Hi. My name is Allen Benson. I live in West Lafayette, Indiana. I used to live in Massachusetts. And before that North Carolina. And before that Georgia. And before that Virginia. And before that South Carolina. And a few other temporary places in-between. But anyway...

Let's get the basics out of the way. I was born in 1961 in Williamsport, Indiana. My parents are Dave and Peg Benson. We lived in Independence, which I think according to the latest census has a population of about 200. It is located in Warren County, on the banks of the Wabash River, just like the song.

Our Dad, David Warren Benson, was a farmer. And I was a farmer's son. I have driven tractors since I was very young. In fact, I farmed with our Dad until after I graduated from Purdue in 1984 and moved to Myrtle Beach. Also, I raised hogs and cattle, and was in 4-H. When I was a kid, David Letterman was host of a local television program called "Clover Power", where his guests were kids in 4-H who brought their animals and other projects on. I remember thinking, as a very young kid, "Hey...he's making fun of them!" Some things never change.

I have a sister named Carolyn, who is older than me, but she'll see this so I'm not going to say how much older. She is married to Bill Hail, and they live in Virginia. They have a son named David, who lives in Newnan, Georgia. David's wife is Sarah. My brother, who is also older than me (but most people think it's the other way around) is Ted Benson, and he lives in Plainfield, Indiana. Both Ted and Carolyn graduated from Pine Village High School. Ted has a daughter named Sara Suzanne (some know her as Suzi) and she is married to Patrick Kendall. Sara & Patrick live in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. They have a little boy named Samuel, and a daughter named Shaelin. I also have a stepmother Shirley Moore. She lives just north of Independence, Indiana. She has four sons -- David, Mark, Adam and Rob.

Way back when, I went to kindergarden through third grade at Rainsville School (in Rainsville, Indiana). It's no longer there, because a tornado damaged it to the point they finally tore it down. Then, I moved up to the big time, and attended fourth through eighth grade at Pine Village.

"The Thinker"

A boy and his dog.