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November 26th, 2014

11/26/2014

Sixty Years Ago This Week – 1954
Sonja Poppaw was elected president of Manual’s junior class. Other officers were L. Dee Collins, vice president; Susan James, secretary; and Sue Calvert, treasurer.
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About 41 percent of the 1953 graduating class from Indianapolis Public Schools entered college. From available statistics, it was believed that that percentage was about twice the national average.
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Seven seniors at Indiana Central College were named to the 1954-55 edition of “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.” The honorees were Ann Liechty and Betty Burch, both Southport graduates, Mayme Ewert, J. Paul Hunter, Maryrose Patton Lynch, Thomas E. Pots and Paul Sites.
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Deluxe hamburgers and fish sandwiches with slaw and fries cost 50 cents at Higgin’s Restaurant, 2206 Shelby St.

Fifty Years Ago This Week – 1964
Santa Claus was making his grand arrival at G.C. Murphy’s in Fountain Square.
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Sandra Wagner, a graduate of Southport High and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald L. Kautsky, received her stewardess wings from United Airline Training School in Chicago.
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Portable dishwashers, full-width freezers and 23-inch color TVs were advertised for $158, $128 and $399 (with trade-ins), respectively, at J.C. Brill Appliances in Southern Plaza.
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Billed as “a complete meal for hungry Americans,” the Triple Treat at Burger Chef featured a hamburger, an extra-thick milkshake and an order of golden fries for 45 cents.
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John Koch Furniture, 826 Virginia Ave., was holding a going-out-of business sale.
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Described as “delicious, jumbo and pure ground beef,” hamburgers at Henry’s Drive-In, 3545 S. East St., were on sale for 10 cents.

Forty Years Ago This Week – 1974
Correction: In last week’s column I wrote that Lorn Kidwell started Recommended TV at the corner of Madison Avenue and Thompson Road. That is not correct. The company was founded by Joseph K. Ake and Paul Summers (Kidwell’s brother-in-law). Thanks to Susan VanMeter Whitman, one of Ake’s 22 grandchildren, for bringing this oversight to my attention.
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Coached by Bob Wright, Baxter YMCA’s girls gymnastics team was going to perform during halftime of the boys basketball game between Southport and Tech high schools. The gymnastics squad featured Jill Donoho, Amy Elkins, Jill Hiedecker, Kerri Prentice, Amy Wright, Sherri Wrightmeyer, Debbie Annee, Katrina Fair, Jennifer Mills, Linda Neu, Kim Smith, Cindy Wetzel, Julie Hubble, Trela Jenson, Dianne Mahan, Karly Schmidt, Tracy Smith, Michelle Watts, Candy Elkins, Paula Carter, Lisa Kight, Patty McIllveen, Susie Mull and Joyce Williams.
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The Hill Valley Homeowners Association held its annual meeting at St. Barnabas Catholic Church, where Sgt. Jack Munn from the Marion County Sheriff’s Department discussed how to thwart home burglary and vandalism.
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Brand-new two-door Capris were advertised for $3,197 at Crossroads Lincoln-Mercury, 4015 S. U.S. 31.
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Ayr-Way was offering free baby-sitting from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. the Friday after Thanksgiving. Free coffee would be served from 9-11 a.m.

Thirty Years Ago This Week – 1984
The Madison Avenue Flower Shop at 2457 Madison Ave. and 700 N. U.S. 31, Greenwood, was holding its 36th annual Christmas open house.
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The Target store at 3700 S. East St., closed its doors one evening to all customers except senior citizens and disabled people so they could shop in a crowd-free environment, which featured free gift wrapping, Christmas carolers and pictures with Santa.
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U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar was speaking at West Morris Street Free Methodist Church.
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Cleary Sweeper was holding its after-Christmas sale before Christmas.
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Astronaut Sally Ride was going to discuss her flight on the Space Shuttle when addressing the Network of Women in Business at Hyatt Regency Downtown.

Twenty Years Ago This Week – 1994
Meridian Interiors, an upscale home decorating business at 1120 N. State Road 135, Greenwood, celebrated its grand opening. Owned by Dianne Mohr, LaDonna Rue, Lois Miller, Nancy E. Anders and Deborah Noland, the shop featured a full line of bedroom, kitchen, dining room and living room furniture, accessories, rugs, wallpaper and gift items.

