Sunday, April 13, 2025
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS
EASTER PRIZES
Shelly Farrow, 5, who will be attending kindergarten at Hendricks Elementary this fall, shows off the bicycle she won in a raffle at yesterday’s Community Easter Egg Hunt. Bicycles for the raffle were sponsored by the Shelby County Shrine Club. The Parks Department event featured 15,000 plastic eggs distributed to well over 500 children on a beautiful day. The star of the show - the Easter Bunny - arrived at Kennedy Park thanks to the Shelbyville Fire Department. | photo by JACK BOYCE
Leadership Shelby County Projects Detailed
Editor’s note: The following descriptions of LSC group project were culled from program graduation materials.
Project: Ramping It Up for Veterans
Members: Gena Linville, Jessica Montgomery, Aaron Jenkins, Lora Nigh, Nathan Stickford, Dominique Huber, Emily Redelman and Laura Land
The “Ramp it Up for Veterans” team from Leadership Shelby County is thrilled to announce a new initiative aimed at a mission close to their hearts: supporting local veterans.
“As a group, we realized that every single one of us has been touched by a family member or friend who has served in the military. We've also witnessed the challenges faced by veterans, especially those who have served during wartime. This project is our way of honoring their sacrifices and creating a long-term way to support our nonprofits who help veterans,” said Gena Linville, one of the team members.
The team's work kicked off in Fall 2024 with an Operation Gratitude initiative, where Shelby County school students wrote heartfelt cards and letters to local veterans, and continued through community volunteerism with the construction of a safe entrance ramp at a local veteran’s home in conjunction with the nonprofit SAWs (Servants at Work).
The team continued this vital mission by establishing a Veteran Endowment Fund through the Blue River Community Foundation (BRCF). This permanent Field of Interest Fund was approved at the March 12 BRCF board meeting and will provide an additional funding stream to nonprofit organizations who aid veterans in Shelby County, Ind. The fund will accept donations year-round to sustain this essential cause. As policy per Blue River Community Foundation, the fund cannot begin granting to nonprofits until two years after the establishment date.
To kick off the fundraising, the team partnered with the Shelbyville American Legion to host a raffle, with all proceeds benefiting the Veteran Endowment Fund. Team member and local farmer Nathan Stickford donated a hog for a raffle; Amy and Greg Spegal donated a $100 gift card to Spegal’s Prime Cuts, and Blue River Printing donated the printing for the raffle tickets. Fundraising letters announcing the raffle and sponsorship opportunities were sent to local businesses and individuals.
A reception at the Shelbyville American Legion was held at the Shelbyville American Legion on March 28 to personally thank Veterans and draw three names for the raffle prizes. Refreshments were served and pictures taken with Veterans. DJ Travis Conway with Patriot DJ Services volunteered his time to deejay the event.
Our hope is to make a lasting difference in the lives of those who have given so much for our country. Donations can be made to the Veterans Endowment Fund at BRCF, 13 W. Broadway, Ste. 1, Shelbyville.
Project: Buddies Helping Buddies
Members: Tabitha Malson, Lacey Griggs, Brandy Graves, Thomas Miller, Stacie Marlow, Reynaldo Zayas, Jake Williams and Brandon Smith
Buddies Helping Buddies is a grassroots nonprofit organization built on the foundation of friendship and community support. Over the past year, we’ve worked tirelessly to establish ourselves as an official 501c3, a milestone that required navigating a maze of legal and financial steps, from filing paperwork to meeting regulatory standards. This effort reflects our commitment to creating a sustainable platform for giving back, and with our nonprofit status secured, we're poised to make an even greater impact in our local area.
To raise funds and bring people together, we've launched a series of community-driven events, each designed to be both fun and meaningful. Last October, we hosted our first golf outing, where participants hit the course for a day of enjoyment while supporting our cause. Then in February, we held our inaugural bowling fundraiser, filling the lanes with laughter, competition, and generosity. Both events were met with enthusiasm, and we're excited to build on their success by making them annual traditions. Looking ahead, we've already scheduled our next bowling event for June, which we hope will kick off a recurring cycle of gatherings that rally support for our mission. These fundraisers are more than just events - they're opportunities to connect, inspire, and show what a group of buddies can achieve when they come together.
