Tuesday, April 1, 2025
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS
Local Library to Celebrate National Library Week
MEDIA RELEASE
What draws people to the library? Everything! From books and digital resources to meeting spaces and creative programming, libraries are essential to thriving communities.
National Library Week, April 6–12, 2025, is a time to celebrate the many ways libraries bring people together, spark imagination, and support lifelong learning.
The Shelby County Public Library is inviting the community to join the celebration. Whether you’re a longtime patron or haven’t visited in a while, now is the time to explore all the library has to offer. The local library provides free Wi-Fi, digital collections, genealogy research, outreach services, a gaming and sound room, and even a community comfort closet, ensuring that everyone has access to resources that educate, inspire and connect.
“Whatever draws you in, the library has something for everyone. Whether you’re preparing for a career change, launching a business, raising a family, or embracing retirement, Shelby County Public Library is here to support your journey. Libraries serve as hubs for learning, creativity, and connection, helping people of all ages explore new ideas and opportunities,” a media release said.
Join the public library for these events during National Library Week:
Friends of the Library Book Sale: $5 a bag in the Computer Lab at Carnegie East Wing and at the Velma Wortman Morristown branch (as well as discounts on individual books) from April 7-12.
StoryWalk Picture Book Contest: Submissions continue at the Velma Wortman Morristown branch through April 12.
For more information about events at Shelby County Public Library, visit https://www.myshelbylibrary.org/ and follow us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: FULL CANOPY REAL ESTATE
NOTEBOOK:
Shelby County Commissioners yesterday opted to hold off on a free energy audit from Veregy until more budget information is available from the state. The Commissioners had previously tabled action on the matter, and Rick Anderson, with the company, returned yesterday to provide an update on the audit, which could precede a “guaranteed energy savings” deal that would assure the county that the energy savings would offset facility upgrades.
Commissioners approved accepting bids for two bridge projects, the rehabilitation of a historic bridge on CR 75 East, just south of CR 700 S, and a full bridge replacement on CR 1100 S between CR 200 E and CR 275 E.
Editor’s Note: The first Addison Times quarterly print edition of 2025 for supporters will go to press in April. Thank you to those who give online or via a check to The Addison Times, 54 W. Broadway, #13, Shelbyville, Ind., 46176. Thank you for your continued support of daily local news and history.
HOOSIER NEWS: Senate Bill 475 passed the Senate on a 47-2 vote in late January and now awaits action in the House. The bill involves physician non-compete agreements. Lawmakers tried in 2023 to outlaw noncompete agreements for Indiana doctors — contracts that prevent doctors from taking jobs at competing hospitals within a certain radius. The compromise that year was to only apply this to family doctors. This year, Senate Bill 475 attempts the ban for all physicians, again, hoping it will encourage competition and reduce prices in the health care market. (IndyStar)
NATIONAL NEWS: College basketball is getting older, comically so in some cases. In 2019, the average age of a Sweet 16 starter in the men’s tournament was 20.8, a figure that rose to 21.2 by 2021, and is now at 21.6 years of age. Look at Auburn, a No. 1 seed, where the starting five averaged 23.2 years old. That is older than the starting lineups of five NBA teams last week and two years older than the starting lineup of the Washington Wizards last Wednesday, which came in at 21.2 years old. While the extra year of COVID availability is certainly one element, the transfers are really to blame — one-time transfers getting to play without sitting out a year in 2021 and multi-time transfers getting immediate eligibility in 2024 have upended the game. The exception, however, is Duke, where the starters are 19.4 years of age. (Club Sportico/Numlock)
Thank you to every donor for your continued support of The Addison Times. Donors of $100 or more receive a quarterly print publication in the mail. Please consider a one-time or monthly donation to The Addison Times, either online or via a check to The Addison Times, 54 W. Broadway, #13, Shelbyville, Ind., 46176. Thank you for your continued support of daily local news and history. I appreciate each of you. - Kristiaan Rawlings, Editor
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights
May 20, 1959, Par I
Janet Wagner had been named prom queen, crowned by Bob Adams, junior class president. Anna Bowers had been May Queen. Members of the Queen’s Court at the 36th annual spring festival were Charles Kysar, Marty Kuhn, Ray Lawson, Bill Shaner, Sue Denison, Harold Hickman, Rose Ann Knoebel, Jon Osborne, Rose Linville, Mike Brogan, Sue Runnebohm, Danny Thurston and Judy Wagner. Mary Nell Runnebohm and Doug Kuhn were the train and crown bearers.
