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December 23rd, 2014

12/23/2014

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I enjoy remembering Christmases of yore. 
My parents were close to their families. For several years my paternal grandmother lived in a specially built little house behind our house. I thought that was cool. My relatives on Dad’s side of the family visited us often throughout the year, but on Christmas we went to their homes to see what they got from Santa.  
One of my older male cousins always seemed to get underwear. He appeared excited and thankful for his presents and always showed us each garment up close. As I grew older I tried to be in a different room when the undies were displayed.

Our mom had two brothers who lived in Indianapolis, and we also stopped at their homes on Christmas. Mom’s parents always had a family gathering on Christmas Eve, when lots of presents were exchanged and much food was consumed. 
Mom’s younger brother, Calvin, and his family lived in Wanamaker. He once told us a story about stopping to get his family some White Castles while heading home one evening. The aroma got the best of him, and he had to have one or two or three. ... Upon arriving home he discovered that only three sliders remained. He knew that would not satisfy his wife and three children, so he finished the remaining sliders while sitting in the car.

Mom had a brother who resided out of the state, and Dad had a brother who lived in Rushville and a sister who at that time lived in Okinawa, Japan. Presents from our out-of-state relatives arrived in the mail, and I didn’t like this because I was in school when the mail was delivered. The knowledge of presents in the house always made the days before Christmas seem longer.

Since my sister was not old enough to attend school, she probably witnessed the delivery of those packages and watched as they were stored in a secluded location until it was time to open them. 
One afternoon when I was playing basketball with my buddies, Mom came running outside and was upset because she couldn’t find my sister. We looked everywhere to no avail and were getting a bit worried. I don’t recall why, but I opened the closet door in my bedroom. There she was, sitting on the floor amid many unwrapped Christmas presents. The closet was dark when the door was closed, so she was seeing the presents for the first time when I opened the door.

I yelled that I had found her. By the my parents came flying into the room, my sister had placed her famous “I’m so sorry; please don’t be mad at me” expression on her face. It never failed her; 5-year-old girls get away with all kinds of stuff. But at least we got to enjoy a several presents a few days early that year.
My wife, Lyn, Stuart, our therapy dog, and I hope everyone has a merry Christmas.
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. 

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December 17th, 2014

12/17/2014

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PicturePHOTO COURTESY OF FRED SHONK My 1956 Thunderbird sitting at my dad's Sunoco station on Madison Avenue (removable top is in background.) The man in the picture is George Frye.
My second automobile ended up being a terrible mistake. My father advised me against buying it, but he also knew that if I bought it I would learn a number of valuable lessons.
The car was a 1956 single-seat, turquoise Thunderbird, which had a V-8 engine with a three-speed transmission and removable hard and convertible tops (white). The car was 5 years old when I bought it shortly after graduating from high school.

It soon became apparent that my dream car had lived a rough life. Rust began appearing in several places, and I was shocked to discover that the top was full of holes and virtually useless. 
It was a sporty ride, and I enjoyed driving it every day. On one occasion I had a date and our plans were to attend a movie at the Meridian Drive-in Theater. It was summertime, so we figured it was a perfect evening to remove the top.

Upon arriving at her house I remember her father coming out to inspect my new ride, which was looking good. I explained to him that the car had two tops and that the hardtop was in my parents’ garage. I sort of remember him telling me that there was a threat of rain later in the evening.
Soon we were pulling into the theater. We found a perfect spot to park in the back of the lot, and I scampered off to the concession stand for snacks and beverages. About halfway through the movie it started raining. We tried pulling up the top that was stored behind the seat but were unsuccessful. 

We got soaked. We hopped into the car and left. I drove to my parents’ house to install the hardtop. I was working on a plan for the rest of the evening as I got some towels to dry the car’s interior.
I figured I could quickly change into dry clothes and then drive to her house so she could do the same. Then we would start all over again. She explained that parts of my plan were doable, but going back to her house for her to change clothes wasn’t going to work. She was sure that her parents would declare an end to our evening. 

After some discussion I provided her clothes from my closet, and the change to dry apparel was made at my house. We then were ready to start our date over. The car was now in a position to keep us out of the rain.
My main problem at that point was a lack of cash. I didn’t have enough money to re-enter the theater and go to the Tee Pee Restaurant afterward. 

