Monday, September 16, 2024
FINISHING TOUCHES
Korbin Thurston, 10, completes an origami project, with guidance from Yoshie Horitomo, at Saturday’s Arts in the Park event. | photo by JACK BOYCE
CLASS REUNION
Members and friends of the Shelbyville High School class of 1958 gathered Saturday at Cagney’s. Pictured (bottom left and going clock-wise): Jim Brown, Pat Stine Pallikan, Suzanne Stine Rosborough (class of 1956), Don Rosborough (guest), Gayla Wickliff Henderson, Judy Clark, Bob Clark, George Fox, Thurman Barker, Lowell Amos, Sue Brannin Rudicel, Ginny Nigh, Sandra McNew Grubb, Neva Snyder Shumaker, Maureen Mahaffey Avakians and Steve Schott. | photo by ANNA TUNGATE
From the Editor’s Desk: The Addison Times to Incorporate as a Non-Profit
by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
Jean Monnet, the postwar architect of European unity, said, “Nothing is possible without individuals, but nothing lasts without institutions.” Yesterday, a group of individuals who have long supported local news met to establish The Addison Times as a not-for-profit organization, a necessary and critical step to creating a lasting institution to inform the Shelby County community.
Those in attendance forming the board of directors were: Amy Berthouex, Dee Bonner, Tyler Brant, Areli Cadena-Moreno, Chloe Caldwell, Ryan Claxton, Donna Cook, Micka Kincaid, Charles O’Connor, Wendy Stephenson and Dr. Carolyn Statler. (John C. DePrez Jr. joined via Zoom. Alyssa Flory was out-of-state, but will be part of the board.) Also in attendance were Jack Boyce and Anna Tungate, Addison Times staff; Jennifer Jones, Executive Director of the Blue River Community Foundation; and me, Kristiaan Rawlings. Elected officers of the newly formed organization are Donna Cook, president; Dee Bonner, vice president; Micka Kincaid, secretary; and Wendy Stephenson, treasurer. Organization incorporators are Dee Bonner, Chloe Caldwell and Kristiaan Rawlings.
A brief history is in order: I returned to my hometown in November 2014 after working several years in higher education. Noticing a gap in local news coverage, I asked Kris Meltzer and Dee Bonner if they would be willing to contribute their work to the public library’s newsletter. Three months later, I expanded coverage to city and county government meetings, published in a new newsletter under my name. In June 2015, Saturday Shelby, a weekly advertiser-supported print edition was created and mailed to virtually every home in the county. When that business failed in December 2016, I formed The Addison (Township) Times, a weekly subscription newspaper. We eventually shifted to daily digital, now donor-supported. (Thank you!) Many long-time readers know of the numerous twists and turns over the past decade, but we’ll leave it here for the sake of brevity.
Although the Bill of Rights’ preamble in 1789 identified the right to a free press, which is necessary to prevent the abuse of power and instill public confidence in the government’s operations, it did not provide a funding mechanism for such an endeavor. Fortunately, the newspaper industry turned out to be profitable, until it wasn’t.
After 10 years of covering Shelby County meetings and events, many of those in tandem with Tungate and Boyce (and the loyal help of my father, Myron Rawlings), I believe the best approach is through multiple formats, and staying nimble for future shifts in readers’ and viewers’ preferences.
Although the news industry has been decimated over the last 25 years, the individuals listed above see the value in rebuilding community through quality information. The news environment is challenging, but as Abigail Adams said, “These are the hard times in which a genius would wish to live.” She added, “Great necessities call forth great leaders.” I appreciate every reader who has shown such leadership with your support.
