It often amazes me how a current event can activate my memory. Watching the national news about the terrible tornados that caused all that destruction and loss of life in Mississippi, brought me back to 20 years ago, when our neighborhood took the brunt of damage from a tornado. It was a weekday afternoon and my wife Lyn and I had been out running some errands. We had been over on US-31 when it all began. We tried to return home but soon discovered that our neighborhood had suffered a large amount of damage and the streets were blocked by downed trees and debris.

After trying several routes to our house, we finally parked near the post office on Edgewood Avenue and walked home.

We discovered that we had lost three trees located on various sides of our house. It was startling to see that each of them fell in different directions and they all fell away from our house. We were very lucky. Several homes on the opposite end of our addition were destroyed.

The first responders and the electrical power workers were quickly on the job to make sure everyone was safe and not hurt. Neighbors worked together to help remove debris from the streets and after that had been accomplished, I walked back to our car and drove home.

We were without electricity for several days. In order to protect the neighborhood from looting, a command post was set up and we all received passes that allowed us access in and out of the neighborhood.

On the second or third day after the storm, we were out shopping and eating. When we arrived at the intersection of Banta and Derbyshire roads, we had to show our paperwork to some Indiana National Guard troops.They had been activated to help in our area. As a former guardsman, I was pleased to see the soldiers protecting our neighborhood.

Later that day, I heard someone yelling my name from our front yard. I walked to the door and smiled as I saw my long-time friend, Ed Wetzel, sitting in a golf cart.

He explained that he had been very worried and just had to drive his cart from his house in Southport to check on us. We visited for awhile and then explained to him that we had some errands to run and needed to grab a bite to eat.

Lyn and I climbed into my old blue van that was widely known as my, “Shiny Blue Truck”. We drove out the driveway and followed Ed to the checking station at Banta and Derbyshire where the guardsmen were directing the evening traffic.

It seemed like it was taking Ed a very long time to get checked out. I sort of leaned out my driver’s side window and thought I heard some of the troops and Ed saying something about a looter while pointing at my truck. Quickly Ed was waved on as was the car that was directly ahead of us.

It then was our turn, and I had the proper paperwork in my hand. I was thinking that this was the very first time we had driven “The Shiny Blue Truck” through the checkpoint. I figured we were going to get checked out pretty good after I saw Ed pointing toward us talking to the guardsmen.

As we pulled up, a laughing guardsman asked us if we knew that crazy guy on the golf cart. I assured him that I knew him very well. He checked our paperwork and shook his head as he waved us onto Banta Road.
Memories..!!
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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].

Published in the Wednesday, March 22, 2023 edition

Here we are in the middle of March and as most of us are aware, there are many college basketball games going on about 18 hours per day all over the country. It begins with 68 men’s teams and 68 women’s teams, 136 NCAA College teams in action.

The boy’s Indiana semi-state tournament was also in action. I was always changing television channels while trying to keep up with the teams that I have been following. Back in my younger days, I had teams that I loved and others that I didn’t root for at any time. I have stepped back a few steps and now enjoy the games and root for teams that I might have a connection.

The Beech Grove boys’ team had a good run this year. They made it to the Semi-State. They traveled to Seymour and played Guerin Catholic in the afternoon. Guerin won 58-46. The Hornets had a very good year.
The IU men’s team played and won their game against Kent State. They won by 11 points. This game was totally played after my bedtime. Their second game was played late Sunday that resulted in an upset 85-69 win for Miami (Fla.) against the disappointed Hoosiers.

The IU women’s team also won their first game of the tournament, defeating Tennessee Tech by 30 points in Assembly Hall. Their second game against Miami (Fla.) was played late Monday, too late for this week’s deadline.

The Purdue men’s team lost their first game of the tournament. There have been lots of comments about this game from all types of media and basketball fans.
 
The Purdue woman’s team also lost their first game of the tournament. I have enjoyed following this team for the last couple of years. Head Coach Katie Gearlds completed her second year coaching her Purdue team. 

Purdue played St. John’s University in Columbus, Ohio. They recovered from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter. A last second shot from St. John’s made the final score 66-64 for them. I was so excited watching this game. Our dog, Simon decided to leave the room.

I was sort of sad that they lost the game but I was also very impressed and proud of them. The next day, while I was on my computer, I saw a photograph showing Coach Katie Gearlds walking off the court with her arm around No. 5, Cassidy Hardin. That really got to me.

I first met Katie when she was in high school at Beech Grove. I was a school bus driver there. I drove bus No. 5. When Katie started coaching at Purdue last year, I spotted a very good player wearing uniform No. 5. I began paying attention to Cassidy Hardin and was very impressed to find out that she holds the record for number of games (142) played for the women’s team at Purdue.
 
Players were allowed an extra year of eligibility because of Covid. This was her fifth year on the team. She postponed her beginning of medical school at IU. Cassidy always looked to be a very good on-court leader and seemed to always have a great attitude.

I have never met Cassidy in person but after seeing that picture of her and Katie, I’m certain she is a wonderful young lady. She and I have shared a friendship with Katie Gearlds and we have also shared that special number 5.

We also like basketball. So does Katie.
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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].

From the Wednesday, March 15, 2023 edition

For several years, I have been a member of the Perry Township/Southport Historical Society. I am also a member of the board of directors and we plan the bi-monthly presentations.

In January of this year, Jay Danner was our presenter. His family owned the Danner 5 & 10 cent stores and the 3D Discount department stores in central Indiana. There was a Danner store in Greenwood and also one in Fountain Square. Jay is a Southport High School graduate and the 2020 Alumnus of the year.

