I only met Ben once, about half a dozen years ago, but he made an impression on me. I booked a one-hour lesson with him at Quail Lodge; against my protestations he wound up giving me the entire morning, and insisted on buying me lunch afterward. He showed up with his wonderful golf cart full of gadgets and gizmos. Ben spoke very quietly, often in a mumble. He told me that he'd cursed and had his mouth washed out with soap when he was a boy and that that had affected him greatly. But I also think it was his way of getting you to lean in and pay attention. Ben had a gentle spirit and, from what I could tell, he really loved teaching to an uncommon degree. He videotaped part of our lesson--I'll have to go back and watch that some time. Ben was definitely a unique character. I'll miss him.