PARAGON — Kenny Beaman has been a fixture at Paragon Elementary School since 1978. His father was head custodian at the time, and he worked with his father for the next 19 years. He also attended Paragon for fifth and sixth grade, a fact that surprises some students. “Now the kids really think that’s something,” said Beaman, now in his 60s. “They’ll look at me like, ‘Wow, you’re old.’” After his dad retired, he took over his father’s job, but the experience of working alongside his father is something Beaman relishes. “We had a lot of good times. And we used to kid and cut up, and if he wanted something done, he didn’t have to gripe at me to get it done, I just done it,” Beaman said. After becoming head custodian, he moved to the day shift, which is when he began interacting a lot more with students and staff. It’s one of the many reasons he’s become so beloved at the school. Cindy Schneck, a secretary at Paragon, has worked with Beaman for 18 years. She spoke highly about his positive attitude and willingness to help others. “He is just always ready to help anyone and everyone, no matter what the problem is. If he’s asked for help, he’s always ready to give a solution or solve the problem or take care of it with no hesitation on his part,” Schneck said. Paragon principal Tiffany Oswalt echoed Schneck’s comment about Beaman willingness to help others. “One of our teachers had a flat tire the other day, and he went ahead and helped her change that,” Oswalt said. “So those are some of the things that he would just do daily for teachers or parents that would come. He would go above and beyond to help them any way he can.” That’s why it was so important for the students and staff of Paragon to recognize and celebrate Beaman for his 40 years of service to the school. They surprised him with a party and cards created for him by students earlier this month. “It’s such an accomplishment to stay at a place for 40 years and be successful in your job. So we really wanted to celebrate him. Let him know that he’s appreciated,” Oswalt said. Beaman for his part was very touched by the gesture. “It was just something else. Like they had angel food cake, cookies and balloons in the teacher’s lounge,” Beaman said. “All the teachers was in there and they just made that the best day of my life. Like all the kids made me cards, and they was so nice.” Schneck is a member of the school’s social committee and helped to plan the festivities. “We just wanted to make sure that he received acknowledgment that he was deserved, and we decided just to have a little get together with the staff,” Schneck said. “And upon knowing how much he loved the kids here, we thought that it would be fun to receive cards from all of the children.” Oswalt said they surprised Beaman with the cards by telling him a teacher needed assistance. “We would tell him that there was snow falling in the windows and that the classroom teacher really needed him to help out because there was so much snow coming in,” Oswalt said. “We would just say jokes like that to get him to go to the classroom where the kids would surprise him and give him the cards.” Oswalt said that there were some students who didn’t quite understand what they were celebrating. “I heard some of the kids say ‘Happy birthday’ to him because they didn’t really understand the 40-year anniversary, but they knew that they were excited for him somehow,” Oswalt said. Beaman is tremendously beloved by the students at Paragon, when they see him students are quick to say hello. He builds a rapport with them as they pass each other in the hallway. “I like to kid with them, and they like to kid with me back,” Beaman said. That kidding involves playful teasing. He calls them “meanness” and “trouble,” and the kids will do the same back to him. “We just kind of kid with each other and things like that. Like if they’re coming down the hallway, I’ll chase them with a broom or something. And they really enjoy that,” Beaman said. Some kids are shyer than others. Beaman said that there are some he can’t even talk to without them crying. He works to put them at ease, he smiles at them and talks to them a little bit and then leaves them a lone for a little while. “Then they’ll get used to me, and then they’ll come back and start talking,” Beaman said. Beaman’s favorite part of the school year is the first semester, especially December. That’s when he has the most fun. “I really have a lot of fun with them little kids around Christmas. I can get them to be good. When they’re being bad, I’ll say, ‘Santa’s watching you,’ and then they’ll straighten up,” Beaman said. One time, he wore a hat that had lights on it and a star on top that flashed. He told students that it was Santa’s radar and that they were on a big screen television at the North Pole. “And I had them little kids waving at it. They thought they was on a big screen television,” Beaman said. Though head custodian is his title, Beaman fills many roles at Paragon. “I’m a dad, psychiatrist, doctor, nurse and all of it. If they need a Band-Aid, I’ll go take them to the clinic. I kid with them over that,” Beaman said. “If one of them comes up to me with a cut on his hand, I’ll say, ‘I’m a surgeon, I do surgery.’ They’ll look at me kind of funny, ‘No, you’re not.’” Psychiatrist might be his most important role, students feel comfortable opening up to him — a stable figure during times of instability outside of school. “If their parents have a fight or a falling out, they’ll tell me all about it,” Beaman said. “If a kid comes up and hugs me, that’s a sign that their parents are divorced or separated. And nine times out of 10, that’s right.” It makes him feel good to give students a little bit of comfort during a difficult period in their lives, and he does his best to help students through their struggle. “I talk to them a little bit. They’re pretty depressed. They’ll kind of liven up a little bit,” Beaman said. The students show their appreciation for Beaman in other ways, like giving him cupcakes and cookies and by creating art for him. “I’ve got a drawer full at home. They draw me stuff at Christmas and just because they felt like it. I always take it,” Beaman said. Beaman never married or had children of his own, so in a way, he plays the role of surrogate grandfather to the students at Paragon. And he loves them dearly, as if they were his own. Sometimes, when the students are in high school, they’ll return to visit. He doesn’t always recognize them, because they’ve grown a lot since elementary school. “And then they’ll tell me their name and I’ll remember,” Beaman said. “And I’ll especially remember the troublemakers.” Those interactions can make Beaman feel his age, but at the same time, it’s something that’s validating. It means he made a positive impact on them. “It makes me feel old and kind of makes me feel good that they still like me, stuff like that. Their parents, they love that, when the kids come back to me like that,” Beaman said. “I kid and cut up with the parents, too. And they’re about like the kids, they’re just big kids like me. I’m just a big kid, I get around these little kids, I just turn into one.” The summer is a time when custodians and maintenance work to clean schools and get them ready for the following school year, it’s also a time of a little sadness for Beaman. “I miss them like everything, about the second week of (summer vacation), it’s just like a morgue in here. It’s quiet. We get a lot done when they’re not here, but I’d rather have them here. I’d much rather have them here,” Beaman said. Forty years is a long time to work anywhere and Beaman shows no sign of stopping. He plans to keep working as long as he can because he loves his job so much, all the people — the students, staff and others — make it worthwhile. No day is the same and that keeps it fresh. “I love the kids and the teachers. They make it very nice for me and I got a nice principal,” Beaman said. “And I just love it.”

