Sixty Years Ago This Week – 1954
In celebration of opening a shop at 6952 Madison Ave., Swengle Ice Cream Store featured a buy one, get one free special on all of its fountain treats.
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Harry Tilson’s Orchestra was scheduled to perform at the St. Roch Catholic Youth Organization’s ball at Lake Shore Country Club, where Louis Annee Jr. and Barbara Kuhn would be crowned king and queen.
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Ground was broken for St. Francis Hospital’s $12 million expansion, which would improve the X-ray, surgical and emergency centers and provide residence quarters for Franciscan sisters who worked at the hospital.

Fifty Years Ago This Week – 1964
Harlow Hickenlooper, the local host of “The Three Stooges” television show, was going to make a special appearance at Indianapolis Public School 31’s spring bazaar and fish fry.
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The folks from General Electric erected a huge “bubble tent” at Southern Plaza so J.C. Brill Appliances could host a sale that featured 23-inch console televisions for $158 and 19-inch portable sets for $112.88 with a trade.
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The Perry Township elementary school under construction in the 400 block of East Stop 11 Road would be named in honor of five-star Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who had recently died.
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Safeway Quality Foods, 1202 Prospect St., advertised pork chops for 59 cents a pound; pork roast, 39 cents a pound; 20 pounds of potatoes, 99 cents; and seven cans of applesauce for $1.
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The starting pay in Perry Township Schools for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree was $5,150.

Forty Years Ago This Week – 1974
The PTA of Burkhart Elementary was planning its 17th annual home and garden tour, which featured the residences of Mr. and Mrs. C.G. Antcliff, Mr. and Mrs. Jay Denny, Mr. and Mrs. Winston Hawkins, Mr. and Mrs. R.E. Laughlin, Dr. and Mrs. E.H. Massey, Jackie McCarthy, Mrs. and Mrs. Gordon Zeider and Mr. and Mrs. John Dallas.
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Officials from Indiana Central College were reviewing their blueprints for a $6.25 million library and media center.
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Charles Sonnenberg, vice president of Kennedy Tank and Manufacturing, was elected to head the Steel Tank Institute, which represented companies that fabricated vessels of all sizes.
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Manual seniors and twins Mark and Tonya Campbell were crowned king and queen of the school’s pow-wow dance.

Thirty Years Ago This Week – 1984
William “Don” Payton and Robert Lee Marley announced their candidacies for the Indianapolis School Board. Marley a graduate of Indiana State University, considered himself a “bright, young, highly visible and energetic candidate who was concerned with the total educational process of the present and future generations.”
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Residents of Carriage Estates, near Stop 11 Road and Shelby Street, were holding their second annual neighborhood garage sale.
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Harold P. Jordan, a 1929 graduate of Southport, was named the school’s inaugural Alumnus of the Year. He had been a state and national figure in the promotion of farmers cooperatives for many years.
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Dorothy Reinacker Monroe was named Manual’s Alumnus of the Year. She graduated from the high school in 1944 and earned her bachelor’s degree from Butler four years later. A longtime teacher at Manual, she and her husband, Harry, had two daughters, Peggy Standish and Mari Monroe.

Twenty Years Ago This Week – 1994
Tri-Land Properties purchased Southern Plaza and announced that it would invest $4 million in the shopping center over the next two to three years. The center suffered from a 37 percent vacancy rate.
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Erica Conway, Morgan Landis, Amy Fiedman, Breanne Stroub and Kelli Bush from Dancedreams Studio took honors in tap, ballet and jazz during a regional dance competition. They were pupils of Jenna Casselman.
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Matt Tebbe and Kristen Conkin starred in Roncalli’s production of “Guys and Dolls.”
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Politicians Mike Murphy, Larry Buell, Norman E. Clampitt, Jack Cottey, Chuck Stumpf, Rich Eskew and Dan Burton pleaded their cases through ads on why they should be elected to various offices.
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Perry Township’s 10-year-old AAU basketball team from Burkhart and MacArthur elementary schools completed its season with a fine showing in the state tournament. The squad featured Jay Sandefur, Nick Heneger, Robert Funk, Rob Cox, Scott Wenclewice, Billy Sering, Brandon Moore, Matt Hogan, Kirk Cothran, Ross Baron, Cody Bell, Eric Vargas, Scott Hensly and coaches Ed Vargas, Paul Weaver and Bruce Moore.