Joseph Surface, a graduate of St. Joseph’s College, was named manager of the Peoples Bank branch at Greenwood Place.
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Heidenreich Greenhouses, 502 E. National Ave., was holding a buy-one-get-one-free special on bags of cow manure and top soil. The shop also had a huge selection of red, white, pink and peppermint poinsettias.
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Among respondents in a statewide poll of people who followed college basketball, 49 percent listed Indiana University as their favorite team; 20 percent had no preference. Purdue ranked at 10 percent and Notre Dame at 4 percent. Nearly 50 percent said Bob Knight was an excellent coach; 25 percent said Gene Keady was a great mentor.
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Damien Forkner, a Perry Meridian senior who was representing the 10th Congressional District, was named a finalist in the National Science Scholars Program.

Ten Years Ago This Week – 2004
American Legion Post 355 dedicated its new home at 7610 S. Meridian St. Post members and guests on hand for the flag-raising ceremony were Bob Herzog, Bill Firkins, Robert Flynn, Phyllis Clark and Ed Painter.
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Holy Name Church in Beech Grove celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special Mass. Afterward, 300 guests attended a ceremony and reception, during which approximately 100 original members were honored.
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In a rematch of the 1985 Class 3A state football championship game, Roncalli was facing Wawasee for the 4A crown. The Rebels (12-2) reached the title game by upsetting previously unbeaten Columbus 15-14.
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Jessica Adams was named manager of Leather & Lace Beauty Salon, 5212 Madison Ave. She was assisted by stylists Nancy Baker, Pam Stockdale-Garman, Nancy Kammerer-Alexander and Vonda Luster.
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Sherry Moloy and Jessica Hackworth opened Muscle Matters Therapeutic Massage at 360 S. Madison Ave., Greenwood.

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November 19th, 2014

11/19/2014

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Sixty Years Ago This Week – 1954
According to the Associated Press, the Bald Head Club of America named a committee to investigate fees charged by barbers. It was the committee’s contention that barbers should charge by the hair, not the head.
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The Naval Ordinance Plant Dramatic Club hosted a variety show that featured singing, dancing, comedy, magic and hypnotism at Wood High School. Admission was 50 cents.
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Windsor’s, a variety store, was opened by Pete and Perry Windsor at 1635 Meridian St. The shop carried clothes for men, women and children, toys, novelties and school supplies.

Fifty Years Ago This Week – 1964
Edgewood School was celebrating its 50th anniversary. A picture of the school’s first principal/teacher, Mrs. Era Smith, and her pupils was published. Paul L. “Pete” Bailey, the current principal, was in his 26th year of leading the school.
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Frozen turkeys were advertised for 35 cents a pound.
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Nancy Jo Walker and Della Barton from Camp Fire Girl District IV were preparing for their fall candy sale.
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According to 4-H statistics, 60 percent teenage girls and 40 percent of teenage boys had poor diets. Also, more than 50 percent of teens flunked their fitness tests.
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Jumbo strawberry, chocolate and vanilla shakes cost 25 cents at Burger Chef.

Forty Years Ago This Week – 1974
The Rev. Victor H. Schoen, who had just completed a 17-year pastorate in Highland, Ill., was the new pastor at Garfield Park United Church of Christ. He and his wife had a son who was a newsreel photographer for Channel 13.
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Lorn Kidwell, founder of Recommended TV, joined the sales staff at Pennington Line Realtors, 2724 Madison Ave.
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The basic pay for new enlistees in the Army was increased to $344 a month.

Thirty Years Ago This Week – 1984
Indianapolis Public School 39 Principal D. Eugene Bennett was named Marion County Principal of the Year by the Indiana Association of Elementary School Principals. He was known for his community mindedness and such noteworthy activities as transporting the elderly to stores, assisting in Boy Scout projects and “adopting” troubled students for weekend field trips.
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The following quip was published: “Paying taxes goes to a good cause: It keeps you out of prison.”
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Nearly 600 students attended the Falcons Against Drinking and Drugs party at Perry Meridian. Club sponsor Cindy Bertram said the get-togethers were proof that youths could have a good time without alcohol or drugs.
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Southport High School teacher Marvin Hawkins was inducted into the Indiana High School Wrestling Hall of Fame.
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Members of Southport’s basketball team were Rick Thoben, Todd Hottell, Brian Bunnell, Kevin Whitlock, Bob Callahan, Aaron Strader, Chris Toliver, Kent Deger, Scott Dean, Dave Magee, Rick Butler, Dave Thomas, Jim Bushur and manager Todd Gibbs.