Over the next few months, organizational paperwork will be filed and strategic planning completed. It is an exciting time, as we look to build something that has succeeded elsewhere - DePrez provided copies of “What Works in Community News: Media Startups, News Deserts and the Future of the Fourth Estate” to attendees documenting such instances - but we will be, by my observation, among the first such enterprises in the Indianapolis metro area to offer tax-deductible donation options and seek grants and partnerships to improve local media literacy. As the paperwork process moves forward, I will keep you apprised. As always, thank you for your readership and support. - Kristiaan Rawlings
NOTEBOOK:
Shelbyville High School cross country runner Shia Veach, a sophomore, placed fifth at the Whiteland Invitational on Saturday, earning a medal, followed by junior Logan Reinhart in 17th place. Freshman Macey Robbins led the girls team, earning a ribbon in 14th place. The SHS cross country teams run their first home meet this season, the Golden Bear Invititational, Saturday, Sept. 21, 8:30 a.m., at Blue River Cross Country Course. The Shelbyville Middle School teams also competed in the 3k at the event, with America Leon Torres earning a medal, finishing in 8th place.
NATIONAL NEWS: Amazon and Walmart have been quietly exploring shifting toward a business model that would ship more goods directly to consumers from Chinese factories and require fewer U.S. workers in retail stores and logistics centers. The plans have been driven by the rocketing popularity of Chinese e-commerce platforms like Shein and Temu. These platforms ship inexpensive products directly to consumers’ doorsteps, allowing them to bypass American tariffs on Chinese goods, along with the hefty costs associated with brick-and-mortar stores, warehousing and distribution networks. But that trend toward changing business models may have been disrupted on Friday, when the Biden administration moved to close off de minimis eligibility for many Chinese imports. The changes will not go into effect immediately. The proposal will be subject to comment by industry before being finalized. But Friday’s action may head off a change that has been looming in global retail. Amazon has been preparing a new discount service that would ship products directly to consumer. (New York Times)
The Addison Times publishes essential news and historical content to build our Shelby County community, and is free thanks to the generosity of supporters. Those who donate a minimum of $5 a month (or $45 one-time) receive the three remaining quarterly Addison Times magazines for 2024 as an appreciation gift.
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights:
December 18, 1957
Two holiday parties would be held at the Shelbyville Rec over Christmas break: a Christmas dance on Dec. 21, featuring The House Rockers, and a New Year’s Eve party on Dec. 31, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Freshmen Student Council election results were announced: Janice Metz, Tom Graham, Faye Cole, Marilyn Bausback, C.M. Hepp and Sherry Smith would all serve as representatives.
The Squib was on sale: $2.
SHS women faculty held a cookie exchange at lunch. Spice bars, Mexican wedding cakes, pineapple drums, fruit drops and rock cookies were some of those featured. “Several faculty men managed to ‘drop by’ for a few samples,” the paper said.
“Did anyone notice Betty Fuller’s face after the announcement of the Kiwanis Award winner?” the “Within These Portals” column asked. “It was black and blue, but not because she had been in a fight. Betty was so over-joyed when they named Jack Krebs as winner that she was crying. She reached in her purse for a Kleenex and dried her eyes but it seems her pen had leaked on her Kleenex.”
Freda Fleener, Linda Andis and Nancy Headlee had been assigned to mix cookie ingredients in Miss Bodem’s first hour cooking class. The cookies turned out the size of pancakes, The Courier reported.
“In a discussion in Mr. Stuart’s 6th hour Algebra class, Mr. Stuart said, ‘When I was taking Algebra in school, I would rather stay at home and work Algebra than go to the movies.’ From the back of the room came the comment, ‘Yes, but that was before sound.’”
Pat Wilkins led the advanced typing class at 62 words per minute. Marcia Bausback was second at 59, Norma Williams scored 55 and Janet Pond, 51. Among beginners, leaders were Shirley Ash, 47; Phyllis Jones and Barbara Ewick, 41; and Paula Houston, Jewell Smith and Linda Stine, 39. The top boys were Bob Perkins (37), Tony Conger (35) and George Stubbs (33).
Three students in Mr. Compton’s driver education class came back late after taking the new 1957 grey and white Ford to Geneva. They thought they would cross the Flat Rock River but realized the road they were on was a dead end with no bridge.
