The Lincoln Highway National Museum & Archives 102 Old Lincoln Way West Galion, Ohio 44833 (419) 462-2212 Voice (419) 462-2214 Fax (419) 566-0790 Cell

Dear Friends,

After it was all over,
I wanted to sit down and compare notes,
but the odds of that
seemed slim to none.

Then about a year later,
I was visiting friends in Florida,
and had to change planes in Atlanta
on the way back.

So I'm sitting there
minding my own business,
when the flight attendant calls my row.

I looked up at the ticket counter
and about had a heart attack.

Could it be???

So I went up and said,
"Excuse me,
but are you
Judge Bender??"

You think I was surprised,
you should have seen the look
on his face.

So we sat together
from Atlanta to Columbus
and had a wonderful conversation.

At this point,
I'd like to quote
Mr. Lincoln...

"I freely confess that I did not control events,
events controlled me..."

and

"We cannot escape history,
we will be remembered in spite of ourselves...
the fiery trial through which we pass
will light us down in honor or dishonor
to the latest generation."

Throughout these last 20 years,
certainly I've had the ability
to say yes or no,
but given the facts,
I can't in all honesty,
see how I could take
any other course.

In all that I've done,
I've tried to do two things...

Reduce everything
to its lowest common form,
then follow
The Golden Thread
and
do things at the
highest possible level.

When I push people,
it's with good reason,
and because,
I know where it comes from
and the potential for good.

Back in 1998,
after finding
"The Holy Grail"
I went to
The Bancroft Library
at UC Berkeley
to check on some leads.

On a long shot,
I ordered a box of pamphlets
and was delighted to find
a bunch of
D. R. Lane's papers.

They weren't labeled as such,
but once you know his writing,
it's pretty hard to miss.

Near the bottom of the pile,
this article jumped out
and called my name...

Five years later,
it still rings true,
and has been
"The Guiding Light"
ever since.

Warmest Regards,

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