Thursday, May 2, 2024
Middle School Track Stars Race Time, Each Other
Shelbyville Middle School track coach Jeremy McIntire and runners Macey Robbins and America Leon Torres pause for a moment during practice this week. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
The friendly rivalry started at St. Joe and continues at Shelbyville Middle School.
“She’s been my arch-nemesis. She’s always right on my tail, and I hate it,” SMS track star Macey Robbins said with a laugh.
“She” is America Leon Torres, a seventh grader, one year younger than Robbins, and also a gifted runner. Both are honors students.
Currently, the pair have a bit of a pact, with Torres specializing in the mile run and Robbins mastering the 800-meter (half-mile) race, in which she set the school record last week, besting the previous record held by Blayre Scott. It was, as record-breaking typically is, the result of a long-standing goal and a close call.
“I have a note of what (time) I dropped from sixth to seventh grade, and what I needed to drop from seventh to set the record,” Robbins, who called herself “slow” back in sixth grade, said.
She ended last year 11 seconds from Scott’s record. During last week’s 800-meter run, she knew she was exactly on pace at the half-way point.
“When I had half a lap left, Coach (Jeremy McIntire) told me I was still right on pace, so I started trucking,” Robbins said.
McIntire caught her again to say she had to finish the final 80 meters in 14 seconds. Robbins crashed across the finish line, but forgot to stop her watch. By the time she remembered, she had no idea if she had set the record or not.
She asked a staff member for her time. “He said, ‘2:36,’” and I said, ‘2:36-what?’” Robbins recalled. The staff member went back to get the official word: she had beat it by two-tenths of a second.
With three track meets left in her middle school career, Robbins has one goal: shave as much time as possible off her record to prevent Torres, who has another year left, from breaking it.
The duo hail from St. Joseph Catholic School, which they represented while winning individual events at their elementary track meets. They’ve never looked back.
Torres said she got her start in running as a kid at Blue River Memorial Park. Her dad would let her get off her bike during family walks to run. He carried the bike the rest of the way.
America had a strong sixth grade season last spring and is eight seconds from breaking Danielle Lubbe’s one-mile (1600 meters) record. Her best time in the 800-meters is six seconds behind Macey’s new record. That’s where the competition really kicks in.
“My goal is to try to get both records,” Torres said.
With Robbins heading to SHS this fall, she confesses to already glancing at the high school’s record board.
It’s not far from Torres’ mind either. “I haven’t worried about those (records) yet, but I will,” she said.
NOTEBOOK:
NATIONAL NEWS: In 2000, 23 percent of the global population was nearsighted, a figure that is projected to rise to 50 percent of the global population by 2050 given current trends. That carries a massive health care cost. In the United States, spending on contacts, eye tests, glasses and related expenses is as high as $7.2 billion per year, and the global rise of myopia is only projected to fuel that. Studies have linked myopia to a lack of time spent outdoors, with one paper finding that studies pegged the odds of myopia decreasing with every hour spent outdoors per week. (The Conversation/Numlock)
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This Day in Shelby County History
2014: James Dugan closed Half Pints Bistro, 2806 E. Range Road, after 12 years in business. Dugan, who was suffering from terminal cancer, had started the restaurant in 2003 after leaving his family’s business, The Fiddler’s Three. The building was owned by his mom and used to be another family-owned restaurant, the Bavarian Haus. Dugan expressed his appreciation for managers Caleb McKinney and Sandra Jones.
2004: Morristown residents were urged to attend a meeting to discuss whether or not amusement rides would be allowed to set up at Morristown Community Park, potentially driving away crowds from the downtown. The matter had been hotly debated by the organizing committee and members of the Lions Club at a recent Town Council meeting. In related business, the council gave approval to moving practice for the coaster race from South Street to North Street.
The county secured a federal grant to upgrade the dispatch console, allowing local law enforcement to communicate with other agencies. Members of the committee responsible for implementing the changes were Jack Boyce, Steve Skinner, Sheriff Tom Debaun, Police Chief John West, Mayor Scott Furgeson, Ed Johnson, Kevin Nigh and Henry Albrecht.
1994: Shelbyville High School came in first in the interdisciplinary category at the Hoosier Academic Super Bowl finals in Indianapolis. Team members were Sara Peters, Roger Owens, Dan Moore, Dan King, Jennifer Lisher and Eric Miller. The team’s sponsor was Tom Davis.
1984: The Shelbyville Board of Public Works appointed Steve Schoentrup, 27, as the new city-county ambulance chief to replace outgoing chief Ted Wells, who had taken a higher paying position at Yager Bowling Service.
