Getting up at 4 a.m. to get to school by 7 a.m. was a multi-step process for Chris Benjamin.

His folks divorced, he went to live with his dad, but wanted to continue to attend high school in his old neighborhood.

That meant:

  • Riding his bike
  • To take the "Tri-Met"
  • To take the "Max" train in Portland
  • To then run to make the bell at Reynolds High School

The exhausting routine was repeated each night — when Chris would leave school at 7 p.m. after sports, choir, and musical practices.

Three hours back home, arriving usually between 10 p.m.–midnight — in the dark, the Portland rain, and winter freezing temperatures.

Six-plus hours of travel time to get to a safe place of learning and growth.

This continued each school day for his senior year of high school — until two educators, who noted Chris become sicker and sicker from his grueling schedule, generously offered:

"Would you like to come spend your senior year with us?"

A Difficult Childhood

Chris loves his biological family very much. But life was hard.

Before moving in with his father for a period — many times, due to certain situations, he didn't feel safe to come home.

Oftentimes there was nowhere to sleep — many times it was a bench where he had to lay his head, or he would stay up throughout the night.

Above all, Chris kept his experience quiet and persevered through all the trials and pain. He feared if he shared his story, he would get "put in the system" — separated from those he knew and loved, including three siblings.

Food insecurities led him to hide meager bits of food to help give him the strength to get to high school — where a hot lunch, mentors, and people who saw Chris' potential and promise gave him the foundation to keep going.

A Loudspeaker Announcement That Changed Everything

In a high school the size of Reynolds (3,200 kids, 638 in Chris' class) — it was difficult to juggle lots of extracurricular activities, especially given Chris' travel time to and from school.

He was already a wrestler and track-and-field star.

Then one day, over the loudspeaker, he heard an announcement that would change his life.

The school was seeking National Anthem singers for all the sports activities they hosted.

Chris remembers vividly thinking:

"Cool!"

He sought out the choir room — saying to himself, "we got a choir room here?"

There, in a room where he would eventually end up spending hundreds of hours in his high-school career, he sang the National Anthem for choir teachers Karen Bohart and Ryan Lee for the very first time.

"Why Aren't You in My Choir?"

"They sat in total silence and just stared at me. I wondered if I had messed up the words. And then Ms. Bohart spoke — 'Why aren't you in my choir?'" — Chris

Music hooked Chris. It brought everything into focus.

By the second semester:

  • He sang in the school's top two choirs
  • He starred in his first musical in the demanding leading role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables

These achievements were even more monumental in that Chris could not read music.

But patient, invested instructors took the time to teach him — fueling not only his love for music but polishing his God-given gifts as an extraordinary tenor.

A Calling to Klamath Falls

Fast forward to 2016 — when he was working at Rosa Parks Elementary in Portland with children with special needs.

He was encouraged to use his musical gifts more fully and apply for a choir teacher position that would serve both Henley High School and Middle School.

It was a big job, a big jump, and one which he felt he was trained for, ready for, and exhilarated by.

As part of his interview, he sang for the school district committee — and got the job.

Mr. B at Henley

By 2018, Mr. B had been at Henley almost two years — known throughout the school for his musical leadership, his coaching, and the warmth he brought to every interaction.

Then in December 2018, another moniker would bless him: "dad" to Andrew — a then eighth grader seeking parental oversight, safe and reliable living, and guidance as high school was fast approaching.

A Christmas Holiday Trial Run

Mr. B talked to Andrew's mom and told her that the Christmas holiday break might be a good trial run to see about the prospect of Andrew living with and being supported by him.

It would be demanding indeed — as Chris' life was very full.

He is:

  • Artistic Director for the Klamath Symphony Orchestra
  • Sings in the Klamath Chorale
  • Head coach for Henley High School's JV Football Team
  • Assistant coach for the Varsity
  • On the Board of the American Choral Directors Association
  • Interim Music Minister and an Elder at his church, Free Will Church of God & Christ in Klamath Falls
  • Youth President for Oregon's First Jurisdiction Church of God & Christ

Despite the many commitments, Chris truly wanted to see if this could work — if he and Andrew could make a home together.

A Permanent Arrangement

The trial period went splendidly.

The arrangement soon became permanent — and the duo learned to live, work, and go to school together.

Together, they share a love of:

  • Cooking
  • Movie watching
  • Music
  • Yard work
  • Video games
  • Reading devotions
  • Their church

Natasha — Building a Life Together

Also in their life is Chris' special girl, Natasha, who lives in Eugene.

They met through a church conference and are working to build a life together — for now, long distance.

Both Natasha and Chris appreciate Andrew and his many wonderful qualities.

"Andrew is such a great kid — he has never been hard to deal with. His mother is a wonderful woman, still very much a part of our lives. She never wanted to be disconnected from her son's daily life — and we've worked to make sure she stays connected." — Chris

That kind of respectful, inclusive co-parenting — where Chris is the daily caregiver while Andrew's biological mother remains genuinely connected — is one of the most beautiful arrangements an informal family-of-choice can produce.

What Makes Chris' Story Important

For Klamath Basin readers, Chris Benjamin's story carries multiple layers of meaning:

A Father's Day Reframe

Fatherhood isn't only biological. Some of the most consequential father figures in our communities are mentors, coaches, teachers, and friends who showed up for kids whose own fathers couldn't or didn't.

Music as Salvation

For a struggling teenager in Portland, music — and the teachers who saw his gift — opened the path that led him to Klamath Falls, to Henley, to community symphony leadership, and to raising a young man as his own.

The Multiplier Effect

Chris is now in the position those Reynolds choir teachers were once in — noticing students who need an adult, offering a safe place, being the difference between a child's struggle and a child's flourishing.

Klamath as Home

For a Portland kid who slept on benches and rode the Max to chase his education, Klamath Falls became home — the place where his gifts found their full expression and where he became a father.

To Andrew

A note to Andrew as he grows into adulthood: the basin sees you. You have a father in Chris Benjamin who loves you, supports you, and is investing in your future with full intention. Make him proud — and make yourself proud.

Thank You

To Chris Benjamin — for the example you set every day at Henley, with the Klamath Symphony, on the football field, in your church, and at home with Andrew.

To Andrew's mother — for sharing your son with someone who loves him as his own.

To Natasha — for embracing Andrew alongside Chris and being part of this growing family.

To the Reynolds choir teachers Karen Bohart and Ryan Lee — wherever you are — your investment in a kid who couldn't read music is now investing in another generation of Klamath Basin kids. Thank you.

Happy Father's Day, Mr. B. The basin is grateful you're here.