Dr. Vic Powell said Wabash men have been painting the bench at least since he came to the College - 67 years ago. This freshman continues this tradition, while coming dangerously close to doing what freshmen ought not to - sitting on the bench. (1948)
On any given fall morning, much of the Wabash population will stroll into, around or beside Center Hall and glance at the hallowed senior bench, studying the paint coats that will only briefly cover it.
Like many traditions at Wabash, painting the senior bench has become a subconscious duty, something fraternity pledges and freshmen independents do simply because they “always” have. Whichever group has painted the bench on that particular day takes pride in seeing their colors adorn it, wondering at the same time what tomorrow’s bench will look like.
Like several faculty and staff members, classics professor Jeremy Hartnett ’96 has witnessed bench paintings as both a student and an employee of the College.
We painted it before the first home football game in the fall of 1992,” Hartnett said. “The goal was to have it painted in your colors as long as you could.”
Hartnett also remarked that the idea of painting the bench at times other than Homecoming is a more recent phenomenon. Last spring, for instance, the language interns painted the bench to express thanks for their experience at Wabash.
The Senior Bench (officially the Thompson Memorial Seat) was dedicated in 1905 to three men carrying the Thompson name - one being Samuel Steele Thompson, one of the twelve original students of Wabash College. (circa 1910)
“The bench didn’t seem to have quite the same year-round importance as it does now,” Hartnett said. “It wasn’t really an emotional center-point where students and faculty could express triumph, grief, thanks, etc. Also, I don’t think bench-painting was as coordinated then. It was a bit more stealthy and informal than it is now.”
While the tradition has certainly evolved over the years in different ways, painting the bench has always been an activity of camaraderie and enjoyment for freshmen through the ages. Professor of Rhetoric Emeritus Vic Powell, who arrived at the college in 1947, said that freshmen have been painting for as long as he can remember.
“I’ve been here 67 years, and it seems that each fall the fraternities have done it,” Powell said. “Each fraternity would paint and guard the bench. It seems it’s always been a tradition.”
Hartnett echoed the idea that the main objective of painting the bench has remained constant. “Regardless of house or era, it is clearly something fun to do and it brings students together,” Hartnett said.
If the practice of painting the bench dates back at least to the 40’s, the concept that the bench belonged to the seniors is older still. Proof of this is the now dismantled junior fence, which was erected in the 1910’s.
“The junior fence sat between Center and Peck (on the site where Hays is now),” said the College’s archivist Beth Swift. “Every year on Class day, the bench and the fence would be passed on to the rising junior and senior classes, respectively. And class day was a pretty darn big celebration. The closest remnants of it are probably the Sphinx Club award chapel.”
Over the years, Wabash men have had many reasons to paint the bench - some more obvious than others. (circa 1970)
While its brother the fence is long disappeared, the senior bench has weathered unfathomable amounts of paint, blowtorching and power-washing paint removal processes, as well as a century of daily wear and tear. But still legible on the bench’s three rectangular panels are deep inscriptions which are dominated by one family name: Thomson.
The Thomson Memorial Seat, better known as the senior bench, was dedicated in 1905 by Col. Chester G. Thomson, whose name is in the central panel. To the left are the names of three of his ancestors: the brothers John and James Thomson, two founders of the College in 1832, and Samuel Steele Thomson, one of the original 12 students of the College and a Wabash Latin professor for 39 years. To the right are still more relatives: Alexander, a trustee for 55 years, and his sons Henry, a chemistry professor, and Everett, a librarian.
Most students who paint the bench probably don’t take the time to study these inscriptions, as they refer to people who attended the college more than a century ago. However, a modern link to the bench is closer than most probably realize.
The tradition of a symbol for upperclassmen dates back to at least the early 20th Century. The now dismantled Junior Fence, was passed onto the rising junior and senior classes during Class day. (circa 1910)
This weekend, Wabash will celebrate the life of Dick Ristine ’41. One of the most esteemed graduates of Wabash, Ristine served as Lieutenant Governor of Indiana and as chairman of the Wabash Board of Trustees. But it is not only his lifelong service that links Ristine to the College: he is a direct descendant of Samuel Steele Thomson, one of Caleb Mills’ first students.
So the next few times you pass the Thomson Memorial Seat, look past the freshest coat of paint and consider the history of not only the bench, but its relevance to the College’s history as well. The Thomson’s were a key family in the College’s infancy in the 19th century, and the Ristines gave more than their share of gifts, both monetary and intangible, to the college in the 20th and 21st.
The bench is a monument to gratitude, not just a quirky piece of outdoor furniture. Along with the Thomsons and the Ristines, the bench honors Wabash men who went above and beyond and gave a part of themselves to the College.
Could there be a better way tointroduce incoming freshmen to the College, getting them involved in its culture, than to paint the bench?
Pictures courtesy of the Ramsay Archives.
This story originally appeared in the Bachelor (9/11/09).
This post was submitted by Peter Robbins ’12.
As a folklorist and as a Wabash man I had the privelage to look at the act of painting the bench as a ritual for a class on folk belief. There are some very interesting symbolic elements to bench painting. First is the act of painting. This mirrors the way the bench is used to help create bonds. A group creates a temporary monument together which is reflected in the act of painting. Second is the concrete bench itself. The bench is made of concrete much as the bench cements relationships between Wabash, pledge-class or group. Third is the way the bench expresses emotion. Nothing says I am a ________ better than painting it out for the world to see. The bench has numerous ritualistic elements and a number of truly interesting parallels to rituals across the world. If anyone wants they can email me for further information and I will send them my paper.