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Thank you newspapers

11/4/2015

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I have always enjoyed reading newspapers. As a young boy my dad read the comics to my sister and me. There was a continuing story about a gentleman rabbit named Uncle Wiggley Longears. I know I have a book with several Uncle Wiggley stories in it. I have taken it to a couple of schools and read some of the stories to students.

My next connection with newspapers was my first afternoon paper route. I picked up my papers at a small metal building that was owned by the newspaper company. The manager of the building was Pastor Barth.

One of the first things that I read each day was printed in the upper right-hand corner of the front page. It told how many pages were in that day’s edition. That gave us an idea of the load to be carried on our bicycles.
When my father opened his Sunoco service station on Madison Avenue, I became familiar with The Perry Township Weekly and The Spotlight, which were free papers that covered the Southside. They were home-delivered and also available at local businesses every week. We placed ads in those papers when we had special sales going on. I became addicted to these papers and had The Spotlight mailed to me when I lived out of state.

During my time in Southern California I subscribed to a good newspaper based in Orange County. And when I lived in Grand Rapids, Mich., I took a daily newspaper. I looked forward to reading them each day. But the best day was when The Spotlight came in the mail.

When I moved back to the Southside after living in Michigan, I got reconnected with Jerry Cosby, who owned and published The Spotlight. It took me awhile to get used to the only daily paper being a morning one.

In July 2011, I was helping to promote a program that The Southport/Perry Township Historical Society was putting together along with family members who had owned Longacre Pool and Park in the 1950s and ’60s. The ladies who own The Southsider Voice were assisting us in promoting the program.  

One day Kelly Sawyers asked if I would be interested in writing a column. She was amused with the stories I told, and she said I could share some of those tales in print. 

My first article was about the roundball capital of the Southside – Edgewood Grade School – which had at least 11 outside basketball courts. I wrote about some of the guys who played there as kids and young men and went on to be outstanding college and professional players. 

I still enjoy reading daily and weekly newspapers. 
There was an article in The Indianapolis Star on Sunday about a cancer-stricken mother attending her daughter’s state championship soccer game. The mom is sick and was determined to attend the game. Her daughter’s team won their game, and the entire team climbed their way to the suite to celebrate with her. It is difficult to read an article like that while wiping away the tears. 

One of the weekly contributors to The Voice has retired. I am going to miss Mike Redmond’s column. I have enjoyed his work for years. Thanks, Mike.

Thanks to everyone who reads The Voice ... and for that matter, newspapers in general.
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    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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