Tuesday, August 20, 2024
BAND TOGETHER
A tour of Shelbyville High School organized for students from Kambara in Japan, Shelbyville’s Sister City, included a surprise performance of the school fight song and a Disney number from the hosts. The Japanese students were touring backstage when SHS Band Director Allison Anderson opened the curtain to reveal the band already in place on the Breck Auditoreum stage. Megan Childres, a junior at SHS who recently visited Cambara, originally suggested the idea of an impromptu performance. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
DIRECTING TRAFFIC
Shelbyville High School junior Hannah Baker, right forefront, explains a warmup drill while Kincade Dorsey, left, and Lucille Haacker and Coach Carter Hall prepare for the girls varsity soccer game. Despite two goals from Ava Van Wye, the Golden Bears lost to Martinsville, 8-2. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
NOTEBOOK:
Shelby Senior Services’ ShelbyGo did over 9,000 runs last quarter, Executive Director Kim Koehl reported to Shelby County Commissioners yesterday. More than 5,000 of those public transportation runs were for seniors, who can use the service with a donation. The $73,560 quarterly invoice was approved by Commissioners, but is paid with state and federal funds. The invoice was a little higher than typical due to the installation of two new vehicle transmissions and increased runs. “We're doing a lot more runs to the far reaches of the county, like almost to St. Paul, all the way to Pleasant View,” Koehl said.
NATIONAL NEWS: Municipal adoption of electric vehicles is picking up faster than anticipated among police departments, which have begun to take note that the acceleration on these cars is zippier than in an internal combustion engine. Tired of getting outraced by EVs, police departments have snapped up Tesla Model Ys in particular given the model’s range and power. The Michigan State Police’s precision driving unit publishes vehicle data for police departments nationwide, and clocked the Chevy Blazer EV and the Ford Mustang Mach-E going from 0 to 100 mph in 11 seconds, half the time of gas-powered options. The NYPD has about 200 EVs, and the chief fleet officer reported a 60 percent to 70 percent maintenance savings compared to the gas-powered squad cars. (The Atlantic/Numlock)
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580 West Taylor St.
Editor’s Note: The following is the next installment in a serialized version of “580 West Taylor Street,” by Joseph E. “Joed” Landwerlen.
by JOSEPH E. LANDWERLEN
The Bathroom
In the fall of 1947, my uncle, Delbert Kuhn, was able to buy for us used bathroom fixtures at a really good price from a building that had burned down in Rush County. He and my dad started working quickly after that, and by the spring of 1948, we had a bathroom with hot and cold running water. The new room was built on the southwest corner of the house and contained a bathtub, sink, and toilet. It had a floor-to-ceiling cabinet built into a corner to hold towels, washcloths, and bathroom items. There was a small vanity that contained various items free for everyone to use.
In the corner sat a washing machine that would require lots of manual labor. You would fill it with hot and cold water, add your clothes and detergent, usually Tide or Oxydol, and turn on the agitator. When you felt that the clothes were clean, you would manually drain out the wash water, fill with water again and run rinse cycles until the water was free of soap and manually run the clothes through the hand-cranked wringer on top of the machine.
Finally, you would hang the clothes out on the backyard clothesline to dry using wood clothespins to secure the articles to the line. The room was also used every two weeks on Sunday afternoons for us boys’ haircuts. Dad used hand-operated clippers and scissors to cut our hair until I was 16 years old. At that time, boys all wore their hair in a flattop with butch wax to keep it standing up straight.
SHS Courier Archive Highlights:
May 1962
Mr. Ray Hinshaw, SHS American History teacher, read a tribute to William F. Loper, former principal of SHS and superintendent of local schools, over the intercom. Loper had died in March after a long illness. “Mr. Hinshaw urged students to continue to make SHS the kind of school of which both they and Mr. Loper could be proud,” the article said.
Beverly Hall (class of 1961) and Paul Means (‘57) were married Sunday, March 25. Bonnie Hall (‘62) was her sister’s maid-of-honor.
Terry Amos (‘62) had completed basic training and was assigned to Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas.
The three girls selected for the 1962 Junior Prom Court by the junior boys were Mary Jane Dennis, Jean Gehr and Betty Wilson.
