Wednesday, August 7, 2024
READY FOR FALL
Shelbyville High School sophomore quarterback Tyler Gwinnup prepares to pass during practice yesterday. The Golden Bears will scrimmage at home against Jennings County High School next Friday, Aug. 16, 7 p.m. The season opener is also at home, Friday, Aug. 23, against Greensburg. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
NOTEBOOK:
The Shelbyville Board of Public Works yesterday affirmed an unsafe building order regarding 15/17 W. Broadway St., giving the owner until Sept. 7 to demolish the structures. Despite numerous attempts to contact representatives of the LLC, including public notices in both local media and in Utah, no one appeared on behalf of the company. If the owner fails to demolish the structures by the deadline, a lengthy process will ensue, City Attorney Jenny Meltzer said. “This is not going to necessarily be a wrecking ball-type of situation. We're going to have to be careful about how we tear down the structure,” she said. “We obviously don’t want it to fall into the street, which is a concern; you also don't want to damage any of the buildings that either share walls or have connected walls.” A few of the owners of buildings that share walls approached the board regarding the matter. David Finkel, a Strand Theatre board of director, noted that the structure in question does more than share a wall. “We are legally two separate entities,” Finkel explained of The Strand and the now-vacant buildings. “It is structurally the same building through the floor joists and roof line.” Finkel also noted that a small courtyard exists between the buildings on the block, and demolition of the W. Broadway buildings would mean adjacent building owners will need to secure the newly-exposed sides of their buildings. Rev. Robert Haehl, pastor of First Baptist Church, noted that the structures are eyesores. “Something needs to be done. Action needs to be taken,” he told the board. Rev. Haehl suggested making the area greenspace, which he said the church could help maintain, until future development occurs.
The Shelbyville Common Council on Monday approved a resolution moving a proposed amphitheater forward. The project, part of state READI funds, would be located in Blue River Memorial Park. The resolution allows for the city to start spending on the project, to be reimbursed with bonds issued later this year.
City Council also approved moving forward three road projects, with costs to be paid with bonds issued later. The projects involve improvements to North Riley Highway, Tom Hession Blvd. and Mausoleum Road. The North Riley Highway project includes two roundabouts.
Registration is underway for the Crop & Craft day, Saturday, Sept. 14, planned by Zeta Lambda chapter Delta Theta Tau Sorority. The full day event, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., is $30 to register now by personal check or $35 after Aug. 31 and will include breakfast pastries, lunch, desserts, coffee, tea and water. Everyone is welcome to attend, bring friends and make new friends who have similar interests in crafting and scrapbooking. Several vendors will be on site, St. Vincent de Paul Parish Hall, 4218 East Michigan Rd., Shelbyville, and numerous raffle baskets, silent auction items, and a 50/50 will be available to those 18 years of age and older. This activity is on file with the Indiana Gaming Commission. The registration form may be found on Delta Theta Tau, Zeta Lambda chapter, Facebook page, or by sending an email request to ncossairt@yahoo.com or calling 317-696-8741. Information to send payment is there, too. Proceeds benefit area, scholarships, and local nonprofit organizations. Delta Theta Tau is a philanthropic sorority dedicated to supporting education and community.
NATIONAL NEWS: The consensus of Americans is bending back toward the atom as nuclear energy becomes more and more appealing, essentially tied with the level seen last year at 56 percent, but up considerably from the 43 percent logged in 2020. Nuclear energy is especially interesting in the green electricity space, because worldwide it’s historically been supported by right-leaning parties given the antinuclear history of various green-linked interests of left-leaning parties. The cold arithmetic of electrification has prompted a bit of a realignment; the percentage of Democrats who favor more nuclear energy is up 12 points since 2020 and Republican support is up 14 points. (Pew Research Center/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
Our Neighborhood
My neighborhood was like most of the poorer small town neighborhoods in the 1940s: it was full of single family small homes with barefoot kids running all over the place and moms in their aprons, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids while their husbands worked. Most likely, they had one car of an older model that their father would drive to work in the morning. There were very few cars parked on the sides of streets during the day. We only had to worry about Montgomery Street, and even then, we rarely crossed it. My neighbors were as follows:
The Dows lived at 508 Montgomery Street. There was Arnold “Pood” and Alice Dow and their three boys: Kenny, who was two years older than me, Don, my age, and Charlie, three years’ younger.
