Saturday, February 4, 2023
24 Hours in Addison Township: 3:21 p.m.
Jenny Sliger, charge nurse in the MHP Emergency Room, reviews medical charts and assessments while a steady flow of staff and patients move past. “I like the teamwork here,” Sliger said. “I can count on everybody that I work with to come help me. That is huge when you’re a nurse, because we’re in a very stressful environment in the ER.” | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
IN THE RACE
Christi Brant (above), Democrat candidate for Shelbyville Common Council Fourth Ward, and (below) Patrick Addis, candidate for Third Ward Common Council, pose with Shelby County Democrat Chair Denny Ramsey after filing election paperwork. | submitted
NOTEBOOK:
Brad Ridgeway, Republican candidate for mayor of Shelbyville, announced two upcoming Town Hall meetings. The informal public meetings are set for Tuesday, Feb. 21, 6 - 8 p.m., and Tuesday, March 21, 6 - 8 p.m., at the VFW Local Post 2695. “The purpose of the meeting is to give Shelbyville residents an opportunity to get together in a relaxed environment to personally discuss the things that matter to them and to share their thoughts on local issues,” Ridgeway said in the announcement. Questions can be directed to Ridgeway at 317-395-4841.
HOOSIER NEWS: Despite layoffs at some of the country's biggest tech companies, the need for tech workers in Indiana is at a record high and growing, according to an inaugural workforce report by TechPoint. The tech association is calling on state lawmakers to pass proposals to fund training programs and incentives and employers to change the way they hire employees to focus on skills and creating a diverse workforce. If Indiana doesn't grow its tech workforce, it'll continue to lose business to other states or risk companies moving out of the state, said Dennis Trinkle, who leads TechPoint's initiative to add 41,000 tech workers in Indiana by 2023. As a result, its residents won't have good-paying jobs. (IndyStar)
NATIONAL NEWS: Chipotle embarked on price hikes over the past several years, with the price of a chicken entree at the burrito joint up 19 percent since 2018. That seems like a lot, but is in fact less than their two biggest competitors: The price of a chicken entree is up 21.5 percent at Qdoba and up 28.1 percent at Moe’s. (QSR Magazine)
SHELBY COUNTY PEOPLE & PLACES: ALBERT “BERT” DEGELOW
Editor’s note: In the mid- to late 1940s, The Shelbyville Republican published a series of articles by Ave Lewis and Hortense Montgomery covering community people and places. Below is one of those features.
"If need a good machinist in heaven my dad will have the job cinched." He doesn't know it, but that's the tribute paid by Albert J. (Bert) Degelow by one of sons to a friend not long ago. And it seems to sum up the appreciation of his ability and esteem in which Mr. Degelow is held, not only by his son but a great many other people, especially those who know that welders, planers and lathes are something more than "hunks of iron" - and by the innumerable kids and adults too, to whom he never is too busy to stop and give advice or aid in helping with repair or some machine or other.
The machinist's trade in Mr. Degelow's family dates far back to the "old country." His father, Ernest Degelow, who after his marriage lived near Dresden, Germany, was a master locksmith, and his grandfather, August W. Hultsch, was both a blacksmith and a veterinarian who forged his own surgical instruments for the latter profession. He lived near Erfurt, Germany, and forged the spikes for the first railroad through central Germany. Ironically enough, the home communities of both these families were bombed by Mr. Degelow's son, Capt. A.J. (Jimmy) Degelow, Jr. on his 29 bombing missions with the Air Corps in World War II.
The Degelow and Hultsch families migrated to this country in 1858 to escape the internal strife which was rampant in Germany even in that day. They first settled in the Moravian community near Pennsylvania but later followed the movement west into Indiana. However, instead of locating at Hope, which was a center of the religious faith, they settled in Shelbyville because it was a larger town.
Bert Degelow was born at 818 East Broadway and he starts his "story" at the age of 14 when he went to work for the Eagle Range Company, which was located where the Hilligoss Coal yard now stands at the magnificent salary of 25 cents per day. In 1908 he began work at The Vandergrift Manufacturing Company as a riveter, and from that he branched into the machinist line. During this time, he was studying to be a telegrapher but an accident which injured his arm left him feeling that he probably would never attain the speed necessary to telegraphy. And he says, "I guess the machinist business was in my blood anyway."
At any rate, after several jobs while the arm was healing he began his actual machinist work in 1911 for the Shelby Gas Engine Company, which was located on the site of the present county highway garage. He was foreman at the plant for some time, but in 1913 went into business for himself, and the first "Degelow Machine Shop" was established on East Broadway. In 1922, he erected his own building, still on East Broadway, and it was one of the first shops in town to be equipped for welding. After selling the shop to Chambers Corporation in 1941, he moved his equipment into the rear of the Vandergrift and Soller garage on West Hendricks Street. After the disastrous fire at the garage in 1944 in which he lost all his equipment, he rented machinery and moved it into the old house far out on East Broadway, which was built in 1821 by John A. Hendricks.