A quick decision was made. We headed to the Eastside, where Al Green’s drive-in restaurant showed free movies. You could watch a movie from your car while having food and drinks delivered to you.
The movies weren’t first run, and the menu was limited, but it worked. We had a interesting evening, and I got my clothes back in a few days.

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December 10th, 2014

12/10/2014

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A while back I was looking at some posting on the Southport High School alumni page on Facebook. I was surprised when I read a posting by Melissa Newport Johnson, who explained that her father, Mike Newport, was a 1964 graduate of Southport and a member of Troop 96. She said the troop was going to celebrate its 80th anniversary.

A couple of weeks ago I visited a meeting of Boy Scout Troop 96 at Edgewood United Methodist Church on Epler Avenue.


I was surprised that my old troop was still in existence. I was also surprised to learn that its meeting place hadn’t changed since my days there. Some former members and I met a week or so later at Flapjacks to make a plan. We’d like to help celebrate the 80th birthday of the troop and help build up its membership. 


During my years in the troop we had 40 to 50 members. Now, membership is down to single digits, but I was impressed with the current members. Two are Eagle Scouts, and a couple are only a few requirements away from achieving the Eagle rank, the highest attainable honor in Scouting.


I have been in contact with several of the guys who were members of the troop with me. Some of them have pictures, handbooks and other mementos from our time in the organization.


I spoke with some folks at the Crossroads of America Council, Boy Scouts of America, and they directed me to their historian, Michael Stalcup. We have chatted on the phone, and I have learned a lot from him. He also has pictures of Camp Kiwanis and maybe other things. He told me that his troop has celebrated reunions like we are planning and how much fun they had. I invited him to be a part of our planning and celebration.


We are in the process of locating past troop members. Should you be a former member or know of any, email BoyScoutTroup96@Yahoo.com.


This is going to be fun.


A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. 
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December 03rd, 2014

12/3/2014

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Editor’s note: Stuart, the therapy dog of Southsider Voice columnist Fred Shonk, is back at the keyboard. This time he’s writing about visiting nursing homes and attending a Veterans Day program.
Hi everyone.


I’m so lucky because I keep busy with things that I enjoy doing. During the school year I work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. That allows me four-day weekends, which I am a big fan of.


Tuesdays are special because we visit nursing facilities. We were at the larger one last week. I have lots of friends there. My human dad, Fred, lets me lead the way down the halls of these places. I always go the same way because I like routines, at least that’s what I hear.

 
Anyway, Danny, one of my special friends and a great guy, lives down the second hallway. When we arrived at his room he wasn’t there. A nurse told us that he might be down at the physical therapy room. I have been trying to get that room renamed to “The Stuart Room.” 


When we arrived at The Stuart Room (sounds good doesn’t it), Danny was working out on a big exercise table. I hopped up there with him to assist. I was shocked when I noticed that he was wearing a normal baseball cap. He always wears caps that have the bill on the back. Dad sometimes asks Danny where he purchases those special hats. Danny just laughs. 


I also had a nice visit with my good friend Christie. I always save her part of the building until last. I am generally tired by then, and she shares her bed with me. She is the best.



Wednesday and Thursday are when we visit Hornet Park Elementary and South Grove Intermediate schools in Beech Grove. Some really cool students come to the library and read some great books to me. 

Because of Dad’s military service and my past work at Camp Atterbury, where I have spent time hanging out with soldiers returning from their deployments, we were invited to attend the Veterans Day program at South Grove. 


U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly was a speaker, and we were surprised when he walked around to where we were seated to say hi. He and Dad spoke for a short time before the program started. I was hoping he could stay with us a bit longer. I had thoughts of discussing my idea of getting a change in the Constitution to allow therapy dogs to vote. Maybe another time.


I saw lot of pupils who I have met in our reading program, and Dad saw a lot of people who used to ride his school bus. We know most of the staff at the school and lots of the parents. It was so cool when Donnelly asked the veterans to stand and be recognized. It was a real honor to be asked to attend.


If you are thinking about getting a dog or cat for Christmas, check out the two cuties below. If you adopt a pet in the next couple of week, it can spend a wonderful Christmas with you.
Happy holidays.
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    Picture

    Fred Shonk

    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. 

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