Sunday, October 5, 2025
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TAKING SHAPE
The incoming roundabout near the Knauf entrance on North Riley Highway is taking shape, as seen in this aerial shot by John Walker early last week.
The Story Behind the Name
Editor’s Note: This interview was recently conducted with Mr. Dennis Hearne, a Shelbyville Central Schools board member, former teacher and coach, as part of a classroom exercise for SHS Digital Media students to study interviewing techniques and understand the history behind names on school facilities.
When Shelbyville High School dedicated its new track last fall, a familiar name was added alongside that of longtime football coach J.M. McKeand: former track coach Dennis Hearne. For Hearne, who spent 32 years teaching and coaching in Shelbyville, the honor still feels “overwhelming.”
“It’s the culmination of so many pieces that came together,” Hearne said. “When I look at that name, I see every student-athlete who believed in us, every parent who trusted us and a community that gave a 23-year-old the chance to lead.”
Hearne began teaching and coaching at SHS in 1973, when the teachers’ lounges were still divided into “men’s” and “women’s” sections and cigarette smoke filled the air. As a young teacher, he found refuge not in the lounge, but in the coaches’ office, “a place to think and to prepare for the next challenge.”
He also discovered a favorite cafeteria item, the now-legendary cowboy cookie. “Everybody loved them,” he laughed. “We’d take turns buying them for each other on Fridays. When I retired, I asked the cooks for the recipe. I still make them today for class reunions.”
Hearne’s approach to coaching was rooted in effort and mutual respect. “You give me your best effort,” he told his student-athletes, “and I promise I’ll give you mine.” That philosophy produced not just victories, but lifelong bonds.
Among the highlights: a state champion high jumper, sectional titles and countless athletes who found confidence in themselves. “Some of those moments weren’t just trophies,” he said. “Sometimes the victory was helping a student pass a class, or seeing someone finally believe they could do it.”
Hearne recalled advice from his own mentors, teachers who pushed him to see that academics could be just as fulfilling as athletics. “I didn’t realize it at first,” he said. “Athletics should be a mirror to academics. It teaches you discipline and perseverance, the same qualities that make you successful in life.”
Hearne’s sense of humor was part of his teaching style, though his students sometimes saw his intensity firsthand. He still keeps a plaque from one cross country team that reads, “Coach Hearne, of all the things you taught us, we realized one thing: it would never be patience.” He laughed: “They were right. I’ve worked on it ever since.”
When asked what advice he’d give today’s students, Hearne said, “As a teenager, I couldn’t understand the pressures adults put on me. As a teacher, I realized adults are trying to guide students through choices that can change their lives.”
He urged both students and teachers to see each other with empathy. “Students want independence, and teachers want to protect them from mistakes. We’re not at odds, we just see from different sides of the same coin.”
Hearne also reflected on how perspective changes over time. “When I was 18, I thought my parents didn’t understand anything. By 22, I realized they’d somehow gotten very smart,” he said with a smile.
For Hearne, seeing his name on the track is both humbling and symbolic. “It’s not just my name,” he said. “It’s every coach, every parent, every athlete who believed. That’s what makes it meaningful.”
He now serves on the school board, still working to “educate myself again” about the ever-changing world of public education. “Young people are our hope,” he said. “They’re everything.”
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NOTEBOOK:
Shelbyville High School’s cross country teams raced Friday night at the LaVern Gibson course in Terre Haute. The boys placed 19th of 35 complete teams, led by standout performances from Shia Veach (18th) and Logan Reinhart (33rd). Anderson Mollenkopf, Kendryk Pike and Levi Harding rounded out the team’s top five. The girls finished 15th of 28 teams, paced by American Leon-Torres (30th) and Aerin Garcia-Santiago (71st), followed by Macey Robbins, Kat Seal and Avery Keller. In the JV race, freshman Belle Orem dropped 24 seconds for a new personal record of 27:07. The Golden Bears will wrap up the regular season next Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Dragon Invitational hosted by New Palestine High School.
Ollie’s is set to open a new location at 2525 East State Road 44, Shelbyville, near Planet Fitness. The store will have its grand opening on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
Shelby County Master Gardeners will host their annual Fall Festival from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Shelby County Fairgrounds. The free admission event features more than 40 vendors, food, live music by the Highwater Troubadours, a car show, kids’ crafts, games, and contests for the tallest cornstalk and biggest pumpkin. Guest speakers include Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, “The Hoosier Gardener,” at 9:30 a.m. on fall planting, and Joyce Miller at 10:45 a.m. on herbs. Plants and gardening items will also be for sale, and the historic Hendricks Cabin will be open for tours.
HOOSIER NEWS: Indiana girls are performing better in school than ever, but many continue to struggle with mental health. That’s according to the 2025 Indiana Girl Report, released by the Indiana Youth Institute, in partnership with the Girl Scouts Coalition of Indiana. The statewide report compiles data from thousands of Indiana girls, along with information from the Department of Education and other state agencies, to create a comprehensive snapshot of girls’ well-being. (Indiana Public Radio)
NATIONAL NEWS: Rite Aid shut its remaining stores this week after struggling to keep the business alive in recent years. As of Tuesday, the company had 89 stores still operating across 78 cities. It closed those remaining stores over the past few days. Founded in 1962, the company was one of America’s largest pharmacy chains in its heyday. At its peak, Rite Aid operated more than 5,000 stores. As of 2023, Rite Aid operated more than 2,000 stores and had about 45,000 employees, including 6,100 pharmacists. (New York Times)
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REVIEW: Senior Services Takes Trip to Yellowstone and Jackson Hole
by CAROL MCDANIEL, Travel Coordinator
Shelby Senior Services recently sponsored a trip to Yellowstone and Jackson Hole in September. Traveler Sherry Ponsler took excellent notes about what she saw and experienced. Her observations are paraphrased below.
