The Vance family: (L to R) Evey ‘51, P’80, Kathryn ’80, Patti, (the late) Robert ‘49, P’80, and Rick.
Family Members Reminisce on Otterbein Memories with Office of Engagement’s Dana Madden Viglietta ’96
Every Otterbein legacy family has a story about how their Cardinal roots began. For Evelyn “Evey” Bender Vance ’51, P’80 and her late husband, Robert Vance ’49, P’80, their story began with a serendipitous meeting that inspired a lifetime of giving back. Evey had known Floyd Vance, class of 1916, from school and happened to see “Vance” on Robert’s name tag at a local Methodist church singles event, and immediately knew he was a part of a special Otterbein legacy family.
Robert’s father, Floyd, was one of the longest-serving staff and faculty members, having served in 10 different roles over 43 years at Otterbein — including principal of the academy, dean, treasurer, business manager, director of admissions, foreign student advisor, director of placement, chairman of credits committee, French professor, and registrar — before serving as the 16th president of Otterbein from 1957-58, then returning to the registrar position and retiring in 1964.
Evey came to Otterbein from New Philadelphia, OH, at the recommendation of a friend from church and majored in education. She was a member of Sigma Alpha Tau sorority.
Robert grew up in Westerville and, after serving in World War II, earned his degree in Chemistry at Otterbein. During school, he was in Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, band, and played football and softball. Robert went on to earn master’s and doctorate degrees in Chemistry from the University of Illinois.
Evey’s late brother, Ralph Bender ’59, and sister, Nancy Bender Carlton ’64, both followed in her footsteps to attend Otterbein. Much later, one of Evey and Robert’s three children, daughter Kathryn Vance Latosky ’80, also graduated from Otterbein.
“I lived in Hanby Hall and was in (Epsilon Kappa Tau) sorority,” said Latosky. “Taking walks around Otterbein with my friends is one of my favorite memories. I would sometimes walk to the Otterbein cemetery to look for my grandfather’s headstone.”
In some funny family history, Evey and Robert’s son, Rick Vance, shared that the cow taken up to the fourth floor of Towers Hall as a student prank many years ago actually came from his dad’s farm in Westerville. Rick now owns some pieces of Otterbein history handed down from his dad, including an old desk and office items. He’s especially grateful for the legacy of giving back that his parents passed down to their children.
Inspired by Robert and Evey’s love of chemistry and education, the family endowed two funds at Otterbein in 2023: the Robert F. ’49 and Evelyn Bender ’51 Vance Endowed Scholarship in Science and the Robert F. ’49 and Evelyn Bender ’51 Vance Endowed Scholarship in Education. Both are providing impactful scholarship support for students in perpetuity.
In addition to their generosity to Otterbein, Robert, Evey, and their family were (and continue to be) dedicated to many community causes. One such cause was Habitat for Humanity in their hometown of Louisville, KY. Rick recalled a Habitat trip to the Philippines with former President Jimmy Carter where he, his parents, and 2,000 volunteers helped build 120 houses in one week. The family invited President Carter to come to Kentucky to help with another Habitat project, and he agreed — a highlight of their family memories.
Robert volunteered weekly with Habitat until the age of 90 and recently, their family sponsored a Habitat house in honor of Evey and in memory of Robert — a special way to give back to their community and celebrate a lifetime of giving back.