Ten Years Ago This Week – 2004
A van veered off of the 1100 block of East Thompson Road and crashed into Perry Township Fire Station No. 1. The damage wasn’t extensive, and the motorist was transported to Methodist Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.
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Editor Jerry Cosby reported on his 15-minute flight in a Black Hawk helicopter over Indianapolis.
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Erick Reisinger, son of Rick and Reisinger, attained the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest honor attainable in Scouting. He achieved the distinction after organizing a coat drive for the homeless.
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Dani Sylvester and Nick Stanton were crowned queen and king at Southport’s prom. Other members of the court were Eric Bockelman, Brent Rosenburg, Brian Cairns, Andy Busch, Jimmy DuPriest, Rachel Kriese, Whitney Dulla, Jennifer Zinser, Elana Knight and Kim Rhodes.
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The first recorded pair of bald eagles nesting in Indianapolis produced the city’s first eaglets. Department of Natural Resources photographer John Maxwell confirmed two chicks in the nest at Southwestway Park. A second nest had been sighted on the Southwestside near the White River.

Sixty Years Ago This Week – 1954
An estimated 3,000 children showed up for the annual Easter egg hunt at Garfield Park. Because the crowd was so huge, many tots went home with empty Easter baskets. Organizers expressed their apologies and promised that it wouldn’t happen again ... “if we can prevent it.”
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The Perry Township Republican Club held an old-fashioned pitch-in dinner at Southport High School.
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Dick Lewis opened Reliable Radio & TV Service at 2711 Shelby St. He carried televisions, appliances and a large stock of popular, classic and hillbilly recordings.

Fifty Years Ago This Week – 1964
The Rev. Urban Habig returned to his home parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus to celebrate his 60th year as a priest. Born in 1881, he was one of 14 children.
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Candidates in Manual’s all-school popularity contest were James Wheeler, Francis Alice Smith, Ronald McBridge, Teresa Oliver, Richard Cooper, Diane Eichoff, Denzil Throckmorton and Carol Willsey. The event was being held in conjunction with the school’s annual pow-wow, which featured food, games, a sock hop and a vaudeville show. 
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Clearance items at Woolworth’s Fountain Square store included quart mixing bowls for 10 cents, artificial orchids, 5 cents; ladies bathing suits, $3.97; and a dozen diapers, $1.67.

Forty Years Ago This Week – 1974
Louis A. Weiland, a long-time attorney and Boy Scout volunteer, was named Manual’s Alumnus of the year. He graduated in 1924 and went on to play basketball and swim for Indiana University. He was active in politics and at St. John’s United Church of Christ.    
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The W-1 Bullets won the peewee basketball tournament at Baxter YMCA. Team members were Jimmy Alexander, Steve Clements, Bradley Ford, Steve Engleman, Keith Kinnick, Ricky Burgett, Jerry Eder, Jeff Clements, Mike Meyer, Brent Schieb, Steve Blount, Danny Ball and coaches Mike Clements and Paul Engleman.
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Girl Scout Troop 1027 members Robin Kelsey, Vickie McCullah, Lisa Callahan, Angela Doty, Phyllis Wolfe, Sherry Davis and Nadine Faulkner hosted a rummage sale to help fund their camping excursions.
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Mike Merkel and Steve Studing, both of whom attended St. Roch Gade School, were named to the dean’s list at St. Joseph Franciscan Seminary in Oak Brook, Ill. They were the sons of Mr. and Mrs. Urban Merkle and Mr. and Mrs. Joe Suding, respectively.

Thirty Years Ago This Week – 1984
Holy Rosary Church announced a series of celebrations to commemorate its 75th anniversary. The church was founded May 2, 1909, by the Rev. Mario Priori to serve immigrant Italian Catholics who had settled in the area. Also observing its 75th anniversary was St. Catherine of Siena Church.
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The Perry Township Democrat Club named Carl Hinds as its Democrat of the Year for 1983. The award was presented by club president Harold Niehaus, Congressman Phil Sharp and Margaret Schattner, a candidate in the House District 52 primary.
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Margaret LaGrotto, her daughter, Lisa, and Margaret’s sister, JoAnn Murello, departed Indianapolis International Airport to meet up with Lisa’s brother, Tony, who had been teaching in Madrid, Spain, for the past year.
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Six-year-old ballerina Kristin Grubbs, daughter of Steven and Jan Grubbs, won a blue ribbon in the Indianapolis Showcase Talent Contest and qualified for the state finals.

