My paternal grandfather, John Reynolds Bender, attended Wittenberg University in the early 1930s. My mom attended in the late 1950s, and the tradition continued when I graduated from Wittenberg in 1986. This picture of grandpa is from the 1934 WU yearbook.
John Bender became a Lutheran Minister. He served as an Army Chaplain during World War II from 1944 to 1945. He returned to active duty in 1948 and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1964. Upon retirement, he started a new congregation at Ascension Lutheran Church in Montgomery, Ohio.
This trunk (circa 1930) carried my grandfather’s belongings when he went to Wittenberg. First, my grandmother and then my mom held onto this trunk. For 90+ years, it’s been in our family.
On my last visit with my parents, mom encouraged me to bring it home with me.
The leather handles are long gone. The wood is fragile and shows remnants of multiple layers of paper lining. I treated the outside with a couple of coats of Antique Oil Finish and topped it with a piece of glass. It now sits between these chairs in my living room, a reminder of both family and tradition.
What a wonderful way to keep the memories alive.