Friday, January 5, 2024
Wilson Reaches 1,000 Career Points, Credits Family, Teammates
ABOVE: Shelbyville High School senior Ava Wilson is recognized for reaching 1,000 career points before Wednesday’s game against Southport. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
Maybe it wasn’t quite reminiscent of Whitman’s line, “I celebrate myself,” but what else was Ava Wilson to do? Her teammates and coaches were a bit distracted the moment last Friday’s game paused to commemorate her 1,000-point career. That’s because the officials recognized the accomplishment on the next dead ball, and by then, the opposing team had scored on a fast break, been fouled and were preparing to shoot the free throw.
“So, I’m mad,” Shelbyville High School girls basketball head coach Becca Hoefler recalled, laughing about the progression of events.
It all worked out. The Bears won handily, and Wilson was celebrated appropriately before this week’s home game. They won that game, too, with another strong performance from Wilson, now just 38 points shy of becoming the fourth-highest scorer in program history.
The automatic stoppage of play shows the rarity of a player scoring 1,000 points in a high school career. Only seven Shelbyville girls players have achieved that mark: Kylee Edwards (1,563 points), Gretchen Haehl (1,418), Brenda Kelsay (1,374), Misty Smith (1,109), Wilson (1,072), Valerie Pilk (1,008) and Sharon Knecht (1,002). An even rarer feat is that it has occurred in consecutive years, with Edwards reaching the mark Dec. 28, 2022, and Wilson on Dec. 29, 2023.
“It’s really, really tough to have back-to-back 1,000-point scorers just for the fact that, usually if you have a 1,000-point scorer, the ball is in her hands most of the time,” Hoefler said. “In Ava’s case, both she and Kylee Edwards averaged around 20 points per game last year.”
Hoefler didn’t foresee this scenario when she started as Shelbyville’s head coach five years ago, Edwards’ freshman season and Wilson’s eighth-grade year.
“I knew Ava was going to be a good basketball player,” Hoefler said of the two-sport stand-out. “Did I think she was going to be a 1,000-point scorer? Not necessarily, but as the years went by, she has become unbelievably better and better. And it’s just because she works so hard at it.”
Before the winter season begins, she earns high honors on the soccer field, this year receiving The Shelbyville News Soccer Athlete of the Year award. But reaching 1,000 points in basketball wasn’t on Wilson’s mind until recently.
“I never really thought about it,” she said. “I didn’t know how many (points) I scored freshman and sophomore year, but at the end of my junior year, I realized I had over 700, and that I had over 400 in one year, so I knew it was doable.”
She credits her success and work ethic to her parents.
“They push me, but they’re not negative on me, which helps a lot. They’re always positive,” she said of Jamie and Michelle Wilson. Ava often shoots around on a backyard goal with her mom and younger sister, Lyla, who also plays for the Golden Bears.
Wilson also mentioned the value of playing with a core group of seniors, including Ella Johnson, Lilly Johnson, Lilly Marshall and Ellie Simpson.
“They’re my friends out-of-school, too,” she said.
While Wilson weighs her college options, the Bears are enjoying a winning season, with 10 victories in the books and plans to finish the final six games strong.
“I love this group of seniors,” Hoefler said. “They’ve made winning a priority.”
RISING TO NEW HEIGHTS
Construction work progresses on an apartment complex at 405 North Harrison Street, behind the Porter Center. The podium-style building will include 168 units and parking underneath, and incorporate renovation and a commercial tenant in the adjacent former Coca-Cola building. | photo by JACK BOYCE
NOTEBOOK:
A thin coating of snow is likely for most of central Indiana tonight and into early Saturday, especially in and north and east of Indianapolis, the National Weather Service reported.
Student applications for the upcoming Sister City trip to Japan are due Jan. 16. Visit here for more information on the trip and to download the packet.
This Day in Shelby County History
2014: Freezing rain gave way to several inches of snow in the afternoon, causing numerous slide-offs and other traffic accidents.
2004: Tim Barrick and Mary Jo Phares joined Mayor Scott Furgeson in taking their first official action as a board of works, making a revision to a police policy. The board set its meetings for 5:30 p.m. on Mondays. Phares had served on numerous boards, including for the Shelby County Youth Center, March of Dimes and local Fraternal Order of Police. Barrick had served in various roles as well, in addition to being on the board of works for Mayor Dan Theobald in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
1994: The new Shelby County Occupational Health Clinic, 30 Rampart St., formerly the Inlow Clinic, was already receiving heavy patient traffic, clinic officials said. A newspaper photo showed clinical assistant Judy Gelinas, program director Julie Beerwart and Dr. John Fenoglio at work.
