Sunday, February 18, 2024
SNOW-KIDDING
Morrison Park was a scene of activity and serenity yesterday in the wake of a weekend snowfall. | photos by JACK BOYCE
SHS Broadcast Students Interview a Pro
Ruper Boneham and Shelbyville High School senior Preston Ellison chat in the SHS GBTV studio in an interview last week. | photo by JHOSELYN RAMIREZ
Shelbyville High School’s Golden Bear TV (GBTV) crew quickly figured out the prudence of selecting Rupert Boneham as their first subject in a series of community interviews.
“I thought I was going to have to do a whole lot of convincing, but Rupert was very excited,” Preston Ellison, a senior on the crew, said. “Plus, his assistant is the mother of one of our crew members.”
It also helped filming a guy who has been on multiple TV programs, including Survivor editions and The Amazing Race.
“It was much easier than interviewing a student or a teacher because we didn’t have to give him the rules of where to look or how to pause before responding to our questions,” Ellison said.
Mr. Justin Stenger, who oversees the crew and teaches the students broadcast media, helped organize the interview and invited journalism students to sit in on the process.
Following the 30-minute session last week, the broadcast team will now do behind-the scenes work.
“It’s a lot of footage to go through,” Ellison said.
He will record a summary as part of the production for the general student population.
“I’ll have to bring the top half of my suit back to school to make it look like it was all recorded together,” Ellison said.
In the interview, Rupert shared details of Rupert’s Kids, which he described as an empowerment organization that helps people make “a legal living and develop a sense of self-worth.”
He also discussed Community Days, a fundraiser in which the organization redistributes surplus items from CVS, such as food and hygiene products.
“The average donation is $2 or $3. Some people give tens and twenties, and some people give two or three cents. Just give what you can,” Rupert said.
He encouraged SHS students to volunteer to set up before and tear down after events.
“Some of our volunteers are older than me,” Rupert said in his plea.
He also discussed the business side of the not-for-profit organization, a particular challenge in the pandemic, during which his worker program and Rupert’s Arcade was closed for a year.
“If we didn't have the real estate part of Rupert's Kids, we wouldn't have made it through COVID,” he said. “We sold a few of our properties to give us plenty of money to make it through.”
The organization has recovered, and returned to purchasing and flipping homes over the past couple of years.
Rupert, 60, said he continues to enjoy his philanthropic career.
“I love being a mentor, teaching people how to be okay, how to give back. I figured out years ago that was really my calling.”
And he plans to keep going.
“I've always been that guy that's had two or three jobs,” he said. “Sometimes people, especially the younger generation, see work as a job. I see work as a means to create money, which is a tool to give you your freedom.”
It was advice that Ellison, the interviewer, took to heart. He hopes to someday work in the film industry, but he isn’t yet sure of his specialization.
“Mr. Stenger has let me do whatever job I want, so I’m learning about a lot of areas of focus,” Ellison said.
NOTEBOOK:
Shelbyville Middle School seventh grade students swept the Shelby County VFW Patriots Pen Essay contest. Chloe Caldwell, daughter of Jordan and Brooke Caldwell, placed first with her essay on “How America Inspires Me.” Stormie Bolden, daughter of William and Eileen Bolden, placed second, and Henry Rife, son of Brady and April Rife, third. They will be recognized and receive awards at a banquet in April.
NATIONAL NEWS: The average amount of time that American men spent socializing face to face has fallen 30 percent from 2003 to 2022, and among teenagers that’s fallen over 45 percent. That’s happened at the same time that people of all ages are citing increased levels of loneliness and other symptoms of anxiety and depression. Some have simply replaced face time with people with face time with animals: Over that same time period, the average woman who owned a pet went from spending more time socializing with people in 2003 to more time spent engaged with their pet by 2022. (The Atlantic/Numlock)
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This Day in Shelby County History
2014: Facility upgrades at Shelbyville and Triton Central high schools were behind as a result of the subzero temperatures and recent snow. SHS was building a new eight-lane pool and diving well. Triton Central was building a new fieldhouse.
2004: City officials moved forward with the process to purchase an acre on the east side for a city-owned road that would make at least two housing developments possible. The road would be part of the Saraina Road extension project that would lead to Shelby’s Landing, a 98-unit apartment complex in the works. Without the city acquiring the road, access to the site wasn’t possible. The road would also benefit a proposed single-family housing unit in the Southeastern Corridor.
1994: Sen. Richard Lugar hosted nearly 600 high school juniors at his 17th annual Symposium for Tomorrow’s Leaders. Local students included Doug Thomas, Morristown; Kate McDaniel, Shelbyville; Jamie Carr and Tim Kegley, Triton Central; Kimberly Hamilton and Joseph Fox, Southwestern; and Megan Kuhn and Amie Williams, Waldron.
A team from the Self Shelbyville Boys Club finished second in the state Boys Club basketball tournament for boys 13-14. Members of the team were Josh Robertson, Josh Wells, Paul Hardin, Justin Kuhn, Jarred Robertson, Sam Shuppert, Ty Stephens, Brady Kuhn, Jeremy Wagner, Will Heck, Teddy Jones, James Graham and Chris Shirrell. Coaches were Junior Collins and Darin Pilk.
1984: First-place winners of the Hendricks Elementary School Science Fair were Anne Steele, Billy Hitchcock, Amanda Clark and Drew Batton.
