Tuesday, January 31, 2023
24 Hours in Addison Township: 11:06 a.m.
Shelbyville Middle School students Yelena Rolon and Hayden Ricketts complete an observation activity at the SHS ecology lab in this photo taken last fall. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
NOTEBOOK:
Shelby County Commissioners yesterday took no action but expressed brief thoughts on Plan Commissioner member Kevin Carson’s recent call for a new comprehensive plan and curtailing commercial development in northwest Shelby County. Commissioner Don Parker said it is important to make sure the county is going in the right direction, and Commissioner Jason Abel said the county was within the recommended timeframe to update the comprehensive plan, last redone in 2019. “Adjustments would take some time, community input, constituent input, community stakeholder input and economic and development (input),” Abel said.
Four Shelbyville High School athletes were named to the Indiana Football Coaches Association Academic All-State team: Carson Linville, Cael Lux, Riley Fortune and Jackson Parker.
The following students were named Shelbyville Middle School Athletes of the Week: Jayla Ash (7th girls basketball); Taylor Abell (8th girls basketball); Dylan Coy (7th boys basketball); Grantland Fitzgerald (8th boys basketball); Gabbee Miller (6th cheer); Faith Palmer (7th cheer); and Everett Stegemiller and Emily Kiefer (swim).
Tax appointments begin this week and last through April 13 at Shelby Senior Services. Seniors needing taxes done at no cost can call Shelby Senior Services at 317-398-0127 to set up an appointment.
HOOSIER NEWS: Ascension, the St. Louis-based parent of Indianapolis-based health system Ascension St. Vincent, confirmed Friday that it plans to close 11 facilities in central Indiana, citing “a significant operational toll” from the pandemic. The closures are expected to occur in the next 90 days, according to an Ascension statement. The affected areas, some with multiple locations, are in Greenwood, Crawfordsville, Frankfort, Brazil, Lafayette, Carmel, Avon, Plainfield, Alexandria and Haubstadt.
NATIONAL NEWS: The most popular song in America right now is a song about a hamburger promulgated by Burger King on national airwaves. It’s spawned a TikTok trend, a Daft Punk remix, and several different versions, with the song “Whopper Whopper” worming into brains across the country. The song was written by a small ad agency scoring a $400 million two-year brand overhaul for Burger King, and has scored a 99 percent in brand recall and 62 percent in likability and engagement. (Ad Age/Numlock)
SHELBY COUNTY PEOPLE & PLACES: BERT BRIGHT
Editor’s note: In the mid- to late 1940s, The Shelbyville Republican published a series of articles by Ave Lewis and Hortense Montgomery covering community people and places. Below is one of those features.
Once in a while he takes a bus man's holiday and goes to see a motion picture on his day off, but Bert Bright, projectionist at the Strand Theater since it opened almost 32 years ago, says it has to be a “super” one, such as “Gone With The Wind” - which he plans to see again when it returns here. Otherwise he views the pictures only with the eyes of a technician from a little square peep hole in the projection room high above the balcony.
He was sitting in an easy chair when I walked in and no sooner had I started asking questions until a harsh buzzer clamored and he began doing things to the big complicated looking machine. He explained it all, and I tried hard to act intelligent but most of it was over my head! The buzzer, a gadget which he arranged, warned him, he said, that the film on one machine was about finished and it was time to turn the other one on so the picture would be continuous. The buzzer sound and cues on the film - tiny flickering circles which show up on the upper corner of the picture - are almost simultaneous so there's no chance of a mistake.
Mr. Bright learned the movie projection business back when the “Cozy” was located where the Worland Pharmacy now stands. But he was interested in the “flickers” long before that. In fact, he has the projector with which the very first motion pictures were shown here at the “Dream,” a nickelo type theater which was owned by the late Robert Miley Sr. and stood about where the Piatt Furniture store now stands on South Harrison Street. The projector, a small contraption operated with a hand crank, was given him by Mr. Miley's son, Ralph. Remembering best the Westerns and killer-diller serials of way back when, I asked about the program in comparison with those today. He says there are more western films shown now than in the early days and that the programs haven't changed too much. They didn't have cartoons then but did have full-length features, news reels and, of course, the Mack Sennett and other comedies.
