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Bob Storey and Peter Bensinger

Year of Graduation: 
1954

Former track stars team up to replenish future Exeter athletes.

There is a new way for Exonians to fill their cup — the Storey-Bensinger Fountain, installed in May alongside Ralph J. Lovshin Track.

The idea for the hydration station was one Bob Storey ’54 and Peter Bensinger ’54 dreamed up while running laps around the track as students. The Knight House dormmates were members of the “Mint Julep” track and field team (so-called for a song they sang on bus trips to away meets)under head coach Ralph Lovshin. They share fond memories of their Exeter experience: fun at practices, grueling workouts, exciting races against Andover and — being thirsty! They always wished there had been a water fountain close by.

A high point of their track experience was when they were selected as members of Exeter’s mile relay team that competed against Andover before thousands of fans in the Boston Garden. Unfortunately, track team co-captain Storey injured his leg warming up for the hurdles event and was not able to run. Lead man Bensinger, however, out-raced Andover’s top sprinter to the first turn and gave Exeter a lead that it never relinquished, allowing anchorman Pierre de Vegh ’54 to dash to first place at the finish line.

Athletics and Physical Education DirectorJason Baseden and Peter Bensinger ’54 at the Storey-Bensinger Fountain dedication.

The friends have stayed in close contact over the years and served together as Academy trustees. “Relationships you make at Exeter carry on for a lifetime,” Athletics and Physical Education Director Jason Baseden told the coaches, boys and girls track team members, and more than a dozen class of 1954 classmates and friends gathered for the fountain’s dedication. “Bob and Peter clearly have a special bond, and the root of their relationship still impacts students today.”

In its first months of operation, the hydration station is already getting a workout. “This has been a game changer not only for our student athletes, but for the greater Exeter community, visiting schools and families,” head track and field coach Hilary Hall says. “We all have memorable spots on campus where a physical action created an imprint. Filling up your water bottle at the hydration station on your way out for a competition surely will be a new spot for Exonians to build memories.”

Editor's note: This article first appeared in the summer 2023 issue of The Exeter Bulletin.