The Smiths lived at 408 Montgomery with Dale, my age, and Jerry, two years younger than me, and two older brothers, Jack and Don. They had two pear trees and a grape arbor in their backyard.
The Bayless family lived at 500 Montgomery Street. They had two boys: Kenny, who was my age, and his younger brother named Mike.
Tom Harding lived at 582 West Hendricks Street. Jim Phillips lived at 601 Montgomery Street. Both Tom and Jim were my age.
The Leet girls lived at 408 Montgomery Street. Kay was two years older than me, and Patty was my age.
Then there was Eugene Sanderson. He was my age and lived at 402 West Hendricks Street, and Ronnie Stuart, who became close friends with my brother, Jim, was three years younger than me and lived on 510 West Taylor.
Of course, my Grandma and Grampa Wiley lived at 516 Montgomery Street with their three daughters, Carol, Phyllis, and Shirley. Just beyond their house was George Tucker's Grocery Store at 606 Montgomery Street. I remember when I was very young, going to the grocery store with my little purse around my neck. The purse contained the written description of the item that I was to bring home. If needed, the purse also contained the proper rationing stamps for that item. As I proudly gave those items to Mr. Tucker and then proceeded to take back home the items that I was sent to get, I felt very big at that time. Mom told me later that Grandma Wiley watched me, without me knowing, every step of the way as I walked down Montgomery Street.
Emil Steffy was a small man and lived in a one-car garage behind the Bayless house on the alley directly across Taylor Street from our front door. He disappeared every year about mid-March and would come back in October. We would see him once or twice in between those dates but only for a day or two at a time.
He was a carnival worker and followed them wherever they went all summer long. When he was home, he was normally sitting in a chair out on the sidewalk in front of his door watching the activity in the neighborhood. He delighted in getting a new kid to eat a spoonful of chocolate malt powder and watching them choke and gag and trying to get their breath back.
My Dad and other parents had more than a few talks with him and all of us kids were threatened with a real a---beating if we so much as entered his door or had a conversation with him. As far as I remember, he never caused any trouble in the neighborhood.
Just across the alley from us lived the Collins family, a widow with two older girls. They all hated us kids. There was a big Catalpa tree stump on the corner of the alley on their property that was just perfect for sitting on and gathering together and playing mumblypeg with our knives. They would not leave us alone, many loud arguments and exchanges of angry words were parried back and forth.
We Landwerlen boys spent most of our time with the Dows and Smiths; it seemed like we were always together, except for when we were fighting, and that usually didn't last long, and we would all be best friends again until the next disagreement.
Pood and Alice Dow were like second parents to us boys. If we were at their house at meal time, we ate there. Likewise, if the Dow boys were at our house at meal time, they ate there. Alice Dow was the neighborhood go-to for cooking. She could prepare anything, and it was all from scratch. I remember her making angel food cake. She would break 13 eggs, slowly separating the yolks from the whites. Then, she would place the whites in the bowl and hand the half eggshell with the yolks in them to Pood. He would tilt his head back and gulp them down, one after another, 'til all 13 were gone. In the summer, Alice would always prepare what she called “hunky pickles.” I don't know how she pickled them, but every summer there would be two large five-gallon crock jars of them, covered with cheesecloth, on the back porch doing their aging. After waiting for them to age, she would tell us that they were ready, and then every time we boys would go through that back porch, we would grab one. Man, do I wish I had one today.