The features then were around 4,000 feet in length and were shown at the rate of 60 feet per minute. Now features range from 6,000 to 15,500 feet in length and 90 feet per minute unwinds off the spool. There are 24 changes per second, and if you're interested in figures, that means 1,440 pictures on the film are shown per minute.
The Strand building was built by the Dorsey Realty Company - the lot on which the rear of the building now stands once housed a livery barn and was leased to the late W.C. Meloy for erection of a theater.
Mr. Bright went to work as projectionist in March 1916. The job wasn't too complicated until the advent of talkies, but then - with thousands of others the country over - he had to learn all over again. When the “Jazz Singer” and the other first talking pictures were made, the sound effects were recorded to be synchronized with the film. But simplified with Movie-tone and other such equipment, the projectors are almost "foolproof" now he says. Although occasionally some part of the sound mechanism does “get out of kilter,” such as the time in a comedy screen conversation between a man and woman, the man's voice echoed out over the theater as a high soprano and the woman boomed in with a deep bass. When that particular incident occurred, he let the film run a few seconds because the audience was enjoying the mix-up more than the picture itself.
Through reading technical magazines on the subject, Mr. Bright keeps abreast of advancements in the motion picture industry, and he prophesies that before long, the current black and white films will be as obsolete as the silent pictures. More and more the picture companies are turning to color film. He explained the steps involved in this too, and it sounded very advisable from other angles than just the added beauty and authenticity of the pictures.
Mr. Bright has a working schedule of “two long days and one short.” He works for two consecutive days at the Strand from 1:30 to 5 p.m. and from 7 to 11. The third day he relieves the operator at the Alhambra at 5:30 p.m. and then treks back down to the Strand to relieve that operator until 7 o'clock.
Outside of his interest in motion pictures, from the projection point of view, his main hobby is hunting, and this he does whenever the opportunity presents itself. He's a native Shelbyvillian, as is his wife, who was Maude Golding before their marriage. They have one daughter, Mrs. Helen Baven, who resides in Columbus.
Wortman Family Foundation for Shelby and Hancock Counties Awards Over $300,000 to Start 2023
(Media Release) Advisory board members of the Wortman Family Foundation for Shelby and Hancock Counties convened in January to evaluate the 32 requests received for funding through the foundation’s second grant cycle. Nonprofit organizations serving Shelby and Hancock counties were invited to submit proposals that focused on health and education as well as projects and programs that enhanced the quality of life within the two communities.
Mr. Wortman and the Wortman Family Foundation advisory board are again pleased with the nonprofit community’s response to this new opportunity. Eleven more applications were received than during the inaugural cycle in 2022.
Blue River Community Foundation is pleased and delighted to announce this year’s grant recipients on behalf of Mr. Wortman and the Wortman Family Foundation advisory committee. Twenty-one individual nonprofit agencies were chosen through the competitive process to receive funding that totaled over $236,000. The following organizations will be receiving funding for various projects and programs in 2023: Little Yellow Jackets Preschool (Morristown); Major Health Partners; Morristown Community Development Partnership; Shelby Supply Co. in care of the Bridge Ministries; Family Services and Prevention Programs; Shelby Eastern Schools; Girls Inc. of Shelbyville and Shelby County; Shares, Inc.; Shelby County Meals on Wheels, Inc.; St. Vincent DePaul Society of Shelby County; Turning Point Domestic Violence; J. Kenneth Self Shelbyville Boys Club (Waldron Elementary); Shelby County Public Library; Agape Therapeutic Riding Resources; Dinner Before Bedtime; Greenfield Central School Foundation; Hancock County Children’s Choir; Mt. Vernon Education Foundation; Love INC of Greater Hancock County; Firefly Children and Family Alliance; and Society of St. Andrew.
In addition to the competitive cycle grantees, the Wortman Family Foundation for Shelby and Hancock Counties will continue supporting the following projects with annual gifts over the next four years: Early Learning Shelby County – capital campaign for a quality daycare facility in Shelby County, Hancock Health Foundation – programming for mental health and addiction services and Shelby County Players – capital campaign for new performance facility.
