Pamela Bender(III)
- Actress
Pamela was born 3 months early on January 15, 1985 in Peoria, Illinois
to Becky and Ralph Wolf. She weighed only 2 lbs. 4oz. She was raised on
a farm in central Illinois near Macomb, IL with her siblings, Randy and
Jeff, who were 13 and 15 years (respectively) her senior. She attended
grade school and high school in Roseville, IL, and she spent her
childhood years keeping busy when she wasn't at school, taking lessons
in piano, gymnastics, tap dance, and ballet. When she was 10-years old,
Pamela discovered her love for acting and being on stage after being
cast in an all-children's musical production through the Macomb
Community Theater, where she continued to perform each year until she
was 14.
Once in junior-high, Pamela started to gain recognition for both her academic and athletic achievements, earning herself a place repeatedly on the Superintendent's Honor Roll, as well as medaling at state in track and field in 1998, and finally winning her first track and field state title in 1999 in the 400M dash. This combination of athletic and academic talent led her to receive multiple student-athlete awards through her school.
In high school, Pamela chose to really test her ability in athletics and set a goal to somehow earn her a place in the athletic department of a Division 1 school - preferably the University of Illinois. Both of her brothers graduated from the Big Ten school and having been raised an Illini fan, she wanted to follow suit. She was an all-around athlete, playing volleyball, basketball, cheerleading, track and field, and cross country. Her main sport, however, was running. Over the course of her high school track career, she won 5 State Championships in various events, as well as one silver, and one bronze medal. In her first and only season running cross country, she placed 3rd at state, earned All-State honors, and was recruited and offered a scholarship by the University of Illinois to join their cross country and track program. Having worked hard in school as well as on the track, she graduated as Valedictorian of her class and earned her way academically and athletically into the college of her choice. Outside of athletics, Pamela still held a love for being on stage and competed in a few local pageants. She was crowned Miss Warren County 2004, which gave her the opportunity to compete at the Miss Illinois County 2005 pageant.
Athletically at Illinois, she earned 2003 NCAA Midwest All-Region Honors in cross country, as well as ran her way to a 3rd place finish at the NCAA Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2006. Academically, Pamela spent a year and a half undecided in what her her major should be, and finally decided to return to her love for acting and auditioned mid-year for the U of I Department of Theater. One week before her audition in 2004, she lost her brother Jeff to suicide. Crushed by the tragedy, but not wanting pity during her audition, she decided not to let anyone know of the hardship she was going through until after she had been accepted into the program. She was accepted a week later as a transfer student and placed ahead a semester. Meanwhile, her mother had just won a year-long battle with breast cancer (one of 4 cancers her mother has battled) and was then living with congestive heart failure as the result of the chemotherapy treatments. She can happily say now that her mother had a heart transplant in 2008 and is doing great. She attributes much of her success and ability in acting to the inspiration her mother's fight against cancer and heart failure, and the loss of her brother, has given her to go after her goals no matter what. She lives by the motto that "Life is too short" and "You only live once."
Once in junior-high, Pamela started to gain recognition for both her academic and athletic achievements, earning herself a place repeatedly on the Superintendent's Honor Roll, as well as medaling at state in track and field in 1998, and finally winning her first track and field state title in 1999 in the 400M dash. This combination of athletic and academic talent led her to receive multiple student-athlete awards through her school.
In high school, Pamela chose to really test her ability in athletics and set a goal to somehow earn her a place in the athletic department of a Division 1 school - preferably the University of Illinois. Both of her brothers graduated from the Big Ten school and having been raised an Illini fan, she wanted to follow suit. She was an all-around athlete, playing volleyball, basketball, cheerleading, track and field, and cross country. Her main sport, however, was running. Over the course of her high school track career, she won 5 State Championships in various events, as well as one silver, and one bronze medal. In her first and only season running cross country, she placed 3rd at state, earned All-State honors, and was recruited and offered a scholarship by the University of Illinois to join their cross country and track program. Having worked hard in school as well as on the track, she graduated as Valedictorian of her class and earned her way academically and athletically into the college of her choice. Outside of athletics, Pamela still held a love for being on stage and competed in a few local pageants. She was crowned Miss Warren County 2004, which gave her the opportunity to compete at the Miss Illinois County 2005 pageant.
Athletically at Illinois, she earned 2003 NCAA Midwest All-Region Honors in cross country, as well as ran her way to a 3rd place finish at the NCAA Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2006. Academically, Pamela spent a year and a half undecided in what her her major should be, and finally decided to return to her love for acting and auditioned mid-year for the U of I Department of Theater. One week before her audition in 2004, she lost her brother Jeff to suicide. Crushed by the tragedy, but not wanting pity during her audition, she decided not to let anyone know of the hardship she was going through until after she had been accepted into the program. She was accepted a week later as a transfer student and placed ahead a semester. Meanwhile, her mother had just won a year-long battle with breast cancer (one of 4 cancers her mother has battled) and was then living with congestive heart failure as the result of the chemotherapy treatments. She can happily say now that her mother had a heart transplant in 2008 and is doing great. She attributes much of her success and ability in acting to the inspiration her mother's fight against cancer and heart failure, and the loss of her brother, has given her to go after her goals no matter what. She lives by the motto that "Life is too short" and "You only live once."