The class of 1959 would have 174 graduates. Charles A. Barnett would speak on “The Heritage of Shelbyville High School” and Paul Allen DePrez would speak on “The Pursuit of Excellence.” The new building would be opening in the fall.
Ten members of the SHS Journalism Class toured the new Shelbyville High School. Below is a description of their tour, led by Principal James Sharp.
Upon entering the “green door,” the visitors found themselves in a large hall containing a large circular mould on the terrazzo floor which will hold a design containing symbols representing each of the subjects in the SHS curricula. The floor was laid by Italians who were interned at Camp Atterbury as war prisoners during World War II and have since become American citizens.
The front office is an administrator's dream. Enclosed in glass, it has a large front desk covered in formica. Visitors calling at the office will be shown to an anteroom furnished with sofa and chairs where they will wait to see the principal, deans, or other administrative personnel.
Private offices for the deans of boys and girls, and other counselors are available. Mr. Sharp will have a large office which can be divided by means of a movable partition when an assistant principal is added to the staff.
A complete blessing to Mr. Sharp - an automatic master clock, governing clocks in every classroom - is in his office.
Public announcement rooms, storage space for records and supplies, and conference rooms for the use of guidance personnel, are all conveniently located near to the main office.
The library is large, roomy and convenient, even containing a lounge. The librarian will have a private workroom and storage space.
The clinic section contains rooms for the nurse, sick bays for boys and girls and a soundproof section for speech and hearing therapy.
A separate room for the sale of pencils, paper and other supplies opens off the main hall. Two public phones, walled off by soundproof panels, are available in the hallways.
The music department is also located in the administration building. Both vocal and instrumental music rooms have hardwood flooring laid in three levels to facilitate grouping of musical organizations. Each section has three soundproof practice rooms and a private office for the director, storage space, and racks for uniforms and robes.
The new cafeteria seats approximately 300 at a time, and is equipped with two service lines. A built-in conveyor belt will carry dishes back to the automatic dishwasher in the kitchen. There is a walk-in cooler with a freezer compartment in the kitchen equipment.
The art and shop classes will also meet in the administration building. Included in the equipment for the roomy well-lighted art room is a kiln for ceramics. The agriculture and shop rooms have automatic doors large enough to permit the admission of heavy farm vehicles into the area. Plans for the addition of an auto mechanics course sometime in the future were considered by the school authorities in laying out shop areas.
Between the administration and academic buildings are covered passages, one of which will serve as a student center.
Commerce, social science and home economics classes will be on the first floor, and English, foreign language mathematics and science classes are on the second floor. Special facilities include a greenhouse for biology classes, a glassed-in room for dangerous chemical demonstrations, an emergency shower in case of acid spills, and make-up room for school publications.
The Home Economics Department will be housed in one large area which includes both sewing and foods sections. Between the two class layouts are cabinets for storage, a living area and a personal grooming section. The kitchen contains five cooking compartments with built-in cabinets, sinks, and ranges (some electric and some gas). There is also an electric washer and dryer.
The sewing section is equipped with electric sewing machines, mirrors, and an area where pressing can be done.
Parking lots adjoining the north building will accommodate 300 cars. Construction plans for a new auditorium call for beginning the work some time in August.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: MAJOR HEALTH PARTNERS
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: The new owners of the Elks Blue River course, renamed Bear Chase Golf Club, were renovating the clubhouse, banquet room, pro shop and outside areas. An entrance was added for the pro shop, so it could be accessed from the parking lot. An expansive facility for golf carts was being built near where a swimming pool had once been located. The pool hadn’t been used in several years.
1995: GenCorp began analyzing applicants’ high school transcripts before making hires. Detroit Steel and Libbey-Owens-Ford said they were considering similar measures. GenCorp officials said applications were down, but quality of applicants was up since the change.
1985: Shelby County resident Marlene Giordano was selected as a 1985 Jefferson Award recipient. Giordano, Fairland, was one of 10 people to receive the award, given to Hoosiers dedicated to public service. For many years, she had spearheaded numerous public service efforts ranging from drug abuse prevention to emergency food pantry services. She had recently become manager of the Shelby County Human Services office.
1975: Plans for a Bicentennial Industrial Fair were announced. David White, Morristown, president of the Bicentennial Committee, was in charge of the fair, scheduled for June in William Garrett Gymnasium. Other members of the committee were Ron Ault, Donald Gordon, Nick Banos, Jack Boyce, Glenford Horine, Robert Cotanch, Ralph Douglass, Dave Ransdell, Bernard Sleeth, Joe Lower and Nick Runnebohm. A county-wide picnic, to be held on the nation’s 200th birthday, July 4, 1976, was also in the works.
