Thursday, June 23, 2022

BEGINNING TO END

These photos show the sun rising on Shelbyville’s east side yesterday and (below) setting, looking west toward Johnson County. | photos by JACK BOYCE

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Students See Broad Implications of Local History

ABOVE: Candace Washburn and Brody Jeanette begin their presentation on selected chapters of “Getting Open: The Unknown Story of Bill Garrett and the Integration of College Basketball” on one of the last days of school.

by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS

When Tom Graham and Rachel Cody began sharing their book draft on Shelbyville High School star athlete Bill Garrett in 2006, some potential publishers worried it was “too local.” The authors knew better.

“Looked at that way, Huckleberry Finn was about a raft trip and Moby Dick was about a whale hunt,” Graham, a Shelbyville High School class of 1961 graduate, said. “Most stories, including great ones, are initially local, but I don’t consider ‘Getting Open’ a basketball book. It is a book about an aspect of racial history told through basketball.”

The father-daughter author team shared these insights with Shelbyville Middle School seventh grade English Language Arts honors students virtually for the second consecutive year. Students read the book throughout May and created presentations in teams. On the last few days of school, the authors appeared via Google Meet to answer student-generated questions.

“Getting Open” tells the story of Garrett leading Shelbyville to the 1947 state basketball championship and his success at Indiana University breaking the so-called “gentleman’s code” among coaches that previously prohibited Black athletes from playing in the Big Ten. It also describes local people and places, such as the former Booker T. Washington school.

Students studied accompanying material as well, including The Bloomington Herald-Times’ coverage of Indiana University’s recent recognition of Garrett through a historical marker and renaming the old Fieldhouse, used for basketball games before Assembly Hall, in his honor.

Graham had been part of a team pushing IU leaders for these recognitions. Seventh-graders asked follow-up questions on the process of making such changes, and connected this to national history, such as the Rosa Parks story, often told as a one-day event rather than a years-long initiative by several individuals and organizations to raise awareness of Jim Crow laws in the deep South.

“I think (the simplified Rosa Parks story) does a disservice to the actual individual and communal work that happened in small incremental day-to-day actions, and the incredible efforts of the people involved,” Cody said in response to the students’ observations. 

She also explained the research process for the work and Graham humored students’ questions about local characters such as Frank Barnes. Cody relayed conversations she had with Bill Garrett’s widow, Betty Garrett.

Student Brody Jeanette said he was surprised at the amount of research completed. Other students also appreciated the depth of conversation with the authors, who now live in Portland, Ore.

“It’s amazing how they presented the information with so much detail, as if they had just written the book,” SMS student Gabriel Cueto Ramos said.

Class members said they enjoyed reading “Getting Open” themselves and preparing the presentations.

“My favorite part was being able to work with my friends and sharing that work with the class,” Logan Bassett said.

Shayden Schiloski said she appreciated collaborating with students she hadn’t previously known well.

Whether through reading, delivering presentations or listening to the authors, students learned that some local events, even those that happen in Shelbyville, can have national implications. 

“I like to say that we didn't write a great story, we found a great story, and we became obsessed to do it justice,” Graham said.

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NOTEBOOK:

• Although children of all ages from six months on up are now eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19, those vaccines have not yet been widely distributed. Vaccines for this age group are expected to arrive in Shelby County within the next two weeks, Amy Reel, Shelby County Health Department Director of Nursing, said. Pharmacies will not vaccinate children younger than three, so parents of the youngest children will need to go to their pediatrician or a health department clinic to have their child vaccinated, The Indianapolis Star reported. Just over one in five Indiana children age 5 to 11 is fully vaccinated, according to the state’s vaccine dashboard. Children in this age range have been eligible for vaccine since the fall. About 44% of youth ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated. They have been eligible for vaccine since spring 2021, the paper reported. Boosters for children are to be expected eventually, experts predict.

• Several changes will become effective July 1 at the Shelby County Transfer station. Hours of operation and rates are posted here. Credit and debit cards only will be accepted for payment moving forward.

