Monday, December 9, 2024
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS
PARADE OF PERSEVERANCE
ABOVE: The Grinch (Jack Bassett) clutches his candy bags during Friday’s holiday parade. (We’ll credit him for having a change of heart and freely distributing his treats.) | photo by JACK BOYCE
BELOW: Although it was too dark for a non-flash photo and too cold on all accounts, The Addison Times team gathers in the staging area on Friday before distributing papers in the Holiday Parade. (Supporters: your publication will arrive in the mail within the next week.) The crew included Addison Times board member Areli Cadena-Moreno, Kadence Beat, Sophia Idlewine, Sarai Rawlings, (board member) Chloe Caldwell, Camille Chaney, Camden Thoman, Maggie Kolkmeier, Cooper Thoman, Arica Crose, Bram Kolkmeier, Nina Arrieta and Kincade Dorsey. | photo blame to KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
Recollection: Three More to the Hall
Editor’s Note: After receiving several more comments on the recent passing of Bart Kaufman, I decided to re-publish the following, originally published in print, May 2016, commemorating the achievements of Shelbyville High School Hall of Fame inductees Kaufman, Tom Dierckman and Arthur “Doc” Barnett.
by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
When Bart Kaufman’s grandfather arrived at Ellis Island from Poland, officials promptly sent the carpenter and his family to Shelbyville, Ind., home of a burgeoning furniture industry.
Nate Kaufman, Bart’s father, turned multiple jobs, from selling fruits and vegetables, excelling as a high school sports official, and real estate, into finally opening an insurance business.
“My dad was always an entrepreneur,” Bart Kaufman said.
Growing up at 307 W. Broadway, Bart recalls a pleasant childhood.
“Relative to (others in Shelbyville), I had a privileged existence,” he said.
As soon as World War II ended, the Kaufmans purchased a second car and bought the second television set on the block. His parents started the first of many overseas visits with a 1947 trip to London, still in ruins from the war.
But most remember Nate for his integral role in helping launch SCUFFY and the Boys Club.
“My dad had a big heart,” Bart said.
Those same philanthropic principles followed Bart. Now chairman and CEO of Kaufman Financial Corporation, the Indiana University baseball stadium holds his namesake, Bart Kaufman Field, thanks to a generous donation.
The game has captured his attention from a youth.
“I went to the 1940 World Series in utero,” Kaufman said, laughing. That epic seven game series between the Reds and the Tigers was only the beginning. But with baseball opportunities lacking in Shelbyville, Kaufman spent time in the summer at Dodgertown, a Vero Beach, Fla. summer camp built on a former naval base. Excelling at camp, Kaufman went on to star at Indiana University, where he eventually earned a law degree.
Kaufman noted the openness of Shelbyville compared to surrounding areas throughout his childhood.
“Shelbyville was a remarkably welcoming community in the 1940s,” Kaufman said.
As one of about a dozen Jewish families in town, the Kaufmans pooled with the Sirkuses, the Silberts and the Franks, to travel to the Indianapolis Hebrew congregation.
“During gas rations around war-time, my mother organized (the trips),” Kaufman said.
The driving group lasted about 25 years.
Kaufman isn’t the only inductee to credit the community with instilling values that predicated success.
Tom Dierckman, Class of 1966, spent his childhood in Riley Village.
“Growing up (in Shelbyville) …was all about God and family,” Dierckman said.
He attended St. Joseph Catholic School and his parents both worked at General Electric.
“Like most kids, I was a product of my parents,” he said.
While Dierckman excelled in sports, winning the 1965 Kiwanis Football Scholarship, he also achieved Eagle Scout rank and spent two summers working at the Vine St. Tastee Freeze.
“My dad was not an athlete, so he was particularly interested in me being involved in things like Scouts,” Dierckman remembers. “But my mom deserves 80 percent of (my Scouting achievements) because she pushed me forward.”
That combination of practical and physical skills propelled Dierckman to a full Navy scholarship.
“We are a function of the people we hang out with,” he said, remembering great mentors like coaches Tom Sells and Jack Tindall, scoutmaster Bo Keith, Ken Self, director of the Boys Club, and teachers like St. Joe’s Sister Angelita. “I was blessed.”