The Wortman Family Foundation Fund for Shelby and Hancock Counties also provides non-competitive annual gifts to the following charities: Blue River Youth Choir, Hancock County Children’s Choir, Hancock Senior Services, Indiana Masonic Home Foundation, Indiana Scottish Rites Cathedral, Love Inc., Morristown Boys and Girls Club, SCUFFY, Shelby County Pantry Pals, Shelby County Players and Shelby Senior Services
The total philanthropic contribution from the fund for 2023 is more than $340,000. For more information about the Wortman Family Foundation for Shelby and Hancock Counties, please visit https://www.blueriverfoundation.com/wortman-family-foundation .
IU Eskenazi Museum of Art Acquires Marks and DePrez Photography Collection
This Henri Carter-Bresson image of refugees leaving Nanking (Nanjing), China, after the government had fled (1949) is a gift of Lee Marks and John C. DePrez Jr. of Shelbyville, Ind. to Indiana University’s Eskenazi Museum of Art.
Bloomington, IN (Media Release) - The Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University has received a significant donation of the photography collection of Amelia (Lee) Marks and John C. DePrez Jr., which features 116 works by 80 artists.
Ranging in date from 1856 to 2017, the works represent a broad range of subjects by artists that include Berenice Abbott, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andre Kertesz, Edward Steichen, and Alfred Stieglitz. Highlights of the gift include Robert Capa’s image The Falling Solider (1936), one of the most famous war photographs, which captures the devastation of the Spanish Civil War. A Civil War era image by Timothy O’Sullivan is the first such image by the photographer to enter the museum’s collection. Berenice Abbott’s Broadway to the Battery (1938) is a dynamic bird’s-eye view of southern Manhattan by an important woman artist.
With particular strengths in the work of photojournalists and contemporary photographers, the collection complements the museum’s current holdings of more than 22,000 prints, drawings, and photographs.
The Marks-DePrez Collection will serve as an important teaching resource at the Eskenazi Museum of Art, which has long had an active program in the study, exhibition, and publication of its prints, drawings, and photographs collection. IU students, faculty, scholars, and the public can view works from the collection in the museum’s Martha and David Moore Prints, Drawings, and Photographs Study, which features high-quality zoom cameras and distance-learning technology. A future publication featuring works from the collection is also planned.
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.
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: 2003
Daryk Ryan Whitten won a contest for his design of a new school flag for Southwestern Elementary School. A newspaper photo showed Whitten standing in front of his flag, held by Ben Rush and David Smiley, with Principal Kent Stoelting.
30 YEARS AGO: 1993
A man who had just cashed his $438 paycheck lost it in the Hook’s Drug Store parking lot. The man and his girlfriend had been arguing in the parking lot when the woman flung the money into the air and walked into the store. The boyfriend followed her without picking up the money. As the man was entering the store, an unidentified woman who apparently knew the man pulled up in a small brown car, scooped up the cash and said, “Thanks for the money!” - and drove off.
40 YEARS AGO: 1983
Marilyn Hendrick, president of the Shelbyville City Council for the previous seven years, announced she would be a candidate for her third term in the Third Ward. A Republican, Hendricks lived in South High Gardens. She had been the recipient of the Jaycees’ Good Citizen Award in 1975, the Zonta Service Award in 1981, the Business and Professional Women’s “Working Woman of the Year” twice and was one of 55 state Republican women honored in 1981 in the first Hoosier tribute to women. She had also been president of the Republican Club. A graduate of Shelbyville High School and Indiana University, Hendricks had been married to the late Herbert McCabe and to the late Harlan Hendrick, an Army colonel who died in 1962. Her son, Harlan Hendrick Jr., was an engineer with Dow Chemical. Mrs. Hendrick had served with the American Red Cross in Japan and Korea during the Korean Conflict and was a volunteer Red Cross chairperson in Germany.
50 YEARS AGO: 1973
The estate of Waldron resident Beatrice Haymond, valued at over $100,000, went to medical research and other charitable organizations, according to her will which was submitted for probate in Shelby Circuit Court. The Waldron United Methodist Church was a principal benefactor.
60 YEARS AGO: 1963
“Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford was on at The Strand. There was also a “giant cartoon carnival” including a personal appearance of the SCUFFY mascot.
