Interview of Truman Bentley

Interview Team: Josh Nichols, Crystal Nguyen, Kelsey Malkin

Faculty Facilitators: Mr. Linn, Mrs. Jacobson

Date of Interview: 3-9-06

Truman Bentley was born on September 24 th, 1942 in Bush Hospital on 4 th Avenue and 14 th Street in Columbus. He likes to tell the story that there were so many babies being born around that time, in order to make room for all of them, including himself, the staff had to open the drawers in chests of drawers and placed the extra babies in the open drawers.

Truman Bentley was too young to have many memories of the war years, but he shared with us memories and stories of his father, Hugh Bentley. Hugh Bentley, as most people know, played a vital role in the cleanup of Phenix City in the 1950’s. Less well known, however, are his young adult years working for Hubbard’s Hardware Store in Columbus during the 1920’s, starting his own sporting goods store in the 1930’s, and his efforts just before WWII to provide the soldiers with their new “steel pot” helmet to replace the old-style WWI helmet that provided inadequate protection to the soldiers’ heads.

Hugh Bentley was born in Girard in 1909, the son of Minnie and Clyde Bentley.

As Margaret Anne Barnes has written, Minnie and Clyde parted ways when Hugh was a young boy over Clyde’s refusal to dissociate himself from some of the bootlegging and gambling clientele that frequented his store in Phenix City. Minnie supported her children by preparing lunches for workers at the Eagle Phenix Mill in Columbus; Hugh used to deliver the lunches to the workers with his wagon.

According to Truman Bentley, Hugh worked as a bookkeeper for Hubbard’s Hardware for several years in the late 1920’s. When Hubbard’s went out of business in the 1930’s, Hugh started his own sporting goods business. He rented the space above W.C. Woodall’s printing press business on Broadway for five dollars per month which included the cost of water.

Bentley was a successful business man primarily due to his work ethic and ability to build working relationships. Each morning at daybreak he peddled goods to soldiers at Fort Benning. Bentley sold mostly athletic clothing and equipment such as sweatshirts, t-shirts, and bats and other athletic equipment, but he also sold non-sporting goods like checker boards and coffee pots. However, Bentley’s customers were not only soldiers. He also sold to the area schools, especially Spencer High School, and the local YMCA. In fact, Bentley’s relationship with the YMCA extended beyond salesman and customer. He taught amateur wrestling there for twenty-one years.

Hugh Bentley’s most significant contribution during the World War II era involved the combination of sporting and military equipment. Prior to World War II, the army realized the troops needed a more protective helmet than the flat steel helmets used during World War I. They needed a round steel helmet with an interior liner that conformed to the individual’s head and attached with a strap. Bentley represented Riddell Sporting Goods which was transitioning from leather to plastic football helmets. General Patton sent one of his NCO’s, a Sergeant Johnson, to discuss the new helmet with Bentley. With Bentley coordinating with the Riddell Company, Riddell realized the magnitude of this opportunity. Mr. Riddell sent his son-in-law to Columbus with a mold for the new helmets. Hugh’s wife baked the molds in her oven for the first plastic helmet liners for General Patton. Hugh earned twenty-five cents per helmet liner from Riddell on the initial contract. Truman Bentley cherishes the candlestick phone from his father’s office that was used to finalize the deal.

Hugh Bentley utilized $3,500 of the money he earned from that deal to add a luxury to his home, tennis courts. According to Truman Bentley, there were no public tennis courts in Columbus nor Phenix City at the time. Truman recalled that General Patton, soldiers, and other prominent citizens often visited the Bentley home to play tennis.

During January 1952, Truman, along with his brother Hugh Bo, and his mother were in their house when it was bombed by the racketeers that were trying to dissuade Bentley’s involvement in the Phenix City clean-up. It was only five years later that Hugh was honored as a guest on the television show “This is Your Life” for his contributions to that endeavor.

Hugh Bentley, an accomplished man with only a ninth grade education, died on April 13, 1984. He was seventy-four years old.