We have bi-monthly programs and we sometimes tour historic houses or businesses. We visited the Hannah House on Madison Avenue, the Hayes house on Derbyshire Road and the Cooney House in Southport.

Ten years ago, we presented a wonderful program about the history of the Longacre Pool and Park. David Dodrill, who is the son of the man who owned Longacre in the 50s and 60s was our main speaker for the program and shared many pictures in his presentation. About 300 guests attended that program.

A few years later, we offered a program titled, Perry Township’s Contribution to the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The longtime historian of the Speedway, Donald Davidson was our main speaker.

Two families that lived on Madison Avenue had very strong connections with the Indy 500. Members of the Wilcox family were one of these families. Howdy Wilcox finished second in the 1932 Indy 500. He was killed while flagging a dirt track race a few years later. His three daughters attended our program. I have been friends with Donna, Nancy and Sandy for many years. It was wonderful to see them.

Indy 500 Chief mechanic, Joe Langley and his family lived a few blocks south of Epler Avenue. He worked on his race cars in a small building behind their house. Joe’s daughters attended and spoke at the presentation. Both of these programs were very exciting and interesting.

Our next program will be March 28. Nancy VanArendonk, president of the Franklin Township Historical Society, will give a presentation on two pioneer families in the area, tracing their impact on our community from the 1820s to the present. This should be a very interesting program. Visitors are welcome and you can become a member for a $10 fee.

Our May 23rd program will be an evening about the Kautskys, both the family grocery store business and the Indianapolis Kautskys professional basketball team. Members of the Kautsky family and former employees will be present.

Just before the pandemic took over, the historical society started a basketball Hall of Fame. It is based on two blocks of Epler Avenue, from the Edgewood Grade School to Madison Avenue.

Edgewood Grade School produced some very talented basketball players that went on to become a professional player, a coach or an official. The property also had several outdoor basketball courts that hundreds of guys would travel to play 3-on-3 games.

At Madison and Epler was the Kautsky grocery store. Frank Kautsky started and owned the very first professional basketball team based in Indiana. Players and coaches from that team qualify for this Hall of Fame also.

We made our first presentation in 2019. The pandemic halted it until this year. We plan to induct a few more players this year. I was talking to one of my classmates, Judy Tout-Snyder. We were talking about the Basketball Hall of fame. I had explained that both of the Van Arsdale brothers were on the list. They often played on the outside courts at Edgewood Grade School. I also explained that a longtime teacher and coach at Southport High School, Everett Swank had been a member of the Kautsky Basketball team.

Judy explained that she had lived in Greenwood before her family moved to Perry Township during her high School years. She said the VanArsdale family and Everett Swank lived about four houses apart on the same block in Greenwood. That is amazing to have three professional basketball players living on the same block in Greenwood, Indiana.

Come and join The Perry Township/Historical Society at 7 p.m. March 28 at 6548 Orinoco Avenue.
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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].

​From the Wednesday, March 8, 2023 edition

One morning last week I was watching The Today Show and enjoying my breakfast. I heard someone on the show say that in a few minutes they were going to have a story about a school bus driver. I settled back in my chair and waited.

The story was about a school bus driver in New Jersey. He had been looking for something to do during the time between his morning and afternoon routes. He lived too far away to go home during those hours.
One day he heard a student talking with a teacher about learning to read better. He thought about this and soon he spoke to the school staff about the possibility of him helping young students to better their reading skills. 

His name is Herman Cruse and he has been helping students with reading for quite a while. They interviewed a few of the students and their responses were beautiful. I remember hearing one student saying, “Mr. Herman is my very best friend”.

This took me back to the years that our dog Stuart and I worked with students at the Beech Grove City Schools. I was known as Mr. Fred and was a bus driver also. The program that Stuart and I did helped students that were a bit shy about reading out loud in class or to their teacher.

It was a very special program and I hope Simon and I get a chance to do it in the very near future.

A few days later, I was again watching The Today Show and having coffee when a segment was presented about two sisters that were born in 1955. They were conjoined and at that time very few separations had ever been successful. A very young doctor did a wonderful job separating them and later they both became teachers. The percentage that it would be a successful separation was about zero.

The girls, Lillian and Linda grew up in a big family with nine other siblings. Doctors told them they would never be able to have children of their own, but the twins — both retired teachers now — went on to have seven children and 16 grandchildren between them. I believe that one of them is now a great-grandmother.
It was amazing to watch them as they were being interviewed. They finished each other’s sentences. As they were showing things, their arms and hands intertwined successfully without contact. They even explained that they always position themselves exactly as they were before separation. Always the same sister on the left side of the other sister.

As I watched this segment of the show, I quickly remembered my year in the second grade. My class was the very first second grade class in the new James Whitcomb Riley School in Edgewood. Our classrooms had new-fangled desk tables that four students sat. Two across from the other two.

Each day, we walked to the school’s kitchen and picked up our food trays and returned to our classroom to have lunch. The young girl that sat beside me for that entire year was Barbara Carter. Barbara sat on my right side and we had lunch together that entire year.

Barbara has attended a couple of our class lunches in the past. On one occasion, she sat down beside me, but she was on my left side. I quickly explained that this was not going to work. 

We quickly changed seats and I think we were both much more comfortable. Those thoughts came flying back to me when the sisters on the segment of The Today Show explained that they always sat together on the same side of their sister.

You can watch both of these segments by googling, School Bus Driver gives reading lessons and/or Conjoined twins from 1955.
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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].