Relationships matter at Wabash. We talk about their impacts often and how one conversation can start a lifelong friendship.
As the Wabash Club of Indianapolis gave out its Man of the Year Award recently, Kyle Bender ’12 and Harry “Mac” McNaught ’76 showed how one conversation did just that.
As Bender announced McNaught as the 2024 Man of the Year, he told the story of how they first met. It was a scholarship dinner when Bender was a high school senior. They were seated at the same table. McNaught introduced himself, answered his questions, offered contact information with a promise to answer more questions if they came up later.
It was a conversation that opened Bender’s eyes to Wabash and the possibilities that exist there. In the nearly 20 years that have followed, McNaught has moved from a friendly face at a dinner to mentor to friend.
“Anyone who knows Mac has experienced how genuine he is, but also how well he listens,” Bender said from the stage.
As he sat listening to Bender share that story with the more than 150 people in attendance, one could see subtle hints of emotion on McNaught’s face. The strength of that relationship was evidenced in the warm embrace the two shared on stage as Mac received his award.
“So generous and most meaningful,” is what he said to Bender following the event. “It’s the best part of my year.”
A bit later, McNaught thanked a trio of Wabash men who similarly impacted him with conversation, mentorship, and friendship.
“The things that happened to me at Wabash and after, that thread started with John Collett, Bill Hayes and Barney Hollett,” said McNaught, an emeritus member of the Board of Trustees and President of Denison Properties. “Those are the three who I would lift up as they impacted my life in an extraordinary way.”
McNaught continues that thread through relationships with Bender and current students, like Blake White ’25, who hopes to attend law school after graduation.
“If I can give back in some small way to people like Kyle or Blake, I will,” he said. “I get the greater benefit. There is so much value in those conversations.”