• The following couples applied for marriage licenses at the Shelby County Clerk’s office last week: Katie M. Settles, 24, and Levi W. Burnside, 24; Mary Ann Wethington, 72, and Terry D. James, 74; Anthony P. Pogue, 54, and Angela D. Pogue, 50; Nicholas B. Heath, 21, and Britnie R. Gardner, 19; Joanna D.X. Perez, 21, and Miguel R. Cisneros, 33; and Hailley J. Fulkerson, 21, and Austin McKenzie, 24.

• Noah Henderson, who spearheaded the recent updates at Laura Morrison Park, provided a recap of the initiative to the Parks Board yesterday. Board members thanked Henderson for his volunteerism. “The whole idea of what Laura (Morrison) did was community inspired. It wasn’t from the top down…and really what you did was the same thing,” board member Gary Nolley said.

• The Shelby County Health Department will relocate to a new facility on June 27. The office will be closed June 27th and 28th for the move, with plans to re-open June 29. The new location will be 20 W. Polk Street, Suite 202, Shelbyville.

• HOOSIER NEWS: Riley Hospital for Children is reporting an unusual spike in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases in young children. “This is very unusual for us,” said Dr. John Christenson, associate medical director of infection prevention at Riley. RSV normally packs its hardest punch in the winter months, particularly in January, but now it's popping up mid-summer. RSV and bronchiolitis, an inflammation in the lungs, is common, according to Christenson. Almost every child is likely to get one or the other by the time they turn two years old. But for young kids, it’s serious and sometimes fatal. With COVID-19 now moving toward endemic levels, Christenson said it’s very possible these unseasonable spikes in viruses and illnesses will only continue, just like they’re seeing now with RSV. (WRTV)

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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.

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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 from the Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department.

20 YEARS AGO: 2002
Daily attendance at the city pool was nearing 500 per day, up from 350 patrons per day the previous year. Manager Tom Addington said the close of Fairland Recreation Club had contributed to the increase.

30 YEARS AGO: 1992
The Shelbyville Board of Works gave preliminary aproval for a 24-lot subdivision just east of the Autumn Trace duplexes. The one- and one-a-half story homes would be modular, developer Phil Stephenson said. The entrance to the road would be from Knightstown Road.

A local service station employee was arrested for stealing about $2,000 from his employer. The man had been waiting on buses from Blue River Special Education Cooperative. When he wrote out charge slips for the gasoline, he would overbill the coop. Then, when a cash-paying customer would pay for gasoline, he would pocket the cash and the difference would not show up on the station’s records. The thefts had occurred over a period of several months.

40 YEARS AGO: 1982
Larry Skinner, 44, was hired to be the Waldron High School boys basketball coach. He had previously coached at Jac-Cen-Del and at Waldron. In other action, the Shelby Eastern School Board hired Cheryl Anne Hitchens as a new vocal music teacher who would also work with Morristown’s dance troupe, the Jackettes.

Chester Sandman was honored by Buick for selling the brand for 50 years.

50 YEARS AGO: 1972
Signage for Michigan Road was known to be confusing, The Shelbyville News reported. Just north of the city, signs on the same post called it Michigan Road and 200W while a few miles farther it was Old 421. At two intersections at the east edge of the city, the road had a different name on opposite sides of the intersection. It was Michigan Road at McLane St. and S.R. 421 across the road at Wellington Blvd. while diagonally across from the 421, East and Progress Road sign was another saying Michigan Road and 200E.

60 YEARS AGO: 1962
Cedar shakes were added to the roof of the Thomas A. Hendricks cabin being built at the Fairgrounds. The chimney had been completed and doors and windows hung. A dedication ceremony was planned for July 4.

70 YEARS AGO: 1952
Shelbyville police issued a plea for pedestrians and motorists to heed the directions of traffic officers stationed at S. Harrison St. and the Public Square. The appeal was directed mainly to pedestrians who ignored officers’ directions frequently and crossed the street when traffic was moving, the newspaper said. Police also encouraged pedestrians to cross to the safety island and then to the circle rather than cut diagonally across.

80 YEARS AGO: 1942
The latest selective service contingent left the courthouse for Fort Benjamin Harrison. The men were Samuel Alley, Carl Zell, Carroll White, Robert Heistand, Forrest Cory, Raymond Hendricks, Raymond Hamblen, Charles Sindlinger, Charles Walker, Everett Walls, William Arnold, Russell Roan, Herbert Smith, Charles Schmoe, Forest McDaniel and Kenneth Heistand.