Still teaching during Dierckman’s tenure was Arthur “Doc” Barnett. A long-time coach and teacher, Barnett’s influence goes beyond the confines of a classroom or field. His sons, medical doctors, remember a father who led by example.
Filling in for Frank Barnes during World War II, Barnett became the basketball team’s assistant coach once Barnes returned.
The state championship season of 1947 resulted.
“He played players based on merit,” son Charles Barnett, MD, 1959 SHS graduate, recalls.
This led to fair playing time for African-American students, despite insults faced on the road.
“Dad was not somebody who would march in a protest, but he did what he thought was right,” Charles Barnett said.
In the summers, Barnett devoted time to selling produce from their four-acre plot on old 421.
“(The area) was all just fields then (before construction of I-74),” Dan Barnett, MD, said. “I could go out the back door and walk to the Country Club.”
His father’s specialty was tomatoes and onions.
“(Gardening) was something he really enjoyed,” Dan Barnett said. “And I worked in the garden a lot.”
Doc encouraged his children to work hard and wasn’t afraid to give practical lessons along the way.
One summer, he arranged for Charles to work long days on a farm.
“I worked behind a wagon, stacking hay in the barns,” Charles Barnett said.
The experience pushed him to pursue college and beyond.
“He was supportive of me in everything that I did,” Charles Barnett said. “All the way through medical school.”
Doc and Hanne, married in 1940, lived in the old house until his passing in 1987. The son of a country doctor and father of two doctors, Arthur “Doc” Barnett spent a career mentoring students and guiding career aspirations.
In the last night of his life, Doc relayed some life events to a nurse. After chatting awhile, he said, “Throughout my entire life, I’ve always worked to be a really good man.”
To his sons, it’s a goal certainly achieved.
“He was a kind and gentle man of high moral character,” Charles Barnett said. “I’m really glad he’s getting recognition at the local level.”
NOTEBOOK:
Thank you to every donor for your continued support as The Addison Times forges ahead to fund 2025 and beyond. We will once again provide a quarterly publication with extra news and photos in 2025 as a gift for your support of $100 or more. This past year, we’ve covered city and county meetings, our students, local business, primary and general elections, commercial and residential development, and, of course, daily local history. Please consider a one-time or monthly donation to The Addison Times, either online or via a check to The Addison Times, 54 W. Broadway, #13, Shelbyville, Ind., 46176. Thank you for your continued support of daily local news and history. I appreciate each of you. - Kristiaan Rawlings, Editor
NATIONAL NEWS: The U.S. Park Service oversees Gettysburg National Military Park, the site of the climactic battle of the American Civil War in 1863. The park needs guides with a thorough level of expertise, and competition is stiff. The Park Service has issued licenses to guides since the 1930s, and it keeps the number of guides at 150-ish and only offers the notoriously difficult test to become one when the ranks sufficiently thin out. It’s not especially lucrative, but it is very prestigious and a great gig for the right kind of retiree or part-timer. As it stands, there are about 130 guides, so now the test — up to 180 questions and three essays — is on offer for the first time since 2017. That round, 97 applicants became nine new guides, illustrating just how tough the test can be. About 160 people sat for the exam on Saturday, and those who meet the mark will eventually be interviewed by guides in a mock tour to determine who will join their number. (Wall Street Journal/Numlock)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights:
December 12, 1930
The football team had improved for the fourth consecutive year, Coach McKeand said at a student convocation. Graduating senior players were George Coffin, Walter Haltom, Nelson Hodges, Lorenzo Linville, Donald Phipps, Dale Mitchell, Charles Campbell, Kenneth Junken, Paul Maxwell and James Lee.
Topics were announced for the Indiana State Bar Association’s high school oratorical contest. The previous year, Melvin Gifford, from SHS, had won the county contest and participated in the district meet.
Mr. Martin Schulz encouraged students to donate to a freewill offering for the band at basketball games. “Every time the band plays a popular tune, there is an outlay of money amounting to $2 or $3,” Schulz said, explaining artist royalty fees.