BROOKLYN Candice Foxworthy-Smits never expected her Brooklyn Reunion group to take off the way it did. What started off as a relatively small group of friends — 74 in Foxworthy-Smits’ social circle — has grown to include 496 people. The ages of the group range from young to old, including one member of the reunion group who is turning 93 in several weeks. “It’s a plethora of Brooklyn history, pictures, newspaper articles, Brooklyn school pics (and) pictures that date back from decades ago,” Foxworthy-Smits said. “I’m so very, very proud of what we have become.” The group was born out of tragedy. Two of Foxworthy-Smits’ close friends died unexpectedly within months of each other. She started the group as a way for people from Brooklyn to reach out to one another and reconnect. Initially, it was Foxworthy-Smits’ group of friends and their younger and older siblings. The first year of the group’s existence, they held a reunion in June. But the hot, humid weather wasn’t ideal for the reunion as many members of the group are elderly, so they decided to hold the event a little earlier the next year to avoid the heat. “It was even hotter, so we didn’t have as many come that year, and so we thought, ‘You know, October is going to be perfect,’” Foxworthy-Smits said. “So this year we’re having it in October, and we have a lot of things going on this year that I’m really excited about.” For this year’s reunion, the group will be collection donations for the Brooklyn Food Bank. “Our hometown food bank needs a lot of help. And every year, we try to focus on that food bank with donations,” Foxworthy-Smits “So this year, we decided, let’s make a couple of contests out of it. So we have like a free-throw contest, a cornhole contest.” There is an entry fee for those contests and that money will go to the Brooklyn Food Bank. To incentivize people to take part in the contests, Foxworthy-Smits has reached out to friends and acquaintances to get prizes, including a Hollywood actor. Josh Taylor, who was on “Beverly Hills 90210” and is now on “Days of Our Lives,” approached the soap opera’s publicity department about helping out his friend. They responded by sending Foxworthy-Smits three scripts autographed by the entire cast, as well as pictures and gift bags. “My friends at the Pacers were so taken by this story that they sent an autographed basketball and autographed hats gift bags,” Foxworthy-Smits said. Kristi Lee, another friend of Foxworthy-Smits, will provide items autographed by members of the Bob & Tom Show. Additionally Sallie Mae, the employer of Foxworthy-Smits, and Centerbrook Drive-In are also donating to the cause. “For whatever reason, our story really touched the hearts of people,” Foxworthy-Smits said. Along with the contests, there will be a DJ, crafts, activities for children and relay races. One of the relay races for the kids will have them wearing the size 18 to 20 shoes that belonged to Foxworthy-Smits’ ex-husband. The group will also be burying a time capsule that will be filled with a variety of photos, newspaper articles and other mementos of the past. Foxworthy-Smits said the experience of running the group and holding the reunions has been humbling. “I just wanted all of us to remember what we came from. I wanted to us to remember what it meant to grow up being a Brooklyn kid. And I just wanted for all of us to remember that. It has become something so much more than any of us ever knew,” Foxworthy-Smits said. “We didn’t know who was going to care for the history of our town. We had forgotten stories. We had forgotten so much, what it meant to be a Brooklyn kid.” “It was a very big reminder to us and we talk about it all the time that we got so much from being a Brooklyn kid. Brooklyn taught us so much about life, the true meaning of love and friendship, overcoming adversity, strength and courage, hard work.” She grew up an only child, but never felt that way because of all the friends she had — people who, though they weren’t related by blood, felt like her brothers and sisters. Brooklyn has also become a second home for her children; they regularly visited their mother’s hometown to see their maternal grandmother and trick-or-treated there with their friends. Foxworthy-Smits said that the town of Brooklyn has given so much to them, they view their reunion group as a way of giving back. The first year of the reunion, they donated an acrylic sign to Brooklyn Kids Park. The goal for this year is to fill up the shelter house at the park with food and other donations for the Brooklyn Food Bank. “We’re bound and determined that our group is going to fill up that shelter house,” Foxworthy-Smits said. The Brooklyn Reunion will take place from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday at Brooklyn Kids Park.

