Saturday, May 4, 2024
Golf Outing Memorializes Longtime Local Democrat
Tom Harding shows off his “famous” - according to fellow local Democrats - homemade cake at a 2022 party meeting. The cake was previously dubbed “Victory Cake” by Harding’s late wife, Frances. | photo by ANNA TUNGATE
Several summer Blue Bear outings are named in honor of past local golfers. Not this one.
“Tom didn’t play golf, but he did bring his own stove to the course every year,” Bob Williams said.
The second annual Tom Harding Memorial Golf Outing, to be hosted by Shelby County Democrats on June 2, is named in honor of the late local Marine and die hard Democrat who served as cook at the Democrats’ previously unnamed annual fundraiser.
“He was one of the first to volunteer whenever we had an event going on, and especially since I started the golf tournament,” Williams, a former county party chair, said. “He would go up to the Army grocery store at Fort Harrison, which he still had access to, and buy a bunch of hot dogs and brats.”
Planning last year’s outing just didn’t feel the same without Harding, who had passed away in March at 82. Someone mentioned it would be the first tournament without him, and the idea was soon hatched to re-name the outing.
Outside of military service, Harding lived in Shelby County all his life. Born in Marietta, he was the first president of UAW Local 1793, a position he held for 23 years while employed at General Electric. He retired from GE in 2002 after 40 years. He had previously retired from the Army National Guard and was a longtime Democrat Precinct Committeeman and member of the Moose Lodge and American Legion Post #70. His wife, Frances (Bergstresser), died in 2009.
Thanks to Harding and his fellow Democrats, the local tournament has amassed a cohort of faithfuls.
“We’ve got people who aren’t necessarily involved with the Democrats, even several known Republicans, but they play every year because they like the way we do it,” Williams said.
Door prizes, contest rewards, food and drinks served near the seventh tee and various games on the course make this organized tournament a fan favorite.
Information on the tournament, including donations and sponsorship opportunities, can be obtained from Williams, exwilliams2631@gmail.com.
NOTEBOOK:
The following building permits were issued in Shelbyville last month: new residential storage building at 2127 Miller Ave., extend existing front porch at 115 N. Walnut St., repair damage to existing garage at 123 Fairfield Dr., repair foundation at 836 S. Tompkins St., new carport at 250 W. Taylor St., repair foundation at 324 W. South St., and permits for numerous new homes.
NATIONAL NEWS: The original watercolor illustration of the book cover for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is up for auction at Sotheby’s, and is projected to sell for $400,000 to $600,000. It’s an exciting work, as it’s the first illustration of Harry Potter and would introduce the character to the world. Painted by then 23-year-old artist Thomas Taylor, a graduate student at the time, it portrays the character as he’s about to board a rather fateful train. It’s one of several items in a big auction from a collection that includes manuscripts from Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle. The first time the illustration was sold, in 2001, it was bought for £85,750 ($107,316). (Penta/Numlock)
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This Day in Shelby County History
2014: Brooke Pence was crowned Queen of the May at the May Festival. Molly Madden was Lady Mayor and Alton Anspaugh was Lord Mayor.
The Shelbyville High School Hall of Fame induction featured stories from each inductee. Phil Brown told about getting paddled by teacher John Page, and learning the value of discipline. Brown then expressed concern about online education. “To me, there’s nothing more important than that one-on-one relationship between a teacher and a student in the classroom. Not only because of the educational value of that relationship, but because of the structure of the discipline that relationship engenders.” Page later became a friend and client of Brown’s. Harry Larrabee mentioned a time he was late to the bus for a basketball game and had to drive himself. Coach Carl Hughes benched him for the first quarter, and the Bears lost a close game. The coach then wouldn’t let Larrabee drive home by himself. “He wasn’t going to let Betsy drive back with me,” Larrabee said, referring to his high school sweetheart and wife.” So Hughes rode back with Larrabee in the 1964 Ford Galaxie with no heat. O’Connor also talked about the value of mentors, and told about his first day at St. Joseph’s after moving from New York in the fourth grade. O’Connor’s son, Jeremy, said his dad was instrumental in his life. “I started to write some things down about what I wanted to say tonight, and I realized I didn’t have enough paper or enough pens,” Jeremy O’Connor said.
2004: City Council approved an ordinance limiting tent sales within city limits to three days at any one location. Mobile merchants had been setting up, particularly at Belaire Shopping Plaza, for multiple days at a time.
An Indianapolis businessman bought the long-abandoned Hardee’s building, 632 S. Harrison St., and planned to open Lincoln Square Restaurant. The Shelbyville location would be his 13th restaurant.
1994: For the first time in 71 years, arch dancers and candle girls would not dance around the Shelbyville High School gymnasium floor. Instead, the event would be moved to Breck Auditorium. Music teacher Russell Smith disagreed with those who said it had to be in the gym. “I tell those people that if they truly wanted to keep with tradition, the festival should be in the Paul Cross Gymnasium at the old junior high school. That is where the festival started,” Smith said. Smith had added a Lady Mayor to the festival in 1988, to be honored alongside the Lord Mayor. The location change was made to help with lighting and other logistics, such as not disrupting physical education classes for a week during set-up.
National City Bank pushed the Self Shelbyville Boys Club and Girls Inc. Capital Campaign $60,000 closer to its $2.5 million goal. Bruce DeBaun, local bank president, said the donation reflected the community’s longtime support.
1984: Roberta Nuthak was crowned Queen of the May at the May Festival. Scott Sharp was Lord Mayor.
Ted Mondale, son of former vice president and Democrat presidential hopeful Walter Mondale, met with local Democrats at headquarters to discuss uniting the party following the primary. Mondale and Colorado Sen. Gary Hart were close in the delegate race.
1974: Four large birdhouses for purple martins had been put up at Sunset and Pioneer Parks by the Parks Department. The birdhouses were soon occupied by nesting birds. However, the two boxes at Sunset Park were destroyed. A vandal with a saw had cut the supporting pole, causing the box to crash to the ground, and then kicked in both front and back sides. The fledglings inside were killed.
1964: The new signs put up on the Pike St. side of Oakley Tire and Appliance Co. were likely the longest in Shelby County, The Shelbyville News said. The signs stretched for one city block, about 150 feet.
Sheriff’s officers arrested three young men for following a fire truck too closely. Sheriff Edghill Moore said “we’re getting tired of these people joy riding and chasing emergency vehicles.”
1954: A total of 7,980 orders for Girl Scout cookies were made in Shelbyville. Mrs. E.G. Nattrass was cookie chairman. Orders would be available at the Marshal and Bob car salesroom on E. Broadway.
1944: The local primary election was marked by the lightest turnout in many years. Only 3,595 ballots had been cast. There had been only three contests on the Republican ticket and two on the Democrat side. War-time activities had hurt the turnout. The sunny day also meant a lighter turnout, because farmers stayed in their fields.
1934: A death-bed confession of a Rushville man, who had died from a bullet wound inflicted by a Rushville policeman, led to solving the recent hold-up of the Phillips 66 station on North Harrison St. The man admitted he had been the bandit who robbed the station and fired at pursuing police officers.
1924: The Von Solson Manufacturing plant on Elizabeth St., west of Pike St., was sold to Enos and Edwin Porter. The factory was originally known as the L.A. Young Company.
1914: Leah Collins, 73, fractured her right leg in Shelby Township when she fell from a rail fence. She had been hunting turkey eggs and was climbing a rail fence when the top rail turned and threw her to the ground.
OBITUARIES
None today