Overview

Why write a book about my memories of the Benson Hotel? Why not? Over six years of my life was devoted to making sure the Benson Hotel was safe and survived another day, and I was dedicated to doing my best to make sure that happened. Few people are privileged enough to watch the rich and famous when they are out of town and their public is not watching. This included people like Bill Cosby romancing two young girls who appeared underage, plying them with whisky in the lobby lounge and then helping them up to his room via the elevator. This included the musical legend Bob Dylan, who I thought looked like a homeless man in need of a shower. Or the notoriously cranky Waylon Jennings with his black-clad 'good ole boy' security team rivaling that of any US president. They spent their time glaring at people, and avoiding the restaurants --- ordering only room service for all their meals. We at the Benson Were glad when they left. There was the gracious Ella Fitzgerald in the lobby, wearing her comfortable house-slippers, greeting people and talking to them with her typical warmth and heart. There was the spider-like man unfolding himself out of the elevator, Kareem Abdul Jabar, the famous basketball player, always looking like he was in need of a few good meals. There was the adorable singer Gladys Knight, who was barely five feet tall, and how she bragged to a friend about where she was staying, as I stood nearby. ""I'm at the Benson of course!"" she giggled into the telephone receiver, smiling over at me. Don DuPay

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Reviews

Whether it was President Ronald Reagan, a Portland mayor who drank too much or an obese repeat panhandler, Don DuPay never knew who would be entering Portland's iconic Benson Hotel next. As head of hotel security, the former Portland cop was stunned by the hotel's outdated security policies, and by thefts of bed linen, silver serving trays and even foodstuffs from the chef's kitchen. While attacking multiple security problems, DuPay's duties included interactions with famous musicians, athletes and rock stars - not all of which were pleasant. The clear writing in ""Simon's Place: Stories of the Benson Hotel,"" takes you on a fascinating trip deep inside this historic Portland institution. Fred Leeson, author of Rose City Justice: A Legal History of Portland What I enjoy most about this book and Don DuPay's writing is that he has great skill in bringing you back to a specific time and place in Portland's history. Simon's Place: Stories of the Benson Hotel has a great flow that introduces you to interesting characters as it tells the stories of Don's life and the Benson Hotel. Bruce Haney, author of Oregon Moonshine: Bootleggers, Busts & Brawls Master storyteller Don DuPay takes the reader on a no-holds barred excursion-from the roof to the basement-of a major hotel-Portland, Oregon's The Benson-in this exquisitely presented piece of reportage. As the head of security for the hundred-year-old temporary home of celebrities, presidents, athletes and the well-to-do, DuPay experiences violence, theft, drugs, alcohol, out-of-control rock musicians and the ash fallout from an erupting volcano. Robert Crane, author of My UnHollywood Family Don Dupay doesn't just know Portland history-he's lived through it! In these pages, he'll take you on a one-of-a-kind tour of Portland's storied Benson Hotel, replete with intrigue, colorful characters, and enough gritty prose to fill a noir novel. From glamorous guests to the shadowy underbelly of the city, Dupay offers a unique and unforgettable glimpse into the Portland of the past. JB Fisher, author of Echo of Distant Water: The 1958 Disappearance of Portland's Martin Family Simon's Place: Stories of the Benson Hotel, by Don DuPay, is a memorial to the Olde Portland everyone loves to believe they know. People remember a Stumptown of art and creativity going back decades and DuPay does an amazing job of painting that picture, but he also makes sure we see the cracks and the seams. The pages of this book almost turn themselves as we follow the lone security supervisor as he deals with drug dealers, arrogant chefs, aloof celebrities like Bob Dylan, or Ronald Reagan, and immature rock bands, (someone from JOURNEY coldcocked him because DuPay wouldn't let them make sandwiches in the basement kitchen at 4 in the morning). This book is filled with rich histories we should never forget, and it's just a blast to follow in this gum-shoe, Portland pulp narrative. Sean Davis, author of The Wax Bullet War and Oregon Wildland Firefighting: A History Through his signature story-telling style, Dupay-head of security at the Benson Hotel during the last quarter of the previous century-offers a hilarious first-person account of the colorful characters, visiting celebrities, and inside operations inside Portland's most iconic hotel. If you crave historical nonfiction accounts told with wit and wisdom, put this book on your list. Suzy Vitello, author of Faultland and Bitterroot

Author Information

Don DuPay is a longtime writer, and philosopher of life. He was born in Wenatchee, Washington where he spent most of his childhood, later moving to Montana where his parents bought and sold a farm. He settled in Portland, Oregon in 1947 at the age of eleven. DuPay graduated from Grant High School in 1954 where he was an honor student. After high school, DuPay attended Lewis and Clark College for two years before joining the US Navy where he performed top secret radio surveillance on the Baltic Sea, rising to the rank of Cryptographic Technician T-branch E-6. After his Navy service during the Cold War, DuPay joined the Portland Police Bureau in 1961 where he sought to ""make the world a better place by putting bad guys in jail."" He rose to the rank of detective in 1967 at the age of 31, and was later promoted to homicide detective in the 1970s. DuPay eventually resigned from PPB in 1978 under the suggestion of his doctor, who was a close friend. He resigned for documented medical reasons, which included high blood pressure, depression and a bleeding ulcer. In 1980 DuPay became the director of security for the Benson Hotel for several years in the early to middle 1980s. While at the Benson, DuPay was instrumental in changing hotel safety policies that would ensure better safety for customers and for the actual building itself, taking care of fire code violations that had been ignored for decades. In 2017, DuPay finished his college education, graduating from Portland State University with a liberal arts degree. He was honored in the commencement program for being the ""oldest"" graduate of that year. DuPay resides in Portland, Oregon with his wife, author, poet and editor, Theresa Griffin Kennedy, who along with DuPay is a native Portlander.

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