Local library Miss Bertha Bowlby said she looked forward to the usual “rush” of students visiting the library over the upcoming semester break.
In an anonymous letter to Santa, “A Mackman” asked for “only one thing”: “the winning ways of John Leap with the women.”
Letter from SHS to Santa: “I am a little high school, not so very old. I have an enrollment of about 600 students. I have been good all year and most of my students have made good grades. Many of my alumni are happy and successful. There are some things which I would like to have you bring me for Christmas this year. I need a new auditorium; the one I have now is not large enough to accommodate all my pupils, some new apparatus for my chemistry laboratory and a completely equipped journalism department for my students, who produce the Courier. I would also like some money sources for the Squib, in order that I may produce a bigger and better one than ever before. I would appreciate some permanent bleachers for my gymnasium, Santa, and in addition to these things, I would like to have lots of nice, new books for my school library. Well, this is just about all I can think of for you to bring me this time, but be sure to remember all the rest of the good little high schools, and bring them lots of useful things.”
Donald Phipps, 19, was named recipient of the Kiwanis Football Medal at the team’s annual banquet. The award was presented by Coach James McKeand, W.F. Loper and Mr. Wilbur Pell.
Shelbyville Fraternal Organizations at the Start of the 20th Century: Part 7
by GEORGE YOUNG
The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a prominent fraternal organization founded in Decatur, Ill., in 1866, dedicated to uniting Union Army, Navy, and Marine veterans who had served during the American Civil War. At its peak, GAR was the largest Union veterans’ organization, encompassing thousands of posts across the Northern and Western United States, and advocating for its members until it dissolved in 1956 with the passing of its last member, Albert Woolson.
The GAR wielded significant influence, not only providing camaraderie and mutual support among veterans but also serving as a powerful political force. The organization championed veterans’ pensions, black veterans’ voting rights, patriotic education, and Memorial Day's establishment as a national holiday. Additionally, five U.S. presidents - Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, and McKinley - were members. The organization reached its height in 1890, with over 410,000 members actively participating in its mission of “Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty.”
After the Civil War, state and local veteran groups began forming to foster connections among former soldiers. The GAR emerged as the most influential, organizing posts at the community level and departments at the state level. Members wore military-style uniforms, held patriotic ceremonies, and participated in local charity work. Due to its aging membership, GAR eventually endorsed the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War as its successor.
The GAR had at least three women who were members. The first female known to be admitted to the GAR was Kady Brownell, who served in the Union Army with her husband Robert.
Dumont Post #18 in Shelbyville, Ind.
Dumont Post #18 was one of the largest GAR posts outside Indianapolis. Located on the west side of Shelbyville's public square, the Dumont Post became a central meeting place for veterans and other community organizations. The post held annual Decoration Day ceremonies, where members and local lodges marched in a procession to decorate the graves of fallen comrades at the City Cemetery.
The Dumont Post took pride in fostering fellowship. Records from February 1900 note a gathering between the Dumont Post and the Kiowa Tribe at the GAR Post Hall, sharing cigars and apples in a demonstration of unity under their shared motto, “One Country and One Flag.” In October 1901, the post celebrated the initiation of five new members, though it faced the ongoing challenge of dwindling numbers as aging veterans passed away. By 1905, 19 members from the Shelbyville Post had died in just one year.
The Dumont Post also sent representatives to annual state GAR reunions. In May 1900, after returning from a reunion, the post reported a successful encampment, reflecting the camaraderie and shared experiences of the war. The GAR was an inclusive group that allowed ALL union veterans of the War of Rebellion to join. The Dumont Post 1902 picture posted here includes a black man as one of the leadership roles of their post.
The Dumont Post had their Grand Army Hall on the west side of the public square in the Alfred Major building at 31 ½ Public Square. This building many of us would recognize as the CG Murphy store. They occupied several rooms on the upper floors. The Dumont GAR Post and the Dumont Women Relief Corp met on the first and third Friday evenings of each month. It appears the Post rented their rooms to many other fraternal groups to help with expenses.
