A museum posted Ben’s 51-year-old 'love' carving on a school chair — his update on Linda made it unforgettable
Benny, a young freshman then, decided to violate the rules to engrave his love for his lady, Linda.
True love has always been the subject of debate; after all, it's rare to find your soulmate who not only chooses to stick by you but also stands the test of time. But for Ben and Linda, their story defied the odds. When the History Museum, South Bend, Indiana, decided to post the photo of an engraved auditorium seat dating back to 1965, they did not expect to receive an update from the man himself! Shared to their Facebook page on April 19, 2021, the bench showed the names of two school sweethearts frozen in time.
The chairs were donated to the museum by South Bend Central High School, which had a tender etching of two students' names, "Benny + Linda". Benny, who later came to be known as Ben, was a young freshman student who decided to violate the rules of his school to engrave his love for his lady, Linda — a romantic gesture reminiscent of their youthful days. The museum then posted a pic of the chair with the caption, "This weekend John Charles Bryant donated two South Bend Central High School auditorium chairs to the History Museum. Benny and Linda, are you still together? Let us know!"
Unbeknownst to the museum authorities, Ben responded to the Facebook post and commented, "Yes, I carved that sitting in the auditorium of Central High School my freshman year before leaving for LaSalle," Noting that marrying Linda, whom he describes as a 'kind and pretty lady', was the smartest decison he has ever made, Ben wrote, "Told my friends in fourth grade I was going to marry Linda and here we are heading for 51 years together on August 1. The smartest thing I ever did was marry this kind and pretty lady. Thanks for sharing."
Ben's comment caught the attention of the museum, and in a heartwarming gesture, the couple was invited to share a photo alongside the chair that had symbolized the everlasting love story. Posting the update, the History Museum wrote on February 1, 2022, "Last year, we received a donation from John Charles Bryant that included a set of auditorium seats from South Bend Central High School. Carved on the arm was Benny + Linda. We posted to see if the couple was still together, and to our surprise, Ben commented on our post! We shared this update with all of you, and it flew around the web faster than we could keep up with! This story has been shared with hundreds of thousands of people, all because of a love that withstood the test of time. We were so grateful to Ben and Linda, along with their daughter Karie, for visiting The History Museum over the weekend to see the seats that gave them the spotlight! 51 years and counting."
Interestingly, the post was also noticed by one of Ben and Linda's daughters, Karie Jo Karasiak-Peralta, who cherished hearing the love story of her parents growing up and expressed her gratitude to the museum for sharing the post.
The chairs were donated by John Charles Bryant, who was a known community legend at South Bend for his deep knowledge of the city's history, especially the Black community. Bryant, who was one of the first black families to settle in the city, was dedicated to preserving heritage along with his work with institutions such as the Civil Rights Heritage Center. Unfortunately, according to a Facebook user @MelissaBeth, Bryant passed away in January 2022, a month before Ben and Linda were invited to the museum. If it weren't for Bryant's donation, the world would have never known of Ben and Linda's love story. A case study conducted by Studio Voltaire on behalf of Historic London in August 2024 led to the uncovering of lesser-known stories from the 20th century in Clapham, London, especially those belonging to underrepresented groups in the community. The study's outcome includes uncovering resident memories and oral histories, just like the story of Ben and Linda.
Another Facebook user named @MichelleFolk under the Facebook post wrote, "This is a special love story.. thanks for making my day... congratulations on your forever love."
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