The annual SHS band concert was held in Paul Cross Gym. Doug Crawley did a trombone solo and a trio was performed by Mark Mount, Mike Mount and Allen Pence. The trombone trio of Crawley, Bob Longstreet and Edward Higgins also performed. The band was accompanied by JHS twirlers Nisha Thomas, Janet Rowland and Mike Chambers and SHS twirlers Gary Hamner, Judy Branson, Libby Coulston and Karen Duckworth.
Courier staff were Danny Davis (editor), David Schlick, Keith Theobald, Nancy Scott, Larry Amos, Bev Morrison, Eddie Burton, Wayne Hatfield, Wanda Cockerham, Paul Merritt and Sally Lux. Marion Chenoweth was the faculty sponsor.
John Comstock, class of 1960, had been chosen business manager of The Reflector, the school newspaper at Indiana Central College for the coming year. John had been a member of the Courier staff and served as SHS columnist for The Shelbyville News his senior year.
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.
2014: The Ice Bucket Challenge continued to sweep the community. Even the onlookers got soaked in one exhibition at Shelbyville Middle School. Teachers and administrators at SMS had called on their neighbors Fire Station No. 3 for help. Those taking the challenge after school lined up along the practice soccer field to catch the spray from the firehose. SMS Principal Ryan Mikus challenged SCS Superintendent Dr. David Adams and Assistant Superintendent Mary Harper and colleagues at Shelbyville High School. Harper, who was onsite, quickly accepted and donated her money before stepping under the hoses.
2004: Indiana First Lady Maggie Kernan visited Loper Elementary to talk about the Indiana National Guard and her upcoming trip to Bosnia to visit Indiana troops serving there.
The Elks Club board of directors voted to sell the golf club facility.
1994: Greg and Sheila Parks opened Blue River Monuments, 373 E. Jackson St., at the corner of Jackson and Vine streets.
Mayor Bob Williams was fielding numerous questions about his plan to mandate recycling. Some said they were unable to carry out items to the curb. Others said they couldn’t afford to pay for the service. Williams said the city would have workaround options in place, but did make a note about those who said they couldn’t afford it. “If they can afford to buy booze and cigarettes, they can afford to recycle,” he said.
1984: Shelbyville Policewoman Mary Jo Phares, who served as the department’s juvenile affairs officer, was promoted to sergeant. Police Chief Robert Nolley praised Phares’ work and said he had heard numerous compliments about her. In other board of works business, the board instructed the city’s building inspector to look at a safety complaint made against the old Bears Den, on Fourth Street across from the Shelbyville Junior High School. Police Capt. Rick Joseph reported the building was full of trash and rats, was structurally unsafe and was being entered by curious children.
1974: Two Shelby County young women were named queens at the Indiana State Fair. Valynnda Fairchild was selected 1974 Indiana Beef Queen and Donna Young was crowned as the new Miss Red Poll Queen.
1964: An open house was held at the new St. Paul blanch of the State Bank of Waldron. Virgil Roberts was president of the bank, and Floyd Wagoner was manager of the branch.
Shelby County Recorder records were being moved to microfilm. Records from 1822 to 1855, filling six large volumes, were placed on one reel.
1954: Fred Taylor won a 36-hole golf tournament championship at the Country Club, with Dr. John Richards, a dentist, finishing second. Elks Country Club Pro Jack Taulman presented trophies to the men.
1944: Three Shelby County soldiers had been wounded in France. Lt. Paul Mitchell was recovered at a London hospital, Pfc. William Neely and Pvt. Maurice Pike had been slightly wounded.
Home Laundry discontinued ironing service due to a staffing shortage. “Our last and only press operator has quit,” a company notice said.
1934: Coal dealer Carl Stahl was arrested and fined by police for not having his firm name on his delivery truck, in accordance with new state law.
1924: For the first time, the Shelby County Fair board purchased two days of insurance against rain. The insurance was primarily to prevent losses in the event the harness races were canceled due to weather.
1914: Omer Miller, an I&C Traction Company lineman from Shelbyville, was injured when he was shocked from trolley wire and knocked 10 feet to the ground. Miller had been wiring the Rush County Fairgrounds.
OBITUARIES
None today.