MARTINSVILLE Before the start of the biggest game of the season, a contest against Mid State Conference rival Decatur Central, Martinsville High School football coach Carter Whitson informed outside linebacker and senior T.J. McGraw that he was going to lead the team out on to the field. It was a significant gesture from Whitson — it was National Guard night and T.J. had joined that branch of the armed services in March. He spent his summer undergoing basic training in Fort Benning, Ga. and now he was going to lead his teammates out on to their home field carrying the American flag. “I was really excited about that, and it felt really good to do that,” T.J. said. The way T.J.’s father Chris puts it, they went from zero to 60 when it came to the McGraw family’s knowledge of the military. “We started looking into this in January and knew nothing, and by March 21, we knew everything there was to know about the military,” Chris said. “We met with all the recruiters from different branches and finding out the ins and outs and this seemed to work best with his wants, needs and desires and our wants, needs and desires. Kind of killed two birds with one stone.” March 21 was when T.J. turned 17-years-old and became eligible to sign up for military service. and he hit the ground running. Just days after he signed up, he had his first weekend drill in Evansville. Part of the appeal of the National Guard was the freedom it gave T.J. He could complete a year of military service while still in high school, and it would still permit him to attend the college of his choice next year. The National Guard is T.J.’s future, and it’s something he takes very seriously. His deployment date for basic training came in to conflict with sectionals for baseball. T.J. spoke to his coaches about the situation and chose to prioritize his service over playing sports. He made the same decision when it came to preparing for football season. “I was very impressed with his maturity in that decision because I know if it was me in high school, I would have been like, ‘Well, I wanna play football.’ But he saw the big picture. He’s always been able to do that — a very good young man,” Chris said. Chris speaks from experience. He played baseball and football when he was a student at Decatur Central High School. He loved sports so much he got a teaching degree in physical education. “(I) did my student teaching at Ben Davis, coached at Ben Davis (High School). I got to work with Dick Dullaghan, and that’s where I got the enthusiasm for coaching.,” Chris said. He’s also coached his son since he was very young and continues to coach him in high school. “They had a few coaching changes, and the new coaches asked me to come on, just a volunteer coach, but it’s something I’m passionate about and love and especially with him,” Chris said. “(I) gotta wear a coach’s hat and a dad hat, and I’ve had a lot of practice doing that.” He tries to not let his instincts as a father override his needs as a coach, so he tries to avoid directly coaching his son. One of the first things his former high school classmate and MHS baseball coach Jeff Scott asked him is if he’d be OK with coaching his son. “And I said, ‘Absolutely, I’m not gonna do it.’ (Jeff) said, ‘That’s the answer I wanted to hear,’” Chris said. By chance, his deployment orders changed right before sectionals and he was able to play in a sectional game. T.J. said his coaches are very understanding of his commitment and accommodate his needs. “I sometimes have to miss football and do my National Guard the one weekend a month, and my football coach is totally OK with that and he supports me and everything I do,” T.J. said. Basic training T.J. faced challenges this summer; it was his first time ever being that far away from home for so long by himself. “Mentally, it was pretty tough in the beginning. Like I was thinking at the beginning, ‘What did I get myself into?’” T.J. said. “Now that I look back on it, I’m really happy that I did it, and it has helped me be a lot better person.” That change is something Chris has noticed in his son — a greater drive and determination. “Basic training turned him from a boy to a man. I tell the difference, other people that I’ve talked to at school have definitely noticed the difference. It’s very eye-opening for me to see what the military has done for him,” Chris said. During his time in Georgia, T.J. took on a leadership role, which he said came about by happenstance. “I kind of fell into the leadership role because I took things more seriously than some of the other people, and I also had friends,” he said. “It was a group of people. We all took it a little bit more seriously than necessarily other groups.” Halfway through training, his friend and leader of the platoon lost his position as platoon guide and T.J. was given that role. “It was stressful at first, there were times — it’s funny — but I would wake up and I’d yell at people, thinking that something was going wrong,” T.J. said. “It was stressful at first, but I had a lot of fun doing it and being with my friends, too, that were also leaders.” Senior year T.J.’s plan for his senior year is pretty straightforward: play sports, honor his commitment to the National Guard, and prepare for his future. He’s currently looking to study at a state college and is considering Indiana University, Purdue University and Ball State University. He’s not yet sure what he wants to study but is leaning towards business. On weekends, he has drill in Evansville, and he wakes up at around 4 a.m. to make the drive down south. “And then we get there, we start doing classwork, we learn little things and things to help us when we go back to training,” T.J. said. “That whole Saturday, we work. We go to bed around 10 p.m. and wake up around 6 a.m., which is pretty late, compared to what basic is. We would wake up at 4 a.m. every day in basic. and then we’d do more classwork.” The next day, they do more work and typically finish up around 2 or 3 p.m. Next summer, he will have another stint of training in Georgia, and after that, he will join a unit and be eligible to help out with disaster relief situations. Joining the National Guard was a transformative decision for T.J. He’s grown as a person and leader. It’s also exposed him to people from different walks of life. “It helped me realize that there’s bigger things in life and there’s different kinds of people in life. I met a lot of different people with a lot of different situations than what I have,” T.J. said. “It helps me understand that some people have different problems, different strong suits. “I’m more open to people and more understanding because you never know what someone’s background is until you spend a whole summer with them and you get a lot closer with people. and now I realize that it helps me understand people a lot better and makes me a better person.”

