Friends are recalling longtime Fox Chapel Rotary member Tom Benic as a kind and consummate professional. But by all accounts, the history buff and avid photographer was — above all else — a pure fun-loving guy.
“Intelligence, wit and charm are rare commodities,” said friend Richard Wolf. “Tom had all three — in spades.
Benic, 80, died Feb. 14 after a series of medical complications that led to sepsis.
“When we read Tom’s obituary, my wife and I were saddened but immediately smiled at his photo because it captured him so well — a grin on his face, a drink in his hand and looking dapper,” Wolf said.
Benic graduated from Washington & Jefferson College and then Northwestern University with a master’s degree in journalism.
He served in Vietnam in the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division as a reporter to the “Stars and Stripes” newspaper. He then enjoyed a long post-military career in journalism and photography.
Benic had a public relations firm, TP Benic and Associates, and remained active behind the lens, covering both Obama inaugurations for United Press International.
Despite retirement, Benic never slowed down.
He grew even busier with charitable and civic volunteer roles, most notably with the Rotary Club of Fox Chapel where he was past president, communications committee chair and also honored as a Paul Harris Fellow. Benic catalogued Rotary events and compiled the club’s weekly bulletin with outreach schedules, education and photos.
Mary Lee Gannon, past club president, said it was at her request that Benic became the communications chair.
“He leveraged that to get me to volunteer for the Seniors Golf Tournament at Longue Vue Club,” Gannon said. “We laughed about that for years because his tenure in the role went on for over a decade and I was done with my end of the bargain in an afternoon.”
In his weekly online report, Benic often would include tidbits regarding the history of World War II, a lifelong interest.
“He thought it was important that we understood our history and those who served our nation in uniform,” member Alan McIvor said. “He liked a good discussion and was always ready to help.”
Fellow Rotarians described Benic as affable, someone dedicated to the cause — but always looking for a way to make it enjoyable.
“He had an easy smile and wonderful sense of humor,” member Bill Mooney said. “When closing a weekly meeting as president, Tom always added a fifth item to the ‘Rotary 4-Way Test’: Will it be fun?”
Rotarian Jim Michaels said Benic was “the unique type of person whom you could approach, knowing he would have a smile for you. And even if you had no subject in mind, Tom would create a conversation and a story that made you feel at ease instantly.”
Bob Trimble remembered an occasion where Benic asked him for back-up on the camera — a chore that didn’t quite go as planned.
“Tom was the ‘go-to’ photographer for the club and always in demand. He handed me a camera one day, and my results were pathetic,” Trimble said. “Tom smiled and borrowed the camera back. Not a judgmental word said. He was good to the bone.”
He emodied the Rotary spirit, member Harrison Lauer said.
Benic made a grand first impression because of his confidence and positivity, Lauer added.
“I have co-chaired the Rotary Golf Classic in each of the last three years, and Tom has helped grow the event meteorically,” Lauer said. “Great guy!”
When family and friends gathered for a memorial luncheon at Longue Vue Country Club, where Benic was a member and avid golfer, many described him as a man who exemplified the Rotary spirit of “Service Above Self.”
Longtime friend Dan Stern met Benic three decades ago at the Fox Chapel Racquet Club.
Benic organized a Junior Tennis Tournament which grew to attract players from across the region. It became so successful that other local clubs such as the Fox Chapel Golf Club and Pittsburgh Field Club contributed court time.
Stern said the pair became especially close during a project to help two Ukrainian women escape the war and immigrate to the U.S.
Stern and his wife were the American sponsors but said without Benic’s vetting help, which mandated piles of documents sent to the government over a six-month period, it would not have been successful.
Benic also assisted Stern in creating a powerful presentation that detailed Stern’s parents’ escape from war-torn Europe during the height of Hitler’s regime and anti-semitism.
The project caught the attention of the Holocaust Center of Seton Hill University and was turned into a video available on YouTube.
“These events would not have happened without Tom’s involvement,” Stern said. “These are just some stories that I can share about Tom’s humanity. Everyone who knows him admires him and rightly so. He was always willing to help people. I cannot tell you how much I will miss him and his counsel.
“Rotary will miss him.”