Our efforts have already begun to make a difference locally. The funds we've raised so far have gone toward supporting recovery houses in town, offering vital resources to individuals working toward recovery and renewal. We've also partnered with the Suicide Coalition, a group focused on prevention and support for those touched by mental health struggles. This collaboration allows us to contribute to initiatives that address some of the most pressing needs in our community, whether through financial assistance, volunteer hours, or simply amplifying their message. Every dollar raised and every hand extended helps us fulfill our promise to be a steady source of support.
As we move forward, Buddies Helping Buddies is focused on growth while staying true to our original vision. Turning our one-time golf outing and bowling fundraiser into annual events is a key part of that plan, ensuring we have consistent opportunities to engage the community and sustain our work. Becoming a 501c3 was a foundational step, but our real success lies in the lives we touch and the bonds we strengthen. Whether it's a golfer teeing off in October, a bowler aiming for a strike in February, or a neighbor joining us in June, every participant plays a role in our story. Our goal is to keep this momentum going, expanding our reach and inviting more people to join us in proving that small, collective efforts can lead to big change.
Buddies Helping Buddies is about more than fundraising - it's about creating a ripple effect of kindness and connection that lifts up our entire community.
Project: Community Gaming Corner
LSC members and city officials celebrate a ribbon-cutting yesterday for the new gaming corner on Public Square. | photo by ANNA TUNGATE
Members: Amy Bishopp, Ricca Macklin, James Caputo, Samuel Huekskamp, Raul Islas, William Hall and Regan Noah
Our project consists of adding permanent gathering stations to our Shelbyville downtown area in the form of gaming tables. Our group chose this project as an inexpensive way to help bring people in the community together. As Shelby County works toward diversity and inclusion, gaming tables will serve as an integrated and central space for people across various cultures to bond over the universal language of play. Offering various reasons to assemble and find common ground is something the downtown has been working towards in recent years. Our project hopes to contribute towards that same goal.
The project has moved through five major phases. The first phase was obtaining city approval to place tables in downtown spaces. The next phase involved procuring companies for proposals and deciding on table design. The third phase consisted of fundraising and/or sponsorship to cover table and project costs. The fourth phase focused on marketing and event planning to assist in promoting the new spaces. The final phase will include a ribbon cutting ceremony as a handoff to the community. Overall, this project has been a great team building activity. Aside from just polishing up on our leadership skill sets, we have assisted in giving our community something that can be enjoyed for years to come.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: FULL CANOPY REAL ESTATE
NOTEBOOK:
Shelbyville High School alumnus Jillian Foster Turner, a senior advisor and vice president of strategy and operations at Indiana University Launch Accelerator for Biosciences, has been recognized in the 2025 Indianapolis Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 group. The 2005 SHS graduate holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and a master’s from Harvard University. She previously worked for the State Department before returning home to Indiana to work at the Indiana Economic Development Corp. before joining IU Lab.
Hendricks Elementary fourth-grader Peyton Jones was the grand prize winner in the SCUFFY art contest. She received a new bike donated by Walmart. Her art teacher is Mrs. Dawn Adams.