Courier staff members were Don Hogan, Steve Schott, Steve Moberly, Bob Frost, Judy Coers, Shirley Bennett, Carole Weaver, Bill Greenlee, Phil Mings, Rich Wetnight, Ramona Lee, Freda Fleener and Karen Hirschauer. Marion Chenoweth was the sponsor.
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 from the Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department.
2014: The Morristown Town Council held a lengthy discussion on what types of animals could be kept in town limits, a discussion prompted by complaints about a rooster in the Oak Street area.
2004: The Animal Shelter installed new smokeless animal cremation equipment. Neighbors had lodged numerous complaints regarding the previous burner and related odors. Previously, the shelter had been using a hog burner to dispose of euthanized animals.
1994: With the new bridge over Big Blue River complete, workers removed the planks of the temporary Harrison Street bridge.
1984: Until the late 1970s, underage drinkers arrested by local police spent the night in the Shelby County Jail. But a new law had allowed police to issue citations to juvenile drinkers. Over that period of time, teenage drinking had increased, and Police Chief Robert Nolley suggested resuming jailing juveniles. He said the certainty of spending 24 to 48 hours in a jail cell if caught might deter teens from weekend parties. Nolley said underage drinking still occurred in the Kmart parking lot, and several teens had been intoxicated at a recent Shelbyville High School dance.
1974: Police Officer Dave Hardin shot a perfect score of 300 at the State FOP Pistol Shoot at Emmert Range on Knightstown Road.
Dickmann Motors won the regular and post-season tournament of the Shelbyville C-League in a game at Kennedy Park. Members of the team were Kim Ash, Mike Carr, Louie Cover, Charlie Neal, Brad Dickmann, Keith McFarland, Erin McKenney, Greg Hall, Pete Hall, Eric Dickmann, Randy Ramey, Dick Hensley and Kerry Hastings. Rod Dickmann and Fred Dickmann were coaches and Paul Dickmann was the sponsor.
1964: Grand opening was held at the new Roselyn Drive-in Bakery at the corner of Harrison and Colescott streets. The new retail store, housed in a new brick and glass building, was the first out-of-town location in a Roselyn expansion program. The bakery would be open seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and offer more than 120 fresh-baked items, including fruit pies and bread, which were baked in view of the customer. The store also sold ice cream in quarts and half-gallons and Golden Guernsey Milk products.
1954: A stack of signed dollar bills pasted to the ceiling of the 900 Club, 900 Miller Ave., over a period of several years was stolen by an unknown burglar some time after the bar closed Saturday.
The 82-acre tract of land on which General Electric would build a $5 million plant to manufacture industrial heating equipment was annexed into Shelbyville. Employment was expected to eventually reach 800.
1944: Shelby County school children were asked by the federal government to collect milkweed pods to aid the manufacture of military life jackets. Special open-mesh bags were provided to school children for the task. The bags, once full, were hung in the open air to dry, then taken to school and collected. Kapok was previously used to manufacture life jackets, but the U.S.’s supply of the material was cut off when the Japanese captured the East Indies.
1934: Buehler Bros. Meat Market celebrated its 16th anniversary and the 8th work anniversary of Jack Davison, manager. Sales were held to commemorate the occasions.
Dr. Gene Milleson had a black eye. He had been picking mushrooms near an Indianapolis golf course when a golf ball hit him in the head.
1924: Clarence Pile bought the grocery store at the corner of Franklin and St. Mary streets, which had been owned by Ola Bass. Pile also owned a grocery on East Washington St.
1914: “A number of complaints have been registered with the members of the City Council and much discussion has resulted over the manner in which many people of the city sprinkle the streets in front of their residences,” The Republican said. “In some part of the city, the streets are veritable hog wallows. So much water is thrown on the street that it is muddy all the time.” Action of the council was requested.
OBITUARIES
None today.