The “Little Town of Tailholt” made famous by Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley announced plans for its 19th annual reunion. The town was located on U.S. 52 just north of the Shelby County line, in Hancock County.

90 YEARS AGO: 1932
The Floyd & Griffey store organized a two-day fishing trip for local men to Lake Shafer and Lake Freeman, on the Tippecanoe River, near Monticello. The bus left from in front of the store. Plans included an all-night fishing party. On the way back, an award of a 30-pound test line would be given to the person telling the best fish story. Wives could accompany their husbands on the trip, Bob Griffey said.

The land on which Nave Airport was located, on Rushville and Knightstown roads, was sold to Walter Clark by Fred Nave. Clark said he would turn the airport back into farmland, which it had not been used for in 18 years. Clark had been a mill superintendent at the Davis Birely furniture factory for many years. The sale could leave Shelbyville without an airport, newspapers announced.

100 YEARS AGO: 1922
A former Boggstown man was arrested in Johnson County and brought here to face charges of deserting his wife. The man said he had been warned by the county clerk when he applied for a marriage licence about the woman, whose previous husband had obtained an annulment, but he failed to heed the warning.

Carl Fagan, a “steeple-jack” who traveled the country scaling high places, climbed the flag pole on top of City Hall and painted the staff and ball at the top. Fagan made the climb despite observing beforehand that the pole was rusted at the bottom.

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INCIDENTS

• A motorcycle hit a guardrail at the intersection of N. Michigan Road and Frontage Road, sending the rider over the guard rail and down the embankment. The rider was transported to the hospital with a possible broken leg. He said he had been traveling too fast to make the turn and that his motorcycle had hit loose gravel in the roadway.

• JAIL BOOK-INS: Eric N. Brown, 63, failure to appear; Jason R. Eads, 49, probation violation; Bradley Hudson, 46, hold for another jurisdiction; Clinton C. Johnson Jr., 22, unknown hearing, hold for another jurisdiction; Nathan A. McCarter, 30, probation violation; Dezie McClung, 59, resisting law enforcement, HTV lifetime, OVWI endangerment; Jason T. Ramsey, 39, possession of meth, probation hold; Rhonda L. Turner, 44, failure to appear, hold for another jurisdiction;

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OBITUARIES

Rex Franklin Hindman, long-time Shelbyville resident, passed away Tuesday, June 21, at Ashford Place. Rex was born September 24, 1929, to Leo and Hazel (Grayhem) Hindman in Herrin, Illinois. He lived in DuQuoin, Illinois for most of his childhood and teenage years and graduated from DuQuoin High School. Rex attended Southern Illinois University until he enlisted in the Air Force. He was sent to South Korea to fight in the Korean Conflict. He was a proud veteran and enjoyed regaling his family with war stories. He was a life member of the VFW.

Leo and Hazel owned a hardware store in DuQuoin, and after Korea, Rex joined them in managing the store. Soon Rex was recruited to wholesale hardware for Belknap, and was assigned the South-Central Indiana area. In 1962, Rex and his family moved to Shelbyville. He continued to wholesale hardware through his career, retiring from Orgill Brothers. Rex was often the top salesman of the year and mentored many salesmen at Belknap and Orgill. 

In Shelbyville, Rex became active in Little League baseball as a coach for his son Randy’s and his son Kelly’s teams. He also was supportive of the J. Kenneth Self Shelby County Boys and Girls Club and served on the Board of Directors for several years. He was a member of First Baptist Church, serving the church as a deacon and leader for many years. Rex was a 33rd Degree Mason associated with the Masonic Lodge of Shelbyville, #28.

Family was everything to Rex. He served as a patriarch to a large and happy family that often vacationed together and loved nothing more than the chaos of the Hindmans celebrating holidays and various life events.