A Shelby County woman, Nora Douglas, had baked what was labeled as the “world’s largest birthday cake” by Johnson County Cable TV. The cake had been commissioned by the Franklin firm to celebrate its first anniversary. Constructed in five layers, the gigantic confection included more than five dozen eggs, 34 separate batters and 38 pounds of powdered sugar.
1965: Bernard Miller received the Rouse-Wortman basketball medal, presented by Lawrence Wortman.
Grand opening for Shelby Farm Supply was set for April 10. A powder-blue plastic air bubble big enough to seat 350 people was set up for the occasion.
1955: Bob Adams, Morristown, won the state Future Farmers of America essay contest. Other top winners from Morristown were Harley Huffman, Tom Branson, Max Purcell, Dwain Johnson, Dennis Talbert, Bill Farmer, George Darnell, Marlin Everhart, Joe Bruning, Kermit Gebhart and Larry John.
Russell Havens, 65, retired from Chambers Corp. after 43 years of service. Friends and coworkers Forrest Craig, Jim Pool and Charles Slusser met him at the time clock for his final timecard punch-out. Havens had joined Chambers following service in World War I. He was one of the first men to be employed by John Chambers, the firm’s founder. At the time, the company made eight stoves a week. Production by 1955 was 120 stoves a day.
1945: Thomas Moore’s barn in Moral Township caught fire and suffered substantial damage. The fire had been started by a brooder house stove in the building.
1935: While visiting the ruins of an old log house in west Shelby Township, built 75 years’ prior by Mr. and Mrs. Sanders Courtney, J.H. Fisher discovered a well-preserved copy of the old Cincinnati Weekly Enquirer newspaper, dated Sept. 4, 1878. The newspaper’s wording was “so frank and scandalous in content and wording that it would be rejected almost universally by modern newspapers,” The Republican said. The log house had been abandoned long ago by the Courtneys for a more modern residence, and their heirs had ordered the place demolished.
1925: City officials consulted approximately 25 local businessmen about the possibility of businesses purchasing cluster lights throughout the business district. The city was debating between arc or incandescent lighting. The merchants generally desired the cluster lights, but they objected to paying for the posts. One man complained that he had been paying $24 a year to help light East Washington St., and then paid taxes on top of that to light the rest of the city. “Another man said the merchants were being called on constantly for a donation of some sort,” the paper said.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory
OBITUARIES
Jo Annis Buckler, 94, of Shelbyville, passed away on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at The Willows of Shelbyville. She was born on March 29, 1931 in Shelbyville, the daughter of Luther and Sally Mae (Pike) Newton. On August 30, 1952, she married Lowell Dean Buckler, and he preceded her in death on October 21, 2005.
Jo is survived by her granddaughter, Mya Taylor of Indianapolis; son-in-law, Don Taylor of Indianapolis; and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to Lowell, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Murcia Taylor; sisters, Geneva Henderson and Eva Boilanger; and brothers, Johnny Newton, Tommy Newton and Diz Newton.
She formerly worked at the glove factory and was later a stay at home mother. Jo enjoyed sewing, working crossword and word search puzzles. She was a member of a euchre club. She loved listening to country music.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon, Monday, April 7, 2025, at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, Carmony-Ewing Chapel, 819 S. Harrison St., in Shelbyville. Funeral services will follow at noon on Monday at the funeral home. Interment will be at Norristown Cemetery in Norristown. Memorial contributions may be made to the Shelbyville-Shelby County Animal Shelter, 705 Hale Road, Shelbyville, Indiana 46176. Online condolences may be shared with Jo’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.
Howard A. Ribble, Jr., of Ellenton, Florida, formerly of Shelbyville, passed away on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at his home. He was born October 31, 1937, in Shelbyville, the son of Evelyn Marjorie (DeWitt) Taylor. In 1987, he married Caryol Frances McColley, and she preceded him in death on July 31, 2020.
Howard is survived by his children, Christine Lawrence and husband, Mark, of Greenfield, Cheryl Carroll and husband, David, of Shelbyville, and Eric Von Ribble and wife, Michelle, of Arlington; sister, Brenda Ribble-Boyer of Peru; grandchildren, Kyle Lawrence and wife, Kathleen, Kathryn Elizabeth Kuhnert and husband, Jerry, Jonathon Moss and wife, Heather, Jeremy Carroll, Samantha Carroll, David Alexander Carroll and wife, Kayla, Cameron Carroll, Lindsey Ribble and fiance’, Brody, and Fox Ribble; and great-grandchildren, Everett, Auria, Nathaniel, Hayden and Jaylen.
