Sunday, February 23, 2025
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS
GAME ON!
A Shelbyville Middle School Robotics team competes at a home meet yesterday, organized by Mr. Luke Lockridge. (L to R) Conner Clagg, Emmie Higgins, Mr. Al Parsons, Sean Wainscott, Jack Draping and Evin McMillen participate, with Draping and McMillen competing, Clagg assisting and SHS students Higgins and Wainscott volunteering, along with retired teacher Mr. Parsons. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
SCHOOLS MARK FFA WEEK
Shelbyville Middle School Ag Science students Jaxon Scheffee, Aden Phares, Cole Jeanette, Daniel Shaw, Madison Sanders, Asher Tong, Chloe Boggs and Elise Parker present FFA Week Agriculture bags to first grade students at Coulston Elementary on Friday. The bags contained an Ag Science lesson (Ice Cream in a Bag, Rangeland Grasses, or Growing Flowers for Mother’s Day), a coloring book, soy crayons sponsored by the Soybean and Corn Alliance and a couple of extra surprises chosen by the students. Mrs. Krista Justus, Ag teacher, explained the all-encompassing field to elementary students. “Agriculture is not just about cows and not just about growing food,” she said, explaining how ag plays a role in numerous industries. Ag students at both the middle school and high school participated in spirit days to celebrate the week. | photo by ANNA TUNGATE
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NOTEBOOK:
“Annie Jr.” is on at Shelbyville Middle School this coming Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28 and March 1, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students.
HOOSIER NEWS: The Indianapolis International Airport will reach new heights with the addition of a long-awaited terminal hotel — a key milestone for the state's largest airport. The Indianapolis Airport Authority gave final approval for the $205 million hotel project Friday morning at its monthly board meeting. Construction is expected to start at the end of this year and wrap up in December 2027. The airport will own the 253-room hotel, a seven-story Marriott Westin connected to the west side of the terminal parking garage. The hotel will have a full-service restaurant as well as a seventh-floor lounge with a view of the airfield. The Indianapolis International Airport surpassed a record milestone last year with more than 10 million passengers traveling through the Central Indiana transportation hub. (IndyStar)
NATIONAL NEWS: A deep freeze in the Pacific Northwest means that the pear crop this year is expected to be the smallest crop in 40 years. As it stands, the harvest is down 31 percent from the five-year average. The Bosc crop, which produces pears with the dense flesh ideal for baking, is down 60 percent compared to last year. Consumers are being warned that they need to anticipate less fruit on the shelves, given that 80 percent of pears come from the Northwest. (Food Drive/Numlock)
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Shelbyville Schools Timeline: School No. 2
by GEORGE YOUNG
At the corner of Harrison and Howard Streets once stood School #2, a cornerstone of Shelbyville’s African American educational history. Originally established as the Free Colored School in 1869, it was a beacon of hope during an era when segregation denied Black children equal opportunities. With just 25 students in its early years, the school symbolized the community’s resilience and the systemic barriers they faced. Eventually, it was renamed Booker T. Washington School, paying homage to the visionary educator who championed self-improvement and the power of knowledge.
As time passed, the school’s role in the community grew, and by 1914, enrollment had surged to 85 students. But while the student population flourished, the building itself crumbled. Years of neglect left it in a deplorable state—so much so that the State Board of Health officially condemned it in 1914, citing severe vermin infestations. The conditions were so appalling that by 1930, a journalist from the Indianapolis Recorder, an African American newspaper, lamented, “There is a number of citizens in our city of Shelbyville who have stables that are palaces beside this old building.”
Recognizing the dire need for change, the school’s beloved principal, Walter S. Fort—fondly known as “The Professor”—spearheaded a campaign for a new, state-of-the-art building in 1931. The proposed school would have featured a stage, a gymnasium, skylights, and elegant stone windowsills crafted from Indiana Oolitic limestone. Its striking jade green asbestos shingles would have marked a bold new chapter in Shelbyville’s educational landscape. But despite the ambitious vision, the plan never came to fruition, and the community was left to make do with a building that had long outlived its usefulness. No major remodel or rebuild was ever done, but in the 1930s, federal funds were used to stucco the crumbling brick exterior.
By the late 1930s, older students had begun integrating into Shelbyville’s local high school, leaving Booker T. Washington to function solely as an elementary school. It remained a fixture of the community until its closure in 1949—a momentous event that signified the official end of segregated schooling in the city. That same year, Indiana finally enacted clear legislation in favor of integration, making it the last northern state to do so.
The building itself lingered for another 25 years as a community rec center, a silent witness to the struggles and triumphs of generations past. In August 1974, it was sold and promptly demolished, bringing a definitive end to Shelbyville’s chapter of “separate but equal.” But the legacy of Booker T. Washington School lives on, a testament to the perseverance of those who fought for education, dignity, and equality against the odds.
The composite picture of the Shelbyville School in 1895’s caption reads:
Shelbyville has an excellent system of graded schools, working in perfect harmony with the public school system of the state. The High School is regularly commissioned by the state board of education. Its graduates enter the Freshman classes of our colleges and universities without examinations. There are six buildings and twenty-four hundred children enumerated. Thirty-two teachers are employed.
Please look closely at this photo: it says six buildings, but only five schools are shown. I don’t see a picture of School #2. I have collected postcards for 20 years and found many depicting schools 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, but I have never been able to locate a postcard of the Number 2 school.
SHS Courier Archive Highlights
November 2012
Senior Ian McCullum had enrolled in the United States National Guard. He was recognized at a Veterans Day convocation. Major Robb Barlow was the guest speaker.
The annual Thanksgiving community dinner, hosted for 14 years at First Baptist Church, was moving to Crossroads Community Church for ADA accessibility purposes. Organizer Marsha Fishers requested SHS volunteers to serve the approximately 100 people expected.
