Benton City Students Honor Late Coach/Teacher With Oregon Duck Colors

The small town of Benton City is mourning the loss of a very special Teacher and Wrestling Coach, Ben Hill, who passed away early Monday Morning from heart failure at the age of 56.

With graduation only days away, you would expect to walk into the high school and see it dripping with blue and white "Bear Pride" but that isn't the case. Instead it is saturated in bright green and yellow colors!! Those are the colors of the college football team, The Oregon Ducks.

Mr. Hill was a HUGE Oregon Ducks fan and he wore the colors proudly and often! It was rare you would see Ben without some sort of Ducks shirt or hat on! In honor of Mr. Hill, Nakitta Gilliland, a senior at Ki-Be High school, along with a group of other seniors took it upon themselves to decorate the school in bright yellow and green colors in his memory.

Students have decorated walls, windows, fences, sidewalks and even their spirit rock is stamped with a giant "O" (symbolizing the Oregon Ducks) and covered in yellow and green!

Ben made a huge impact in this small community and it definitely shows. He will be missed by so many. There is a Celebration Of Life planned this Sunday June 3rd at Noon at Kiona-Benton High School and the public is welcome.