88-year-old Cleveland local celebrates academic and marital milestones
Photo courtesy of Lee University Office of Public Relations.
At 88 years old, Encore student Richard Brendel began taking college courses in 2008 through Lee and has recently concluded his academic endeavors. After spending 13 years pursuing education through Encore courses at Lee, Brendel celebrates his academic success and 68 years of marriage with his wife.
“My dad’s eyes absolutely dance when he’s here at Lee. He loved living the college life he never lived,” said Director of Graduate Studies in Music Ron Brendel. “He is the most consistent, direct, non-wavering man I’ve encountered, and you just know he’s going to be something that is steady — it balances my mom [well].”
Richard Brendel chose not to pursue a degree right out of high school but returned for Encore and audited 34 college classes after being inspired by his Sunday school students.
“I wanted to become a better Sunday school teacher [and] be able to teach on a higher level,” said Richard Brendel. “I had 34 classes and 18 different professors — I really enjoyed all of them.”
Richard Brendel primarily took classes within the School of Religion, with a few in the history department of humanities.
“Having Mr. Brendel in class is always a great gift,” said Associate Professor of Humanities Dr. Jared Wielfaert. “You know he is fully engaged intellectually, and his eyes light up when the lecture touches on a familiar topic. Though it can be a little intimidating to have a student with so much life experience and wisdom sitting on the front row, you quickly recognize Mr. Brendel’s immense kindness and generosity.”
Richard Brendel was raised in a Christian household, and his upbringing was much of what influenced the trajectory of his life, from his marriage to his passion for teaching Sunday school and spreading the Gospel.
“I was born in 1932, so we didn’t have car seats — [but] my mother had a wicker laundry basket that she put me in,” said Richard Brendel. “That was her little carrier, and I went to church for the first time when I was two weeks old in that laundry basket, and I haven’t missed very many Sundays since that time.”
Held together by their mutual love for Christ, Richard and his wife Anne will celebrate 68 years together in June.
“My wife grew up as a country girl in Ohio, and I grew up in Chicago,” said Richard Brendel. “After a penned letter, one thing led to another and here we are. If we make it to June 27, we will have been married for 68 years.”
The couple has always been intentional about having devotions every single day, both as a couple and a family when their sons were young.
“We both encourage one another, [and] we always had family devotions — and I think that is what knitted us together,” said Richard Brendel. “And even as old as we are, we still have devotions every single day.”
Inspired by his father’s dedication to further his education, Ron Brendel witnessed his parent’s continued pursuit to learn.
“You can retire, but you don’t quit life, and my parents have not quit life,” said Ron Brendel. “I would say that the inspiration is ‘wow, at 88 they’re still really trying to contend. I believe if you are still on this earth, God has a plan for you, a mission for you, and they are pursuing that — they’re remarkable people. They really are.”
Wielfaert encourages those who have met Richard to pay attention to the wisdom he can share with others.
“I hope the other students are paying attention,” said Wielfaert. “Mr. Brendel models dispositions toward learning we [Lee] faculty hope to foster in all our students. He has the virtue of intellectual humility and has built a habit of genuine, relentless curiosity about the world around him.”