Rex was predeceased by his parents, his wives Carol (Shumaker) Hindman, Wanda (Creek) Hindman, and Bernice (Werbe) Hindman; his oldest son, Randy; his brother, Raymond Hindman; and sister Jackye Williams. He is survived by his children, Kelly Hindman (Karen) of Carmel, IN; Sarah (David) Finkel of Shelbyville; and Susan (David) McRoberts of Greenwood, Indiana; daughters-in-law Pam (Browning) Hindman and Donna (Benoist) Hindman.  He had 11 grandchildren, Kellie, Bruce (Chanda), Abby (Stephen), Kyle (Mary), Molly (Steve), Andrew (Elizabeth), Allie (Alfredo) Emily (PJ), Adam (Courtney), and Elizabeth (Quinton). He has 10 great-grandchildren, Gabby (Patrick), McKenzie, Kenlie, Madison, Liam, Ricky, Brett, Maggie, Ruby Claire, and Willow. He is also survived by his dear friend, Ellave Miles, and by Della Pavey, who has been a loving caregiver to Rex for several years. The family is also grateful to Dr. Melanie Stevens, the Ashford Place staff and Our Hospice of Central Indiana for their compassionate care of Rex in his last few months.

Graveside services will be noon on Tuesday, June 28, 2022,  at Forest Hill Cemetery, with Pastor Bill Horner officiating. Friends may call on Tuesday morning from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home. Military graveside rites will be observed. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Rett Syndrome Research Trust at https://reverserett.org/donate. Rex’s beautiful great-granddaughter, Ruby Claire, suffers from this rare and debilitating disease. Donations can also be made to the J. Kenneth Self Shelby County Boys and Girls Club at https://shelbycountybgc.com/donate/. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeogeandson.com. The service will be live-streamed on Facebook. Like our page on Facebook and click on watch live.

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Kenneth E. Hamilton, 90 of Shelbyville, passed away Tuesday, June 21,2022 at Walker Place. He was born December 24,1931 in Shelbyville, Indiana the son of the late Wilbur Russell Hamilton and Treca Bell (Yarber) Hamilton.

He married Becky (Fletcher) Hamilton on November 6, 1953, she preceded him in death on June 12, 2019. Survivors include three daughters, Diana Carew (husband Philip) of North Carolina; Brenda Covington of Shelbyville and Rebecca Vanosdol (husband Todd) of Shelbyville; 8 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren; his brothers, Ronnie Hamilton of Shelbyville and Steve Hamilton of Greenfield, IN. He was preceded in death by his parents, his loving wife, Becky, and his son-in-law, Hal Covington and four sisters.

Mr. Hamilton had lived in this area his entire lifetime. He worked 35 years for Marietta Pipeline as an Engineer. He was a 1949 graduate of Shelbyville High School and attended Hope's Point Baptist Church. Kenneth was an IU and Colts fan. He loved his family. He was proud of his "Hero Award" for being  a friend to everyone and having a big smile at the Walker Place.

Funeral services will be Monday, June 27, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. at Glenn E. George and Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Rd., Shelbyville with Pastor Greg Albert officiating. Visitation for Kenneth will be on Monday from 10 a.m. until service time at 11:30 a.m. in the funeral home. Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.

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Mark A. Norvell, 67, of Shelbyville, Indiana passed away Saturday, June 18, 2022 at Heritage House of Shelbyville. He was born February 3, 1955 in Shelbyville, Indiana, the son of Elmer H. Norvell and Wanda J. (Brown) Norvell Armstrong. Mark is survived by his children Jennifer Taylor (Brandon Wease) of Shelbyville, Christopher (Angela) Norvell of Hope and Amanda Veneri of Batesville; four grandchildren, one step-grandchild and one great-grandchild; sisters Natalie (Jack) Simpson of Terre Haute, Melissa (Rod) Meyerholtz of Shelbyville, brother Jon Drew Norvell (Bethany Herndon) of Greenwood and sister-in-law Bulah Armstrong of Shelbyville. Mark was preceded in death by his parents, step-father William Armstrong, half-brothers Michael Armstrong, Gregory Armstrong and Ronnie Armstrong.

Mark graduated in 1974 from Shelbyville High School and enlisted in the U.S. Army following his graduation. He worked many years in the plastic molding and automotive industries. Mark's family would like to thank the entire staff of Heritage House of Shelbyville for all the care that he received during his time as a resident and also to the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center for all their healthcare services.

Mark generously donated his body to the Anatomical Education Program at Indiana University School of Medicine. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Interment will be at Forest Hill Cemetery in Shelbyville. Donations in Mark's memory may be made to: Anatomical Education Program, 635 Barnhill Drive, Room MS 304, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202.