Saturday, May 3, 2025
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Laycock Awarded Oldham Scholarship
Shelbyville High School senior Kali Laycock is named recipient of the annual Gary Oldham Jr. Memorial Scholarship following last night’s varsity softball game. Previous scholarship recipients include Christian Haas and Macy Cooley. The scholarship memorializes Oldham Jr., a standout SHS athlete, who died in 2022. | photos by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
State Comptroller Uses Local Visit to Issue National Debt Warning
Host Chris King welcomes attendees at a meet-and-greet with Indiana Comptroller Elise Nieshalla, right, on Thursday. | photo by ANNA TUNGATE
The Indiana Comptroller visited local Republicans on Thursday with a message for those in national politics: stop increasing the national debt. The meet-and-greet, hosted at Shelby County Republican Chairman Chris and Kylie King’s home, gave Comptroller Elise Nieshalla, a Boone County native, a chance to walk through the duties of her position, explaining that the Comptroller serves a similar role as the former State Auditor position, including overseeing the accounting and reporting for state funds, payroll and paying the state’s bills. She is serving out the former state auditor’s term, which expires next year.
“The reason the (position) name has changed is because we do not audit,” Nieshalla told The Addison Times. “That is the function of the State Board of Accounts.”
In addition to recounting how Shelbyville City Councilwoman Linda Sanders served as a mentor to her, Nieshalla said she was impressed with the recent Taste of Shelby County Agriculture banquet. “I think you are the envy of all the other counties that would love to be able to support agriculture to that scale,” she said.
Nieshalla then got down to business, saying Congress and the President need to be held accountable to restore the country’s financial solvency. She recently headed the charge for state financial officers to ask the federal government to spend less, attempt to get back to a balanced budget and put together a plan for debt reduction.
Although the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget last month that would, if enacted, allow for tax cuts and increase the federal debt by some $7 trillion over the next 10 years, and more in years following, Nieshalla sees a path forward. The National Debt Crisis Task Force she chairs has the support of 37 state financial officers, and the Indiana Senate passed a resolution that formally “recognizes the seriousness of the national debt and its threat to national security.”
“What we are asking Congress and President Trump to do is very, very difficult,” she said, later adding, “We're talking about saving the United States of America from going bankrupt.”
Chairman King said he agreed with Nieshalla’s assessment. “This is the number one issue that's facing our country.”
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NOTEBOOK:
HOOSIER NEWS: DNR is offering many activities across the state park system including a fungi walk at Indiana Dunes State Park, a campfire building class over at Chain O’Lakes and a discussion on attracting hummingbirds to backyards at Fort Harrison State Park. (IndyStar)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS: There are now an estimated 74 border walls globally, up from just six in 1989, splitting countries and animal ranges. For example, example, the lynxes of the Białowieza Forest that are now split up by a 186-kilometer wall separating Belarus and Poland, with the 15 lynxes left on the Polish side now in a genetic bottleneck. (The Guardian/Numlock)
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ANNIVERSARY ANNOUNCEMENT
Bill and Ruth Anne (Thorpe) Hopkins, Shelbyville, celebrate 66 years of marriage today. They were married May 3, 1959, at Pleasant View Baptist Church in Shelby County. They had three children, Deborah K. Dent, Jeffrey A. Hopkins and Bryan C. Hopkins (deceased); eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Mrs. Hopkins retired from Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance and has been involved with Chatty Charmers Home Demonstration Club and Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church. Mr. Hopkins is a retired Colonel in the Indiana Army National Guard and has been involved with Military Officers Association of America, American Legion and Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church. The couple are snowbirds in Florida and active volunteers at Major Health Partners.
SHS Courier Archive Highlights
April 1, 1931, Part II
Fifty boys tried out for baseball. Six players were returning from the year before.
SHS hosted county schools as Albert Tangora, world typing champion in the 1920s, gave a demonstration. He typed 141 five-letter words per minute for the students.
Dr. Cady, a state representative, spoke to students about reformatories. He noted that of the 2,210 young men in the state reformatory, 54% had not finished fourth grade. Only 2% attended had high school.
Dr. Forest Allen, basketball coach at the University of Kansas, spoke in a seminar at SHS. He said that his team was on average a few inches taller than those on IU. “This is because Kansas was settled after Indiana and there is a greater mixture of races. It is seldom you find a small man,” he said.
The Courier noted that Mr. McKeand and Mr. McCullough were simply called “Mac” by their players. The seniors expressed disappointment at no longer being able to play for the Mackmen. “(The students) only hope that someone can be found to take their place. Someone who will stand up and fight for the team, the honor of the school and the coaches.”
The paper said most boys wore black shoes, but the amount of shine illustrated their interest in girls. Daily shined shoes indicated that “just around the corner is some sweet girl waiting.” Those who only shined their shoes once a week “think girls are all right as a sideline but first comes his education.”
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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.
2005: Dr. Daniel Duran announced plans to move his chiropractic business into the former Rax restaurant site. Dr. Duran had been located down the road on E. State Road 44 for 11 years.
1995: The Shelbyville Middle School seventh- and eighth-grade bands gave a concert on Public Square.
