Alvin Carlton Benkelman, Jr.

1929 - 2012  (83 years)

• Name	Alvin Carlton Benkelman  [1, 2]
  Suffix	Jr.
  Birth	1 Jul 1929	Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Death	21 Aug 2012	Virginia   [2]
  Notes	The Striffler-Benkelman Broadcast, Volume 10, September 1, 1947, noted that Alvin C. Benkelman, Jr graduated from Alexandria High School and joined the U.S. Army, serving with the Medical Corp in Korea. As of Volume 11, it was noted that he was discharged from the Army of Occupation, Korea, and was to enter the University of Virginia in the fall. The following was written by Al in August 2000, a self titled memoir of his misspent youth FRANK AND BENK A hundred years ago when we were both young and full of it, we were double dating with a neighbor's two girls ( for the first time). We wanted to impress them so we took them to a Hungarian restaurant/night club in Washington, D.C., and did it up right - steaks, sparkling burgandy - the whole nine yards. Due to a slight misunderstanding, Frank thought I had money, and I thought he had it. We had to borrow money from our dates to pay the bill. And you know those ungrateful girls would not go out with us again. They didn't know the chance they missed. Now for the raccoon story. We were camping in the Adirondacks with Frank and our children and dog several years ago. Our camp site was in a rocky hill area that was over run with raccoons. In those days, we knew how to camp - two tents and a screen enclosure/mess tent and dining area. The site was a little cramped for all these tents so Frank elected to sleep in the mess tent. Oh, yes, we had had champagne with our evening meal. We sat around the campfire after the children were down for the night, with Frank smoking and us reminiscing, ringed by eyes of 'coons glowing in the dark. Occasionally a brave one would come close to beg for food. At about l0:00 p.m. we secured the food in cars or tied them up high bedded down for the night. I awoke about l:00 a.m. to a great clatter of pans. From the position of our tent, I could shine a light down in the mess tent and was treated to the sight of Frank in his shorts with the champagne bottle raised on high chasing a very large 'coon around the picnic table. After I stopped laughing, I went down and unzipped the door of the mess tent, and the 'coon ran out. Frank has never seen the humor in this incident. His comment you never looked up at a large raccoon looking down at you. Of all the rivers Frank and I have canoed, I think Frank will agree that the Cacapon in West Virginia was our favorite. We went down it several times with a dozen stories for each trip; those were the days. There was the time we came up to the community of Capon Bridge and learned that the little stream behind the store had just been stocked with trout. I was fishing with great success (Frank's not a fisherman). I would catch them, take them to Frank who was cleaning them, and putting them in the cooler. I had lost track of the number I had caught, and asked Frank how many there were, and was told nine. The limit was six. We packed up and shoved off! We grilled them for supper, eating eight between us. I think Frank will agree that was the best trout we ever ate. There is a waterfalls on the bank of the Cacapon feeding into the main stream about l0 feet across called the Bridal Veil Falls, a large rock covered with moss, and the water streaming off of it in a hundred little rivulets - a magnificent sight in its own right. We landed and climbed a porous limestone bank rising 50 feet up from the river to fill our canteens in one of the many springs that fed the falls. In one of these pools surrounded by bright green moss a Scarlet Tanager was taking a bath. This was one of the most brilliant sights either of us had ever seen in nature. We filled our canteens with cold clear water [not the bird bath] and returned, inspired, to the canoe and continued our trip. One more and I will quit. Then there was the time we ran out of beer. A common occurrence on a 3 or 4 -day trip because of weight constraints. At evening camp Frank was building a fire place and I was fishing from the bank. Now we were miles from anywhere. I snagged my favorite lure out in the river and waded out to retrieve it. you guessed it, it was snagged on a unopened 6-pack of beer. It may have been a little flat but we thanked our good fortune and drank with gusto. Frank and I have put a lot of water under our keel in more ways than one. We have argued, rejoiced and enjoyed one another's company. In short, best friends. BENK
  Person ID	I865	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	17 Aug 2014

  
  

