Brother Phil Benefiel ‘41, Phi Kappa of AXP By Brian R. Bland, Phi Kappa `63. From the April 2016 Edition of the Phi Kappa News. It isn’t easy remembering what life was like at the Phi Kappa chapter of AXP some 70-plus years ago, even if you live in Champaign and the house still sits at 311 E. Armory. But like many another Phi Kappa alum, retired Judge Philip Benefiel, who turns 93 in June [2016] will never forget bunking down every night in the large, unheated third story, which was set up much like a military barracks. “I slept in the dorm and remember it was freezing in the winter,” Benefiel said. On the other hand, he also remembers that “the food was good.” After high school, the Lawrence County native applied for and won a college scholarship the county offered, and began his freshman year at U of I in the fall of 1941. “I chose U of I because it was a good engineering school and civil engineering was my choice for a major,” Benefiel said. As for choosing to become a Crow, “I had some friends in the Fraternity, so I wanted to be with them,” he said. Other memories include in-house dances and, interestingly, a House Mother, which seems to have been a rarity for much of Phi Kappa’s existence. But “I don’t remember her name,” Benefiel said. He does, however, recall that the Crows had a pet. “After I had pledged, we got a house dog. I think it was a Doberman, named Tosca,” Benefiel said. (Crows in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s had a German Shepherd named Ace, so pets may have been more of a tradition than House Mothers). Those memories persist despite Benefiel’s college career being interrupted by the turmoil of World War II. In his third year of ROTC, Benefiel – an honor student – had a choice: join a special Army unit or get drafted and have even less input on his fate. Benefiel opted to go into the Army Specialized Training Program in Commerce, Texas, where, in addition to studying, he went through basic training. Next stop – Europe. Brother Benefiel saw combat during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and the crossing of the Rhine at Remagen, Germany, a few months later. “I returned from service in Europe and returned to U. of I. and switched my major from civil engineering to law,” Benefiel said, adding that he was allowed to go directly into Law School without an undergraduate degree. “I enrolled in Law School under the GI Bill and earned my law degree,” he said. In the decades that followed, Benefiel went on to become a State Senator and then a Circuit Judge – “among other things,” he added, modestly. Those other things included marrying Mary and parenting five children. Now, he says, he has “many” grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It’s been a long, happy and successful road that led the Benefiels back to Champaign after years in Lawrence County. “I visited (the Chapter House) several times” over the years, Benefiel said, “but only kept in touch with one friend, Bruce Pinkstaff, who is deceased.” Noting Phi Kappa’s upcoming centennial [June 2016], the Benefiels said: “We hope to be able to join you in June.”