 |
| Bob Bender (Photo Credit: Sindayiganza) |
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)
I am writing today about Bob Bender, a
dear friend and comrade who passed away this past Sunday. Bob and Patty lived
in Plainfield since the 1960s before retiring to Florida some years ago.
Plainfielders will remember Bob as a fearless social justice activist, advocating
for justice, peace, labor rights, environmental action—causes that affected the
lives of the nation’s (and the world’s) most vulnerable members. As a founding
member of the Solidarity Singers of the
NJ IUC, Bob was always ready to belt out a song in support of progressive
causes. One of my warmest memories is of an evening some years ago when he and Patty joined me and a bunch of our mutual
Plainfield friends for a music jam at my house with ukuleles, guitars, and
other instruments. Bob and Patty brought along a gift, the Rise Up Singing Songbook, from which we all sang and played some
tunes.
 |
| Bob and Patty (Photo Credit: Bender Family) |
I first met Bob when I worked as the
Educational Program Coordinator for the Historical Society of Plainfield back
in 2002. I was hosting “Brown Bag Tuesdays,” a series of film screenings of the
documentary This is Plainfield. Bob
and Patty showed up, bringing popcorn for the audience members. During the
discussion that followed, I learned a great deal about Plainfield’s history
from Bob and Patty, and we became friends as well as allies. That was just the
first of many wonderful days and evenings of breaking bread with the Benders.
In 2003, Bob became an ally as a member of the New Democrats for Plainfield, the grassroots political movement begun
under the late Mayor Al McWilliams. Much of what I learned about grassroots
political organizing came from Bob and Patty, who served as Plainfield
Democratic City Committee members for several years.
 |
| Patty, Dan, & Bob at BLM demonstration in Newark in 2015 (Photo Credit: Nat Bender) |
Most recently, the Benders were active
in the Black Lives Matter Alliance Broward, in Broward County, Florida. Bob’s
letters to the editor on local matters as well as global concerns are a
testament to his life as an activist. I last spoke to Bob this past August,
when he and Patty called to congratulate me on my new role as a freeholder. Bob
was on the mend—he had overcome his bout with cancer, and he was getting back into the
swing of things. So it came as a sad shock to find that he had passed. My heart
goes out to Patty, Nat, Dan, and the entire family. But…Bob has left us with a tremendous
legacy—his life and works, and for that, I am grateful. For those of you who didn’t know Bob,
you have an opportunity to learn about this great Plainfield treasure—before he
left for Florida, Bob donated his archive, which documented his life and
activism with a number of organizations in Plainfield, to the Plainfield Public
Library. You can find the Robert L.
Bender Collection (in English and in Spanish) in the Local History
Department.
The collection, which spans the years 1959-2001, includes Bob’s
papers as a member and volunteer of CORE, NJ SANE/Peace, American Democratic
Action, Plainfield Joint Defense Committee, Children of the Rainbow, the NAACP,
and other organizations.
Although we never
really talked much about religion, and I don’t remember any discussions that we
had about faith, as I reflect on and remember who Bob was, these lines of
scripture from Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy come to mind, which I think are
apt in the secular realm as I pay tribute to my friendship with Bob, and to Bob's great fellowship with the world:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have
kept the faith.”
Yes, you have, Bob.
Your comrade,
Rebecca