Winners in a contest sponsored by the Shelbyville Board of Realtors, in which grade school students drew pictures of their dream homes and high school students wrote essays about what private property meant to them, were April Elliott, Jay Steele, Nichole Aulby, Jim Nicholson, Tim Higgins, Brent Brown, Kelly Bledsoe, Margaret Solenberg and Tiffany Tackett. Prizes included a savings bond, ice cream from Compton’s Cow Palace and dinner at Hardee’s. Larry Lux was chairman of the contest, assisted by Mary Alice Simpson and Ab Hardin.
1974: Morristown captured the 1974 Shelby County track and field championship, edging out Waldron. Team members were Melvin Lain, George Stone, Ron Heck, Kerry Kilgore, Greg Wheelden, Ray McCormick, Dee Neuenschwander, Kevin Willard, Dana Caldwell, Rusty Read, Jim Linville, Daryl Kuhn, John Fuchs, Dave Gardner, Marc Hart, Gary Fahnestock, Tom Hanson, Richard Morris, Jon Bridges, Roy Pribble, Greg Willard, Kyle Wood, Robin Hart, Ron Garrett, Wendell Hester and Mark Knopp. Norm Morris was Athletic Director. Coaches were Mike Stine and Ron Patton.
Congressman Lee Hamilton was scheduled to speak at the Shelby County Jefferson-Jackson Dinner hosted by local Democrats and held at the F.O.P. Lodge. Jerry Lux was chairman of the event. Cassius Bennett, Chester McClain and Lloyd Anderson were in charge of ticket sales. Mayor Jerry Higgins and Sheriff Norman Murnan were in charge of publicity.
1964: The city landfill on the Old Franklin Road, which had been closed to residents outside of city limits for over a year, would re-open to anyone wanting to dispose of trash, Mayor Ralph VanNatta said at the board of works meeting. In other board action, “the city attorney injected a humorous but strictly partisan jab into the monthly report of the city dog catcher which obviously referred to the recent incident in which President Johnson lifted his pet Beagles by the ears,” The Shelbyville News reported.
Southwestern High School sophomore Marvin Swift captured top individual honors in the FFA division over hundreds of competitors at the International Land Judging Contest in Oklahoma City, Okla.
1954: Fountaintown residents started raising funds for the down payment necessary to light town streets. Although the town had no official board, a Town Light Board was formed. E.T. Murnan, Virgil Stringer and Louis Kelso were heading the charge.
1944: Jimmy Dickens, a 23-year-old who was 4-feet-4-inches, starred at a WIBC Jamboree hosted at the Shelbyville Armory.
1934: Rural mail carrier Edgar Hodson retired after 32 years of local service. Hodson, 63, who lived on Rushville Road, received a ring from his colleagues.
Athleta, advertised as “the youngest and most sensational aerial star of this decade,” performed with the Russell Bros. Circus in Shelbyville.
1924: “Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall,” a screen adaptation of a novel by Charles Major, was booked for its first showing at Shelbyville’s Alhambra Theatre. Major wrote the book in his Shelbyville office, and Shelbyville was selected over New York for the first showing.
The Shelbyville Republican published an article about how “modern dance” was an “ally of the devil.” The article complained, “You can’t get a toothpick between these hip hounds who are making immodest dancing a rule rather than an exception.” The article further warned of jazz music and said couples dancing amounted to “a cross between a headlock and a half-Nelson.”
1914: William Flaitz, 6, was struck in the eye with a BB. He had been playing near his home on Washington Ave. when another boy fired the air gun at him. Despite the injury, Flaitz would not lose his eyesight, doctors said.
Local Protestant church pastors visited every home in the city in an effort to get entire families to church. “Take your company with you. Cook your dinner today. Go to church,” The Republican said.
OBITUARIES
Delores L. Bauers, 61, of Fairland, passed away Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at MHP Hospital. Born January 27, 1963 in Shelbyville, she was the daughter of Norman E. Parrott and Elizabeth M. Parrott. She married Gene Bauers on June 2, 1994, and he survives.
Other survivors include her husband, Gene; her mother, Elizabeth; step-daughter Gina Bauers; sisters, Darlene Shaw (Mike) of Boggstown, Deena Hendricks (Terry) of Fountaintown, Dianne Carroll of Georgia, Dixie Brendle (Michael) of Fountaintown; step-grandsons Dylan and Brenden Harris; 16 nieces and nephews, 22 great nieces and nephews, and three great-great-nieces and -nephews. She was preceded in death by her father Norman, grandparents Bill and Altha Parrott, Vern and Dorothy King, sister Dona Drake, and brother Norman Bruce Parrott.