HOOSIER NEWS: Whether your root for the South Bend Cubs, the Fort Wayne TinCaps or the Indianapolis Indians, the 110 players across Indiana’s three minor league baseball teams will be exempt from the state’s minimum wage requirements starting this summer. Under a new law Gov. Mike Braun signed on Thursday, minor league baseball players will not be required to record their daily and weekly hours at work if they are paid under a collective bargaining agreement. House Enrolled Act 1558, authored by Republican State Rep. Heath Van Natter, was supported by both Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. The bill received unanimous support in both the House and the Senate. (IndyStar)
NATIONAL NEWS: In the United States, spent nuclear fuel is stored at about 80 locations around the country, as a long-term solution has evaded planners due to opposition against putting long-term nuclear waste storage near current short-term residences. One frustrating part of this problem is that nuclear waste could be reprocessed into fresh, usable fuel, and there’s enough energy in that stockpile of nuclear waste to power American electricity needs for a century. However, recycling nuclear waste has been tricky since the Carter Administration banned commercial nuclear waste recycling in 1977. Even though the prohibition was lifted under Reagan, it scared off any investment since the ban scuttled a debut project that cost investors billions of dollars. Now, however, the French state-owned nuclear fuel company Orano (which runs Europe’s top nuclear recycling plant) is partnering up with American startup Curio LV to buy reprocessed uranium and make fresh fuel in the U.S. (Field Notes/Numlock)
Thank you to every donor for your continued support of The Addison Times. Donors of $75 or more receive the three remaining quarterly print publications this year in the mail. Please consider a one-time or monthly donation to The Addison Times, either online or via a check to The Addison Times, 54 W. Broadway, #13, Shelbyville, Ind., 46176. Thank you for your continued support of daily local news and history. I appreciate each of you. - Kristiaan Rawlings, Editor
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights
January 14, 1940, Part II
The “Pals-n-Gals” section offered the latest dating gossip, including: “Are Junior Smith and Frances Anderson really going steady or did she just slip out and have that date with Bill Trees on Sunday night?”; “It seems to us that it took Mary Margaret and Bill Holtel a long time to clean up the dishes after the big party given at Shook’s house.”; and “Have you seen what a certain senior girl (Martha Hilligoss) picked up from a Columbus lad over vacation??? Well, if you haven’t, it’s a K.M.I. pin!”
Basketball news: “There’s more gossip in the dressing room than in the gossip columns of the Courier. You should hear it. Talk is mostly about girls and school, but once in a while a foreign subject - like basketball - sneaks in.”
The basketball second team, coached by Doc Barnett, was undefeated at 10-0.
The first team had won consecutive games thanks to the outstanding play of Jim Whisman and Wally Page.
On the last day before winter break, Mr. McKeand hosted spelling bees in Geometry classes, boys vs. girls. The girls won both contests.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: MAJOR HEALTH PARTNERS
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: The Shelbyville Board of Zoning Appeals revoked a variance for Studio 44. The owner of the business had previously told the BZA that Studio 44 would be a day spa with tanning beds. The tanning beds were never installed, and two women had been arrested at the business for alleged prostitution following an undercover police operation.
1995: About 8,000 people attended the Shelby County Business and Industry Trade Fair at Garrett Gymnasium.
A plan to have Triton fifth- and sixth-graders go to school an hour earlier was scuttled after numerous objections. Parents were concerned about their students riding on school buses with seventh- and eighth- graders and high school students. The plan also would have increased busing costs. The middle school followed a split schedule, and administrators were trying to find ways to create a unified schedule for all middle school grades.
1985: Cuts in federal funding had forced the Blue River Vocational Technical Center Board to end the custodial science program and cut occupational math and auto maintenance from full-time to half-time programs.
1975: Firemen were summoned to 202 W. South St., where a child had left a rag doll in the broiler of the kitchen stove. When the oven was lighted, the doll was ignited. The damage listed was $2, the loss of the doll.
1965: A county woman sued the local National Tea Co. grocery store after she had been accused by two employees in a busy parking lot of having merchandise concealed under her coat. She was detained for 20 minutes and released after no items were found.
Students at St. Paul School were evacuated after a bottle of phosphorous ignited. Volunteer firemen were able to control the burning phosphorous with carbon dioxide.
1955: With the Salk polio vaccine approved days before, the state announced plans to give free shots to the 270,000 first- and second-graders in 89 counties. Shelby County was one of three who had not yet signed onto the plan. A county medical society spokesman said the county favored free shots only for children whose parents could not afford them.
Approximately 2,500 city and county electric power customers were without service for up to seven hours after a lightning bolt struck the N. Noble St. substation. Loren Arnholt, who was working at the station at the time, suffered injuries from the strike.
1945: Richard Jones received the Paul Cross Award at Shelbyville High School, presented by Rev. and Mrs. S.J. Cross. Jones, Meredith Luther, Don Eads and Norman Brown all received varsity letters. John Anderson, William Garrett and Loren Hemingway received reserve letters.
1935: State school officials issued a determination that, grammatically, hens could sit or set. The matter had been debated at length and was finally referred to Webster’s Dictionary officials.
1925: C.P. Sindlinger was remodeling a 120’x40’ slaughterhouse on the banks of Blue River.