Twenty Years Ago This Week – 1994
Construction on Wishard Hospital’s new Fountain Square Community Health Center in the 1400 block of Shelby Street was scheduled to start soon. The facility would house 12 examination rooms to accommodate pediatrics, general medicine and OB-GYN care.
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Martha Via, Elza Chaney and Ruth Smith, all teachers at Raymond F. Brands IPS 65 near the University of Indianapolis, announced that they were retiring.
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Roncalli students Dawn Wessell, John Hollowell, Stephanie Rizzi, Kevin Finn, Walker Alte, Julie Lynch, Ruth Davis, Chris Browning, Chris Perkins and Jay Allen participated in the Central Indiana Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
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Mary Bryan fifth-graders Ashley Entwhistle, Erika Heiney, Jennifer Rhodes, Jordan Heid, Jessica Elliot and Rusty Eikstein wrote an opera titled “You Don’t Know What It’s Like” and were anxious to stage it for their schoolmates.

Ten Years Ago This Week – 2004
The Kiwanis Club of Indianapolis presented scholarships to 10 seniors at Southport for showing the most improvements in their grades. The top honoree was Neil Weitzel, who received the $5,000 Dunhan Scholarship, which was named in honor of Southport alumnus Tom Dunham. The winners of $1,000 grants were Leah Averitt, Ashley Coe, James DuPriest, Heather Glascock, Laura Pabody, Ashley Roberts, David Rosenburg, Doug Schouten and Jennifer Zinser.
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“Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed” was the most popular movie at the box office. “The Ladykillers” with Tom Hanks and Marlon Wyans attracted the second most amount of viewers, and “The Passion of the Christ” with James Caviezel and Monica Belluci came in third.
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St. Roch’s fourth-grade volleyball team won its division in the Catholic Youth Organization. Team members were Sara Knott, Alexandria Commier, Khristine Ratz, Toni McQueen, Alexandria Annee, Katie Furguson, Taylor Johnson, Jessica Hayden, Amy Lorenz and coaches Karen “BDA” Kiefer, Teresa McQueen and Melanie Annee.
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Pat McCormick, Joan Daniel, Soni Scaggs, Corrine Bush, Virginia Zorman, Mary Sue Lantz, Pat Druetzler and Wilma Jordan were preparing for the 45th annual meeting and luncheon of the Indianapolis Symphony Women’s Committee South Group. Frances Harman and Sally Kriner, two of the club’s founding members, would be honored during the program.
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Brian Carter, a 1981 graduate of Southport, announced his Republican candidacy for state representative in the District 90 primary. A graduate of Indiana and Butler universities, he and his wife, Maria, had two children, Shawn and Nicole.

Sixty Years Ago This Week -- 1954
A dozen grapefruits cost 50 cents (they were a buck apiece at Kroger over the weekend) at Natalie’s Fruit Market, 1112 Prospect St., where apples and bananas cost 10 cents a pound.
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Bill Springer, who had five children, two dogs, a couple of birds and a big heart for every hungry critter in his neighborhood, was holding a three-day celebration at his Sunoco station at the corner of East and Raymond streets, where he was promoting a new high-grade gas. As part of the gala, he was giving away gifts to all of his customers 
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In recognition of National Hardware Week, Scherrer Hardware Co., 1247 Madison Ave., was holding a big sale. “We have stocked up on precision-built home workshop gear,” owner Leo B. Scherrer said. “Amazing bargain prices are in effect.”

Fifty Years Ago This Week – 1964
Sen. Barry Goldwater, considered the front-running Republican candidate for U.S. president, was going to make his only pre-primary speech in Indiana at Southport Fieldhouse.
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Possman Paint and Wallpaper, which had operated at 2751 Brill Road for 15 years, expanded its domain by opening a shop at Southern Plaza, 4200 S. East St.
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Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.’s new branch at 3645 S. East St. was managed by Andrew L. Truden.
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Shelby Street Hardware, 1325 Shelby St., was going out of business, and no reasonable offer was refused on any item. Paint had been marked down to $1.96 a gallon, and leaf rakes cost 69 cents.
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Home Beverage, 418 E. Troy Ave., would deliver beer, whiskey, wine and gin to your home from 8 a.m-11 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays. While there was no delivery charge on orders of $5 or more, a 25 cent fee applied to those less than $5.

Forty Years Ago This Week – 1974
The Marion County basketball tournament for Lutheran grade schools was won by Lutheran Memorial for the fourth consecutive year. The seventh- and eighth-grade team had a record of 14-2 and featured Buddy Kittrell, Kevin Meyer, Ronnie Parks, Jon Kittrell, Steve George, Randy Skipworth, Alan Blazek, Brad Woempner, Bobby Bohannonm, Mike Willimas, Eric Klemm, Ronny Eader and coach Larry Blazek. 
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Championship Wrestling was coming to Center Grove High School, where the card would feature “Pretty Boy” Bobby Heenan, Mitsu Arakawa, Pepper Gomez, Mark Manson and Kim Duk. Ringside seats cost $4; youth and general admission seats were $1 and $2, respectively.
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Ten beautiful roses at Flowers and Gifts by Steve, 3129 E. Thompson Road, cost $2.49.

