2023 Homecoming Honoree: Tom Benadum

Our 2023 Homecoming Honoree is Tom Benadum. Mr. Benadum was recognized at a school assembly this morning, introduced by Student Council President Koen Sauer and Vice President Sofia Siles.

Koen Sauer, Student Council President: Mr. Benadum has been an integral part of the Watterson community for decades. This all started with his wife, Patty, who was in the class of 1959, the first graduating class that attended Bishop Watterson High School for all four years. The Benadums would go on to have six children, all of which attended Bishop Watterson, and 14 grandchildren, all of which have attended, are attending, or will attend Bishop Watterson. Mr. Benadum has always been active in both the OLP and Watterson communities. Believe it or not, Mr. Benadum has been to every single grandparent’s day that Bishop Watterson has sponsored since 2005. His involvement with the school started on the Bishop Watterson Finance Committee where he served for eight years, which then led to his job as a substitute teacher. He has been a substitute teacher here for the past eight years and he truly enjoys the environment and all the people he interacts with during his days here. During our discussion with Mr. Benadum, he reminisced fondly on his time as a substitute, saying “there’s substitute teaching at Bishop Watterson, and then there’s everything else.”

Sofia Siles, Student Council Vice President: Outside of Watterson, Mr. Benadum worked as a telephone line repairman all while attending Franklin University at night to get his Administration degree. Once he graduated, he became the manager of the telephone company for ten years. After this, Mr. Benadum worked for a motel company, Cross Country Inns, as President. Through this company, he made many contributions to Bishop Watterson, including woodshop equipment and trophy cases. When talking with Mr. Benadum, he made it very clear that he attributes all his connections to Bishop Watterson and most especially, to his wife, Patty. From the beginning, Patty was very adamant that her children would go to Bishop Watterson. They made the decision to send their children to Bishop Watterson and it led to a long family legacy as seen through the Benadum, Rabold, and Zerkle families. Mr. Benadum firmly believes that the connections within and outside his family that he has made all relate back to Bishop Watterson. For years, you have probably seen Mr. Benadum cheering on his grandkids and students at various events, including field hockey, boys soccer, girls/boys volleyball, girls/boys basketball, lacrosse, baseball, choir concerts, and theater performances. We think that Mr. Benadum is the perfect example of what it means to embrace the Bishop Watterson community and we are honored to present him with this year’s Homecoming Honoree Award.