Girls basketball practices were underway. The eight upperclassmen on the team were Megan Fix, Kiersten Macklin, Riley Achenbach, Allyson Conner, Breanna Elrod, Jacqueline Lux and Taylor Pierce. Amanda Norris was the coach.
Many students were wearing “Chuckstrong” shirts in support of Colts coach Chuck Pagano, who had recently been diagnosed with leukemia. A photo showed senior Ethan Janes with his Chuckstrong apparel.
Senior Brendan Brown had helped start the new Film and Animation Club. Mr. McCullough was the teacher sponsor, and Ryan Brown was the vice president.
Clarification & Correction: An entry in yesterday’s Courier selection should be clarified and corrected. Lee McNeely did graduate from Indiana University in 1965, specifically IU School of Law. He was a member of the SHS class of 1958.
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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: Southwestern students drove their tractors to school in honor of FFA Week. A newspaper photo showed Roy Muldoon and Skyler Stropes with their tractors.
1995: John and Cheryle Ricker agreed to sell 0.04 acres of land to the city so it could finish Park Street, near Knightstown Road. Work on Park Street never was completed when developer David Walker built it in 1909. A dirt mound sat between the two streets. The city also agreed to remove a tree on the Ricker’s lot, complete their driveway to match the street, put sidewalks next to the street if necessary and relocate their sewer if necessary.
A senior at Triton Central sued to play in the upcoming sectional basketball tournament. The 18-year-old student had been suspended as punishment for allegedly stealing roses from Triton’s FFA organization. He denied stealing the roses.
1985: The 2-cent stamp was a hot item, judging from the long lines at the post office. The post office in Shelbyville sold its entire order of 80,000 2-cent stamps that had recently arrived. The office was expecting 40,000 more stamps soon. The local post office typically moved 150,000 pieces of mail per week, but the coming rate increase had moved the volume up by 12,500 pieces.
1975: MCL Cafeteria ran an ad in The Shelbyville News announcing a new location opening in Washington Square.
The Golden Bears’ final regular season game was suspended after the power went out in the Greenwood gymnasium in the second quarter. A car accident near the school had caused the blackout. The Bears ended the regular season on a two-game win streak and a 4-15 record.
1965: Whitt’s Cafe, located on U.S. 52 in Fountaintown, was destroyed by fire. Paul Whittington owned the restaurant.
Mayor Ralph VanNatta proclaimed it School Spirit Week in advance of upcoming sectionals. SHS seniors Rosie Thieman and Steve Cherry presented the proclamation to VanNatta for signing. Student theme days included black and gold day, dress-up day (boys in suits, girls wore high heels), tennis-shoe day and a day in which the boys wore white dress shirts and girls wore blouses.
1955: A Victory Dinner was held at the Elks Club to recognize the $75,249.26 raised for SCUFFY. Wilbur Pell Jr. was the toastmaster. Harry Hanson and Nate Kaufman headed the drive, which had 150 volunteers.
1945: Police published traffic rules for the sectional at Paul Cross Gym. All traffic on Tompkins St. would be southbound only between Colescott and Fourth Streets. On Meridian, all traffic would be northbound between Fourth and Colescott. All traffic would be westbound on Second St. between Elm and West, and all vehicles would proceed only east on Fourth St. between West and Elm.
1935: Plans were announced to build a new press box in Paul Cross Gym, in time for sectionals. The present press box would be removed and a table with seating room for officials would be moved down to the playing floor, a part of the players’ bench being removed to make room for it. Behind the timekeepers’ and official scorers’ table would be a more comfortable one for newspaper reporters. There would be seating room for five people at each table. Only “bona fide” reporters would be permitted to sit there, school officials said. Roy Ray, manual arts teacher at SHS, was constructing the new press box.
1925: “The Thief of Baghdad”, starring Douglas Fairbanks, was on at The Alhambra three times a day, with five showings on Sundays.
1915: The U.S. government published a request for bids for a man to carry the mail from the Shelbyville post office to the Pennsylvania depot. The previous contractor earned $270 a year ($5,000 in today’s money). The job entailed four daily trips from the post office to the depot and back. “The position is open to any sober man of good reputation,” the notice said.
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OBITUARIES
Billy W. Reeves, 81, of Greenwood, passed away Saturday, February 22, 2025, at Franciscan St. Francis Health in Indianapolis. He was born November 12, 1943, in Lafayette, Macon County, Tennessee. On September 30, 1963, he married his wife of 61 years, Patricia Sue “Pat” (Hallgarth) Reeves, and she survives. In addition to Pat, Bill is survived by his daughters, Brenda Foley and husband, Dwayne, of Morgantown, and Lisa Reeves and life partner, Sharon Sutton, of Indianapolis; brothers, Thomas Reeves of Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee, and Lonnie Reeves and wife, Glenda, of Indianapolis; grandchildren, Alyssa and husband, Jeffrey, and Zachary; and great-grandchildren, Maddie, Kensley, Bennett and Nash; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; and brother, Leland Reeves.
Bill was baptized in 1946 at the Christian Church in Union Camp, Tennessee. He was an auto body repairman for 47 years, and had worked at Sharp Ford. Bill owned and drove TQ midget race cars from 1972 to 2007. A hobby he shared with his grandson, Zach, together they worked on and raced cars in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Canada. He also enjoyed going antiquing and gardening.
Visitation will be from 9:30 to 11 a.m., Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, Frazier Chapel, 124 E. North St. in Morristown. Funeral services will follow at 11 a.m. Interment will be at Arlington Cemetery in Arlington. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, PO Box 840692, Dallas, Texas 75284-0692. Online condolences may be shared with Bill’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.