Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Dec 24, 2024

VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS

Jack Boyce was on hand to photograph Linne’s Bakery at Christmastime over the weekend. See more of his photos from Saturday here.

Seventh Graders Introduced to Garrett Story

Author Tom Graham speaks to a Shelbyville Middle School class last week about Bill Garrett’s national impact. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS

With English Honors students at Shelbyville Middle School set to read “Getting Open: The Unknown Story of Bill Garrett and the Integration of College Basketball” in February, author Tom Graham provided a preview during a school visit last week. Graham was in town for the dedication of the 25-foot Bill Garrett mural, and he spoke with two SMS classes and met students for lunch. Below are excerpts from Graham’s presentation on Garrett and the 1947 Shelbyville High School state championship basketball team.

“Other than Shelbyville, no basketball team anywhere (at any level) that I know of had three Black starters (in 1947). Shelbyville Coach Frank Barnes, against all risk and breaking precedents, started Bill Garrett, Marshall Murray and Emerson Johnson.”
The state championship game against Terre Haute Garfield was attended by 15,000 at Butler Fieldhouse and had a four-state radio audience of four million.
“I was four years old (in 1947). (The U.S.) had just won World War II, and (SHS) had just won the state championship. In my four-year-old mind, the two were equal.”
Research for the book took seven years and involved interviewing approximately 100 people. “We interviewed everybody - former players, coaches, fans, African-American leaders, white opponents - and not once did we ever hear anything remotely negative about Bill Garrett.”
“It's impossible to exaggerate the respect and esteem in which Bill Garrett was held, which says a lot about who he was, his character and how he conducted himself.”
Despite winning Indiana’s Mr. Basketball and being the number one player in the state, not a single non-Black university contacted Garrett about a basketball scholarship. Rachel Graham Cody, Tom Graham’s daughter, found the Big Ten’s so-called “gentlemen’s agreement” forbidding the recruitment of Black players for basketball, swimming and wrestling. Garrett instead tried for the Indiana University team, made the team and became the best player IU had ever had up to that point.
In four years at IU, he never played with or against another Black player. The year after he graduated, there were seven Black players at the major college level. “That was Garrett’s impact, when other schools saw that the experiment had worked.”
Garrett later coached Crispus Attucks to a state championship. “He is still the only person to have played on a state championship team, won Mr. Basketball and won a state championship as coach.”
Graham, sports writer Bob Hamill and others successfully pressed IU to rename the fieldhouse where Garrett played in Garrett’s honor. There is also now a statue of Garrett at Assembly Hall and a historical marker on campus recognizing his achievements.
Graham also discussed Garrett’s personality. “I don't think he lacked for self-confidence, but he was a very non-self-promoting person.”
Graham’s friends Jack McDuffey and (Coulston Elementary teacher) Micka Kincaid joined the group for lunch, which included students Caleb Agosto, Sophia Idlewine, Layla Kincaid and Elizabeth Washburn.

LIGHT DISPLAYS

The adjacent Big Blue River Trailhead (above) and Knauf properties are decorated for Christmas. | photos by JACK BOYCE

NOTEBOOK:

Shelby County Commissioners yesterday approved an interlocal agreement between Shelby County and the City of Shelbyville in which the county will pay the city $268,138 annually with a 3 percent annual increase to cover operational costs of the animal shelter. “It's similar to the (recently passed) ambulance agreement: it’s going to set up a committee (including a public representative)… and it comes in at thirty-some-thousand dollars less than what we had budgeted,” Shelby County Council president Tony Titus said. The council last week had tabled the matter to allow more time to review.
County Commissioners also renewed a contract with Gilliam Janitorial for $110,270 for 2025, which includes two full-time building cleaners and paper, toiletries and cleaning supplies for four buildings.
A truck driver on Moriseni Ave. at the Parker Ave. intersection hit a utility pole last Friday, causing a power outage to numerous homes and businesses in the area. The driver was uncertain of his delivery address and overshot the business. He attempted to back up, and his truck trailer struck the utility pole and a stop sign next to it. The utility pole was damaged heavily and was only held up by the power lines. The stop sign was taken out. Duke Energy arrived on scene to work on restoring power.
Thank you to every donor for your continued support as The Addison Times forges ahead to fund 2025 and beyond. We will once again provide a quarterly publication with extra news and photos in 2025 as a gift for your support of $100 or more. This past year, we’ve covered city and county meetings, our students, local business, primary and general elections, commercial and residential development, and, of course, daily local history. 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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HOOSIER NEWS: Subscribers of Bloomington government news site The B Square Bulletin woke Friday morning to a surprising headline. Journalist Dave Askins announced that he had just published his final report. Askins said he was “tired of writing about the dysfunctional local government in Bloomington and Monroe County, Indiana. I don’t think continuing that journalistic work will help improve things.” Other outlets in Bloomington continue to cover local government, including WFIU/WTIU News, The Herald-Times and the Indiana Daily Student. (Indiana Public Media)
Want the daily edition read to you? Struggling with your email provider filtering out your local news? The Addison Times Substack app will solve those challenges!

