Many of Donna Benton’s cardinals can be seen this month at the Mary J Barnett Library.
By Rich Wicks | Guthrie Center Times, February 2025
Donna Benton of Guthrie Center likes to collect things, and one item is particularly meaningful.
“As you can see, I am a collector, and I do like to decorate for the seasons. But the cardinal collection actually started a long time ago. My mom passed away in 1998, and, after that, occasionally my sister and I would share something cardinal, like at Christmas time or whatever. She always said that, if you see a cardinal, that means an angel is near,” Benton said. “So, over the years, I started collecting cardinals from there.”
Benton said her children would occasionally give her a cardinal item, but when her husband passed away in 2022, they started giving her cardinals more often.
“That Christmas, all the kids gave me cardinals. That’s how I got a lot more of them,” Benton said. “Some of them I leave up year-round.”
Regarding the belief that the appearance of cardinals has spiritual meaning, Benton is forthright about her opinion.
“I am a believer in that, because a day or two after my husband passed, there were cardinals right outside my window,” she said. “So, I knew he was checking to see if I’m OK.”
Benton enjoys watching all varieties of birds, so she has a birdfeeder just outside her kitchen window where she can watch for her winged visitors.
Although Benton doesn’t go actively search for cardinal items, they tend to catch her eye when she is out and about. Depending on the particular item, she will either send it to her sister or keep it for herself.
She doesn’t have a favorite cardinal item and doesn’t know exactly how many cardinal items she owns. She explained that a friend offered to include another cardinal item. In this case, it was an autographed photo of longtime St. Louis Cardinals baseball player Stan Musial. Benton said she appreciated the offer but chose to focus only on winged cardinals for now.
Many of Benton’s cardinal items are displayed through the month of February at the MJB Library in Guthrie Center. Benton explained that the books displayed there belong to the library, but the other items, including a jigsaw puzzle, are hers.
Do you know someone in the county whose vehicle, collection or hobby would make an interesting story? Email your suggestions to rich@gctimesnews.com. n