Thirty Years Ago This Week – 1984
The front-page Easter message stated: “Just as spring heralds the rebirth of nature, so does Easter herald the rebirth of mankind in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Lord.”
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The Iowa Street Block Club celebrated its sixth anniversary with a dinner and musical entertainment at Ernie Pyle Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1120, 1850 S. East St.
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Terri Lynn Beaver, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter E. Beaver, was engaged to Clark R. Mayfield, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Mayfield. The bride-to-be was a senior at Southport, and the future groom, a graduate of Southport and Indiana Business College, was an accountant for H.H. Gregg.
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The Troopers, a fifth-grade vocal and performing troupe at MacArthur Elementary, staged the opera “Pirates of the Penzance” for the school’s PTA. Joy Donoho, Brian Barett and Kim Reed were among the performers, who were directed by Janette Morgan.

Twenty Years Ago This Week – 1994
Ann Cory Bretz was named Manual’s Alumnus of the Year. She graduated in 1941 and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana and Purdue universities, respectively. A professor of humanities and chairman at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago from 1966-81, she was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in religion and literature from the University of Chicago Divinity School.
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Dr. Richard A. Williams, the University of Indianapolis’ 26-year theater director was retiring. His last work would be the dinner theater production of “One Voice,” which he wrote with his daughter. The cast included Criss Spicer, Andrew Kelley, Chris Ray, Steven Matejcek, Sherri Bostwick, Mary Millman, Jenni White, Christie Seacott, Julie Dietrich and Lisa Hulick.
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St. Jude Grade School’s wrestling team won its second consecutive Catholic Youth Organization championship as Mike Shaw, Greg Dant and Mike Ardizzone defended their 1993 titles. Claiming his first championship was Eddie Ahaus. Mike Ardizzone also won the Leo J. Mahoney Award for mental attitude and scholarship.
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A report issued by “News USA” depicted how rough life was for the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) on the Pine Ridge Indiana Reservation in South Dakota. Nearly 87 percent of the adults were unemployed, and only 30 percent of the homes had indoor plumbing. The land that was once home to Crazy Horse now included the poorest county in the United States. 

Ten Years Ago This Week – 2004
Darrell Scott, father of a Columbine High School (Littleton, Colo.) shooting victim, addressed students at Southport High.
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Manual students Jeff Vardiman, Michael Foster, Tracy Nims Jr., Pablo Navarreet, Holly McCorkle, Jude Guerrero and Felicia Craig and Franklin Central’s Benjamin Shepherd took tops honors in the American Red Cross’ art contest, which promoted the dangers of secondhand smoke.
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Perry Township Schools named Deanna Applegate, Nancy Miller, Maria Deese, Rita Leeper, Thresia Taylor and Joe Leonard as its Support Personnel of the Year.
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Beech Grove Mayor Joe Wright, who had been in office only 90 days, reported on the city’s dire financial situation and blamed it on the previous administration for underfunding the budget by more than $700,000. 
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Indy Parks ranger and Roncalli graduate Phil Greene and his German shepherd, Storm, patrolled the city’s parks with watchful eyes. Greene was a sworn officer of the Indianapolis Police Department and held arrest powers just like any other law enforcement officer. He and his wife, Marti Greene, had two sons, Anthony and Nick.  

Fifty Years Ago This Week – 1954
Grocery specials for the week included 5 pounds of flour for 49 cents, 3 pounds of ground beef for a buck, Easter hams for 59 cents a pound and a can of pork and beans for 10 cents.
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Coburn Chevrolet moved to its new location at 535 S. Illinois St. and hosted a grand reopening celebration, which warranted a huge front-page headline in all capital letters.
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A brand-new Ford Tudor was advertised for $1,796 at Harry A. Sharp Co., 443 Virginia Ave. A 1950 four-door Cadillac was listed for $1,895 at Kesler Car Co., 233 W. Morris St.

Fifty Years Ago This Week – 1964
The Revs. Fred C. McCoun and Jerry Deffenbaugh hosted a mortgage-burning party at Southport Christian Church, 101 E. Epler Ave.
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Construction on the Southside YMCA at 7900 Shelby St. was progressing well. The outdoor pools were finished, and the building was taking shape.
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George Coldren, Shirley Fulcher and Wally Williams from the Southport Lions Club were preparing for their huge bulb sale.