Twenty Years Ago This Week – 1994
Roncalli volleyball coach Kathy Nalley-Schembra was named Metro Coach of the Year for the fifth time by The Indianapolis Star. Schembra, in her 23rd year as coach, guided the Rebels to a 25-10 record en route to capturing city, sectional and regional titles.

Perry Township Schools couldn’t decide how to use the former Southport Middle School. One idea was a complex that would house the district’s administrative offices, an alternative school and a recreational center.
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The Spotlight published the 500th cartoon strip of “Dobbs Ferry,” which was introduced in 1983 by Dr. Joe Daly.
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As part of its canned food drive, Greenwood Library accepted nonperishable items in lieu of cash to pay the fines for overdue materials.
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Roncalli senior Emily Steinmetz signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Eastern Michigan University.

Ten Years Ago This Week – 2004
Clinton Young Elementary student council members Josue Cuevas, Katelyn Cope, Marissa Hackler, Cayla Polston, Taylor Mooney, Kaleigh Freeman, Nichole Kessinger, Nia Wallace, Jesse Lynn, Logan Collis and Brandon Miller visited Riley Hospital for Children.
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Led by Jason Werner’s four interceptions – one which was returned for the winning touchdown – Roncalli’s football team defeated Mooresville 20-16 to advance to semistate action, where the Rebels (11-2) would meet Columbus North (13-0) .
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Southport residents David Camp, Tyler Quear, Alex Kriese and Michale Gearhart were among nearly 600 Mini-Marathon enthusiasts who attended the Jump the Gun event at St. Francis Hospital, where prospective runners got a jump-start on their training.
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Chad Potts and Bobby Butler opened Chad’s barbershop at 5556 Madison Ave.
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Wanamaker Elementary teacher Cindy Huffman was named Indiana’s Elementary School Physical Educator of the Year. She and her husband, Bob, a history teacher at Monrovia Junior-Senior High, had a son, Alan.

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November 12th, 2014

11/12/2014

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Sixty Years Ago This Week – 1954
Indianapolis Police Chief John Ambuhl threatened to take drastic action against high school boys who hitchhiked home from school. It was reported that the boys were disturbing traffic and even opening the doors of stopped vehicles and demanding rides.
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Reliable Super Service, the Southside’s newest gas station, was opened by F.W. VanFossen and Paul F. Shigley at 3485 Sumner Ave. Herb Bartlett was the manager, and Loren Ferguson was his assistant.
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An ultramodern luncheonette opened in G.C. Murphy’s in Fountain Square. The countertop-style diner featured 31 comfortable stools, and patrons could watch their meals being prepared.

Fifty Years Ago This Week – 1964
Friedens United Church of Christ moved to its new facility at 8300 S. Meridian St. The church had been located at Parkway and Alabama streets for 50 years.
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After five years of work and $800,000, the Southside YMCA finally opened its doors at 7900 Shelby St. The facility featured an indoor 75-yard pool, a gymnasium, a fitness center, a multipurpose room that seated more than 200 people, outdoor basketball and tennis courts, a football field and two baseball diamonds.
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Officials reported that 11,877 children attended Grades K through 12 in Perry Township. Of that number, 3,767 were enrolled in parochial schools.
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The Etch A Sketch, a hot Christmas toy, cost $2.67.

Forty Years Ago This Week – 1974
Ladies double knit acrylic pants were $5.44 cents a pair at G.C. Murphy’s, where a quart of oil cost 59 cents and misses and junior jeans were $4.44.
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More than 2,000 women, including mesdames Robert Sewall and George Kennedy were on a fundraising team for the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
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St. Mark Catholic School’s PTA was hosting a used clothing sale. Organizers included Bob Whitaker, Pat Courteau, Claire Slick, Micky Lentz and Pat Pekarek.
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Members of the Indianapolis Military Miniature and War Games Society held a demonstration of the Seven Years’ War next to JC Penny in Southern Plaza. The “battle” involved more than 1,500 figurines.

