Belle Benchley

Belle Jennings Benchley (August 28, 1882 – December 17, 1973

Personal Belle Jennings was born in Larned, Kansas, in 1882 and moved to San Diego with her family at the age of 5. They settled in the Roseville area of Point Loma, where the local elementary school was located in her parents’ home. She later attended Russ High School (now San Diego High School) and San Diego Normal School (now San Diego State University).

She married William L. Benchley in 1906; they had one child, a son, Edward. They divorced in 1922.

San Diego Zoo After a stint as a school teacher, she was hired in October 1925 by Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth, the president of the Zoological Society of San Diego, to serve as bookkeeper for the San Diego Zoological Garden. In October 1927 she was promoted to the top position in the zoo, that of executive secretary, in which position she served until her retirement in December 1953. Her title was not changed to managing director until the year she retired. transported from British East Africa via freighter, where during their 54 days at sea they were caught in the Hurricane of 1938. The so-called "Hurricane giraffes" were then kept for 16 days at the U.S. Animal Quarantine Station in Athenia, New Jersey and driven cross-country over 14 days via the nascent Lee Highway on a specially customized 1938 International D-40 truck — to the zoo in San Diego. Benchley, the zoo, the quarantine station, the giraffes, and the highway featured prominently in the 2019 novel, West With Giraffes, by Lynda Rutledge.

Recognition Upon her retirement in 1953, the mayor of San Diego proclaimed “Belle Benchley Day” and a retirement dinner was attended by more than 800 people.

In 2007 she was inducted into the San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame.

She was featured by the San Diego Union Tribune in their special 2021 section "Phenomenal Women: Executives and Entrepreneurs".

Benchley died at the age of 91 in November 1973. She is buried in Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego, where her gravestone features a carving of a smiling gorilla drawn by her granddaughter, Laurel.