In 1931, Dumont Post #18 erected a “Soldiers Monument” on the Shelby County Courthouse lawn in Shelbyville, Ind., to honor Shelby County residents who served in the Union Army. The monument commemorates the enlistments from Shelby County and bears the inscription:
“Dumont Post No. 18, 1861 - 1865: We honor you for your valiant service to our Country, in time of War, and in time of Peace.”
G.A.R Ladies Auxiliary - Woman’s Relief Corps Dumont #51: Woman’s Relief Corps was founded in 1879 as a "secret" organization and recognized in 1883 as the "official women's auxiliary" to the GAR. As original Union veterans of the GAR, organized in 1866, grew old, many women's groups formed to aid them and their widows and orphans.
The Woman's Relief Corps (WRC) is a charitable organization in the United States, originally founded as the official women's auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) in 1883. The organization was designed to assist the GAR and provide post-war relief to Union veterans. The GAR had been created as a "fraternal" organization and refused to allow women to join up until the creation of this auxiliary. It is largely dedicated to historical preservation of research and official documentation related to the WRC and GAR. The first chapter of the WRC began in Portland, Maine. Being the official auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic, the WRC could not just operate as it wished or do whatever it pleased. The founding members of the WRC had to write rules and regulations that the GAR would approve of and ran along similar lines of what the GAR was doing. One of their main objectives was to "maintain true allegiance to the United States of America" and teach patriotism and "love of country.” The WRC began as an auxiliary to the GAR, but as the GAR began to decline, the WRC was able to help promote the longevity of the republic. Because the GAR required members to be veterans of the Union, their numbers began to dwindle as generations passed. In the 20th century, the WRC gained a political foothold as it lobbied for feminist policies and pensions for Union nurses, as well as patriotic education.
As always, the more I learn, the more questions come up; like, how did the residents of Boggstown and the members of the Dumont GAR Post get along together?
This Day in Shelby County History
News around Shelbyville and the surrounding area as reported on or about this date in history. Selections are curated by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials.
2014: The Shelbyville Police Department warned parents about an increasing prevalence of “wax” marijuana. The drug was called “wax” because of its appearance, and was made by removing the tetrahydrocannabinol from the marijuana, with THC delivering a high.
2004: The Shelbyville Elks Club closed on a deal selling the golf course to Blue River Golf Club.
Ten Shelby County students were selected to attend U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar’s annual “Symposium for Tomorrow’s Leaders” conference: Vannessa Armstrong and James Dixon, Waldron; Melody Garrette and Curt Gendron, Triton Central; Lauren Bush and Eric Rouse, Morristown; Katie Brinson and Stephanie Hamilton, Southwestern; and Aaron Anspaugh and Lindsay Conner, Shelbyville.
1994: Chris Baur, 218 W. Mechanic St., was selected to participate in the upcoming Indianapolis Colts NFL Punt, Pass & Kick championship at the RCA Dome.
1984: Shelby County Det. Dennis Alyea said Shelby County had the largest number of potentially-dangerous fake Cabbage Patch dolls reported in the state, according to Indianapolis detectives. The fake dolls smelled like kerosene and pesticide. Those who had bought the dolls were urged to take them out of their plastic wrappers and to let them air out before giving them to anyone.
1974: Norman Swinehart, 24, Shelbyville, was one of two inmates from the Indiana Reformatory at Pendleton to escape. The men had used a tractor on an outside work detail to drive into a wooded lot at the edge of the reformatory before escaping from the premises.
For the first time, there was a solo number at the annual Christmas sing held in Paul Cross Gym. The selection was composed by the late Edgar Johnson especially for the event, and Mrs. Major Gross was the vocalist. Mickey Wagner was chair of the event. Kate Hinschlaeger had served as organist since the event’s inception by Zonta 15 years’ prior.
Members selected to serve on the Shelbyville Junior Rec Board met to plan activities. They were Jill McComas, Sherrie Brennan, Mary Jane Haley, Debbie Mills, Shelley Bennett, Teresa Price, Kathy Martin, Stacy Lockridge, Debbie Lux, Mike DeVoe, Scott Brattain, Jeff Conger, D.J. Toll, Jim Grimme, Kim Mills and Bruce Willard. Brattain was president, Willard vice president and Debbie Mills secretary. Jack Worland, acting director and vice president of the Rec Board, oversaw the Junior Rec Board.