FRANKLIN — Jackson De Poy loves sports, especially basketball and soccer. He comes from a family of diehard Indiana University fans, and his brother played on travel soccer teams and currently plays on the Mooresville High School soccer team. Since the spring, Jackson has been deeply involved with the Franklin College men’s soccer team. He’s been a steady fixture on the sidelines, cheering and admonishing members of the team as needed during practices, training sessions and games. The 17-year-old Mooresville resident has athetoid cerebral palsy, which he was diagnosed with during the first year of his life. On Wednesday, Jackson signed a National Letter of Intent and became a member of the team. He will continue to take part in team activities like practices, games, team dinners and other events. He was given team gear, posed for a team photo and celebrated with pizza after making it official. This was all made possible through the Franklin Men’s Soccer Program and Team IMPACT, a nonprofit that helps to connect children with serious or chronic illnesses to local college teams. “I heard about Team Impact through a young kiddo at the bowling alley, believe it or not, and his dad was telling me about this program, and I was like, ‘That’s the craziest thing I’ve heard,’” Jackson’s mother Lara De Poy said. “I’m an occupational therapist, and I never heard of program like this before. And so I checked into it a little bit and got the process started. Kind of didn’t know what to anticipate, and it is has been an amazing, amazing experience.” Cody Graman, the men’s soccer coach at Franklin, got an email from Team IMPACT asking if they’d be interested in including Jackson in the program. “I was like, ‘Of course we do, there’s no question about it.’ So we just emailed them back and got in contact with Jackson’s mom and kind of set it all up from there,” Graman said. Graman and team captains gave Jackson and his family a tour of the campus in the spring, giving them insight into the life of a college athlete. They got to see where the students lived and where they attended class. “We came and coach Cody and the five captains took us on a campus tour, which was amazing. They spent lots of time telling us about what the players do, where they go to classes — it was very personable,” Lara said. “I knew from that point that it was going to be an awesome experience because they really put everything into it.” Graman said Jackson’s positive attitude has an impact on the team. “We are happy to have Jackson as part of the program. For us, when we look at the 26 other guys that are part of the program as well, a big thing for us is attitude, and you can see every time Jackson shows up, he has a big smile on his face, ready to play,” Graman said. “I think it brightens a lot of guys’ days whether they have a bad game or they have a bad practice after just looking at Jackson puts a smile on their face.” Jackson assists the athletic trainers and plays the role of motivator; he lets his teammates know when they’re doing well and when they could step up their efforts. “Whether he yells at them because he doesn’t think they’re playing hard enough, which is an actual thing. So it’s good to have someone else say it beside myself, so they usually know if he says something, it’s going to pull some weight around,” Graman said. “We’re just extremely grateful to have Jackson as a part of this program, and as long as he wants to be a part, we’re going to take him on.” His teammates, like senior Trey Floyd, have embraced Jackson and the role he plays for the team. “Out at practice, if you’re having a real bad day, Jackson sits on the sideline, and he helps with water, and you come over, and he’s there to pick you up, and he’s there to really let you know what you’re doing wrong,” Floyd said. “He’ll hoot and holler at you and he’ll tell you. You just gotta tell him, ‘I’ll work on that, and I’ll work harder.’ And he keeps you going and gives you a little more motivation to work hard.” Graman said that he wants his players to be well-rounded, as there is life beyond soccer. “After your four years, your college soccer is over. You kind of want to broaden your horizons and make everything count and have the best experience that you can,” Graman said. “We think Jackson brings that to us. He helps us at our training sessions, he’s going to help us in every aspect of soccer and being part of the program.” Lara said she appreciates the way Jackson has been treated by the coaching staff and his teammates — that they weren’t focused on his disability but what he brings to the team. “You hear so much about exclusion and not inclusion, and I think for our family, it shows us that there are still people that are willing to open their minds and their hearts to accept others for their differences. It’s taught us all a lot,” Lara said. And though the soccer team lost their game the night before, it didn’t have impact on the celebration of Jackson. “We played last night, and it didn’t go our way, but you can see that everyone’s here having a great time because we’re here for Jackson,” Graman said. “Because Jackson shows up to all of our stuff with a smile on, so we’re here with a smile on, excited to be here for him.”

MARTINSVILLE — In two years at Chili’s, Anna Paradise has never once broken a dish. That’s pretty unheard of in the restaurant world where shattered glasses and broken dishware are just a reality of the business. Even Amber Arthur, the general manager of the Chili’s where Paradise works, sometimes breaks dishes. “She has not broken a single dish, probably the only employee that has not broken a single dish,” Arthur said “And she is like very, very proud of that. I told her, ‘Even if you do, it’s fine, it happens,’ but she has not broken a single one.” Along with bussing, Paradise has been employee of the month and recently had taken on some hosting duties. “She’s done a great job at both. Good with direction, good with team members. She’s part of our family, that’s for sure,” Arthur said. “Customers love her, love having her here. She’s an excellent busser; she does a great job.” When Paradise began working at Chili’s on May 11, 2016, she was nervous about approaching customers to ask them if she could clear some of their plates. “I was pretty scared at first of speaking up and [saying] like, ‘Can I take this? Or that?’” Paradise said. When four or five tables would get up at once, it used to overwhelm her, but now she’s unfazed. She’s so good at her job that she now works Thursday and Friday, two of the busiest times for the restaurant during the day. She’s been able to achieve her two goals: having a job and living independently with the support of Sycamore Services, an organization that helps individuals with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities. Individuals like Paradise, who has Down syndrome. “One thing I don’t like is when somebody calls me disabled, it makes uncomfortable,” Paradise said. She has received services from Sycamore for the last eight to years, according to Aimee Ketterer, Director of Community Relations and Business Solutions for Sycamore. “She’s gone through day and community services to help with social skills and get over being so shy,” Ketterer said. Two years ago, Paradise started working with Sycamore’s employment services to work on her job skills and to land her first job. When she learned she got the job, Paradise was elated. Veronica Romero, who serves as Paradise’s job coach remembers the day well. “I remember exactly what she did when she got this job, because I was at day service,” Romero said. “She walks in the doorway ‘I got the job!’ arms up in the air.” Paradise said that she wore a jacket over her work clothes to keep it a surprise. When she was introduced and the staff was informed that she got the job, Paradise showed off her work clothes and went around hugging the staff. She had similar feelings her first day on the job. “I was so excited then, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so nervous.’ When I talked to the customers, it’s like ‘Oh my gosh’ it’s like ‘Here come the people, here come the people,’ and then I’d freak out about it,” Paradise said. Paradise has only grown in confidence and self-assuredness. “I feel like since the time she started working here to now, I’ve seen the improvement in just her personality, also in her being more independent. Before I felt like she was a little nervous to be here on her own, she always wanted Victoria [Romero] here,” Arthur said. “She didn’t feel like she could do it, and now, with encouragement from the team and everybody, she does it just fine. “I haven’t heard you ask for your job coach in forever,” she said, turning to Paradise, “because you don’t need it, because you do it just fine on your own.” Romero still meets with Paradise once a week to check up on her. “I just come in while she’s working, see how things are going, talk to the supervisor, make sure everybody is happy and everything’s going smooth. With Anna, it’s always going well,” Romero said. Initially, Arthur was worried how other employees might treat Paradise, but fortunately her fears were premature. “Everybody has really taken her in. I was a little nervous at first, and I told everybody, whenever Colin [another individual working with Sycamore] came on as well, ‘If anybody does anything to hurt either of those kids, you’re done,’” Arthur said. Paradise has developed relationships with her coworkers outside of the restaurant. A coworker came over to Paradise’s apartment to help decorate it after she moved into it in May. She also has developed a special relationship with Arthur. They went to see Lady Antebellum and a performance of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” After the performance, Arthur gave Paradise a pedicure. “It was awesome,” Arthur said. “It was my first play I’ve ever been to.” Paradise, on the other hand, is a big fan of Broadway musicals. “One thing I’m dying to see is ‘Bring It On.’ I got the music on my phone,” Paradise said. In September, Arthur and Paradise will see “The Lion King” at the Murat Theater. “My mom had mentioned it and I said, ‘Well if we go, we have to take Anna,’ and I was like, ‘I’m going to be like popping out there at that time,’ that was a couple months ago, now I’m like there, so,” Arthur said. Arthur is currently pregnant and will give birth soon. “She (Paradise) bought me some burp cloths,” Arthur said. “She was the first person that got me anything.” Things are going very well for Paradise, she does her own cooking, cleaning and laundry. She’s still learning how to balance her budget and rent, but she is really making strides. “I got a boyfriend, a job and now I got an apartment,” Paradise said. “I feel great.” For more information about Sycamore Services, visit SycamoreServices.com or call 765-342-2476.

