By Fred Shonk 

We have enjoyed a special couple of weeks at our house. My wife, Lyn and I have birthdays that are only nine days apart. We start with hers. It is on July 27th. She had calls from family and friends. She also had visits from some of them.

Neighbors stopped in to wish her a nice birthday and drop off something good to eat. She even got a beautiful container of flowers from her niece in Georgia. That was a wonderful surprise. We rested up over the weekend. We both have been dealing with some physical problems and a quiet weekend was just what we both needed.

On Wednesday, August 5th was my birthday and this year it was also our high school class monthly lunch. Lyn had made plans to attend with me this month, but we ended up having a lawn mower repair fellow coming to pick up our riding mowers for repair.

Our luncheon this month was at Dawson’s on Main Street in Speedway. As I remember, there were eight of us at Dawson’s last Wednesday. We were treated to some birthday cupcakes that had single letters on each of the cupcakes spelling out, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRED.” I also received a couple of presents and cards.
A few of our classmates have retired from driving and some of us that still drive provide transportation so our group can stay solid and strong. After our lunch, I provided a ride to a special classmate. This is a monthly occurrence, and we both look forward to it. That is because each lunch is at a different location and the drive home for her is different each month and we see parts of the city that we haven’t seen for a long time.

wife took us out to dinner to celebrate both of our birthdays. Friend’s Diner was the chosen location. We have visited this diner a few times and enjoyed our meals.

We walked in and were told to pick any place in the facility to sit. We spotted a nice table and quickly settled in. It wasn’t long before a waitress arrived to greet us and take orders. We were talking and visiting and I think we placed drink orders and began reading the menu.

Our waitress delivered drinks and began talking with us. She had a very outgoing personality, beautiful smile and seemed to be in her mid-20s. Soon we placed our dinner orders and I told her that we would stay at our table until our dinner arrived.

It wasn’t long before we were enjoying our meals. She stopped at our table a few times to check on us. At some point, Lyn pointed to me and told our waitress that it was my birthday. By that time, we had discovered our waitress’s name was Ella.

Ella quickly explained that I was eligible to receive a free dessert. I had a choice and I picked peach cobbler. When Ella arrived with my dessert, Lyn explained to her that they (including Ella) were going to sing Happy Birthday to me.

Ella kind of went crazy. Jumping up and down, arms flying around and yelling, “Not me. I can’t do that. I’ll get someone else!” She scampered off to get another waitress to sing to me. Quickly she returned explaining that she was told to get her “#%@+” back over to our table and sing.

She tried explaining that she was just 16 and wasn’t a good singer but she was stuck with singing her first Happy Birthday song to a customer. I’m sure it was beautiful. I was laughing so hard that I didn’t hear much of the singing.

So, if you have a birthday coming up in the near future, stop into Friend’s Diner on Madison Avenue and request that Ella maybe do a solo version of “Happy Birthday.”

Lyn and I thank everyone for our birthday recognition. It was special!!

Shonk is a 1960 graduate of Southport High School, a ’63 grad of Indiana Central College (now the University of Indianapolis) and a retired bus driver from Beech Grove Schools. He can be reached through email at [email protected].

Printed in the August 5, 2026 edition ...

Last Wednesday morning, I was making some coffee and looking out our kitchen window and at 6:05 a.m., I saw the first school bus driving through our neighborhood picking up students. That was July 29th.
I remember several first days of school both as a student and later as a school bus driver. As I remember, the starting day was in early September. I realize that there is much more to learn these days and there are a few more necessary school breaks during the school year. I’m still trying to deal with schools starting in July.

I sat down later that morning and began thinking about my years as a school bus driver. One of my first memories involved a couple of girls I met when I started driving for Beech Grove Schools. I have known Miranda and Rachele Tryon for about 25 years now. They rode my bus in 2001. Both girls have families now. Miranda Britton and Rachele Sampson are my friends on Facebook. I often smile when I see something they have posted.

I have memories of one morning when the girls were a bit late to the bus stop. I was waiting for them. They came running out of their house and took a shortcut across their neighbor’s perfectly manicured lawn. All of a sudden, the neighbor stepped out of her house with a camera to record the incident. The girls stopped in their tracks, posed for a photograph and then continued running to catch the school bus. I was shocked and amazed.

A couple of years later, I was assigned to a new route that took pupils to and from Hornet Park Elementary. This school is for kindergarten and first grade students. At the start of each year, it was a challenge to get these students onto the bus and to their assigned seats in a timely manner. I contacted Myranda and Rachele and asked if they would consider helping me for a few mornings at the start of the school year. They agreed to help and it was wonderful. The school sent teachers with us in the afternoons to help the youngsters gather their belongings and get off the bus at the proper stop.

Rachele and Myranda helped me for several years, then Amy Storms’ twin daughters, Chelsea and Abby stepped up to help their mom and me with our Hornet park morning routes. Both twins also now have families. I am now friends with Chelsea Stevenson and Abby Rockwell on Facebook also.

After the twins started high school, my assistant became Alicia Taylor. She helped me for a few years until moving to Ohio. Alicia now resides in Florida and is married and an attorney. I am still connected with Alicia Kellogg the same way as the others.

