Augustus Mendenhall
Photograph of Augustus Mendenhall, obtained from his obituary published by Legacy.
Augustus John D. Mendenhall
March 20, 1971 - May 10, 2020
Memorial by John T. Vance, Augustus’s friend
On May 10, 2020, my friend, Augustus John D. Mendenhall, put on his wings and soared to freedom.
After a decade, Aug and I were separated when he moved away in February 2020. At that time, the pandemic was in its infancy. I hugged him and told him to stay in touch. He smiled and told me to remember him well. I could not have known that this would be our last exchange. If I had known, I would have said so many things. I would have thanked him for his friendship. I would have told him how much he had helped me. I would have expressed my gratitude.
I won’t get that chance, but I can honor his last wish. I can remember him well. I can honor him by telling you a bit about my friend.
Painting of Augustus as a child, courtesy of Meghan Mendenhall.
Aug lived a full life. After graduating from Carmel High School in 1989, he attended Ball State University. In 1991, he left academia to help his parents. A year later, he joined the Air Force and excelled. While stationed at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, he was decorated as Airman of the Year. Following his honorable discharge from the military in 1996, Aug returned to higher education and ultimately earned a Juris Doctorate from IUPUI School of Law.
Aug was an avid reader, artist, poet, and dreamer. He was generous, kind, and always willing to help those in need. In a world of complacency, he refused to be passive or pacified in the face of injustice and suffering. He was always smiling, encouraging others, and brightening the world around him. There was nothing he liked more than to give the gift of laughter. His example shows us what we are defined and called to be.
Aug is survived by two brothers (Cole and Burke), a sister (Meghan), his father (Burke) and his girlfriend (Yessica).
Remember him well and pray for his family.
From Mourning Our Losses:
Photograph of Augustus with his sister Zelda, obtained from the guest book on his obituary page.
Augustus Mendenhall, known as “Auggie” or “Aug” to his family and friends, left his body on Mother’s Day of 2020 at the tender age of 49. He recently had been transferred from Wabash Valley Correctional Facility to Plainfield Correctional Facility, both in his home state of Indiana. His loss is mourned by a wide array of family and friends.
While incarcerated, Augustus harnessed his passion for art to push for the creation of a prison art show, called Unchained Art. In a letter to family and friends, he presented his long-standing idea to use a prison art show to showcase artwork created by men and women incarcerated in Indiana. The proceeds would be used, he wrote, to support prison art programs by covering expenses for supplies and instructors. His vision came to fruition, and the show ran successfully every year from 2012-2015. The incredible artwork from inside remains available for viewing in virtual art galleries on Unchained Art’s website.
Artwork by Augustus, courtesy of Meghan Mendenhall.
Augustus impacted many people incarcerated with him, some of whom expressed their grief in the guest book of his online obituary. One friend, Daniel Massengie, wrote, “All of your brothers here at Wabash will miss you as I do.” Kenneth Zamarron, a writer and artist who was incarcerated with Augustus in Indiana, described the deep relationship they formed that revolved around their shared love for art:
“My friend Gus. We met in the worst of conditions-the penitentiary. Nevertheless our love of art created a peculiar camaraderie. A good friendship resulted in Saturday night bohemian conversation about psychology, social development, philosophy-ancient to modern, politics right and left, literature Shakespeare to Holmes and my favorite subject Art. We discussed Jackson Pollock to Rapheal and your favorite topic religion atheism to faith. We were both open minded to dialogue knowing with each chit-chat we broke bricks which confined us and produced bright lights of freedom. The last day we spoke you were leaving Carlisle. You gave me your books and had one last conversation. We said our goodbyes and I said ‘I'll see you in the stars’ you replied with a wave and a smile. In the stars we WILL meet again so rest in peace until then.”
Augustus’s impact extended to countless family and friends beyond the walls of his confinement. Described in his guest book by his former high school teacher as having been “a great young man,” longtime friends recalled his generosity and care for others. His friend Issa recalled:
“Even as kids, he would always look out for those smaller or weaker than him. He just had this inherent sense of right and wrong. When we were kids, he used to be into martial arts and ninja stuff. I remember him saying that we needed to train so that we were ready to go out on Halloween night and make sure that no one stole candy from the little kids who were trick-or-treating.”
A woman named Christine Kidwell, who described Augustus as her “first true love,” said he “would always say, ‘bye for now, poophead,’ but I will just say ‘goodbye for now, beautiful soul.’” Augustus was a devoted Christian and “always saw the best in people he called friends,” wrote his friend Dawn. “Polite, charismatic, witty, and spiritual,” wrote his friend Sue Haffner, he had “an endless list of admirable traits,” commented his friend Mindi Fox. “You had a life that was more full than most people ever dream of,” wrote Mindi.
Photograph of Augustus with his friend Mindi Fox, obtained from the guest book on his obituary page.
Photograph of Augustus with his girlfriend Yessica Ponce, obtained from the guest book on his obituary page.
Among the most heartfelt messages in the guest book came from Yessica Ponce, Augustus’s girlfriend. Yessica wrote that she yearns “to see those eyes looking at me with so much love and your beautiful smile that greet me every time.” She described Augustus as her “Anam Cara” — her soul friend.
We join Augustus’s loved ones, behind and beyond bars, in mourning his premature death. His impact will continue to be felt for many years to come.
Photograph of Augustus after he’d gone skydiving, courtesy of Meghan Mendenhall.
This part of the memorial was written by MOL team member Eliza Kravitz with information from an obituary published by Legacy.com and the website for Unchained Art.