Thirty Years Ago This Week – 1984
Phil Spray, a fifth-grade teacher at Homecroft Elementary, received word that his original music composition was named one of the seven best in the worldwide competition sponsored by the Viola da Gamba Society of Japan.
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Michael Holzer achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. In doing so, he joined his father, Steve Holzer, in attaining the highest honor in Scouting.
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Compliments of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a surplus of nearly 500,000 pounds of cheese was distributed in Marion, Hendricks, Boone and Hamilton counties.
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Jeff Mercer, a 1978 graduate of Southport, was named coach of the school’s baseball team. He replaced John Dwenger.

Twenty Years Ago This Week – 1994
Fire destroyed the Noble Roman’s on East Southport Road and caused $300,000 in damage. Only the four walls were left standing. Perry Township fire investigator Mark Culver speculated that the blaze started in an attic above the ovens after smoldering for an hour or so before being discovered.
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Roncalli graduate Andrea K. Sauer was named volunteer chairwoman of the 44th annual Christmas Gift Life, which provided gifts to nearly 4,000 individuals who suffered from mental illnesses in Marion County facilities.
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Bob and Betty Schmaltz celebrated their sixth year of owning the Green Door Lounge, 711 E. Thompson Road, with a free buffet. The couple had owned the Cabaret Lounge, 3151 Madison Ave., in the 1970s.
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The Women’s Guild of Garfield Park United Church of Christ hosted a roast beef dinner and a Christmas bazaar. The organizing committee featured Mary Jenkins, Mary Trent, Marie Johnson, Edna Driver, Etta Atchison, Betty Zahn, Loreda Fisher, Bettie Hoenshel, Anna Mae Kindle and Dorothy Schakel.

Ten Years Ago This Week – 2004
In conjunction with the YMCA of Indianapolis celebrating its 150th birthday, Baxter Y, 7900 Shelby St., presented Larry Barrett, Seth Berger and Janet Cates with service plaques for their exceptional volunteer service.
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Patrick Korando, who attended Southport 6th Grade Academy, was honored by the Perry Township School Board for saving the lives of three small children (16, 19 and 36 months old) who were drowning in a retention pond.
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Greg and Debbie Truex, the parents of Melissa and Kyle, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a weekend getaway to Abe Martin Lodge in Brown County State Park. Mr. Truex was employed by the Internal Revenue Service. Mrs. Truex was a substitute teacher for Perry Township Schools and led a youth Bible study.
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The top movie at the box office was “Shark Tale,” which starred Will Smith and Robert DeNiro. “Friday Night Lights” (Billy Bob Thornton, Derek Luke) was second, followed by “Team America: World Police” (Trey Parker, Matt Stone) and “Shall We Dance?” (Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere)
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Gabe Ford, Davey Stone, Dylan Ingle and Patrick Fenn, members of the Lego robotics team at Winchester Village Elementary, were busy building robots for an upcoming competition.

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November 05th, 2014

11/5/2014

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Sixty Years Ago This Week – 1954
Bixler’s Appliance Co. at 4246 Madison Ave., celebrated its grand opening with a free pancake breakfast. Lawrence Bixler owned the shop and was formerly associated with the Webber Appliance Co. for many years.
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Madison Avenue Library, 1034 S. Alabama St., hosted a family movie night and showed “Canaries Are Fun,” “Legislative Process,” “Eskimo Children” and “Assignment in Tel Aviv.”
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St. James Catholic Church, 1156 E. Cameron St., hosted its annual turkey dinner, which attracted diners from all over the city.

Fifty Years Ago This Week – 1964
Cigarettes were 25 cents a pack.
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The grand prizes in the drawing being held by Tony Coppi, who owned Coppi Drugs, 2616 Madison Ave., were two bicycles with built-in twin headlamps, electric horns, chrome rims and fenders and whitewall tires. Editor George Cafouros laughingly said the bikes sounded nicer than his Toyota.
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Henry’s Drive-In at 3545 S. East St. served hot dogs for 12 cents, a bowl of chili for 30 cents and a three-piece chicken dinner for 74 cents.
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For connoisseurs of fried turtle (and who wasn’t one) – Sebree’s Tavern, 2536 S. Meridian St., served it every Friday.