Forty Years Ago This Week – 1974
The Police League of Indiana named Marion County Sheriff Lee R. Eads as its Officer of the Year.
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Mechanics with the Fire Department Repair Shops saved taxpayers $45,000 by rebuilding a fire truck as opposed to buying a new one. The existing one was rebuilt for $8,000 and met or exceeded all of the rigid specifications set forth by the city. The mechanics and body men were Jim Tobin, John Boyce, Joe Wilkerson, Truman Knight, Ansel Shipley, Robert Meister, James Shea, James Blytghe, Glen Nelson, Charles Garner, Robert Goodrich, Lal Milliner, Robert Marqua and Carl Edwards. 
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Thousands of worshippers were expected to attend the 37th annual Sunrise Service at Southport Fieldhouse. The program, believed to be the oldest continuous community event of its kind in central Indiana, was launched in 1937 by Blanch E. Penrod, a former teacher and dean at Southport High School.
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Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting “The Last Supper” was going to be re-enacted at Friedens United Methodist Church. The apostles would be played by Fred Raker, Kenneth Marshall, James Luckey, Thomas Brehob, Charles Cambridge, Dan Schultheis, Vernon Bertram, John Howell, Randy Cambridge, Jeff Cambridge, Donald Winkelmeier and David Van Heyingen. The Rev. Martin E. Marheine provided the narration. The article didn’t mention who would portray Jesus.
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A 1-pound chocolate Easter bunny cost 88 cents at Murphy’s in Fountain Square, where jelly beans were 33 cents pound.

Thirty Years Ago This Week – 1984
L.S. Ayres in Downtown opened its Bunny Barnyard for the 29th year. The store’s auditorium came to life with a cow, a pig, goats, a turkey, hens, a pony, dogs and cats, and children could watch baby chicks being hatched.
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Roncalli graduate Greg Cunningham was a member of the Ball State track team and competed in the hurdles and sprints.
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The Sycamore Ice Skating Club presented “Kaleidoscope on Ice.” Michele Sauer, Dana Holder, Sara Hardin, Joan Navarro, Laura Wright, Nancy Huebner, Barbara Rector, Andrea Johnson and Lisa Kenninger were among the performers.
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Stage 1 Dance Academy was preparing for its annual dance revue at Manual High School, where Vicki Snodgrass, Allissa Veros and Stacy Shaeffer would be the featured dancers.

Twenty Years Ago This Week – 1994
Garfield Park was in store for a $9 million renovation project, which called for restoring the Sunken Gardens, the conservatory, the pagoda and the amphitheater, building a recreational and aquatic center, paving the roads and creating new entrances along Southern Avenue. 
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Southport High’s basketball legends, including former Indiana All-Stars Louie Dampier, Jim Krivacs and Linda Mallender, were returning to the hardwood in an old-timers game to help the school celebrate its 100th anniversary. The coaches would feature past and present Southport mentors: Blackie Braden, Rich Theil, Bill Springer, Marilyn Ramsey and Denise McClanahan. 
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Perry Meridian High School students Jeremiah Jordan, Darla Rewers, Damien Forkner, Teresa Lo, Amber Hanley, Jessica Ewing, Chris Brunson, Rhiannon Sweet, Matt Smith and Holly Haffling discussed their recent trip to Paris.
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Roncalli graduate Ray Shelburn was facing Anthony Debardelabon in the 165-pound championship bout of the Indiana Golden Gloves tournament. Shelburn was competing in the open division and was a novice champ last year.

Ten Years Ago This Week – 2004
Correction: In last week’s column, the item about the Recreational Fish Club of Purdue should have stated that Ken and Phil Wetzel graduated from Southport.
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Memoriams were placed for Hershell and Josephine Adams, Hank Butler, Keith A. McClanahan Jr. and Violet Wallace.
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Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology seniors John Amt and Nick Hritsko were awarded the Greek Leader of the Year Awards from their fraternities, Lamda Chi Alpha and Delta Sigma Phi, respectively. 
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Grumpy Ed’s, corner of Southport and Bluff roads, celebrated its fifth anniversary with a variety of drink specials, including Jell-O shots for 50 cents.
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The Indy Southside Bulldogs baseball team won the U.S. Specialty Sports Association’s Midwest qualifying tournament in Murray, Ky. The squad consisted of Andy McClean, Bradley Schaler, Johny Slivka, Zack Rohn, Austin Begley, Daulton Capps, Evan Layer, Keaton Schilling, Steven Sullivan, Joe Ardizzone and coaches Bob Slivka, Tim Schilling and Tony Ardizzone. 
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Margaret Hiatt retired from the Card & Gift Gallery at Southern Plaza after working 22 years for owner Jack Kahrs.