MOORESVILLE Most drivers passing by on West Greencastle Road west of Mooresville won’t pay it any mind. Their eyes might drift from the road in front of them to the black and gold sign with the name Watson on it, which includes a black and white pig seeming to grow out of the left side of the “W.” To the lay person, Watson farms might seem ordinary, a disservice to a place that is the birthplace of champions and the home of Ruth Watson, who, along with her late husband George, has raised champion Hampshire hogs for decades. The breed, known for its erect ears and black bodies with white bands, is thought to originate in England, and the Watsons’ work with the breed is well documented throughout the state and the country. In fact, the family’s success with Hampshires is so well known, Ruth — the 87-year-old matriarch of the family — was recently honored for her dedication to the breeding industry. On Sunday, Aug. 5, Ruth was inducted in the Indiana Livestock Breeders Hall of Fame at the 2018 Indiana State Fair. She is the first woman ever singled out for the honor, and her portrait will now hang alongside other honorees at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture. The daughter of a farmer, born and raised in rural Morgan County, Ruth has spent her whole life involved in agriculture. Ruth graduated Monrovia High School in 1949 and married George — who passed away in 2004 — in 1950. She has lived on the farm for 68 years. She served as coordinator of the Monroe-Gregg 4-H Club for 25 years. She herself was a 10-year member of 4-H, as were her children and grandchildren. “My oldest great-grandson is in 4-H now, and of course, there’s four more to come,” Ruth said. Her sons show hogs at breeding shows, and her grandsons have earned accolades at the Indiana State Fair. “She’s enjoyed some success in the family,” said her son Steve Watson, wryly understating the magnitude of her work. Ruth has been involved in a number of organizations related to swine, and it was at an industry conference in Louisville that she learned she was going to be inducted in the hall of fame. “I about fell off of the bleachers,” Ruth said. “I think a young lady from West Lafayette, she got ahold of my kids, and they kept it a secret. I guess they knew I wouldn’t be too cooperative. I’m getting to that age where I’m getting kind of contrary.” Her family didn’t let the cat out of the bag until recently that she was being inducted into the hall of fame. “Obviously, we were very proud and excited, and we knew that it would really be kind of a good one to pull over on her,” Steve said. “We were looking forward to it, being able to let her know.” Steve said his mother has two qualities that make her an excellent hog breeder. “First of all, she’s relentless and patient. ... You have to be patient to be able to deal with difficulties — and keep trying,” Steve said. Hampshire hogs are known as difficult to breed. “People think they’re hard to breed; they don’t do a good job of farrowing,” Steve said. “They sometimes have structural problems, but we got along just fine, despite all the difficulties.” Steve compares the family’s love of the breed to the loyalty others have for Chevys or Fords. Ruth continues to raise show hogs on the family farm along the northern edge of Morgan County, and though she lives alone at the farm, her sons and grandsons assist with the process. “I get to take care of the farrowing house, which is where the babies are born. Sometimes it can be a 24-hour-a-day job,” Ruth said. “In fact, during the county fair, I had one night where I ate my supper at 12:30 (a.m.) Sometimes, you don’t have any hitches in the operation, sometimes you do. You have to take the bitter with the sweet.” During farrowing season, when sows give birth, Ruth has a monitor set up in her living room to keep an eye on the animals, which includes a camera that’s trained on a sow that is close to giving birth. “Rarely do they have them on the date they’re supposed to, but they’ll be within two to three days,” Ruth said. She describes her role as the troubleshooter and caretaker of the baby pigs. If it’s something she can’t handle, she’ll let her sons know when they stop by after their day jobs. After all, Hampshires are a part of who they are. “I took a different path for a while. When I had my boys, they wanted to show in 4-H and that’s when I got back involved and have been pretty much ever since. And especially after my father’s passing, I’ve been much heavier involved,” Steve said. “My boys have both helped, and one son in particular is really involved, and so it just kind of gets in your blood. You enjoy the challenge and quite honestly, the competition. It’s fun to compete.” Armed with a flashlight and a pistol, she sometimes she has to go out to the farrowing house in the middle of the night to take a look at the animals or give them attention. And oftentimes, she’s there a while. “The boys insist I carry a cell phone in my pocket all the time in case I get down in the snow. When I go out in the middle of the night, I’ve got my pistol and my flashlight, and the farrowing house is heated,” Ruth said. “I have a room, I have a bathroom in there, and I have a refrigerator. That part’s nice, and I can spend time there, sometimes I spend hours. In the January farrowing, I’m there more than the house.” These days, the Watson farm raises pigs for competition, and their animals clean up at shows. The farm’s office is filled with awards from around the state and around the country. That’s something in which Ruth takes pride. “You couldn’t be happier, especially when they’ve bought a pig and they’ve had high hopes. It’s very rewarding when that happens,” Ruth said. “But you’ve got to get them in good hands, someone who feeds well, takes care of them well and knows what they’re doing.” Ruth and the rest of the Watson clan clearly know what they’re doing, and Ruth’s portrait, now hanging at Purdue, will forever serve as testimony to the family’s legacy. To see the list of Indiana Livestock Breeders Association Hall of Fame honorees, see ag.purdue.edu/ansc/ilba/Pages/default.aspx. For more information about Watson farm, call 317-372-2725 or visit facebook.com/watsonhampshires/.