Delores had lived in this area her entire lifetime and graduated from Triton Central High School in 1981. She was employed with Triton Central Schools Cafeteria as a lunch lady, retiring from there. Delores was a member of Pleasant View Baptist Church, and the NRA. Delores enjoyed camping and traveling and spending winters in Mississippi. She loved her family and the time she spent with them.
Funeral services will be Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 11 a.m., at Glenn E. George & Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Road, with Mark Kern officiating. Burial will be in London Cemetery. Visitation will be Tuesday, May 7, 2024 from 4 - 7 p.m., at the funeral home. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.
Ora Louis "Sonny" Shugert, 88, of Waldron, passed away Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at The Willows of Greensburg.
Born June 28, 1935, in Shelbyville, he was the son of Fredrick Shugert and Ethel (Keppel) Shugert. He married Patricia Mae (Martin) Shugert on June 6, 1958, and she preceded him in death. Survivors include three children, Kathy Mitchell (Jeff) of St. Paul, Susie Gardner (Doug) of Rushville, and Lee Ruse (Dianna) of Morristown, Tennessee; five grandchildren, Matthew Gardner (Bekah), David Gardner (Cheyenne), Amye Mitchell, Sam Mitchell (Madeline), and Alex McGeath; and three great-grandchildren, Caroline Perry, Lorelai Gardner, and Maeve Mitchell. He was preceded in death by his parents, spouse, daughter Debbie McGeath, sister Emma Haehl and brother Robert Shugert.
Sonny graduated from Waldron High School in 1954. He was a self-employed heavy equipment operator, retiring after many years. Sonny served in the Marine Corp, and was a member of Antique Tractor Collectors Club, Lewis Creek Baptist Church, and St. Paul Senior Citizens. He served in various churches as Deacon and Trustee for many years.
Sonny loved playing euchre, restoring old Farmall tractors, driving in parades, fishing, and his dogs, Susie and Kelly. He enjoyed spending time with his family and grandchildren. After Patricia's passing, he founded a support group called Sonny's Bunch, which met on Thursday evenings for dinner and activities. The group is still functioning. He was very active in his church and church activities.
Funeral services will be noon, Saturday, May 4, 2024 at Glenn E. George & Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Road, with Pastor Scott Sharp officiating. Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery with Military rites conducted by the American Legion. Visitation will be Saturday morning from 10 a.m. until the time of the service, at the funeral home. Memorial donations can be made to Shelby County Animal Shelter, in care of the funeral home. Sonny's service will be broadcast live on Facebook. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.
Mildred Irene McClain, a longtime resident of Shelbyville, passed away on April 26, 2024 at the age of 90. Born in Shelby County on June 13, 1933, Mildred was known for her compassionate, and loving nature. She married Thomas Ira McClain on May 6, 1956, and he preceded her in death on October 16, 1998.
She served as Food Service Director for Shelbyville Central Schools for 30 years. Following her retirement in 1996, Mildred championed her passion for nutritional integrity in schools, even lobbying with Representative Sharp before Congress to keep fast food franchises out of school cafeterias. She filled her leisure time with hobbies that included traveling, playing cards, working puzzles, and playing dominos. She especially enjoyed assisting with the Glenn E. George and Son Coffee & Comfort group. Mildred was an active member of St. Joseph Social Club, 4-H Club for 10 years, several card clubs and was 1991 President of Indiana School Food Service Association. She was also a member of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church. She graduated from Waldron High School, and attended Purdue University.
She is survived by her son, Michael Allen McClain; her grandchild, Nicholas Allen McClain (Tanja); and her nephew, Kevin Treon (Jeanna) all of Shelbyville. Mildred was preceded in death by her parents Robert and Frieda Ray, her spouse Thomas McClain, her sister Beverly Treon, her nephew Greg Treon, and several beloved aunts and uncles.
Visitation will be held on Monday, May 6, 2024, from 4 - 7 p.m. at Glenn E. George and Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Road, Shelbyville, Indiana. Mildred’s funeral service will be on Tuesday, May 7, at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in Lewis Creek Baptist Cemetery. Pastor Robb Barlow will officiate. Memorial contributions can be made to Mt. Pisgah Church Building Fund, in care of the funeral home. Online condolence can be left at glennegeorgeandson.com, as we remember and honor her remarkable life.