Local courts got involved in the case of a Waldron High School student who had checked himself into a reserve basketball game without his coach’s permission and had subsequently been banned from attending the Shelby County Tournament. After the boy’s parents appealed Principal James Joros’s decision, Judge Jack Tandy granted a preliminary injunction, ordering the school to allow the boy to attend the tournament while the matter was reviewed by the school board. The student had checked himself into the game, played about five seconds before he was taken out, and then quit the team, according to court records. The Shelbyville News noted the boy was apparently frustrated over a lack of playing time.
1984: For the first time in 40 years, the Shelby County 4-H Fair would be free, fair officials announced. It had been $1 for admission previously. The board, however, voted to raise the parking free from $1 to $2. Members of the board thought the fair had last been free during World War II.
In response to contamination in Shelbyville’s water, Indiana Cities Water Corp. announced an investment of $500,000 on a new filtration system for its Shelbyville treatment plant. The local water supply had become tainted with a bitter, chemical-like taste in October 1983, with city officials contending ICW had done little to solve the problem. An environmental consultant said contamination likely came from the Big and Little Blue rivers.
1974: Shelby County Prosecutor Jerry Lux opened a new office in Room 201 at the courthouse. The office would be occupied by Ezra Dagley, new special investigator, and legal intern Bill Stone. Lux would remain in his office at 39 W. Washington St.
A production shutdown of one to two weeks started at Admiral Corporation’s Shelbyville Cabinet Division, 877 Miller Ave. Plant Manager Carl McNeely said all 200 hourly-paid workers would be off due to lack of orders for the large open-faced TV console cabinets. McNeely said the decrease in orders was caused by auto worker layoffs, and that “everybody seems to be running scared, and also they’re not buying TV sets.
1964: The Kirkpatrick family, St. Paul, returned home on Sunday around noon to find their home virtually leveled by fire. St. Paul Fire Chief Don Hurst said nothing was saved from the home, and only two walls remained standing.
1954: The damage due to a fire at Club Cafe, 49 E. Washington St., was $3,100 (approximately $35,000 in today’s money). Contents included a pool table, beds and some lamps.
IHSAA officials announced that Paul Cross Gym would again be the site of sectional and regional basketball tournaments.
1944: In a letter to his sister, Sgt. Raymond Hendricks described how men in his unit, stationed in Iran, had arranged a Christmas “tree” to decorate their mess hall. “Taking a burlap sack, they painted it green, placed it on a pole in the shape of a tree and then covered stones with colored paper to serve as decorations and ‘lights,’” The Republican said.
The Shelbyville Fire Department had made 166 runs in 1943, the annual report noted. Forty-seven fires had been caused by chimney sparks. “The second biggest cause was trash left lying in attics, basements and garages,” the report said.
1934: Local men Clyde Richeson, Ted Harley and Tom Pierson joined the Bill Hart Orchestra, which would open at the Chevrolet show in Indianapolis. Richeson would sing and serve as emcee, Harley played the drums and Pierson played the saxophone.
Russell Hilligoss’ Ford vehicle, which had been stolen from in front of his home on East Mechanic Street, was found abandoned near the Cedar Ford bridge. The car was fine other than “lacking five tires, four wheels, the generator, battery and radiator,” The Republican reported.
1924: Local teen Maurice Coers ran his dad’s Buick into the Pennsylvania switch engine near the Snyder coal yards, smashing a fender and breaking a wheel. Maurice had been en route to the Kent school to get his sister, who taught there.
A truck driven by Paul Tillison smashed into the interurban train at the corner of Franklin and Harrison streets. Tillison said he saw the train, but his brakes failed to activate.
A woman filed for divorce in Shelby Circuit Court, alleging her in-laws made fun of her clothing and that her husband wasted money.
1914: Dr. Wilson, an Indianapolis dentist, set up shop in the Odd Fellows building, promising a “painless” services in advertisements.