70 YEARS AGO: 1953
Kendall’s Tavern opened at its new location, 1300 South Miller. Sandwiches, short orders, and carry-out beer and whiskey were offered.
80 YEARS AGO: 1943
Jack K. Crampton, 13, of east Morristown, was killed when the horse he was riding threw him in the path of a gasoline transport truck on U.S. Highway 52, near his home. The accident occurred one mile east of Morristown. Jack was an eighth grader at Morristown and a member of the Gwynneville United Brethren Church. His parents were Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Crampton, and his sister was Anna Lou.
90 YEARS AGO: 1933
A delegation of Shelbyville merchants went to Indianapolis to protest the passage of a sales tax measure by the state legislature. The merchants brought a petition signed by many locals opposing the tax. “It is contended by the retail merchants that a sales tax would be ruinous to many of them, and especially so at this time, when business needs to be given every encouragement,” The Republican said.
Mr. and Mrs. William Fuchs, 454 West Washington Street, were awakened when part of a brick was hurled through a window of their home with such force it broke a panel in a door on the opposite side of the room. No suspects were identified.
100 YEARS AGO: 1923
Local doctors were busy from early morning to late at night attending to those with the flu, the paper said. Over 50 students had been absent from the junior high school, and a number of elderly people were reported to be sick. Physicians urged “plenty of fresh air, exercise, good food and moderation in all things” to avoid the illness.
INCIDENTS
A 17-year-old high school driver who apparently fell asleep at the wheel while en route to swim practice at 5:55 a.m. rear-ended another vehicle at the intersection of Progress Parkway and E. Michigan Road. The student’s vehicle appeared to be totaled, the police report said. The other vehicle also sustained major damage.
Thefts were reported in the 1800 block of North Morristown Road, 300 block of South West St., 800 block of W. Mausoleum Road, 300 block of Shelby Street and 300 block of North Harrison St., Shelbyville.
JAIL BOOK-INS: Nikkitta L. Jackson, 31, failure to appear; Chelsea L. Preston, 30, operating a vehicle with ACE of .15, OWI-endangerment; Ashley A. Reid, 39, probation violation, doc hold, failure to appear, house violation; William T. Royalty, 21, failure to appear; Steven D. Shepard, 53, child molesting; Jolese L. Smith, 33, doc hold, house arrest violation; Alfonzo L. McDaniel, 39, theft, hold for another jurisdiction; Orlando L. Palmer, 26, probation violation; Kevin L. Roberts, 49, battery victim under 14; Lanesha M. McDonald, 36, hold for another jurisdiction; Adam I. Bingham, 21, visiting a common nuisance, possession of meth; Joshua A. Chica, 22, probation hold, possession of controlled substance; Adam B. Hart, 36, OVWI; Christopher B. Johnson, 37, carrying a handgun without a license, possession of meth, marijuana.
OBITUARIES
Roger McGriff completed his journey of life in this world and passed on to eternity January 28, 2023. He was born January 26, 1938 in Plymouth, Indiana, to Mary and Lester McGriff.
He leaves behind his beloved wife, Betty, of 48 years. Their blended family consisted of Brenda Wiley (deceased), Larry Watler (Carol), Cindy Halbert (Tim), Ron McGriff (Diana), Danny Watler (DeDe), Mike McGriff and Carol Bockelman, and an additional 15 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Roger was a teacher for 40 years at Shelbyville Jr. High School and an Indiana High School Athletic Association Official for 53 years, working baseball, softball, basketball, football, volleyball and track. Two highlights of his officiating career were working with Brenda in volleyball and Ron and Mike in basketball. Roger treasured time with his wife and family. Roger and Betty were able to visit all 50 states and several countries.
A private funeral is planned by Murphy-Parks Funeral Services. Funeral Directors Greg Parks, Sheila Parks, Stuart Parks, and Darin Schutt are honored to serve Roger’s family. Cards may be sent to Marietta United Methodist Church, 5492 S. Marietta Rd, Shelbyville, In. 46176. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to: American Heart Association, 6500 Technology Center Drive, suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46278. Parkinson’s Foundation, P.O. Box 61420 Staten Island, NY 10306. Alzheimer’s Association, 322 Eighth Avenue 16th floor.
