Sunday, October 3, 2021
OCTOBER SPIRIT
The home at the corner of W. Broadway and Miller Streets is in full Halloween mode. | photos by JACK BOYCE
A VIEW FROM MY SCHWINN: Look Who’s Back
Rudy Klare and his dog, Gracie, enjoy an Autumn day on the public square.
by KRIS MELTZER
Dear readers,
October has arrived. It is time for me to take a walk in Meltzer Woods and check out my niece Vanessa’s pumpkin patch. Maybe she will give her favorite Uncle a pumpkin. Before I go, I will answer this week’s mail. Enjoy.
Dear Kris,
Help! I’m in the doghouse with my kids. I missed National Sons and Daughters Day. I didn’t even know there was such a thing. I didn’t see a kiosk or special display of gifts to buy at Wal-Mart. What should I do?
Sincerely,
Dad, currently on the outs in Wellington Heights
Dear Harshly Judged Dad,
Your letter gives you away as being an old timer. Note, Walmart dropped the hyphen in 2008. I’m guessing that your kids are adults. Since this is the first year they have complained, I’m guessing that they just learned that there was such a day. I looked over the card selection at Walmart and didn’t see any “belated” Sons and Daughters Day cards. I guess you should just mark your calendar for next year, so you don’t miss it two years in a row.
Hope this helps,
Kris
Dear Kris,
You have mentioned that Shelbyville guitar legends from the 1960s, Dana Ayers and Jim Branson, both live near you on W. Mechanic St. Well, you can add one more to the list. Rudy Klare, rock guitarist from Shelbyville High School class of 1969, has moved back to Shelbyville. I don’t think he lives on W. Mechanic St., but he lives in the neighborhood. Did you know that both Rudy’s and Jim’s dads were each at one time Fire Chief in Shelbyville? I wonder if it just a coincidence or if there is a reason the sons of Fire Chief’s play the guitar.
Sincerely,
Garage Band fan from the 60’s and 70’s
Dear Fan,
After receiving your letter, I spotted Rudy downtown walking his dog, Gracie. I ask Rudy if there was any connection to playing the guitar if your dad was Fire Chief. Rudy said having a dad who was a fireman probably was an advantage for aspiring teenage rock stars. When dad was on duty living at the firehouse you were free to turn the volume on the amp up to 11. Note: Rudy must have owned the same brand amp as the guys in Spinal Tap because most amps only went up to 10.
Now that I’ve answered the mail, I can journey out to Meltzer Woods. However, I’m no longer expecting my niece Vanessa to give me a free pumpkin. When looking up Sons and Daughter Day, I discovered that there is a Nieces Day. Yup, I missed it.
NOTEBOOK
Shelbyville High School girls soccer defeated Yorktown, 4-3, yesterday in overtime. Goals were scored by Ava Wilson, Ella Johnson and Sophie Parker (2).
The Shelbyville Board of Public Works and Safety on Friday decided to perform further due diligence before determining the fate of “Chaos”, a dog that bit a Shelbyville Police Officer. Board members David Finkel and Bob Williams requested a residence check be made where the dog’s current owner, Jennifer Mays, lives and for Mays to consent to vaccinating the animal before the dog could potentially be released. “Chaos” has been at the animal shelter since the incident, over 50 days ago. Animal shelter employee Jim Lane said the dog was initially “not very friendly at all” and still has “iffy” days. Mays said she took responsibility for the incident, but said the dog had seen police officers hurt Mays before. “It’s a trigger,” she said. Finkel and Williams voted to take the matter under advisement and discuss again at Tuesday’s Board of Works meeting.
Amy McQueen, president of the Shelbyville Rotary Club, announced the Club will postpone its Annual Auction Gala, previously scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, to a later date in the Spring of 2022. The postponement is due to the current spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, and in consideration of the health and safety of the community. “This was an incredibly hard decision to make because we were so looking forward to having our in-person Gala this year. We will reschedule and have an even bigger and better event in the spring,” McQueen said.
Triton Central and Shelbyville High School football teams both lost in Friday night action.
HOOSIER NEWS: Homecoming night at Ben Davis High School began with fireworks and fanfare Friday evening. It ended with gunfire, an injured teenager and a shaken high school football community. A 16-year-old was shot in the arm just before 9:30 p.m. after "several teenagers engaged in an altercation outside of the football stadium," Wayne Township Superintendent Jeff Butts wrote in a series of tweets. Players, coaches and fans were ushered to safety and Ben Davis' homecoming football game against Carmel was called off during the fourth quarter. Carmel was leading Ben Davis 35-21. Both school officers and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the scene, with the suspected shooter "quickly apprehended," Ben Davis officials said. (The Indianapolis Star)
This Week in Shelby County" works by George L. Stubbs Sr. are owned by the Shelby County Historical Society (Grover Center) and used with permission.
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 from the Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department.
20 YEARS AGO: 2001
Blue River Development Corp., a privately-funded group headed by Dick Kiefer, announced plans for a spec building at 1717 McCall Drive. The group’s two previous spec building had been sold to KT Corp. and Shelby Warehousing.