As I said before, Grandma and Grampa Wiley lived at 516 Montgomery Street. Until I was 20, we had Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve at their house. Santa Claus was always welcomed by all the little ones and gifts were exchanged. Then, all of the women, under Grandma's supervision, prepared a sumptuous feast, and everyone enjoyed the meal. All of Grandma Wiley's children were married and either had or were starting their families, so it was a lot, to say the least, to crowd everyone in that house.
As we boys were age-able, Grampa Wiley taught us how to play Rum, Canasta, and later, Gin Rummy.
SHS Courier Archive Highlights:
October 3, 1956 (Part II)
Roy Webber and Jim McKeand, 1956, were among Purdue University freshmen selected to attend the annual Freshman Leadership Camp at Purdue.
Four new teachers had joined SHS. Doris Butler was the new Home Economics teacher, replacing Mrs. Laskowski. Mrs. Butler and her husband, Joe, lived on a farm in Shelby Township. They had two children, Brenda, 7, and Jay, 10. For the prior five years, Mr. and Mrs. Butler had owned and operated the Golden Bear restaurant across from the school. Mrs. Katherine Reece was a new English faculty member. Mrs. Reece’s husband, Lawrence, owned and operated the Reece Cannery at St. Paul. Their son, John, was an SHS ‘55 graduate. Their daughter, Evelyn, was an SHS sophomore. Leory “Dee” Compton had taught and coached basketball at various schools. He and Virginia had three sons, James, Ted and Charles. Mr. Harold Wright was the new English teacher.
Jerry Heiniger was elected as Most Valuable Player of the SHS baseball team. Cecil Rhoades was elected team captain and Jack McDuffy was awarded the batting championship.
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: Style Dance Academy (SDA) announced plans to open in Shelbyville. With Miss Jill’s School of Music closing earlier in the year, SDA director Kari Kermode decided to expand from her original Franklin location. The Shelbyville location would be at 1406 Miller Ave.
2004: Lt. Gov. Kathy Davis was in Shelbyville to proclaim it Distance Learning Week.
1994: A national cement shortage was affecting cost and duration of local construction projects. Leon Beaty of Beaty Construction had called in several favors with longstanding contacts to get the concrete he needed for all of his jobs. Shelby Gravel co-owner Phil Haehl said rationing would not affect their two big projects in the works: the Shelby County Public Library renovation and a new bridge deck on State Road 9.
The Knights of Columbus councils of St. Vincent and St. Joseph raised $2,344 for Shares Inc. The money was raised through Tootsie Roll sales at Walmart, Kmart, Marsh, Kroger, Mickey’s T-Mart, Hook’s and Western Supermarket.
1984: Farmers National Bank announced plans to be open Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., in branch offices at Mickey’s, Western and Lowell’s.
1974: Bill Garrett, 45, one of Shelbyville’s all-time basketball greats, died at Indianapolis Methodist Hospital after suffering a heart attack. After leading Shelbyville High School to the state basketball championship in 1947, Garrett had been the state’s “Mr. Basketball” and played at Indiana University, where he was an All-American. He also had coached Indianapolis Crispus Attucks to the 1959 IHSAA title and was named Indiana high school basketball coach of the year.
The Shelby County Board of Zoning Appeals denied a permit to locate a cable TV tower on land near Meiks Addition. A cable TV company had sought to erect a 200-foot tower and a small building containing television electronic equipment on an eight-acre tract of land owned by Mr. and Mrs. James Ayers. Residents of the addition, represented by attorney Jerry Lux, had objected to the location.
1964: Someone broke into Pete’s Restaurant, 120 E. Washington St., overnight and pried open a cigarette machine, taking cigarettes and money.
Mrs. Floy DePrez, 312 Sunset Dr., was the first Hoosier winner of a color TV set in a nationwide sweepstakes sponsored by a canned fish company. She had entered through the local Standard store, managed by Fred Beckman.