B. Joann "Jo" Durbin Ragsdale, 83, of Shelbyville, passed away Thursday, January 26, 2023 at Heritage House. Born November 30, 1939 in Shelby County, she was the daughter of William Durbin and Bertha (Stickford) Durbin. She married Phillip Ragsdale on September 22, 1962, and he preceded her on June 10, 2001. Survivors include three children, Brad Ragsdale (wife Donna) of Shelbyville, two daughters, Brenda “Bre” Newton of Shelbyville, Barbara "Barbie" Wayman of Greenwood; a sister Janice Spheger (husband Kent) of Noblesville; two brothers, Dale Durbin (wife Rosalie) of Homer, and Harold Durbin of Rush County; and five grandchildren, Samantha Miller, Jessica Cawthon, Jason Ragsdale, Christopher Wayman, Sara Wasson; and two great-grandchildren, Alexis Jo Miller and Connie Elizabeth Miller. She was preceded in death by her parents; her spouse; two brothers, Willard and Fred Durbin; and a sister, Katherine Comstock.
Mrs. Ragsdale was a lifelong resident of this area and graduated from Shelbyville High School in 1957. She had been employed in several Shelby County government offices, including dispatcher for the Shelby County Sheriff's Department and the Clerk's office for several years, as well as serving as Addison Township Accessor from 1999 - 2002. She was a member of First Christian Church, Shelbyville Order of Eastern Star, a charter member of Optimist Club of Shelby County, a life member of Kappa Kappa Sigma Sorority, serving as National Chapter's President in 1998. Joann enjoyed sewing, baking, making candy (she was well-known for her peanut brittle) and gardening. She loved being with family and friends and working on the computer.
Funeral services will be 2 p.m. on Thursday, February 2, 2023 at Glenn E. George & Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Road, with Pastor Beth Crouch officiating. Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery. Friends may call on Thursday morning from 11 a.m. until the time of the service. Memorial contributions can be made to Riley Children's Hospital, Salvation Army, or the Multiple Sclerosis Association, in care of the funeral home. Online condolences may be shared at glwennwegeorgeandson.com.
Theresa (Phares) Reeder, 70, Cypress, Texas, passed away peacefully in Cypress. She was born in Virginia to Margaret (Green) Jones and Robert Wayne Phares. She grew up in Shelbyville, Indiana with her sister and step-siblings. Theresa attended Shelbyville High School. She enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, her doggy Jack, crafting, fishing and an occasional trip to the casino, with her favorite cousin, Kim Eddleman.
She was a devoted mother and grandmother and is survived by her husband Michael, son Brandon (Michelle) California; grandchildren: Amanda, Cole, Avery, and Ethan, sister Judy (Greg) Montgomery, Vicky (Rick) Isley, and Marsha (Mike) Pile (deceased), and Doug Heuer (deceased).
Family and friends are welcome to attend a remembrance of love and life, to be held this summer in Shelbyville, Indiana. Details will be posted.
Karen Alexander, 80, of Shelbyville, passed away Saturday, January 28, 2023 at her residence. She was born April 23, 1942, in Shelbyville, to Russell Morrison and Vera Maxine (King) Morrison.
Karen was a homemaker and loved cooking, and taking care of her family, especially her grandkids. She also enjoyed bird watching.
Karen married Dwain Alexander on June 17, 1961 and he survives. She is also survived by her daughter, Michele (husband, Craig) Callahan of Indianapolis, her sons, Curtis Alexander, and Brendan Alexander (companion, Lori Stiers), all of Shelbyville, 9 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren, her brother, John Tressler, of Fairland, her sisters, Anita Nauert, Sarah Stoops, and Candace Morrison. She is preceded in death by her half-sister, Nedra Johnson, her half-brother, Gayle Morrison, her step-brothers, Ron Tressler and Jack Tressler, her half-brother, Joel Tressler, and her half-sister, Mary Hollingshead.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Funeral Directors Greg Parks, Sheila Parks, Stuart Parks, and Darin Schutt are honored to serve Karen’s family. Memorial contributions may be made to Cancer Association of Shelby County, P.O. Box 844, Shelbyville, IN 46176. Online condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.