SHS Courier Archive Highlights:

January 1976, Part II

SHS girls had formed their own S-Club, given that GAA (Girls Athletic Association) no longer existed. “Since we’ve become involved with IHSAA, the GAA served no purpose and didn’t do anything,” said Karen Gilles, who was GAA sponsor and had become the S-Club sponsor. The girls S-Club had over 30 members.
The boys’ S-Club held an initiation meeting at the Holiday Inn. President Sam Ardery led the group in the sacred S-Club oath. Brian Jones led a talk about the “mystical ‘S’”. The following boys were inducted: Dave Clayton, Rick Moore, Tim Bowen, Pix Hendrick, Gerald Clements, Ken Berger, Jeff Frost, Ralph Bright, Jon Orem, Bill Collins, Bill Buchanan, Erick Brown, Mary Byrd, Chuck Phares, Jeff Hart, Tim Munger, Mark Campbell, Randy Northrup, Ross Sobel, Les Kempble, Doug Williamson, Kehrt Etherton, Kerry Leffler, Rick Tippin, Steve Wood, Bill Barnes, Gary Junken, Darrell Drake, John Hartnett, Jeff Eads and John Schoentrup.
Both boys’ and girls’ gymnastics teams were doing well. Brian Martin, Kirk Wickizer and Jeff Brown led the boys. Linda Tower and Sherri Brennan had the most points for girls.
The boys’ basketball team had recently won a big game against highly regarded Richmond, but lost to “a mediocre New Castle opponent.” The Bears were led by Johnny Hartnett, who had a 13-point average.

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.

2014: Ashford Place held its annual resident Christmas party, and there was a surprise gift presented to a resident. Maevern Fallis received a hot air balloon ride. The balloon reached 1,700-foot-elevation as it flew over Shelbyville.

2004: Several inches of snow fell in a storm that snarled Shelby County and much of Indiana.

1994: A Westar resident on Hale Road reported a purse containing over $9,000 worth of jewelry had been stolen from her at the Moose Lodge on E. Jackson St. She was also missing 13 credit cards.

1984: About 80 toys at the Fraternal Order of Police lodge off Knightstown Road, designed for local children, were stolen. “One officer said it would be easy for just about anyone to have stolen the toys,” The Shelbyville News reported. “One of the doors at the lodge doesn’t always lock the way it should.”

1974: Stonewall, a band from Indianapolis, performed at a holiday concert at The Rec.

The Shelby County REMC’s printed annual report to its membership was judged to be the best in the nation by a national association. The report had been prepared by Joseph Lower.

1964: Shelbyville High School Principal James Sharp was named superintendent of the new Shelby Eastern School District. His work there would begin Jan. 1. Superintendent J.W.O. Breck had previously announced he was in his final year as superintendent. Breck said that if no principal was found by the time classes resumed Jan. 4, Assistant Principal J.M. McKeand would be named acting principal.

1954: The Shelbyville News announced that Jamie and Janet Orem had gotten married Dec. 19 at St. Paul Christian Church and were on a honeymoon in Florida.

1944: Thirty-seven Boy Scouts of Troop 204 and 20 visitors enjoyed a Christmas party at Colescott school. A candlelight investiture ceremony was held for Jack Compton, the troop’s 50th candidate for membership. The troop presented an archery set to Loren Phillips, Scoutmaster, and a pipe to Herman Fox, assistant Scoutmaster.

Second Lieutenant Warren Loper, son of W.F. Loper, superintendent of Shelbyville schools, was listed as missing by the War Department. The younger Loper had graduated from Shelbyville High School in 1941 and attended Ball State until his induction. He had married Betty (Schroyer) in April, and was last known to be flying over Yugoslavia. (It was later reported that Loper had survived being shot down and managed to evade capture. He returned to his squadron eight days later. He flew 37 combat missions and earned the Air Medal with three leaf clusters and five battle stars in World War II. However, Loper, 25, died in a plane crash in 1948, when his F-51 Mustang stalled and went down in New Hampshire. He is buried at Forest Hill.)

1934: A total of 1,074 children took advantage of the free Christmas parties at The Strand and the Alhambra theatres. At the close of the two-hour movie program, kids received an assortment of candy.

1924: The Fix Funeral Home on East Broadway gave out a box of candy to “the poor children of the city” who were invited to visit Santa on the funeral home’s lawn.

A fight occurred between employees of the J.J. Smith and Walter Gaines taxi lines. Paul Robison, a driver employed by Gaines, was assaulted at the Big Four railroad station by two Smith drivers. After hearing about the incident, Walter Gaines went to the Smith office on East Washington Street, where he found the two men in the midst of about 15 and “proceeded to give them a dose of their own medicine.” No charges were filed.

1914: B.C. Tucker, manager of the J.J. Totten farm near Fairland, was fined for assault and battery on Ed Walker, a blacksmith. The two had argued and fought over a game of horseshoes.

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