Hendricks Elementary’s summer kindergarten concluded. Graduates were Mike Devoe, Keven Huseman, Mikel Fulk, Debra Phillips, Kay Rice, Joe Spear, Jan Spear, Bobby Merrick, Greg Wagner, Kim Snyder, Debra Scales, Cindy Purcell, Ginny Harms, Scott Polston, Christen Coers and Billy Joe Means. Mrs. Loren Spear was the teacher.
1954: “Another activity added to the do-it-yourself trend in the vast construction and repair field is about to be inaugurated in Shelbyville,” The Shelbyville News reported. G.O. Krebs, who had operated an auto repair shop out of his home at 534 W. Franklin St. for 35 years, opened a “Do-It-Yourself” option. Krebs would determine the repairs necessary and provide the tools for the owner to complete the job at a reduced cost.
1944: Filling station operators participated in a training to detect counterfeit coupons. Ration coupons were often sold on the open market, leading to increasing issues with counterfeits.
Joe Ed Bernhardt and Glen Devening left for training at DePauw University for a specialized V-5 U.S. Navy program.
Sgt. Chester Dean Lindsay and Lt. Frederick B. Smith were listed as missing in action.
1934: The upcoming county fair would be held Tuesday through Friday. Admission to the fair was free. Parking was 25 cents.
1924: Fred Meloy, who lived on a farm southeast of town, sold 53 hogs to C.P. Sindlinger for $1,500 (approximately $51,000 in today’s money). The hogs weighed 274 pounds each on average.
Twenty traction poles were blown down on the Indianapolis & Cincinnati Traction Company line due to a storm. Workmen spent all night resetting the poles.
1914: Charles Zike and Joseph Smith, expert croquet players from Manilla, challenged a Shelbyville team led by Doc Barnard and Toby Shaw. “The residents of Manilla have become so enraged at the statement in the Republican’s issue of July 30th, which accused the Manilla team of having cold feet and not showing up for the match, that they are now losing their heads and saying that the only case of cold feet in the county is the property of Doc and Toby,” the paper said. “Since the threshing season is over and the boys have had time to congregate on the ivory soap boxes in front of Manilla’s general department store, it seems they are getting rather chesty, and it’s up to Doc and Toby to take them down a notch or two.”
OBITUARIES
Robert Joseph “Bob” Quack, 66, of Fountaintown, passed away, Friday, August 2, 2024, in Franklin County. He was born February 22, 1958, in Beech Grove, the son of Robert Elmer and Barbara June (Suttle) Quack. On July 16, 1985, he married Kelly Schindler, and she preceded him in death on March 26, 2022.
Bob is survived by his daughter, Kelsey (Quack) Ellis and husband, Colton, of Summit Point, West Virginia; brother, David Quack and wife, Terry, of New Whiteland; and nephew, Joseph Quack. In addition to Kelly, Bob was preceded in death by his parents, and niece, Kayla Quack.
In 1976, Bob graduated from Southport High School. He was a physical therapist assistant at Saint Francis Hospital for the past five years.
Bob enjoyed the Indianapolis 500 race and all of the activities leading up to the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. He attended every year and was in the stands watching the qualifications the week before the race. He also enjoyed relaxing at the beach. Bob also leaves behind his cat, Elliot.
Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, August 9, 2024, at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, Carmony-Ewing Chapel, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville.
Funeral services will follow at 7 p.m., Friday, at the funeral home, with Joan Miller officiating. Private inurnment will be at Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Shelbyville.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Cancer Association of Shelby County, PO Box 844, Shelbyville, Indiana 46176. Online condolences may be shared with Bob’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.
Michael R. Schantz, 71, of Waldron, passed away, Sunday, August 4, 2024, at IU Health Methodist Hospital. A Gathering of Friends will begin at 9:30 a.m., on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at their home, 3484 S 725 E, Waldron. The Celebration of Mike’s life will be at 10 am, on Saturday, with Kim DeKoker officiating. Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Online condolences may be shared with Mike’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.
I ❤️ 580 West Taylor St. Condolences to Mike Schantz. I remember him being Boy of the Year at the Boys Club. I always looked up to Mike. Thanks for all the hometown news.