  Father	Alvin Carlton Benkelman, Sr.,   b. 8 May 1895, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan d. 9 Sep 1987, Elk Creek, Grayson County, Virginia (Age 92 years)
  Mother	Katherine Lynn Ayres,   b. 14 Jan 1901, Sudley, Prince William County, Virginia d. 27 Oct 1940, Alexandria, Fairfax County, Virginia (Age 39 years)
  Marriage	5 Nov 1927	Sudley, Prince William County, Virginia   [1, 3]
  	Cass City Chronicle Cass City, Michigan, October 28, 1927 Page Four Local News Invitations have been received to the wedding of Miss Katherine Lynn, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Hawks Ayres, of Manasses, Virginia, and Alvin Carlton Benkelman, son of Mr. and Mrs. John A. Benkelman of Cass City. The ceremony will take place in the Sudley M.E. Church, South, at Manasses on Saturday, Nov. 5. The newleyweds will be at home to their friends after Nov. 20 at the Strathmore, 2501 18th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. (Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Spring 2007)
  Family ID	F624	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Carol Macomber,   b. 31 Mar 1930, Evanston, Cook County, Illinois d. 29 Oct 2011, Warrenton, Fauquier County, Virginia (Age 81 years)
  Marriage	3 Mar 1951	Alexandria, Fairfax County, Virginia   [1, 4]
  Children	1. Living   2. Living   3. Living
  Photos		Benkelman, Alvin Carlton, Jr. ca 1950 and Carol Macomber Taken about a year before their marriage in Virginia
  		Benkelman, Alvin C. Jr and family Thanksgiving Photo Starting top row, l to r, Glenn Diehl, Aaron Diehl, Laura Diehl, Sara Diehl, Mary Diehl, Emily Snyder, Amelia Snyder, Allison Snyder (Lynn's daughters) and Allan Biddlecomb. Next row: Jim Benkelman, Alvin Benkelman, Carol Benkelman (nee Macomber), Kathy Diehl, Lynn Biddlecomb. Jim's dog Maggie was off doing other things, but Shadow, Lucy and Sadie are pictured.
  Family ID	F633	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	23 Feb 2008

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 1 Jul 1929 - Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan Marriage - 3 Mar 1951 - Alexandria, Fairfax County, Virginia Death - 21 Aug 2012 - Virginia  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos		Benkelman, Alvin Carlton, Jr. ca 1931, with his mother Katharine Ayres, and their dog This picture of Alvin with his mother and their dog appears to have been taken in the early 1930's
  		Benkelman, Alvin Carlton, Jr. ca 1946 Taken while he was serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War

  
  

• Sources

  [S337] Benkelman, Hilda Jane Stickley THE MEMOIRS OF JOHN A. BENKELMAN (Privately Published, 1966). [S333] Ancestry.com - U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current [database online], (Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011. Original data: Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration. The Social Security Administration Death Master File contains information on millions of deceased individuals with United States social security numbers whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration. Birth years for the individuals listed range from 1875 to last year. Information in these records includes name, birth date, death date, and last known residence.). [S653] Cass City Chronicle, P.O. Box 115, Cass City, Michigan 48726, Published continously since 1899, archived from 1899 through 2005 at http://newspapers.rawson.lib.mi.us/chronicle/, Cass City, Michigan, October 28, 1927 (Reliability: 3). [S595] Striffler-Benkelman Broadcast, (Family Publication, published sporadically to record family milestones in connection with the annual Striffler-Benkelman Family Reunions, with Vol. 1, Number 1, published Sept. 7, 1936. Issues on file at the Rawson Memorial Library in Cass City, Michigan include Vol. 5 (1941), Vol. 7 (1944) and Volumes 8 (1945) through Vol. 28 (1968). Issues published from 1961 through 1964 were not assigned volume numbers, and 1963 appears to be missing. Xeroxes of the existing issues were also made by Melinda McLemore Strong in 2007. According to a article published by the Cass City Chronicle on August 6, 1981, commemorating the Fiftieth and Final Striffler-Benkelman Reunion, the final issue of the STRIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST appears to have been Volume 28, published in 1968.), Volume 14, September 3, 1951. (Reliability: 3).