Police Chief Robert Nolley and 42 participating officers raided 13 Shelbyville taverns. Three people were issued citations. Nolley said the raid was conducted because of recent complaints about underage drinkers.
Bavarian Haus, owned by Steve Lower, Jess McDaniel and William Dugan (owner/operator of Fiddlers Three), made plans to expand to Greensburg. The first Bavarian Haus opened at the east edge of Shelbyville in 1983.
1974: A damaged underground cable near Fountaintown cut long-distance service between Shelbyville and Indianapolis and other cities. Company officials said it was not certain how long it would take for service to be restored.
1964: The J.C. Penney department store in Shelbyville was one of the first to install a catalog sales desk, store manager Charles Cole announced. Opal Kendall was manager of the catalog sales desk. The company had just issued its first spring and summer catalog, a 1,098-page volume. Copies were available at the store.
1954: Shelbyville Fire Chief Russell Kare and fireman David Snyder were recovering after being overcome by sulphuric and other chemically-laden smoke during a morning fire at Tippecanoe Press, 14 W. Hendricks St. Reports indicated some cleaning fluid, used for cleaning engraving plates, had exploded, starting the fire.
1944: Three local Black men - Stanford Phillips, Jerry Brown and Francis Brown - were drafted for service.
The J.G. DePrez Co. store held a sale on religious items. Crucifixes were 79 cents, Last Supper pictures were $1.49 and Last Supper plaques, $7.25.
1934: The Shelbyville Republican said a local teacher had recently asked a girl in her class, “Do you have prayer in your home before you go to bed?” The girl replied, “Naw, we have Ovaltine.”
1924: The home of John Halloren, near the Barnes school house, three miles west of Waldron, was destroyed by fire. The fire started from chimney sparks, Fire Chief William Briggs said.
1914: The members of Chillon Lodge Knights of Pythias of Shelbyville held their Golden Jubilee service at their lodge in the Castle Hall. Rev. S.J. Cross, Parrish Fuller, Dr. Paul Tindall and Judge Alonzo Blair were all part of the program.
W.N. Bassett, who owned 240 acres in Hanover Township, recorded the name of his property “Crystal Springs” with county officials. Bassett said there were a number of other farmers in the Morristown area who would also name their places soon.
Employees of the Woolworth five and ten cent store enjoyed a sleigh ride after closing. Those in the party were Lillian Holsclaw, Zelah Alfrey, Hazel Youngman, Othela Parrish, Ruth Keith, Nell Raines and Zora Moerer.
OBITUARIES
Phillip Charles Gallagher was born on July 17, 1931, in Boggstown, Sugar Creek Township, Shelby County, Indiana. He passed away on February 3, 2024, at the age of 92 at Franciscan Hospice House in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was the seventh child of Raymond A. Gallagher and Nellie B. (Pittman) Gallagher. They preceded him in death.
Phillip attended school for nine years in Boggstown, Indiana and then three years in Waldron, Indiana, where he graduated from Waldron High School in 1949. He grew up helping his family on their dairy farm. They grew corn, soybeans and milked 17 head of dairy cows. After graduating high school, he worked several different jobs in and around Shelbyville until he joined the army in 1952. He did his basic training in Hawaii and then was shipped to Korea where he worked his way up to become a Sergeant in the 25th Infantry Division in Korea.
In 1954 upon returning from the Korean War, he decided farming wasn’t for him and he began working for the New York Central Railroad. He became a train dispatcher. In 1968, the New York Central Railroad merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad and became the Penn Central Railroad. In 1975, the railroad became Conrail. He retired from the railroad in July of 1984.
On April 3, 1956, Phillip married Betty Jean Haught. They remained married until her death on October 27, 2021. Phillip and Betty enjoyed traveling to Florida, especially during the winter months after they retired. They enjoyed going to the Indy 500 every year to watch the race. After Betty’s passing Phillip enjoyed watching NASCAR racing and football. His favorite team is the Kansas City Chiefs. Phillip enjoyed playing Euchre with his friends and nephew at St. Roch’s Catholic School every month. He also enjoyed attending railroad breakfast, luncheons and dinner meetings with his railroad buddies and NARVE members. His favorite places to eat were MCL and Grays Cafeteria.
He is survived by his two children, Debra (Paul) Smith and Michael Gallagher. He is also survived by his five grandchildren; Aleisha (David) Smith, Benjamin Pittman, Brian (Erika) Gallagher, Bonnie (Delver) Sotomayor and Bradley (Caitlyn) Gallagher. He is survived by 14 great grandchildren; Makayla, Hailey, Brenden, Logan, Madeline, Jake, Noah, Madison, Izabella, Hattie, Zayden, Alistair, Oliver and Clive. He is also survived by two great-great granddaughters; Aaliyah and Everly. He is also survived by many beloved nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his siblings; Lawrence Gallagher, Marian Hasse (Pete), Paul Gallagher, Marjorie West Roy (Robert West), Rosemary Compton (Gene), Patricia Crafton Leffler (Junior Crafton).
Phillip's Life Celebration Visitation will be held at O’Riley Branson Funeral Service and Crematory at 6107 South East Street, Indianapolis, Indiana on Monday, February 12th, 2024 from 10 a.m. to noon. Funeral Service will begin at noon with burial to follow at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens at 1977 South St. Road 135, Greenwood, Indiana. Visit www.OrileyBranson.com to share a favorite memory of Phillip or to sign the online guest registry.