Judith Benckart

Judith Benckart is all about giving back to the community.

“I didn’t join Tri Kappa to hang out, I joined just for the service opportunities,” Judith says.

One of eight children born to a Catholic family in South Bend, Judith attended Clay High School before going to college at Ball State University. She was graduated with degrees in psychology, child development and social work. After working for a while, Judith took a fifth year of undergraduate studies at Purdue University, studying economics, statistics and accounting.

“I couldn’t decide on a master’s in business or a law degree,” Judith laughs. “But I wanted money to buy a house and a couple of attorneys I knew talked me into law school.”

After her stint at the Indiana University McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis, Judith became an administrative law judge with what is now the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. That job led to employment at a firm that practiced motor-carrier law. And, more importantly, it led her to her husband.

“When I got hired, the two partners at Smith & Murdock, as well as a secretary, decided that I needed to meet their client, Ted Benckart,” Judith says.

Ted’s family is from Bloomington (his grandfather was the legendary Indiana University football coach Bo McMillin). The Benckarts now have three grown children, Kelsy, Logan and Ryne.

After moving to Bloomington in 1988, she worked for a law firm that eventually became Jones, McGlasson & Benckart when she made partner. After taking a break from the legal field to raise her children, Judith worked as a deputy prosecutor and then was tapped by Gov. Eric Holcomb to fill a judgeship in Monroe County Circuit Court 8. A year after her term ended, she retired in 2022.

Judith became interested in Tri Kappa when her husband volunteered Stone Belt Freight Lines trucks for the sorority members to use when transporting Spring Flower Sale plants to Bloomington from the Indianapolis area. In fact, she volunteered unloading the trucks a couple years before she joined the Bloomington chapter.

“Betty Schermer just asked me one day if I’d like to be a Tri Kappa, and I said, ‘Oh, sure!’” Judith says. “I wanted to use my time to volunteer doing activities in the community that were fun and would result in giving back to Bloomington. Tri Kappa fits that bill, and I was thrilled and honored to be asked to join!”

   More About Judith:

• Lake beaches are her happy place

• Loves Notre Dame football – her grandfather once purchased four season tickets from Irish celebrity Knute Rockne!

• Is the treasurer of the Monroe County Football Association

• Has two granddaughters who are 20 years apart – Siddalee and Lania

• Was a member of Pi Beta Phi at Ball State