Part 3/16:
A pivotal moment in Benson’s development was a chance encounter with his future stepfather, Thomas Sera, a handyman and carpenter. At the age of seven, Benson was playing in the street when a man asked for the Benson residence, leading to Benson’s introduction to his stepfather. Benson’s family lived in modest conditions initially—living in a block house behind the Benson Hotel, owned by his grandfather, a hustler named George Washington Benson.