​I was sad to learn of the passing of Edward “Big Ed” Wetzel, whom I’ve known for more than 50 years. He owned Southside Sand & Gravel for a long time and was always out in his dump truck delivering dirt or gravel.
 
He also had a school bus. I am sure there are plenty of Perry Township residents who have great stories about riding Ed’s bus. He also was involved in owning multiple buses and had his wife and her sister drive for him.

Everyone who knew Ed has stories to share. Once a month I have a breakfast with some former and current bus drivers from Perry Township. I’m sure Ed will be the focus of several stories at our next breakfast.

Without much thought, I came up with a couple of stories about Ed. One of them involves him being in a men’s locker room and a conversation with another guy, but I don’t think that’s suitable for a family newspaper. Let’s go with this one. 

Back in 2002 the Southside was hit by a bad tornado, and our neighborhood was in its path. We lost a few trees, but our house was undamaged. A few homes on the west end of our addition were destroyed.

The area was a mess for days as there was no electricity and streets were blocked with debris. There was a command post set up by the police and the National Guard. After residents proved their address, they were issued a pass that allowed them into the neighborhood. Our pass was checked at Banta and Derbyshire roads. As a former guardsman, I was please to see soldiers protecting our neighborhood.

My wife, Lyn, and I were home as the cleanup entered its third day. I heard my name being called from someone in our front yard. We walked out to find Ed Wetzel sitting in a golf cart. He explained that he was worried about us and had to check on us.

After exchanging tornado stories, I explained to Ed that Lyn and I were just about to leave to do some shopping and grab a bite to eat.

Lyn and I climbed into my truck and followed Ed to the checkpoint. It seemed like it was taking a long time for the guardsmen to check Ed’s paperwork and let him proceed. When I leaned out the window of my truck, I could hear the guardsmen and Ed shouting about looters. Then they looked back at us, at which time I started to get a bad feeling. 

Ed was waved on, and the line started moving forward again.

As we pulled up to the checkpoint, we were approached by several guardsmen donning serious looks on their faces. The men peered inside the back windows of my truck and stepped away. One of them asked me if I knew the crazy man on the golf cart. He checked my paperwork, shook his head and waved me out to Banta Road.

Ed, we are going to miss you.

I have recently been involved in several conversations concerning astronauts. A couple of them took me back a few years, one just a few weeks.

Years ago, some of my buddies and myself would take off for Daytona Beach, Fla., for the Daytona 500. 
We stayed in a private home, where “Maw” Hartzell provided a couple of upstairs rooms and served us breakfast. She was a wonderful lady and took great care of us. During one of our visits she told us about her son, who was the main chef for the astronauts at Cape Kennedy. 

Maw was visiting her son at the cape when she was introduced to a couple of astronauts. Once the introductions were over, she asked one of the guys a question that had been puzzling her for a long time.
She wanted to know how was possible to go to the bathroom while wearing a sealed flight suit. He responded with a smile that was his first question when he was shown the suit the first time.

She enjoyed telling stories from her visits to the cape.

* * *
A couple of my good friends – Sarah Taylor and daughter Alicia – both of whom I met when I was driving a bus for Beech Grove Schools, also told me a great story. Alicia rode my bus for several years and served as an assistant to me. They moved to Ohio for a few years during Alicia’s time in high school.

We try to get together for lunch when they come back to visit. On one occasion Alicia told me that she was in a school club that built a robot and entered it in a competition. They won several contests and qualified for the nationals in St. Louis. There was a large NASA display with a robot in it at the event center. The area was roped off, and Sarah was trying to line up Alicia on the opposite side of the display to take a picture. An astronaut yelled that they couldn’t do that.

He explained that the photo wouldn’t look right and that Alicia should come inside the display for a better picture. They exchanged email addresses, and he has helped her with some projects.

* * *
About a month ago my wife, Lyn, and I attended a Christmas party/lunch sponsored by Franciscan St. Francis Health. The guest speaker was astronaut David Wolf. 

Dr. Wolf graduated from North Central High School and earned a degree in electrical engineering from Purdue and a medical degree from Indiana University. He also trained as a flight surgeon with the Air Force before joining the staff at the Johnson Space Center. He has been to space four times and has taken seven space walks that total more than 41 hours. His longest mission was 128 days on the Russian space station. 

I loved the question-and-answer session. He repeated the questions for the whole room before answering them. I noticed that when you are an astronaut, electrical engineer and a doctor, your answers can be quite interesting. He would get started on a response and at some point late in that same answer say, “What was the question again.”

I’d love to sit down with him and chat sometime.
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Shonk is a 1960 graduate of Southport High School and a ’63 grad of Indiana Central College (now the University of Indianapolis).

It was 48 years ago that Indiana University made its first – and only – Rose Bowl appearance.
My sister, Kathy, attended IU at the time and was enrolled in a year-round program that allowed her to earn a teachers licence with a master’s degree in four years.

IU’s football team had enjoyed a good season – a rarity in those times – and I was fortunate to attend several games that season, including the Old Oaken Bucket battle against Purdue.

By defeating the Boilermakers and having the best overall record of the three schools that tied for the Big Ten title, IU was going to its first bowl.

Kathy and her roommate, Sandy Byrne, and I wanted to go to Pasadena, Calif., for the game. We purchased packaged deals that included airfare and accommodations. The girls were able to buy student tickets, but I was on my own and figured I could buy one out there, which I did.

We flew to Los Angeles on a plane loaded with Hoosier fans, and our hotel was packed with supporters. Our packages allowed us about four days to sightsee before the game, plus tickets to the amazing Tournament of Roses Parade.

We rented a car so we could see as many sights as possible, including Disneyland, which was filled with about 75 percent of the IU fans who ventured to Southern California for the game. Chancellor Herman B Wells was among the backers. It was a blast to walk through the park and be part of the crowd wearing cream and crimson. 

We were sightseeing during the day and partying at night.

John Pont coached the Hoosiers, and Jade Butcher, John Isenbarger and Harry Gonzo were a few of his prominent players who would be tested against USC, which featured Heismann Trophy winner O.J. Simpson. 
The Trojans won 14-3.

We were scheduled to fly back the following day. We had been going full blast for several days and were tired. I can’t imagine going at that pace for that long now.

We arrived at the airport, checked in and walked to our boarding area, where we were reconnected with the group that we flew out with. I spotted Marilyn Nierman, who was sitting on the floor and had graduated from Southport with Kathy.

Marilyn looked like she hadn’t slept for days. I was about to ask her if she was OK when she proclaimed, “You guys look like s---!”
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We all laughed and soon were asleep on the plane heading back to Indy.