories, often shared by student guides during freshman orientation, have kept her firmly in the heart of campus folklore.
Today, Beneficence graces the university’s official seal and continues to watch over students — ever vigilant for those in need of guidance in matters of the heart.