Monday, September 30, 2024
NO LONGER BONE DRY
Although up to interpretation, perhaps these skeletons at the corner of S. Miller St. and Broadway streets are thanking a deity for the past few days of rain, given the recent drought. | photo by JACK BOYCE
Squib 1910 Alumni Notes
Editor’s Note: The Shelbyville High School Squib operated as a school newspaper for several years. Below are notes from the March 1910 edition, which included details of a recent alumni gathering.
The Alumni Association, just three years old, held a banquet at the Elks Hall, which was decorated in black and old gold. Dinner at 6:30 p.m. was followed by a dance. Judge Harry Morrison was chair of the organizing committee. Charles Major, in attendance to represent the “first” SHS class of 1879, delivered opening remarks. “Then followed speeches, toasts, class songs and yells, music, recitations - everything in fact in the line of entertainment, each class having prepared some special number.” Classes sat in individual sections.
In 1863, the first class graduated from Shelbyville High School. However, the school was small and not commissioned, and no records were kept until 1879.
The smallest class was in 1882, with two members. The largest was in 1909 with 43 members. The second-largest was in 1889, with 28 members.
All members of the Class of 1888 were still alive, and all were married.
The class of 1880 sang their class song, the first class song in SHS history.
The class of 1907 had just experienced its first alumnus death, with the sudden passing of Leona Perkins. She had been in nursing school in Cincinnati.
Maude House, class of 1901, was a reporter with The Indianapolis Star. Mary Powell, ’09, was a society reporter for the Shelbyville Republican. Ralph Douglass, class of 1900, who had been editor of The Shelbyville Democrat, had just taken a position with The Indianapolis Star.
Fred Walker, class of 1893, had been traveling with the Kitty Grey Comic Opera Company and planned to spend the summer studying music in New York City.
Jamie Carter, class of 1907, was a student at Harvard University.
Oscar L. Pond, class of 1875, had become an expert in legal treaties. (He published a book on the subject in 1925.)
In other SHS news:
The Shelbyville girls basketball team had defeated Hope, 22-4. “A fair sized crowd saw the only girls’ game of the season at the high school. The best of courtesy was extended to the visitors, and they almost forgot by Sunday morning that they had been defeated.” Shelbyville’s players were Marie Stafford, Merril Rhodes, Myra Hester, Clara Wright, Ruth Updegraph and Alice Barlow.
The SHS boys played Morristown. “The Morristown High School team came over to Shelbyville with a special carload of rooters with no other intention than to give the local basketball team a sound drubbing. However, the ‘dope bucket’ was upset, and when the final whistle blew and the smoke cleared, the Shelbyville High School basketball team had the long end of a 23 to 17 score.”
“It would be well for the Freshmen to learn stairway etiquette. They should always keep to the right and not run up and down stairs.”
“The Freshmen had their feelings hurt by the ‘roasts’ they received in the last issue of the Squib. They must not fret, as they will have a chance some time.”
NOTEBOOK:
Shelbyville High School Cross Country freshman runner Macey Robbins received All-Conference honors Saturday following a strong HHC Conference meet at the local course. SHS’s Shia Veach finished just one spot shy of All-Conference for the boys’ team. The Golden Bears head to Terre Haute on Friday for the Nike Twilight Invite.
NATIONAL NEWS: A new survey asked respondents what industries should be more regulated and what industries should be less regulated. The industries that the largest numbers of people said ought to be more regulated included artificial intelligence (72 percent favor more regulation, 5 percent less), pharmaceuticals (66 percent favor more, 10 percent less), social media (60 percent favor more, 15 percent less), firearms (57 percent favor more, 20 percent less) and health insurance (56 percent favor more, 16 percent less). That said, there are lots of industries that people felt really didn’t need that much more of a heavy hand, including fashion (20 percent favor more regulation, 17 percent less), entertainment (27 percent favor more, 16 percent less) and tourism (30 percent favor more, 14 percent less). The biggest year-over-year gains in demand for regulation were in AI (up 15 percentage points between 2023 and 2024), grocery (up 8 percentage points) and food and beverage (up 6 percentage points). (YouGov)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights:
March 17, 2009
Harry Larrabee announced he was stepping down from coaching, a job he had been doing at various institutions since 1975. Dave Hunton had been a part of Larrabee’s coaching staff since Larrabee’s return to SHS in 2000.
Seniors hosted the first Mr. Shelbyville pageant, featuring eight junior and senior boys competing in different categories such as dance, modeling, talent and interview. Ross Harrison won. Other contestants included Tyler Hankins, Will Kusters, Riley Kennedy, Daniel Ruiz, Brian Larner, Chris Hacker and Chad Prather. Larner said he had only participated because “there were women groveling at my feet, begging me to do it.” Hankins stunned the judges with his amazing singing abilities to the song, “In the Jungle.” Ruiz did a dance from the 1983 movie “Flash Dance.” The Courier said Larner “confused and amazed those in attendance by doing a unique ‘human instrument’ talent. Harrison sang “What’s Love Got to With It?” with an encore of “A Whole New World.” The pageant raised $750 for the Hospice of Shelby County. Judges were Mr. Todd McCullough, Mrs. Kellie Schmidt, Mrs. Maggie Wood and Mr. Jon Stevens.