1985: Shellette Kremer was named May Festival Queen at SHS. Ronald Kelsay was Lord Mayor. Jessup Willard and Myranda Tungate were the crown and train bearers, respectively. Others on the court were Gail Douglas, Shane Tungate, Desiree Huber, Craig Crosby, Kathryn Gallager, Conrad Braunagel, Lori Lay, Ty Montgomery, Judith Justice, Brent Sandman, Heather Bratton and Gregory Soller.
1975: Paul Leffler, St. Paul, and his son, Greg, 22, were having outstanding years racing USAC cars. Greg was 12th in the USAC race car sprint competition point standings, and was racing full-time.
1965: Officials with the Fairland National Bank project broke ground at the site of the new branch in Pleasant View. Robert Barger, Jim Williams, John Tucker and Gus King were all on hand for the event.
1955: Tony and Tommy Delli Gatti, 8-year-old twins on S. Harrison St., brought a baby rabbit that had been seized by their dog to ambulance attendants. The attendants informed the boys that the rabbit was dead on arrival and that the death was attributed to “possible internal injuries, shock and fright.” The boys “trudged home, with small shoulders sagging, to bury the rabbit.”
1945: President Truman had commented that he believed Adolf Hitler was indeed dead, The Republican reported. The German government had issued a note saying Hitler had “fallen” in battle.
Due to the shortage of meat and food, Frazee’s Restaurant on East Washington St., owned by Everett Frazee, started opening at 1 p.m., but still closed at 11 p.m.
1935: The first of six parking lots to be opened was ready, alleviating downtown shopping traffic. The lot was located on West Jackson St. behind the school administration and Elks Club. Several truckloads of gravel had been spread over the lot.
1925: Residents of Main Street in Walkerville asked City Council for water service. “Several families have bath connections, but are unable to use modern conveniences in their homes because they have not water,” The Republican said.
Mr. A. Goodman announced plans to expand his department store. He planned to travel to Europe and Palestine during the renovations, which included a new store front, remodeling the store and constructing additional space for the men’s department.
1915: Joe Brantford and Nelson Demas were in serious condition as the result of a shooting fray which occurred at a restaurant on E. Jackson Street. Brantford had been shot in the stomach, and Demas shot in the arm. Both had surgeries to remove the bullets. Prosecutor Claude Henry said the men “had been drinking some” before the shooting. Witnesses at the restaurant were then searched, and 11 men were placed in jail on charges of carrying concealed weapons.
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OBITUARIES
Donald Miles Polakoff, 91, passed away May 2, 2025 at Ashford Place Health Campus in Shelbyville. He was born Dec. 7, 1933 in Shelbyville. He married Jackie Lou Hawkins on March 8, 1958 in Skokie, Ill. They were married for 59 years until her death in 2017. In addition to Jackie, he was proceeded in death by this father, M.H. Polakoff, mother Helen (Behrendt) and sisters Betty Hirsh and Marilyn Polakoff. Survivors include daughters, Jennifer McNally and husband, Tom, of Shelbyville, and Susan Polakoff Shaw and husband, Bud, of Cleveland, Ohio; and grandchildren, Molly Shaw Wachtman and husband Jacob, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Ryan Shaw and wife Melanie, of East Lansing, Michigan and five great-grandchildren, nieces Kathy Hirsh and husband Barry of Chicago and Diane Muth Thompson and husband Keith of Anna Maria Island, Florida.
He graduated from Shelbyville High School in 1952 and Indiana University School of Business in 1956. After IU, he served in the U.S. Army then worked for the Army CIC (Counter Intelligence Corps) in Chicago. Returning to Shelbyville to help run the family business, he became plant manager of the Shelby Manufacturing Company, a garment factory, in the1960s. He later joined Indiana Manufactures Association in Indianapolis as a senior vice president, where he worked until he retired. He had a soft spot for dogs, bourbon and western films. He could recite every line from the film, “Young Frankenstein.” He was a comedy fan, but his favorite movie was “Shane,” a classic western he subjected his family to mandatory viewing dozens of times. He and Jackie hosted countless parties in their Prescott Road home, including Halloween costume parties, New Year’s Eve and Super Bowl parties, often with live music featuring local musicians. They hosted weddings, graduations and birthday parties. Every Sunday they hosted pool parties and pitch-in dinners. Every Sunday.
A master joke and story teller who had perfect comedic timing, Don was the life of the party, a role he cherished. The funniest stories were the ones he told on himself, however, which often involved trying in vain to find a restaurant’s restroom, only to end up in the kitchen, asking for directions; tripping over furniture or his own feet Dick Van Dyke style; or getting his nose caught on a fish hook. He also cherished control of the remote, the grill and his riding lawn mower. In the 1970s and 1980s, Jackie and Donald were volunteers with Youth for Understanding, serving as Area Representatives. They matched high school foreign exchange students with central Indiana families. They personally hosted six exchange students and still kept in touch with “sons” Matthias, Juan, Maximo and Karri and their families - many of whom returned to visit multiple times with their own young families. Don was a fan of the Indianapolis Colts and IU basketball. One of his prized possessions was a personally autographed basketball from IU coach Bob Knight.
Following his wishes, no services will be held. The family would like to thank the caring staff at Ashford Place and Our Hospice of South Central Indiana. In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made through contributions to the Shelby County Public Library and Our Hospice of South Central Indiana. Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St., Shelbyville, Ind.