I had one more wonderful assistant prior to my retirement as a school bus driver. Shelby Wright took over after Alicia moved to Ohio. Shelby is now a schoolteacher.

These young ladies were such a big help to me over those years. They were the stepping stones and special beginning for the school bus assistant program.

Thank you, ladies. I miss you!

Shonk is a 1960 graduate of Southport High School, a ’63 grad of Indiana Central College (now the University of Indianapolis) and a retired bus driver from Beech Grove Schools. He can be reached through email at [email protected].

Several times during the past few weeks, I have been reminded of friends who were either customers or employees at my father’s Sunoco service station on Madison Avenue. One of those fellows was a great guy named Warren Roller, who was a member of the Indianapolis Fire department.

During those years, and I believe it still is in effect, firemen worked 24-hour shifts and then were off-duty for 48 hours. Most firemen had part-time jobs that occupied some of their free time. I believe that Warren had a small construction business.

One weekend morning while we were servicing one of his vehicles, he asked me if I had any important plans for the afternoon. I replied that I was free for that afternoon. He then asked me if I would help him wax his airplane. He explained that he owned a small single-engine plane and was a licensed pilot. I was told that his plane was kept at the Greenwood Airport.

Warren picked me up later that afternoon and we went to the airport. He explained several important things before we started waxing it. We worked well together, and he was telling me stories about airplanes and fire trucks. When we were finished and had put everything away, Warren asked me if I would like to go on a plane ride.

A ride had not been discussed, so I was surprised and excited. Soon we were inside the cockpit, buckled in and ready to fly. After he conversed with the tower, we took off. I remember lifting up over County Line Road. As we crossed Southport Road, Warren said that we would be flying over my house on Fairhope Drive. It was amazing and exciting to see our house and our entire neighborhood from the air. Soon he banked left and we were headed west along Thompson Road toward U.S. 31. I was having a blast.

As we started flying over U.S. 31, I noticed something strange. Cars motoring south on U.S. 31 were traveling faster than we were. Those cars were driving out from under us. About then, Warren bumped me on the shoulder and pointed to some gauges on the dashboard. Then he said, “That wax is really doing a good job. This is the fastest this plane has ever flown,” he said while pointing to the speed indicator.

I was concerned that we were going slower than the automobiles on the highway, and he was excited about setting a new speed record in his airplane. I never said a word about those fast-moving cars.

Years later, when I was in the Indiana National Guard, I was attached to the aircraft maintenance unit. On occasion, I was allowed to fly with our pilots in small airplanes and helicopters. I enjoyed many of those flights, but I remember that flight with Warren Roller the best.

Shonk is a 1960 graduate of Southport High School, a ’63 grad of Indiana Central College (now the University of Indianapolis) and a retired bus driver from Beech Grove Schools. He can be reached through email at [email protected].

My father, Floyd Shonk, operated the Sunoco service station for about 10 years, which was located on Madison Avenue just about a block north of Epler Avenue. It was a great business and we had some wonderful and interesting customers.

One such customer was Richard “Dick” Gentry. He owned Gentry Carbide Tool and Die Company, which was located on Main Street in Beech Grove. He and his family were good customers. We sold them gasoline and serviced their vehicles.

One day, Mr. Gentry stopped in and asked to have his car filled with gasoline. I quickly noticed that it was brand-new and commented on that fact. He smiled and began telling me a story.

A couple of weeks earlier, he had been on a business trip and was driving back to Indianapolis from Ohio. This was in the mid-60s, and the main travel road was U.S. 40. Just after he crossed the state line into Indiana, he crested a hill and detected a secluded police officer in his patrol car that was watching for speeders.

Gentry knew without even looking that he was traveling well over the speed limit; he had to think quickly. As he entered the city of Richmond, he noticed a small automobile dealership. He quickly drove into the service department and asked to have his car checked over. The service writer filled out the paperwork, and “Speedy’s” car was moved into the shop, where a mechanic started working on it.

Mr. Gentry stepped back to the front of the service area, looked out the door, and saw the same police car parked directly across the street. He stepped back inside and decided to check again later, which yielded the very same result.

He was fairly certain that the officer was waiting for him to leave the dealership, at which time he would be pulled over. This was becoming a challenge for Gentry, who didn’t think he could afford another speeding ticket on his driving record. As he continued with his story, I began to smile. I was sure that I could finish the story for him. But I refrained.

He walked into the showroom and began talking with a salesperson. Some serious negotiations were soon taking place. Within a few hours, a deal had been made. After the paperwork and insurance details were completed, Mr. Gentry drove away undetected in a brand new car while the policeman, who had been spoofed, was still waiting in his vehicle. We stood out by the gas pumps and laughed for a while. I would have enjoyed hearing the policeman’s side of the story.

Over the years, I have lost track of the members of the Gentry family. I thought of them quite a bit during the time I was driving the school bus for Beech Grove City Schools. One of my routes took me past the building on Main Street where the Gentry Carbide Tool and Die had been located.

I’d love to reconnect with any of the Gentry family.

Shonk is a 1960 graduate of Southport High School, a ’63 grad of Indiana Central College (now the University of Indianapolis) and a retired bus driver from Beech Grove Schools. He can be reached through email at [email protected].