Approximately 1,000 children between ages 3 and 12 participated in an egg hunt at city park, hosted by the Elks Club. Maurice Brokering Tindall, 4, and Frances Robertson, 7, brought in the treasured green eggs. The Republican noted that Tindall was “the first red-headed boy to find a green egg” and Robertson was “the first red-headed girl to find a green egg.” The pair were given rabbits. Kenneth Shepple, 11, found 28 eggs and received a “fine basketball” for first place. Charles Campbell found 15 eggs and received a baseball glove. James Day, of Grissom Lane, won third place, and received a baseball bat. Among girls, Geraldine Drake won a tennis racquet and two balls, Evelyn Small received a box of candy and Floma Ault received a box of stationery.
1915: “The rear part of the old Dorsey house, which was being moved from the lot in West Hendricks St. to a new location in the Industrial addition, got tired and (fell apart),” The Republican reported. The portion of the house had been mounted on trucks and was being pulled south on Tompkins Street. When in front of Hadley Kimberling’s home, one set of the trucks struck a rut in the street, and the jar caused the building to fall off of its base onto the street, where it folded together “like one of the new moveable houses.” The paper said the “remainder of the evening was spent in clearing the street of the debris so that the public might pass.”
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory
OBITUARIES
Jeffrey Alan Brown, 64, of Shelbyville, passed away on Friday, April 11, 2025, at Franciscan St. Francis Health in Indianapolis. He was born August 10, 1960, in New Castle, the son of Charles Stout Brown Jr. and Mona Jean (Brown) Brown.
On January 15, 1993, he married Kathryn “Kelli” Olvey, and she survives. In addition to Kelli, Jeff is survived by his sons, Jeffrey Brown and Spencer Brown, both of Shelbyville; sister, Inga Brown Neal and husband, Randy, of New Castle; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.
In 1979, he graduated from New Castle High School. He retired from Ryobi in 2021, with 20 years of service. Jeff enjoyed riding his motorcycle and playing video games. He loved his family and his dogs, and cared more about the people around him than he did himself. He also leaves behind his dogs, Barney and Ziggy.
A Gathering of Friends and Family will be from 3 to 4 p.m., Thursday, April 17, 2025, at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, Carmony-Ewing Chapel, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. A Memorial Service will follow. Memorial contributions may be made to the Cancer Association of Shelby County, PO Box 844, Shelbyville, Indiana 46176. Online condolences may be shared with Jeff’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.
Deborah Sue “Debi” Garrett, 52, of Fairland, passed away on Friday, April 11, 2025, at her home. She was born August 21, 1972, in Indianapolis, the daughter of Robert “Bob” and Sue (Rouse) McCombs. Debi is survived by her mother of Fairland; son, Connor Garrett of Fairland; daughter, Jocelyn Garrett of Fairland; previous spouse, Steven Garrett of Fairland; and numerous cousins and many, many beloved friends.
She was preceded in death by her father.
In 1990, Debi graduated from Triton Central High School, where she was very active in organizing the “Class of 1990” reunions. She was a member of the New Life United Methodist Church. Debi was employed as a resource coordinator for Trane. She was also active in her community and was known for being an advocate of individuals with special needs and diverse groups. Debi was a 10-year 4-H member and she enjoyed crafting, especially with her cricut. She was also fond of going to wine tastings.
Debi also leaves behind her beloved dog, Carly; and cat, Memory. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m., Friday, April 18, 2025, at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Funeral services will follow.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Deborah Garrett Memorial Fund, to benefit her children, in care of Liz Miller Creech, 312 E. Main St., Fairland, IN 46126.
Online condolences may be shared with Debi’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.
❤️ Buddies Helping Buddies. Sounds like an excellent match for any Opioid Epidemic funds that could be coming in. A problem that can only be solved by a community.
Community support, community involvement and even mentoring in the form of workshops could be looked into.
Counseling helps because knowledge is power but we also need skilled workers with boomers retiring and mentoring is a proven self esteem builder. Look at AA.
Lack of self esteem is the major cause of drug addiction. It’s not just stopping drug abuse, it’s about helping them build their own future and a leg up goes a long way.
When a young person earns things they can’t afford to lose, their perspective changes. So does their behavior.
Just a thought, it’s been on my mind. If it pops in my head, it usually comes out my mouth. ✌🏻
Cheers to Buddies Helping Buddies. A great idea