MARTINSVILLE Her morning starts at 3:30 a.m., well before the dawn breaks. By 4 a.m., she’s at the restaurant, preparing for the day ahead. The early hours are a necessity for her line of work: making biscuits at Forkey’s Restaurant — a staple of Martinsville’s eatery options. Her name is Rosie Edwards, and she turned 83 years old on June 27. She has worked at Forkey’s since it opened more than 30 years, and she shows no sign of stopping now. “My doctor keeps saying, ‘Rose, you’ve got to keep staying at work.’ And I say, ‘I will.’ So when I retire, I’m not going to tell him,” Edwards said. Working at Forkey’s keeps Edwards active. Her husband passed away 31 years ago, and she lives alone. “That’s why I enjoy going to Forkey’s all the time,” Edwards said. “I got some place to go and (be) welcomed.” The customers at Forkey’s love Edwards and the feeling is mutual. “I love the people. I got to know a lot of people in Martinsville,” Edwards said. “I can walk down the street, and they say, ‘Hi, Rose’ and then they’ll come in, ‘There’s the biscuit maker.’ And I enjoy that, because I’m 83 years old now, and I live by myself and they are company ‘cause I can walk in anytime and enjoy myself.” It takes her about 45 minutes to make four pans of biscuits. “That’s mixing, cutting them, baking them,” Edwards said. “Because your convection oven cooks faster than your regular oven does.” She said the key to good biscuits is how they are mixed. “You have to mix all that up and work it out,” Edwards said. “If you don’t get it right, it’ll come out hard, it’ll come out stiff. Your biscuits will be hard, too.” The biscuits and gravy at Forkey’s are always popular, and waitress Jacelyn Kemp said that there’s something special about the ones made by Edwards. “I think she puts something secret in them because hers are the best, no matter what,” Kemp said. “Everybody makes them the same, but it seems like you know whenever Rosie made it. Biscuits and gravy are definitely our top sellers and everybody comes in for Rosie’s biscuits.” Assisting Edwards with business of biscuit-making is Crystal Burdine, who also carpools with Edwards. She’s worked with Edwards for four years. “She reminds me of my grandma a lot,” Burdine said. “She tells you like it is. I know her daughter from the Legion, so we met through the Legion. That’s how we know each other.” Kitchens can be intense spaces when the orders are piling on and the level of stress increases, but that doesn’t really affect Edwards and Burdine. “I think since we’re such good friends and cooperate with one and other, we do just fine,” Edwards said. Along with biscuits, Burdine and Edwards are in charge of making other dishes. “I make the pancake mix and the French toast mix and I help with the dinner, mashed potatoes and gravy, the vegetables,” Edwards said. “And Crystal usually makes the main dish.” Typically the pair wraps up their shift around noon each day and Edwards typically works 20 to 30 hours a week. She’s been there long enough that she can basically come and go as she pleases. But she works as hard as she can. “Even though she’s the oldest, she is the hardest working one here, and she is non-stop all day,” Kemp said. “She can never leave here because she loves working here so much.” She has been at Forkey’s since the beginning, and she’s been making biscuits there for almost as long. She’s as constant as the hours kept by the restaurant: six a.m. to 2 p.m. Edwards was working at the American Legion when Forrest and Patricia Brummett approached her about helping them open the restaurant. “They’re wonderful people. Forrest and Pat were wonderful to me,” Edwards said. “I was young then, I was in my 40s. And I worked very hard, and I was with them 30 years. They’ve always been good to me, and I’ve always just loved my job — always tickled to go up and go to work.” At some point, her biscuit-making days at Forkey’s will come to an end, but Edwards isn’t stopping any time soon. “I always said, ‘If go to heaven, I don’t want to make no more biscuits,’” Edwards said. Forkey’s Restaurant is located at 539 E. Morgan St. in Martinsville. It’s open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Sunday. For more information, call 765-342-2033.

