Dr. Ben Furlong was born in 1931 and raised in South Georgia until 1948 when he moved to Tempe with his family. He graduated from Tempe Union High School in 1949. In 1952, Ben graduated from Arizona State College at Tempe with a degree in Elementary Education. He taught for nine years at Sunnyslope School and at Franklin and Lincoln schools in Mesa. In 1961, he became the founding principal of Whittier Elementary School in northwest Mesa. Two years later, he was appointed Director of Elementary Schools for the Mesa Public Schools.
In the meantime, Ben earned a master’s degree in Elementary Education and in 1967 was awarded a Doctor of Education Degree in Administration and Supervision. He was instrumental in the founding of the Mesa Historical and Archaeological Society, Inc. Ben has enjoyed a long-held interest in local history. He authored “The History of Kyrene.” He interviewed many of the pioneers of Kyrene and collected their stories.
Shortly after receiving his Doctorate, Ben was appointed Superintendent of the Casa Grande Elementary Schools, a position he held for four years. Ben then served as Superintendent of the Kyrene School District from 1972 until retiring in 1987. The Kyrene School District grew more than eleven-fold during his tenure.
Ben has pursued many of his personal and professional interests during his retirement—cabinet building, teaching graduate classes for Northern Arizona University, and pursuing political issues, both state and national. Ben and his family have lived in South Tempe for 25 years.