OBITUARIES
Harry Edgar Miller hit the road again on January 1, 2024, shortly after the New Year. Harry was born November 27, 1955, in San Diego, California, to Joed Miller and Mildred Lucille (Cole) Miller Riggins. He never met a stranger, and, to those who met him in his earlier days, he was always known as “Eddie.” After a ho-hum run in high school, he signed the dotted line for the U.S. Navy. He started as an aircraft mechanic and soared, pun intended, through an opportunity to take flight engineer training. He served as an Airedale with Patrol Squadron VP-24 stationed out of Jacksonville, Florida, and would see deployments to Keflavik, Iceland, and Sigonella, Sicily. During his time in service, he met and was honored to call some of his fellow crew members lifelong brothers. After the Navy, he attained his bachelor's degree in clinical psychology from Indiana State University. He was a licensed social worker. With that, he became a counselor for Koala Centers in Indianapolis, specializing in inpatient care for adolescents with dual diagnoses for mental health disorders and addictions. He later became the Executive Director of the Shelby County Youth Shelter. He implemented Project Safe Place in Shelby County to provide immediate help and safety for young people. When his dad retired, Harry drove Bus 4 for Shelbyville Central Schools for several years.
On September 7, 1974, he married Elizabeth Anne Tower in Shelbyville. They divorced but remained friends. On January 7, 2011, he married Lori Sue Bushman in Shelbyville. She would enrich his life beyond measure, successfully removing his title of Road Warrior. He retired in 2010 and was able to focus his time on family and friendships, of which he had many close, dear friends. He was thrilled to round out his tour of the 50 states last year with a cruise to Alaska. He especially enjoyed visiting his daughter and meeting her husband and his bonus grandsons for his birthday back in November. Nothing was more important to Harry than spending time with his loved ones.
Harry is survived by his wife, Lori, his son, James Lowell Miller, and wife Samantha, and granddaughters Alexis and Conni, his daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Nelson, and husband Kyle, and bonus grandsons Connor and Lucas. Also surviving are his brother Joey Miller, (late wife Conni), nieces Neana Willis (husband John) and Brittney Kiewiet (husband Brad), his uncle Cecil Miller (wife Beverly), his aunt Jean Olin (husband Greg). He enjoyed lifelong friendships with Tim "Taco" Antle, Greg "Archie" Antle, his cousin Bruce Martin (late wife Mary), Ricky and Joyce Rexroat, and Clark Goldsberry. He was preceded in death by his cherished in-laws, Dr. James H. and Betty C. (Groh) Tower Jr., who were monumental to Harry’s life and would help guide and mold the man he became through loving kindness and subtle wisdom. Harry would tell you he was blessed to have a man of Dr. Tower’s immense love in his corner.
Harry was loved deeply, and his family would like to request that you gather with us and share memories and fond stories of Harry.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, January 7, 2024, from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m., with the service immediately following, at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, Carmony-Ewing Chapel, 819 S. Harrison St., Shelbyville, Indiana. Interment will be at Forest Hill Cemetery in Shelbyville. Online condolences may be shared with Harry’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.
Stephen “Gary” Pennington, 80, of Ankeny, Iowa, formerly of Shelby County, passed away Wednesday, January 3, 2024. He was born January 25, 1943, in Chavies, Kentucky, the son of Russell and Edna (Napier) Pennington. He married Diane Boring, and she survives. In addition to Diane, Gary is survived by his brother, Donald Ray Pennington of Scottsburg. Gary was preceded in death by his parents; and brother, Ronald Pennington.
He received his Master’s degree in Forestry from Purdue University. Gary was a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, serving from 1967 to 1971. He owned and operated Pennington Forestry Services, for 50 years.
Graveside services will be held at 1:30 p.m., Monday, January 8, 2024, at Forest Hill Cemetery, 704 Morris Avenue in Shelbyville. Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Online condolences may be shared with Gary’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.
Gary D. Johnson, 75, of St. Paul, passed away Thursday December 28, 2023 at his residence. Born July 23, 1948, in Shelbyville, he was the son of William H. Johnson and Phyllis Jean (Hefner) Johnson. He married Jean (Burnett) Johnson on July 22, 1978, and she survives. Other survivors include his mother of Greenfield; three children, Delany Johnson of Lebanon, Jesse Johnson of St. Paul, and Melissa Johnson (boyfriend Dustin Branscum) of St. Paul; brother Bobby Johnson (wife Linda) of Greenfield, sister Pam Newman of Greenfield, brothers Terry Johnson of Indianapolis, Doug Johnson (wife Maggie) of Indianapolis, and Todd Johnson (wife Debbie) of Midway, Georgia; and four grandchildren, Eli, Levi, Jesse Jr., and Samuel Johnson. He was preceded in death by his father, and a brother, Kenneth Johnson.