MARTINSVILLE When Sharon Ernest gave notice to her previous employer and accepted the job offer to return to Grandview Health and Rehabilitation, she didn’t know the financial repercussions that would follow. Just before starting her job at Grandview, she went in for a medical exam, and her doctor urged her to get a colonoscopy as well. The results were not good — her doctor found four malignant polyps. Because she was a new hire at Grandview, her benefits hadn’t kicked in so she was on COBRA insurance. “I would have never switched, because I had the insurance,” Ernest said. “It’s not because I don’t love these people, I do. I would have never switched jobs, because now this COBRA insurance is outrageous.” The staff of Grandview has been supportive of Ernest since her diagnosis. “At first I thought I wasn’t going to have a job, because when I came here, I thought, ‘Uh oh, I’m in bad shape,’ because I already gave them my notice,” Ernest said. She said that they had been very flexible in her needs, letting her leave early when she needed to for appointments. Prior to her diagnosis, Ernest had no idea she had cancer, but she remains positive, a trademark of her personality. “It’s what they call a silent killer,” Ernest said. “So now it’s in the lymph nodes, and they consider it stage 4. It kind of throws me, but I’m going to beat it. I always say, ‘I got this.’” Ernest has gone through one round of chemo and begins her second round today. Chemo is the only time Ernest doesn’t feel good. Prior to chemo, she has to take five steroids. “Steroids are not cheap, they’re $197 for five of them,” Ernest said. “And that’s something that’s basically out of pocket. I can do it. I feel good.” That out-of-pocket cost is something that’s come as a bit of a shock for her. “It’s ridiculous how much they charge you to keep you alive,” Ernest said. After her diagnosis, she was asked to check to see if anyone else in her family had been diagnosed with colon cancer and to let her relatives know they should check for it. Things were supposed to be different for Ernest and her family. Last December, her father passed away and she and her siblings took turns to stay with their mother. “I stayed with Mom every night, and then I’d come in to work,” Ernest said. “Then my sister would come in, but now I still can’t leave her. We were going to make 2018 good, so guess what, it didn’t come out that way.” At the end of June, Grandview held a raffle to help raise money to pay for Ernest’s medical bills. They’re also selling T-shirts as another means of raising money. “We’re calling our little campaign for her ‘I Got This,’” said Chelsea Frederick, Grandview Admissions and Marketing Coordinator. At Grandview, Ernest is beloved by all — coworkers, residents and anyone else who might cross her path. To know her is to love her. Sally Dawson, who works with her preparing meals in Grandview’s kitchen has known Ernest for two years. “She’s so happy all the time, and it makes us feel good when she’s happy," Dawson said. "And she’s always happy; that’s what we love about her." She’s also really good with the residents and maintaining a positive attitude, even when things are hectic. That’s something respiratory therapist Jonathan Holman noted. “Every time I see her, she’s smiling. She’s good to the residents, and despite everything she’s going through, she’s still a trooper and smiling,” Holman said. “When things seems to get stressful, she still smiles and she says, ‘I got this.’ She’s very positive." Sanavah Mackin is relatively new to her position as activity director for Grandview and said that Ernest had her back from day one. “She’s always willing to hug people. First day I met her, she was like, ‘I love you,’ and we didn’t even know each other,” Mackin said. “But it was great because she always has loving arms and hugs, and when I’m like ‘Hey, how are you doing with your chemo?’ She’s like, ‘I got this.’ That’s her thing she always says, ‘I got this.’ And we’ve got her back.” Along with her kindness and positivity, many of her coworkers cite her hardworking nature, including Amy Crowe, who started the GoFundMe for Ernest. “She is just something else, she is in here working hard and doing her stuff, and she just takes such good care of everyone and we just love her,” Crowe said. ”And that’s why we want to make sure we’re taking care of her and just reaching out to the community and showing them what we’ve got here. Just her every day, just that smile she’s got on her face every day. She says to me, ‘I’ve got this.’” And the love and positivity Ernest shows is genuine, according business office manager Janie Lucas. “We create a family and Sharon has been in the past, and is again this time, part of our family. And it just kind of shows, you know, we want to do that for our own mothers, sisters, aunts, so we do that for Sharon,” Lucas said. “Sharon returns that every day I see her, she’s like, ‘Good morning and hello.’ She’s smiling and hugging, she’s telling me she loves me. She does that for our residents, she does that for all of us, and she means it. “And it’s genuine, that’s the difference — she’s genuine. And I just think it’s important as human being and coworkers, friends that we support each other. This is more than about beating cancer; this is about being there for each other.” For more information about Grandview’s shirt campaign for Ernest, call 765-342-7114. Or visit her GoFundMe page at gofundme.com/jywnxq-sharons-medical-fund.

PARAGON Just over a month ago, Paragon resident April Mascoe got one of those calls that no one ever wants to get. It was a hospital in Bloomington and they were calling about her brother. “My husband got the call,” April said “And he was like, ‘Yeah, I know who Mike is. That’s my brother-in-law.’ And they said we needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible, that there had been a car accident.” “At that time, I was thinking, my brother has to be OK enough to give ‘em our phone number because nobody knows our phone number, but they had found out who we were through Facebook, trying to contact family members. And so we got the call, and we got to the hospital and found out.” The Mascoes — Michael, Rhonda, Grace and Mikey — and Rhonda’s daughter Zoey Bennington were traveling to a softball tournament in Columbus early on the morning of April 29 when a Chevy pickup, driven by Timothy Gill, struck the family’s Hyundai Santa Fe in a head-on collision. Michael, Rhonda and Zoey died from injuries they sustained from the crash. Eight-year-old Mikey and 10-year-old Grace survived but had injuries of their own. “It’s a miracle that they walked away from that accident like they did with as minimal injury as possible,” April said. “They did have to do surgery on little Mikey, on his leg, but fortunately, they did not have to do surgery for Grace. They spent three days in Riley (Hospital for Children) and now we’re just doing their recovery and trying to get through this and adjusted to a new normal if that’s possible.” April and her husband Mark has just seen the family the previous day. “We had left their house at 10:30 the night before. And my brother, every time he’d seen me, he’d always — you know he’s a big guy — he would always pick me up with his one hand give me the biggest bear hug, and (say), ‘You know I love you, sis,’” Mascoe said. “So I’m thankful that I go that last hug from him.” “He was my little brother, but he was rock, my comfort zone. He would, you know if I was down, always try and pick me up and tell me, ‘It’s going to be OK, sis,’ and ‘You’re strong, you got this,’ and tell me he loves me and stuff.” And during that final visit, Mike made a promise to Mark. “What is ironic is my brother had told my husband, ‘Brother,’ he said, ‘I’ll make you a promise if you make me a promise. If anything ever happens to me, make sure that hymns are playing in the background