Forty Years Ago This Week – 1974
The Rev. William P. Henline was installed as pastor of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. He and his wife, Cordelia, had five children.
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Manual Evening School offered professional gift wrapping classes.
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Dance students of Helene Charisse were rehearsing for their annual recital at Manual High School. Charisse and her 10 siblings – all dancers – were born in Paris and had performed in major theaters in Europe and Africa. When they came to the United States they were two-time guests of President Calvin Collidge at the White House.
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The following anecdote was published. “There’s a small town about 100 miles from Jackson, Miss., that’s having a lot of financial troubles. One councilman has come up with a brilliant solution: The town will secede from the United States, form a new country and then apply to the U.S. for foreign aid.”

Thirty Years Ago This Week – 1984
Editor Jerry Cosby reported on the death of Catholic Youth Organization activist Bill Kuntz. Cosby shared his admiration of Kuntz and closed his eulogy with the following thoughts: “They’re gonna bury Bill Kuntz on Thursday. His body that is. They’ll will never bury the spirit of Bill Kuntz. God love ya, Billy.”
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Dr. Diana L. Clark opened a family practice. The 1979 graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine completed her residency at St. Francis Hospital and was married to Steven Clark.
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Judy Pollard won the annual speech contest sponsored by the Greenwood Toastmasters Club. Johanna Navarre was the runner-up.
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Critics noted that Farrah Fawcett could now proudly claim the title of actress after starring in “The Burning Bed.” Her performance was seen as “totally believable in the highly unglamorous, demanding role.”

Twenty Years Ago This Week – 1994
Greenwood Charter Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association elected its officers: Linda Bell, president; Linda Knight, vice president; Karol Patterson, treasurer; and Brenda Thompson, secretary.
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American Eagle Flight 4184 crashed in a field near Roselawn, Ind., while in a holding pattern to land at O’Hare Airport. Ice buildup accumulated on the wings faster than the deicing boots could remove it, and the aircraft entered a spin from which the crew was unable to recover. All 68 people aboard died.
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Perry Township Fire Station No. 3 opened at 4155 E. Stop 11 Road. On hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony were Chief Bill Click, Capt. Ray Skipper, township Trustee Ed Buckley, board member Carolyn Grant, architect Robert Kennedy, Jack Pardue of Rotz Engineering and Mark and Patty Copp of Envirotech Construction.
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Former presidential candidate Michael Dukakis was one of the featured speakers at an IUPUI forum on “High Performance Government.”
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Immanuel United Christian Church celebrated the 100th anniversary of the construction of its sanctuary, which cost $12,500 and seated 450.

Ten Years Ago This Week – 2004
The Indy Sports Club Jaquars Special Olympics softball team won a gold medal at the Midwest Sports Complex. The squad featured Jessica Shaw, Jessica Riggs, Dustin Tucker, Curtis Kirkley, Steven Krug, Dominic Monroe, Travis Tucker, Mark Cantwell, Shannon Brinkers, Theresa Nunnally, Jason Williams, Andrea Alexander, Mark Johnson, Justine Antunes, assistant coaches John Shaw and Dan Antunes and coach Joe Bennet.
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Police were investigating the high-speed chase that resulted in a fatal crash at Emerson and Edgewood avenues. Marian Woempner was killed when the car she was driving was struck by Sgt. Clayton Clark’s cruiser. Clark had been pursuing Dewayne Wilson, who failed to stop for a property damage accident.
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Noah Mollett was pictured with his monstrous 5.5-pound sweet potato, which he had grown with “just a little bit of 12-12-12” on a small plot of ground on a bank of I-465 just east of Keystone Avenue.
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The football teams at Roncalli, Greenwood and Perry Meridian were playing for sectional championships. The Rebels (9-2) were in for a dogfight against parochial rival Cathedral (7-4), while the Woodmen were considered a long shot to defeat Mooresville (11-0). Perry (5-6) were given little to no chance of upsetting Ben Davis (9-2), which defeated the Falcons 49-0 for a sectional title last year.
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“Sportlights” columnist Ray Clifton amused readers with the following quote: “A female heckler yelled at renowned NBA referee Earl Strom, ‘Hey Earl, if you were my husband, I would feed you rat food.’ Strom replied, ‘If you were my wife, I’d eat it.’ ”

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November 26th, 2014

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B. Scott Mohr

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