Catherine Bennett

A local legend has left us this Fall. Cat Bennett (Catherine Horner Bennett) touched the lives of almost every family living in Taos. Born March 8, 1956 in Vermillion, South Dakota, Cat was a star very early on. Clearly dedicated to education, she won numerous academic awards, trophies and accolades including the setting of a new points record for the University of South Dakota Speech and Debate Team, where she ultimately gained her Masters in Communication. [At this point, she would also regale you with the story of how she was robbed of the title of Miss South Dakota, ending up—perhaps the first and only time in her life—as “Runner Up.”] Her dedication to Forensics continued throughout her life, leading her to be the first American High School Speech and Debate coach to coach the winning team at the World Debate Championships. She is also the only coach to close-out the final round of debate at the National tournament, both finalling students being from her debate squad (Lincoln-Douglas, 1986). She achieved over 60 State Championships, multiple National Champions and “Four Diamonds” as a result of her students’ point totals (a rare distinction among speech coaches in the national circuit). She also made it into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2010, joining a very select few to accomplish this (the same distinction was posthumously bestowed upon her husband in 2023). Please see facebook.com/TaosHighSchool for a beautifully written remembrance and summation of her brilliant career by former student and good friend Francis Hahn.

As for how she affected Taos, Holy Buckets! Her career at Taos High School lasted 34 years, if you include the substitute teaching she did after retirement—which she was doing the week before she passed away. Since she taught mostly required classes, virtually every student that passed through Taos High School between the years of 1990 and 2020 had her as a teacher at some point. Despite her rather conservative background and what many may term a somewhat “cantankerous” attitude, Cat was a very inclusive person. Teaching students of every background, creed, color and affiliation, Cat helped many to achieve goals in higher education, and was always equally supportive of everyone. (Insert joke about her making the logical argument that as the person who dispenses grades, it was your onus as her student to treat her well and, as she would say, “Make me like you.”) 

Though Speech and Debate and teaching seemed to dominate her life, Cat had many diverse interests she was able to maintain. An avid reader, world traveler and movie-goer, all of her interests did seem to have one thing in common: a fascination with the morbid. Her favorite things to read were murder mysteries and war history. World travel inevitably led to her visiting various cemeteries, war atrocity monuments, “Jack-the-Ripper” tours, former concentration camps and the like. But despite what most people would see as an eerie dark side, Cat had a way of finding the “tongue-in-cheek fun” in virtually all situations. Her irreverent attitude toward just about everything helped to keep even heavy moments, light. She actually considered this one of her better attributes—with her rather blunt style, she said, “You always know where you stand with me.” (That is, if you remember to consider the phrase “slacker-losers” a term of endearment.) 

As a star, there is a bit of a dark void where she once burned bright. She is loved and will be missed. Cat is preceded in death by her parents, George and Terri Horner of Vermillion, South Dakota and her husband, William (Bill) Bennett, also an influential Speech and Debate coach at Taos High School. She is survived by her brother Robert (Bob) Horner of Tennessee and his two children, Ashley and Alex, her daughter and son-in-law Jasmine and Zach Cecelic and her two grandchildren, Zea and Mays Cecelic. 

Those who wish to honor her memory can make a donation to the Taos Public Library or their local speech team. A “Celebration of Life” gathering with drinks and hors d’oeuvres in Cat’s honor will be held at the Gorge Bar & Grill in Taos, NM on Saturday, October 12 from 1-4 pm, for all those who may be interested in attending. 

The family of Catherine Horner Bennett has entrusted the care of their loved one to the caring staff of DeVargas Funeral Home of Taos. 866-657-4019 www.devargastaos.com