Mr. Johnson had lived in this area since 2000 after moving from Wisconsin. He retired from General Motors after 30 years of service. He graduated from New Palestine High School in 1966, and was a member of Shelbyville Eagles and Moose Lodges, and a member of Greensburg American Legion. He was a US Navy veteran. Gary loved to play pool, and won many awards and tournaments. He collected antiques and collectibles, was a hard worker, and was always on the go. He had a lot of friends and enjoyed each and every one of them.
A Celebration of Life will be 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 21, 2024, at Bruner Event Center, St. Paul, with Adrian Scripture officiating. Friends may call from 1 p.m. until the time of the service, on Sunday afternoon, at the event center. Memorial contributions can be made to OUR Hospice of South Central Indiana, in care of the funeral home. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.
Rita Kay Smith, 81, of Shelbyville, passed away January 2, 2024 at her residence. She was born March 24, 1942 in Shelbyville, IN to Kenneth E. Purcell and Geneva M. (Ross) Purcell.
Rita was a blast to her family to be around. She was the most caring and loving mother and grandmother. One of her favorite things to do was to play bingo. In her spare time she would do crafts and quilting.
She married Asha Smith in 1964, and he preceded her in death in November 1981. Rita is survived by her daughters, Gina Purcell and Peggy (husband, Daniel) Dixon; her son, Robert Smith; several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Kelly Fricke; her grandson, Brian Meredith; her brother, Paul Purcell; her sister, Vera Short; her parents and husband.
Visitation will be Tuesday, January 9, 2024 from noon to 2 p.m. at Murphy-Parks Funeral Service, 703 S. Harrison Street, Shelbyville, IN 46176. Funeral services will follow at 2 p.m. at Murphy-Parks Funeral Services with Pastor Christopher Short officiating. Burial will be in Asbury Cemetery in Morristown, IN. Funeral Directors Greg Parks, Sheila Parks, Stuart Parks, and Darin Schutt are honored to serve Rita’s family. Online condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.
Dessie Dillow, 70, of Shelbyville, passed away Sunday, December 31, 2023, at Rosegate Village in Indianapolis. Born December 6, 1953 in Shelbyville, she was the daughter of Charles Bowman and Lucille (Wells) Bowman. She married Daniel Dillow, and he preceded her in death in 2009. Survivors include one daughter, Heather Bowman; three siblings, Peggy (Ron) Benandi of Alabama, Robert Bowman of Rushville, and Ronald Bowman of Shelbyville. She is also survived by sister-in-law Sherry Bowman of Geneva and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, grandparents and two sisters and two brothers.
Dessie had lived in this area most of her lifetime after previously moving from North Carolina. She was a homemaker. Dessie enjoyed doing arts and crafts, word search puzzles, listening to Christian music and watching tv.
Graveside service will be 11 a.m., Monday, January 8, 2024 at Fairland Cemetery. Memorial donations can be made to the Dessie Dillow memorial fund in care of the funeral home. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.
Cynthia (Cyndi) Pauline House, 60, of Shelbyville, Indiana, passed away peacefully at her home on December 6, 2023, and journeyed to be with the Lord.
Born in El Paso, Texas, Cynthia was the beloved daughter of Pauline House and the late Joseph W. House. She devoted her life to her family, various medical field roles, and her passion for home health care, serving in this field for over 20 years. Cynthia's profound passion for people, animal rescue, and jewelry making, which she generously shared with others, was matched only by her love for the Lord, evident in every aspect of her life. Her heart was as expansive as her beloved Texas.
Cynthia is lovingly remembered by her mother, Pauline House; sister, Kathleen Wason; brother, Joseph House; children, Charity Tolbert, Racheal Summers, Christina Rentzel and Jesse Moehringer; and her eight cherished grandchildren, who brought her immense joy. She is also survived by her beloved fiance, Tim Kindred, with whom she shared a deeply enriching love and happiness.
To those who knew and loved her, Cynthia was the epitome of unselfish kindness and a calming presence in the midst of life's storms.
Services will be at 1 p.m., Jan. 6, 2024, at Mt Pisgah Baptist Church, 3718 Blue Ridge Road, Shelbyville, Indiana, 46176, with Pastor Robb Barlow officiating.
Johnathan L. Bellows, 42, of Shelbyville, passed away Wednesday December 13, 2023 at MHP Medical Center. A Celebration of Life will be Saturday, January 13, 2024 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Murphy-Parks Funeral Services, 703 S. Harrison St., Shelbyville, IN. 46176. Funeral Directors Greg Parks, Sheila Parks, Stuart Parks, and Darin Schutt are honored to serve Johnathan's family.