Prom theme would be Roaring 20s. Emily Green said she had not helped her date pick a tux, but “Barney Purple is his color.”
In the “15 Minutes of Fame” column, sophomore Cassie Donaldson said the trend she hated the most was boots over sweatpants. Michael Parks said his favorite teacher was “Papa Parks.”
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: Groundbreaking was held at the new Major Hospital complex at the Intelliplex. Approximately 100 gathered under a white tent behind the Benesee Oncology Center. Major Hospital Board of Directors Chairman Gene Jones opened the ceremony. CEO Jack Horner described the details of the 350,000 square foot project, which was scheduled for completion in 2016.
2004: Cagneys celebrated its 30th anniversary in business. Established at 24 Howard St. in August 1974 by Jerry and Sarah Brown, Pizza King began selling pizza four sandwiches: submarine, ham and cheese, stromboli and Texas barbecue. Carry-out was available, but seating wasn’t, Steve Talbert wrote for The Shelbyville News. Two-and-a-half years later, the business moved to 29 E. Broadway St., the previous home of Mister D’s One-Hour Cleaners. Later, the business moved to its current location, and the second site became a parking lot. Jerry renamed the business “Cagney’s” in honor of the late James Cagney. They were part of the Pizza King network, which was not a franchise. Cagney’s ordered Pizza King products out of the company’s commissary in Lafaeyette but was free to offer other things. Brown had hired Scott Furgeson at 14 years old, who had been elected mayor and owned 45 percent of Pizza King in Franklin along with Brown.
1994: With recent staffing cuts, Shelbyville Central Schools core class sizes were closer to 30 students to per class instead of 25 students, school officials said. SCS had cut its budget by $1 million to avoid deficit spending. Nine full-time teachers were cut, leaving 166 in the system’s six buildings.
1984: George Lindsey, who had played Goober Pyle on the “Andy Griffith Show” for eight years and was in “Hee Haw,” came to Shelbyville’s Big Blue Store to promote the jeans worn and loved by “Hee Haw” cast members.
1974: Several burglaries to businesses and homes had been reported within days. Five television sets (four new color TVs and a used black and white set), two stereos, three table model radios and a sewing machines were stolen at the Bradley Hall store. Eight cigarette lighters had been stolen at Kettler’s Travern.
1964: Patterned along the lines of “Howdy John” days of the past, Shelby County Democrats announced plans for a “Howdy Roger Day” campaign rally for the party’s candidate for governor, Roger Branigin. County Democrat Chairman George Tolen Jr. said a crowd of 5,000 was expected. Those on the planning committee were Glenn Montgomery, Elmer McNay, Frank Kehoe, Jim Anderson Jr., Morris DePrez, Frank Beck, Jack Small, Edghill Moore, Ralph Briggs, Sharon Owen, Ruth Talley and Mary Murray.
1954: A United Press story quoted Carol Thurston, 345 W. Broadway, who was a buyer for an Indianapolis store, about a new female pipe smoking fad reported in big cities. Women’s pipes were designed to have a “feminine look,” and ranged from short corn-cobs for 25 cents to “sleek $10 jobs with spangles hanging from the bowl,” the article said. Thurston said she had “found out the hard way” about pipes. “The first time I tried a pipe, I inhaled it and it nearly blew my head off. You just don’t inhale a pipe,” she said. Thurston said that “generally speaking,” the husbands she talked to disapproved of women using a pipe.
The Strand Theatre, closed for several months for renovations, was set to reopen with the presentation of movies in Cinemascope. The stage had been remodeled to make room for the huge new Cinemascope screen, 30 feet wide, almost twice the width of the former screen. Seating capacity remained at 735.
Dr. Gustus Billman, 82, died at home in Marion Township. Dr. Billman was born in Shelby County in 1872 and had been a lifelong Shelby County resident except for his medical residency in Indianapolis.
1944: Capitol Air Service offered $2 airplane rides over Shelbyville, starting from the Fix Farm, one-half mile west of State Road 29 on Boggstown Pike.
Harold Meloy, veteran of World War II and a local attorney, announced he would be the Democratic candidate for Shelby County Prosecuting Attorney.
After sustaining face and leg injuries in action, 2nd Lt. Dwain Dickman had returned to action and completed his 25th bombing mission, The Republican reported. Lt. Dickman was based in Italy with the U.S. Army Air Force, had been awarded a Purple Heart. His brother, Cpl. Richard Dickman, was also stationed in Italy.
1934: Over 100 federal workers cleared away debris and underbrush from the Blue River channel at the bridge west of Shelbyville on State Road 44, so the river would flow under the center span of the bridge.
1924: More than 150 members of the Fairland M.E. Church attended a reception welcoming the new pastor, Rev. and Mrs. Boston.
1914: A 90-year-old man living in Nashville advertised in The Shelbyville Republican he wanted a wife. He specified she must be about 60 years old, have “ginger and snap enough in her to milk two cows, morning and evening, and to be a faithful and loving wife.” He said he had enough money to “keep her in a proper manner.”
OBITUARIES
None today.