Walter P. Benesch, 33°
Biography
Immediate Past President, GWMSC (President 1991–2014, 2016–2020), Maryland
After earning his undergraduate degree, the author returned to the city of his birth, where he worked as a cab driver and a youth service worker, serving in many roles in Harlem and the South Bronx. During this time, he also became the live-in caretaker to Nim Chimpsky, the sign-language chimpanzee at Columbia University, after completing his first master’s degree in anthropology. He then went to Boston University for an additional master’s degree, which led to his career in Washington, D.C. The author retired from the Department of Homeland Security as a senior program manager and program professional instructor. This came after a career in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he headed many significant efforts, including serving as the initial compiler of the DoD Y2K Management Plan, which led to briefing many DoD components, professional groups, and a NATO subcommittee on the challenges Y2K presented.
He served on a Human Factors Technical Advisory Group that included DoD, the Federal Aviation Administration, and NASA, where he served on the board and as head of the Human Computer Interface subgroup. He has been a Mason for over 50 years, active in both York and Scottish Rites, and continues to be an active member of various Masonic bodies in the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. He has authored numerous articles and presentations, including for Sapere Aude, which has posted many of his talks on YouTube — including a talk on who he feels is the most unsung hero of the last century, Josephine Baker. He currently lives in Maryland with his second wife, Charlene.
Books & Publications
Walter has authored several books, available on Amazon:
Presentations
Walter has authored and delivered numerous presentations on Masonic history and philately, including: