We met during freshman week in 1964. We saw each other daily before we actually met as we had three classes together – western civilization, psychology and religion.
One day after our western civilization class, as we were cutting across the campus behind Myers Hall, I slipped, and Ken came to my rescue. (Ken thinks I slipped on purpose!) After that, we were together for most of our four years and were married in a blizzard in Cleveland, Ohio, on Dec. 28, 1968. We just recently celebrated our 49th anniversary.
Wittenberg has been central in our lives for almost 50 years. We were so fortunate to raise a family, work, live and play in a supportive educational community of faculty, staff, administrators and, of course, the wonderful students and alumni of the university.
We both feel we have been able to make a difference in the lives we have touched especially through my teaching, counseling and supervision of our future teachers and through Ken’s passion for recruiting and bringing students to Wittenberg. In our later careers, we were both able to engage or bring back many of our alumni into the Wittenberg family. Additionally, Springfield has been a great partner in Wittenberg’s success and our family’s happiness.
Ken and Patricia Richmond Benne
Class of 1968