Plans for a new building were in his mind, however, and in September 1944, he moved into the compact cement block building at 817 East Jackson Street. To the uninitiated, the inside of the building is almost frightening! It's filled with massive tools of various sizes and shapes, but Mr. Degelow handles them all as deftly as a grocery clerk does a lead pencil. Asked specifically what all he does, Mr. Degelow replied, "Oh, all kinds of repair work." And one of the sons who was making a lot of noise with one of the huge gadgets in a corner chimed in, "You might say that he kept the wheels going in a lot of factories in town while we were in the war." The "we" is the before mentioned Jimmy, and John and Fred E., three of the four sons of Mr. and Mrs. Degelow. Jimmy and Fred and a younger brother Bob, are in the shop with their dad. And there are two more children in the Degelow family, Mrs. Fern James and Mrs. Mary Ann Dodds, both of whom reside here. The mother of the children, who was married to Mr. Degelow on June 27, 1915 was Miss Mary A. Miley and her father was a Shelby County blacksmith. She must know all there is to know about the machinist business.
This Week in Shelby County" works by George L. Stubbs Sr. are owned by the Shelby County Historical Society (Grover Center) and used with permission.
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.
20 YEARS AGO: 2003
Shelbyville Middle School teachers David Wimmer and Paul Ashbrook received Conservation Educator of the Year awards from the Shelby County Co-op and the Soil and Water Conservation District for their maintenance and use of the outdoor laboratory located on the Shelbyville High School campus. Wimmer and Ashbrook had gained county-wide attention after their Earth Day efforts were delayed by rainy weather. The eventual presentation by their sixth-grade classes to corporation first-graders included teaching the life cycle of frogs, water cycles, tree products and insects. For almost 20 years after it was created in the mid-1970s, the outdoor lab was hardly used by anyone other than high school biology classes. A few years’ prior, the school board told the teachers to use it or lose it. Since that challenge, Wimmer, Ashbrook, Ron Kramer (Hendricks), Roger Palmer (SHS) and local Boy Scouts had been using and maintaining the lab.
30 YEARS AGO: 1993
The Shelbyville Police Department hired new officers Doug Hasecuster and Steven Spears. One officer would replace Jim Dile, who had retired. The other was for a new officer position.
Former Waldron High School principal Max Beeson and former County Commissioner, welfare director and original member of the Shelby Eastern School board Harry Clark died on the same day.
40 YEARS AGO: 1983
Despite a $1.96 million loss in 1982, Shelby National Bank officials were optimistic. “We made money for more than 100 years and we’re still going to make money,” President Robert Leming said.
A wire service article in The Shelbyville News was titled, “Satellite dish new status symbol for the rich.”
50 YEARS AGO: 1973
Three railroad crossings in the northeast portion of Shelby County were blocked by a Baltimore and Ohio freight train during the night. The B&O tracks in and east of Gwynneville were affected when a freight train was brought to a stop when a defect in the roadbed was discovered.
60 YEARS AGO: 1963
Ralph VanNatta, Shelbyville’s first Republican mayoral candidate for the 1963 primary, announced his candidacy. Active in Republican affairs here for several years, VanNatta had lived in Shelbyville for over a decade, during which time he had been employed with Schoelch’s Hub Shoe Store. He had served in the U.S. Army and was later recalled to duty in 1950, after which he saw combat service in Korea. His service included three battle engagements. He was married to Nora, and they had four children, Bruce, 7; Karla, 6; Robert, 5; and James, 3.
70 YEARS AGO: 1953
The Farmers National Bank of Shelbyville completed the transfer of the entire bookkeeping department from the main floor to the remodeled basement of the bank. Bank president Arthur Thurston said the improvement and remodeling project included a new stairway, new paneled basement ceiling, new vault-type files and moving all of the book-keeping department’s machines, equipment and accessories. The bookkeeping department, which had four employees and was headed by Lorene Havens, had two entrances due to the remodel.
80 YEARS AGO: 1943
One pound of coffee would have to last six weeks instead of five, according to a new federal rule. “Brush up your recipes for stretching coffee - your ration has been cut,” The Republican reported. Ships had more important things to carry, according to a federal agency.
90 YEARS AGO: 1933
R.B. “Pat” Patterson bought a Fairland grocery store from Mrs. Jessie Percell. The next day, he entered his new business to find burglars had stolen candy, tobacco, food, and the empty cash register. It was the second robbery of its kind in Patterson’s business experience. About a year prior, he had purchased a store in Boggstown. Shortly after, the store was robbed of its cash register.
100 YEARS AGO: 1923
City Council sold an issue of bonds to meet the cost of constructing Major Memorial Hospital. The south and west sides of the hospital building would be of St. Paul limestone. An order was placed for 23,000 brick, iron gray and rough in texture.
INCIDENTS
Burglary was reported in the 4800 block of W 500 N, Fairland.
Thefts were reported in the 800 block of Shelby’s Crest, 800 block of Westpointe, Dr., 200 block of S. Harrison St. and the 1900 block of Meridian St., Shelbyville.
JAIL BOOK-INS: Jerica O. Boyer, 25, probation violation; Rebel N. Campbell, 42, burglary; Ernest D. Gilbert Jr., 38, failure to appear (2 counts); Kasey L. Gregg, 29, domestic battery; Seth C. Haehl, 39, probation violation; Kristopher R. Somerville, 33, burglary, deception, hold for another jurisdiction; Chris A. Sheldon, 52, theft; Cameron A. Davis, 26, burglary; Joshua A. Riddle, 31, OVWI
OBITUARIES
None today