1964: Don Siebert, of Siebert Oldsmobile, was one of 20 Olds dealers chosen from more than 3,900 nationwide to attend a national conference in Michigan.
1954: Second Lt. Francis Lane and Second Lt. Frederick Lane, twin brothers from Shelby County, were assigned to the 15th Weather Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Island. Both had graduated from Purdue University and attended UCLA, majoring in meteorology. May (Kuhn), Milroy, planned to join her husband, Frederick, overseas in January.
The common council approved transferring the 10-acre Morrison Park area to the school for use as a site for a new junior high school building. The one-story building was to be of at least 15 rooms and bordering Miller St. The junior high building would then be renovated for use as a high school only. The school board approved purchasing a 10-acre tract at the northwest corner of Columbus Road-McKay Road for a new elementary school building. Also, the common council approved purchasing about 10 acres, located adjacent to Sunrise residential addition, for a new city park.
1944: James Barricklow, 40, an REMC employee, was electrocuted and died while working on a utility line near the black top road between Mt. Auburn and Edinburg. He was survived by his widow and three children, Duncan Jr., Mary Lee and Charlotte Ann. Mary Lee was in the hospital at the time, recovering from an appendectomy.
1934: County officials decided Charles Weber would be re-installed as Addison Township Constable. He had been unopposed in the election, but his name had accidentally been left off the ballot. “It could have been a brow-knitting problem for the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. Bu the board disposed of the matter this week by telling Weber to go ahead and serve as constable if he wanted to,” The Republican said.
Federal funds were allowed to landscape and grade the grounds surrounding Addison Township school. The Parent-Teacher Association had purchased a two-acre tract of land adjoining the school’s playground. A tree and shrubbery planting program approved by the government called for native trees of Indiana to serve as “windbreaks” at the north and west edges of the school grounds.
1924: Local businesses were doing well so far during the Christmas season, The Republican reported. Most business owners were expecting record sales for the year.
Morris Holmes, Hotel Shelby employee, was injured while cranking the elevator. He would be unable to his arm for several days, Dr. Tindall said.
1914: Local church membership was up by over 400 since the beginning of the year, with the following increases: West Street M.E., 50; First Christian, 10; First Baptist, 88; Vine Street M.P., 30; German Evangelical, 11; First Methodist, 146; First Presbyterian, 48; and First Church of Christ Scientists, 23.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory
OBITUARIES
Zacharyah (Zach) Russyll Bowers, 16, passed away unexpectedly and went home to Jesus on the morning of Thursday, December 5, 2024, in his Scottsburg, Ind. home. Zach was born in Seymour on July 17, 2008. He is the beloved son of Michael and Susan (Jones) Bowers.
Zach was a sophomore at Austin High School where he played trumpet and baritone in the marching band. He loved music, especially 80s metal bands like Metallica, but he also liked country music. Zach also loved all things Harry Potter. He enjoyed playing his guitar, reading Stephen King novels, and hanging out with his pet turtle “Squirtle,” named after the Pokemon character. He was also known to spend hours building with Legos. Zach attended Calvary Baptist Church in Seymour with his family, and he looked forward to time with his girlfriend Madi.
Left behind to cherish his memory are his loving parents, Michael and Susan (Jones) Bowers; brothers, Woody, Spencer, and Nicholas Bowers; grandmother, Martha Jones; grandparents, Wanda Clouse and Philip Bowers; step grandfather, Chris Henderson; several aunts, uncles, and cousins; and his best girl, Madison Smothers.
Zach is preceded in death by his grandfather, John Jones; his great-aunt Kim; and great-grandma Keys.
A visitation for friends and family will be held Wednesday, December 11, 2024, from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Voss and Sons Funeral and Cremation Services, 316 North Chestnut Street, Seymour. The family has chosen cremation services to follow the visitation. A Celebration of Life will be planned at a future date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Zach’s honor may be made out to Michael and Susan Bowers to help defray costs. You are invited to visit our website, vossfuneralservice.com, to leave condolences or share a memory.