Allen L. Bender ’51

EDUCATION & SERVICE

  • Born 6/24/31 and raised in Sacramento, CA
  • Graduated from C. K. McClatchy High  in ’49; Senior & Class Alumni President
  • Attended Sacramento Jr. College; Student Body Vice President
  • Transferred to Cal and pledged SAE spring of ’51
  • Played and lettered in Varsity Football ’51 and ’52 under Coach Pappy Waldorf
  • Later served as a board member and President of the Big C Society
  • Graduated from the College of Business Administration with a concentration in Real Estate
  • Enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps’ PLC program in Spring of ‘51 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in November ‘53

PERSONAL

  • Married his junior high and high school sweetheart, Beverly J. Dettling, in Jan ’52 who passed away in ’98 from cancer
  • Settled in Sacramento, CA upon discharge from Marines as a 1st Lt.
  • Started a family in ’56; two girls, two boys, and now blessed with 9 grandchildren
  • Two children graduated from Cal, one from Cal Poly and one from Sacramento State
  • Football season ticket holder and contributor to Cal, Cal Bear Backers, Big C Society and Pappy’s Boys Endowment
  • Took up golf at age 30 and loves to play the game. Member of Del Paso Country Club and the Sutter Club
  • Took up flying at the age of 60. Has pilot’s license with an IFR rating and single engine Piper Dakota airplane
  • Retired in ’97 from his own general contracting and engineering business
  • Still enjoys traveling to different parts of the world
  • Many of his best friends today are Cal Beta SAE’s

BUSINESS LIFE

  • His undergraduate degree at Cal qualified him for a CA real estate brokers license
  • Formed a partnership called Bender-Manley Company, sold real estate, developed 6 small subdivisions in Sacramento, and became a General Contractor
  • Started Allen L. Bender, Inc., a home construction company, in ’65 and later migrated into small commercial, industrial and public works type construction projects
  • The firm grew to over 200 employees and became one of Sacramento’s larger general contracting construction firms
  • His four children acquired total ownership of the firm with two sons running the business and one daughter working part-time
  • Served on the board of the Sacramento Builders Exchange