In addition to Caryol, Howard was preceded in death by his mother; step-father, Orville Taylor; and brother, Curtis Ribble.
In 1955, Howard graduated from Shelbyville High School. He received his Master’s degree in education from Franklin College. He taught at Shelbyville High School for a few years and worked at WSVL Radio for many years.
Howard enjoyed working with his hands, which included building clocks out of computer parts, which he sold at the Venice Art Center in Venice, Florida. He was a visionary and man of many talents, prior to making clocks, he created many works of art.
Graveside services will be at 11 a.m., Thursday, July 31, 2025 at Forest Hill Cemetery in Shelbyville. Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Memorial contributions may be made to the Shelbyville-Shelby County Animal Shelter, 705 Hale Road, Shelbyville, Indiana 46176. Online condolences may be shared with Howard’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.
Brittney M.R. Sanders, 35, of Shelbyville, passed away Friday, March 28, 2025 at Franciscan Health. Born January 15, 1990 in Shelbyville, she was the daughter of Maurice Jack Powers, Jr. and Michelle (Bowers) Powers. She married Zak Sanders on August 15, 2006, and he survives. Other survivors include a son Hayden Sanders of Shelbyville; a brother Brandon Powers (Katie) of Shelbyville; and two nephews, Gavin and Kye Powers, of Shelbyville. She was preceded in death by her father, Jack Powers.
Mrs. Sanders had lived in this area her entire lifetime and graduated from Shelbyville High School in 2005, and also graduated from Harrison College in 2008. She had been employed as a CMA at Major Hospital for 12 years, and was currently employed by Jack Binion's Steakhouse at the casino for a year.
Brittney enjoyed the beach, traveling, camping, fishing, and trying new restaurants. She dearly loved her son Hayden, her family, and her cat Clyde Maurice. She was an avid Cincinnati Bengals fan.
Funeral services will be 1 p.m. on Friday, April 4, 2025 at Glenn E. George & Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Road, with Pastor Daniel McDonald officiating. Burial will be in Lewis Creek Cemetery. Friends may call on Friday morning from 10 a.m. until the time of the service, at the funeral home. Memorial contributions can be made to the Brittney Sanders Memorial Fund, in care of the funeral home. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.
Jerry J. Lux, 86, of Shelbyville, passed away Friday, March 28, 2025, at the Willows of Shelbyville. Born August 17, 1938 in Shelby County, he was the son of Victor C. Lux and Marjorie N. Lux. He married Helen F. (Braunagel) Lux on February 17, 1962 and she survives. Other survivors include four children, Rick A. Lux (Andrea) of Waldron, Ronald E. Lux of Guam, Renee L. File (Greg) of Shelbyville, and Barry J. Lux (Margaret) of Fishers; three siblings, Danny Lux (Joyce) of Shelbyville, Mike Lux of Ohio, and Sherry Harding of Shelbyville; six grandchildren, Brad Lux of Florida, Kiersten Lux of Denver, Colorado, Charlie Lux of Fishers, Olivia Lux of Fishers, Natalie Lux of Fishers, and Lance File of Shelbyville; and two great grandchildren, Savannah and Weston. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Ted Lux and sister-in-law Marjorie Lux.
Mr. Lux was a lifelong resident of this area and attended St. Vincent Elementary School until the eighth grade, then graduated from Waldron High School in 1956. He had been a factory worker at Arvin/Rollcoater, retiring in August 2000, after over 12 years of service. He had previously worked at GE/Wire Mill and Tokheim Corp. for over 12 years each. He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Jerry enjoyed golfing, bowling, and square dancing. He was a loyal Chicago Cubs fan, and an Indiana University basketball fan. As a teenager, Jerry was crowned Corn Prince of the World by Federal Fertilizer.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 3, 2025 at St. Vincent Catholic Church, 4218 E. Michigan Road, Shelbyville, with Rev. Mike Keucher officiating. Burial will be in St. Vincent Catholic Cemetery. Friends may call on Wednesday evening, April 2, 2025 from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Glenn E. George & Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Road, and from 10 a.m. until the time of the service on Thursday morning at the church. Rosary will be recited at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the funeral home. A luncheon will be provided in the St. Joseph cafeteria immediately following the graveside service and burial. Memorial contributions can be made to the St. Joseph Building Fund. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.