Pletcher, Bender Honored With Champions Of Character Awards
GOSHEN – Goshen College alumni Ken Pletcher (’70) and Alice Gunden Bender (’80) received the 2015 Dr. Roman Gingerich and Dr. Ruth Gunden Champion of Character awards Friday morning as part of a special Homecoming Weekend convocation.
Since 2005, the Maple Leaf Athletic Club has presented the awards annually to one male and one female they feel are great examples of the college’s core values in their own lives through their work in their occupations and communities. The awards are named after Gingerich and Gunden, who were pioneers in the history of the Goshen College athletic department.
“Building champions of character is what we try to do every day,” said interim athletic director Josh Gleason. “It’s a privilege to recognize people who have taken that and used it to positively influence the communities around them.”
Ken Pletcher ’70 – Dr. Roman Gingerich Champion of Character Award
Ken Pletcher, a 1970 Goshen College graduate, is a familiar face around the Goshen College athletic facilities. He’s been a player, a coach, a teacher and fan in his 50-plus year history with the college.
Pletcher has given significant amounts of his time and energy to the college. In addition to being a student-athlete during his college years, he has held a variety of roles on campus, including assistant professor of physical education (1972-74, 1981-82), admissions counselor and assistant director of admissions (1974-75, 1979-81), and athletic director (1999-2007). He also coached men’s basketball, golf, cross country and track.
“My experience at Goshen College helped me to understand and value the importance of service,” Pletcher said. “The Culture For Service motto was a continual thread throughout my days at GC; in classes, campus activities, and athletic participation. This GC motto and many faculty role models guided my career decisions, and gave me the foundation for the teacher, coach, and administrator I wanted to be.”
After earning his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from GC, Pletcher taught physical education and coached at Goshen College and WaNee Schools for several years, before earning his master’s degree in physical education from Indiana University in 1978.
During and following graduate school, he taught and coached at Goshen College. He later worked at Northridge High School from 1984-1999, where he served as athletic director for 11 years. He returned to GC as athletic director until 2007, and then worked in the development office until his retirement in 2011.
Pletcher has been an active participant in the Goshen College Maple Leafs Athletic Club. In 2002, he ran a 50-mile race as a fundraiser for GC athletics, raising $20,000 at a time when athletic budgets were on the verge of being cut.
“Roman Gingerich and Ruth Gunden were important mentors for me, both during my time as a student and also when I became a member of the faculty,” Pletcher said. “They are the true Champions of Character, instilling these core values in all of us. I am humbled and grateful to be a part of this tradition.”
Ken and his wife Justine ’72 live in Goshen and attend College Mennonite Church. They have two adult children, Nathan ’00 and Todd ’05.
Alice Gunden Bender ’80 – Dr. Ruth Gunden Champion of Character Award
Alice Gunden Bender ’80 has dedicated her professional career to helping people live healthier lives.
As the associate director for nutrition programs at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) in Washington, D.C., Bender promotes healthy lifestyle choices for lower cancer risk. AICR studies the link between diet and cancer, funding research in nutrition, physical activity and cancer prevention and survival.
As Ruth Gunden’s niece, she is especially honored to receive this award.
“Ruth has been very supportive of all of her nieces and nephews, and for me she has been a role model for sports involvement as well as a great coach,” Bender said. “She is also an inspiration for being physically active through life.”
While earning her bachelor’s degree in home economics at Goshen College, Bender was also a member of the women’s tennis team. Even after her career as a Maple Leaf, she still exemplifies the college’s core values—passionate learning, compassionate peacemaking, global citizenship, Christ-centeredness and servant leadership.
After completing a master’s degree in nutrition and public health from Teacher’s College, Columbia University, Bender developed the nutrition services program for students at the University of Georgia Health Center in Athens, Georgia. She has served in leadership roles in professional organizations, including as president of the Georgia Dietetic Association in 2006. While in Georgia she developed interests in local food policy and fair trade issues.
“Alice has always shown a deep respect for others as she helps them choose healthy ways of living so they might live life more fully,” said Rose Widmer ’73, Bender’s sister. “This is one way Alice lives her life as an example of God’s peace.”
Bender has been active in the wider church, serving as a Deacon and Elder in the Presbyterian Church while in California and Georgia.
Bender currently resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Michael Bender ’80. They have two daughters, Emily and Katie ’06, and a new grandson.