Bennie grew up on the west side of Marion on 9th Street, in an area known as Bucktown. The old Hoggatt house which set on the corner is no longer there. It was razed in 2005 after a tree fell across the roof. A different family lives on the property now in their modern house starting their own story and traditions where the Hoggatt's large garden once grew.
Bennie attended Lincoln Elementary School and graduated from the old Marion High School in 1948. After graduation, he began an apprenticeship as a tool and die journeyman, beginning his career at Peerless in Mathews, and ending as a forman at Chrysler, in Kokomo.
Bennie's wife of nearly thirty years was Ruth Elizabeth Odle. She was born on April 7th, 1929, to Floyd E. Odle and Stella Mae Earnest. They lived a few years in west Marion, but around 1957 Bennie built a house for Ruth on 1404 West 38th Street, where they raised their five children - three daughters and two sons.
One of the fondest memories of Bennie's youngest son, was when his father helped him build a soap box derby car to race in a competition on Valley Avenue in the late 1960s. The Hoggatt team didn't take first place, but it was the day's winner who took them out. Two heats were ran with the winner, the first one ending in a dead heat to the finish line. Pretty respectable, I'd say.