Surprisingly, she wrote, travelers to Yellowstone were impressed by the fall foliage. Magnificent yellows, oranges and reds dotted the countryside, and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. Animals were plentiful, including elk, bison, bald eagles, sea otters, ducks and sheep.
One highlight was the Mormon Tabernacle Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the group was treated to a practice session by an organist. “The sounds from the large pipe organ were unbelievable,” she wrote.
Across the street from the church, a family research center offers free genealogical searches. Some travelers traced their family trees back as far as nine generations. While in Utah, the group also visited the beautiful state capitol building.
Of course, another highlight was Old Faithful, which erupts approximately every 90 minutes. Visitors also experienced steam vents, “chocolate” mud pots, geysers and thermal basins.
The magnificent Teton Mountains showcased stunning white tops of glacial ice and snow. The Grand Teton rises more than 13,000 feet above sea level. To guard against altitude sickness, travelers were encouraged to drink plenty of water.
In Jackson Hole, the group boarded horse-drawn covered wagons for a ride to the Double H Bar Ranch, where they enjoyed a barbecue dinner. Along the way, they were “held up” by riders on horseback pretending to be robbers.
The next day, travelers rafted down the Snake River for three hours before heading to the Jackson Hole Playhouse, where they attended a performance of “Cat Ballou.”
After a lengthy delay at the airport, their flight home was uneventful and safe.
Many thanks to Sherry for her excellent notes about this trip!
Don’t forget to sign up for the free Travel Show at the senior center at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, to learn about available seats for next year’s trips. Call 317-398-0127 to put your name on the list, and bring your checkbook in case you want to join us.
YELLOW PAGE LOOK-BACK
February 1971
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This Day in Shelby County History
Local headlines reported on or around this date in Shelby County history. Selections are curated by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials.
2005: Marvin Tinsley, 49, died in a tragic accident while working at a closed Thomson television picture tube plant in Marion. Tinsley, who had been the only boy in a family with four sisters, had married Denise, and they had six daughters, ages 6 to 26. Marvin was a 1974 graduate of Morristown High School.
1995: An award-winning Toastmaster was named moderator for the upcoming mayoral debate between Mayor Bob Williams and challenger Betsy Stephen.
1985: Rax Restaurant, which specialized in roast beef sandwiches, announces plans to open a 116-seat building near the new Walmart shopping center.
1975: Lt. Gov. Robert Orr was named the headline speaker for an upcoming “old fashioned” Republican campaign rally. Orr planned to boost the campaign of Jack Worland, the party’s candidate for mayor, and other city officials. Virginia Owens was chair of the rally, which would be held in the Women’s Building at the fairgrounds.
1965: A large sign was installed in front of the project noting a “federal project” was “being constructed.” Details of the remodeling, however had not been shared. Local postal officials had been informed weeks prior that a meeting would be held to discuss the matter, but no meeting had occurred before the installation of the sign. There had been some discussion about moving the post office to the armory during renovations.
1955: The Waldron Mohawks softball team finished the season undefeated and won the county series. The players were Jim Beyer, Dave Mohr, Eddie Coers, Max Branson, Gary Coers, Bill Sebastian, Frank Runnebohm, Don Kuhn, Raymond Lawson, Kenny Thornburg, George Roser, Gary Toothman, Robert Moore, Jim Friddle, Bob Coers, Frank Kirschbaum, Larry Justus, Stanley Brewer and Jack Higgins. Bob Collins was the coach.
1945: Ann Flaitz, 225 N. Tomkins St., received a telegram notifying her that her son, Pfc. James Flaitz, had been returned to U.S. military control after being a prisoner of war in Japan. The last word she had received from him was in September, but the message had been written at Christmas and offered no details of his well-being.
1935: WPA workers unloaded three carloads of Alabama rock asphalt for the South Harrison Street resurfacing project, between Taylor and Colescott streets. A sewer had recently been installed on Harrison Avenue, between Mildred Street and the city limits.
Nearly 60 boys showed up to try out for the Shelbyville High School basketball team, to be coached by Wendell Ballard. The group did not include members of J.M. McKeand’s football team, who were still in season.
1925: Dillard McCarty purchased The Drug Shop on E. Washington Street from John Robinson. The shop would be operated by McCarty’s son, Frank, who was about to graduate from high school. Frank planned to install a coffee urn and a light lunch counter.
1915: Patrick Malley, a resident of Shelby County for 31 years who had immigrated directly here from Ireland, died following a minor operation to remove a toe. The operation led to a blood poisoning incident, and he died a week later, The Republican reported.
Thomas VanGordon, who lived in Norristown, had too much “firewater” and accidentally took William DePrez’s horse from the stable, The Republican reported. VanGordon’s horse, which got tired of standing on Pike Street, broke loose and “went for a frolic.” The incident was cleared up the next day.
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OBITUARIES
None today.