Benjamin M. Ashcom, GRD’74, a former faculty member in the College of Arts & Sciences and in the Graduate School of Education and a board member of the Graduate School of Education and the Penn Museum, died on May 5. He was 89.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, to two professors at Wayne State University, Dr. Ashcom graduated from the University of Michigan, then came to Penn to earn a graduate degree in archaeology. While at Penn, he discovered a fascination with Maslovian psychology and its influence on education, and eventually earned his doctorate from the Graduate School of Education in 1974. While at Penn, Dr. Ashcom served as an assistant instructor of history in the College of Arts & Science and as a lecturer in the Graduate School of Education.

After earning his doctorate, Dr. Ashcom taught education at Harvard University and Antioch University. He then served as chief operating officer of American Health Systems, Inc. for 13 years and as president of Healthcare America for 12 years. He remained a dedicated member of the Penn community, serving as a Charles E. Merrill Fellow in the Wharton School and as a member of the Graduate School of Education’s Board of Advisors. Starting in 2011, he was a member of Penn Museum’s Board of Advisors, serving on the board’s education committee and developing interactive curricula for student tours of the museum’s Classical and Egyptian Galleries. Dr. Ashcom also served as a docent for the museum’s Etruscan and Roman galleries and was a member of the museum’s Sphinx Circle and Loren Eiseley Leadership Giving Program. 

After his retirement, Dr. Ashcom consulted in the design and construction of fourteen Abbott-New Jersey Supreme Court-mandated schools and secured the required $375 million construction cost for three demonstration schools. He was also a longtime season pass holder of the Philadelphia Orchestra. 

Dr. Ashcom is survived by his wife, Jane N. Ashcom; his son, Jonathan Benjamin Ashcom; two step-sons, Nathan David Balsham and William Frank Balsham; three granddaughters: Darcy Jane Balsham, Samantha Kelly Balsham, and Jessica Frances Balsham; a brother, Charles Ashcom; and two nieces, Julia Ashcom and Genevieve Ashcom King.