30 YEARS AGO: 1991
The Shelbyville High School Homecoming Court was named. Queen and princess candidates were Jessica Beagle, Erica Kendall, Jennifer Kuhn, Tara McFarland, Kyle Gruesser, Jessica Ivie, Emily Ramsey, Nicole Tindall, Lori Reed, Bobbie King, Emily Jones, Heather Borton, Jennifer Barlow and Natalie Laird.
40 YEARS AGO: 1981
Duplex condominiums were under construction in Berwick Manor, priced under $50,000.
Sen. Richard Lugar asked Conrail to sell the Beech Grove-to-Shelbyville-to-Lawrenceburg line to a new corporation set up by 13 rail shippers along the line who feared Conrail would shut it down. The shippers included Knauf Fiber Glass, KCL Corp., Shelby Steel, General Electric Wire Mill, Shelby County Farm Bureau, Tri-County Soil Service and St. Paul Quarries. Robert Carew, a Knauf official, was the new corporation’s president.
50 YEARS AGO: 1971
Janet Linne was crowned queen of the 1971 Shelbyville High School’s homecoming. Pete Worland, president of the student council, handled crowning duties.
60 YEARS AGO: 1961
Temperatures fell into the 30s following a thunderstorm.
Gen Pro Inc., Shelbyville subsidiary of the Tokheim Corporation, added two new items of gasoline marketing equipment to its line and a resulting 20 percent increase in employment. Willard Fischer was plant manager.
70 YEARS AGO: 1951
Frank Lovejoy’s “I Was a Communist for the F.B.I.” played at the Ritz Theatre.
High School seniors from throughout the county visited The Shelbyville News plant to celebrate National Newspaper Week. Mrs. John Day DePrez, secretary-treasurer of the corporation, served doughnuts and cider.
80 YEARS AGO: 1941
The National Guard performed a drill that demonstrated how “they would function in the event saboteurs took over utilities in the city,” The Republican reported. Troops took over and patrolled a block on W. Broadway in which the Indiana Bell Telephone Company was located, clearing, with fixed bayonettes, several blocks of all loiterers in the process.
A number of “spiritualists” convened at the William “Doc” Green home near Shelbyville for a meeting, newspapers said.
Seventy-nine Johnson County pupils tested positive for tuberculosis out of 212 tests, The Republican said. All positive students were taken to Methodist Hospital for X-ray examinations. A positive test indicated the student either had the disease in an active stage or had previously had it.
90 YEARS AGO: 1931
The weight of the silver in the Fairland National Bank money bag, which was thrown from the Fairland mail coach of the eastbound Big Four train passing through town, caused it to burst. “Unbelieving residents hurried from their stores and dwellings to share in the unexpected ‘blessings’ being sent to them - but to their disappointment they fount that the money, $200 in quarters, $200 in half-dollars and 100 dollar bills, was not for keeps. That is, most of them did,” The Republican said. All of the money, with the exception of $41, was returned.
Asphalt tennis courts were installed at the Blue River Country Club. Eighteen tons of asphalt were placed and levelled.
100 YEARS AGO: 1921
A local man made a second appearance before Mayor Lee Hoop to answer to a charge of intoxication. The man had been found asleep on a box in front of the Means Grocery on Vine Street. The man “was not inclined to accompany the officer when he was awakened, but a little ‘persuasion’ and he was on his way,” The Republican said.
OBITUARIES
Elwood P. Thomas (Tom), age 89, died at his Florida home on September 27, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Linda Fish Thomas; two children Kevin (FL) and Cathy (CO); two grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Tom graduated from Wabash High School, Indiana, then attended Ball State University where he received his BS and MS degrees in education. Tom was an educator in the Shelbyville school system for 36 years, the first 13 years as an art instructor and the remaining 23 years in administration. After his retirement in 1990, he served on the Shelbyville school board. Tom and Linda relocated to Florida in 1995.
Tom served on active duty in the Air Force and was a member of the Air Force Reserve where he retired as a Major. While in Indiana, he was an active member of the Rotary Club, Toastmasters and the Elks. He also served on the board for the youth shelter in Shelbyville. While in Florida, he was an active member of the Kiwanis Club, responsible for the Christmas displays around Center Lake in Clermont, FL. He was also a member of the South Lake Art League, volunteered at the Green Isle Children's Ranch, and served as a member of the original board of the Mascotte Charter School.
Master Sergeant Terry M. McClure passed away Aug. 18, 2021, in Daytona Beach, Florida.
He was born June 22, 1944, in Shelbyville, the son of Wayne and Loretta McClure. He was preceded in death by his parents, two sons, Raymond and Randall. He is survived by his son Ronald in Colorado, his brother Garry McClure and sister Jacque Falcon. He was a 20 year veteran of the Air Force. Graveside Military services in Forest Hill Cemetery in Shelbyville will be held at 1 p.m., on Oct. 7, 2021.