Letters to the Editor

+ Nate Benderson’s legacy will continue
Dear Editor:
I really enjoyed the Our View article,”An American classic,” published April 11 in the East County Observer.
I had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Nathan Benderson through my volunteer work at Honor Animal Rescue. The day before his stroke, Mr. Benderson came to our volunteer appreciation and spoke to all of the volunteers. I briefly talked to him that day, and he greeted me as he usually did, questioning, “How’s school?” and asking about our available dogs.

As the daughter of Rob Oglesby, president of Honor Animal Rescue, I frequently interacted with Mr. Benderson. I met him many times and came to understand his immense love for all animals. This love led Mr. Benderson to work closely with my father to build Honor’s Ranch, with the goal of developing facilities that would bring families out to adopt pets.

Although I only knew Mr. Benderson for a few short years, it was an honor to know such an amazing person. I had the opportunity to attend his funeral in Sarasota, and it was inspiring to find out more about his lifelong achievements. I appreciate your article, and agree that he could easily be considered the symbol of what “America used to be and is supposed to be.” He will be greatly missed because of the substantial impact that he had on people and animals alike.

The opportunity to know Mr. Benderson will be something I will always cherish, and I’m happy to assist in continuing his legacy of rescuing animals. His vision may have been large, but it is something we would all like to achieve in order to make him proud.
Michaela Oglesby
East Manatee