and you’re reading Bible verses to me and make sure my kids are taken care of and I’ll do the same for you,’” Mascoe said. “That’s the last conversation my husband and my brother had. It’s just kind of ironic that that conversation took place, and then hours later, the tragic accident happened.” A close-knit family April was the middle child growing up, she had one older brother, Jerry, and one younger brother, Mike. “My brothers liked to pick on me a lot, but we were really close,” Mascoe said. “My brothers would take me out in the yard and show me how to play football and just boy things and hang out with them. We were always very close growing up. And they would definitely pick on me a lot.” That closeness continued into adulthood. April saw her brother two to three times a week. Jerry and Mike worked together at Townsend Tree Service. It was through her younger brother that she met her husband Mark. “They’ve been very close. They work out together,” Mascoe said. “They’re both very passionate in lifting weights and stuff like that. That’s where that all began.” Faith was another thing that bonded the siblings and their families. Mike and his family attended the same church as April — Paragon Bible Baptist Church — before they moved to Spencer and began attending Millgrove Bible Baptist. That closeness allowed them to weather some hard times as a family, such as when their mother passed away in November 2016. Mascoe said that her younger brother was especially supportive during that time. She said it was hard to pick a favorite memory, because there were so many of them. “And there’s just so many different memories with my brother. I’ll cherish them all. We used to always get together on the Fourth of July and do fireworks and family cookouts,” Mascoe said. “Those are memories that I’ll cherish as well. Forever. I don’t really have one particular favorite memory, because they’re all my favorite. I love my little brother. He was the baby, but it’s just been kind of hard.” The Aftermath April described her brother, sister-in-law and niece as kindhearted, caring and empathetic people. “My brother was a big, teddy bear. He’s what I would call a gentle giant. He had a passion for sports and loved the Lord,” April said. “And he definitely was always about his kids. Wherever he was at, his kids would be. They were a close-knit family, tried to always keep them active. But my brother, he never met a stranger. People just took to him. He’s always sweet and would go out of his way to help anybody that he could.” She said that Rhonda was sweet and very friendly “She had a heart of gold, compassion for everyone, would be there to help anybody. Always had a smile on her face. And would always be there to help at any time. And she was a lovely lady,” April said. Her niece was in the process of finishing her first year at Vincennes University when the crash occurred. “She was going to school for electrical engineering. Very, very smart girl. Very, very beautiful and kind-hearted and just would help anybody that she could. She was amazing, very amazing.” April said the funeral brought her some closure, but the whole thing still seems unbelievable. “This whole time has been, it’s like a dream or a fog,” April said. “I haven’t really processed the whole thing. Being able to see my brother did help with giving me some kind of closure because when it happened, they wouldn’t allow me to see him.” “It’s just heartbreaking and it just seems so unreal. So as far as real closure, that’s just going to take some time with the healing. My main focus and my only concern is now for the children, their well being and getting them through this and creating a new normal for them.” April and Mark are now the temporary legal guardians of Mikey and Grace. April said that the two were doing well, despite everything they had been through. Mikey, a second-grader, and Gracie, a fourth-grader, returned to Spencer Elementary School earlier this month. “We anticipated them being there for only a short time, but they decided they wanted to stay the whole day and it was a last-minute thing,” April said. The school treated it like a normal school day, and the children responded well to it. “They had a really good day and they were really happy and they were thankful and they said, ‘Can we go back tomorrow?’ so they did,” April said. Currently, the family all lives together in a three-bedroom home. The kids are sharing bedrooms with my daughter and my son,” April said. “And they’re teenagers. The kids are 10 and 8. So everything is a bit cramped.” April said that her daughter Sarah, a rising senior at Martinsville High School, has been a big help with her cousins. “She never once, not for one minute, left those kids’ side from the time they got to the hospital in Bloomington until they were released from Riley,” April said. “My daughter stayed the whole entire time.” “The kids really are clinging to my daughter, they’re really close. They’ve got a special bond with them. But even before then they would say, ‘You’re my favorite cousin,’ ‘Sarah’s my favorite cousin.’ They’re really close and I’m glad for that.” Also living with them are April’s in-laws “I’m a caregiver for my mother and father-in-law, who’s 91-years-old,” April said. “And he had a tragic car accident that caused him to have a brain injury and caused him to have a few strokes. So now he’s completely bedridden and needs care all the time.” “Thankfully we do have hospice and nurses and home health that come out and care for him so that eases a lot of the burden there. So we’re just all adjusting to what has happened, trying to process it and get through it moment by moment, that’s all you really can do.” To ease the rooming situation, they decided to add on two bedrooms to the home. “And the biggest thing is trying to get two bedrooms on to our house,” April said “So that have their own area, their own space so they can feel more comfortable and be able to just process everything and be together as a family.” Community support In May, April made a post on Facebook seeking recommendations for reliable builders or companies that would be able to add on the rooms. “I’m not asking for hand outs, what I am asking for is someone or company that can help us get this done with a contract that enables us to pay biweekly or monthly,” April wrote. She was shocked by the outpouring of support and recommendations from members of the community. “We have an overwhelming amount of support, I had never dreamed for recommendations would turn in to what it has,” April said. “We’ve had people that are volunteering and donating the materials from the ground up to build the bedrooms for the kids so that they have their own place.” Members of the Demand Command Baseball and Softball League have also rallied around the Mascoes. Anthony Bonds, Grace’s former coach started a GoFundMe was started for the family and two hash tags — #playsoftballwithGrace and #playballwithMikey — were created to show support on social media as well as two shirts featuring the hashtag. An account was setup with the Owen County State Bank with the legal name of PlaysoftballwithGrace LLC. Jo Smith, a member of April’s church, reached out to her to help her set up a BMO Harris Bank Account and a fundraiser through GiveHope.com to help the family with expenses. On May 20, the Paragon Lions Club held a BBQ fundraiser in honor of the family. Christina Patton Correll, secretary and treasurer of the Lions Club, organized the event with the family’s permission. The event raised over $600 for the family and close to a 100 people attended the event, according to Corell. “That was for the family’s immediate needs. Everybody knew that this was for them for right now,” Correll said. Covering most of the cost of the event was Correll’s real estate company, Correll Realty. She was granted permission by the president of the Lions Club to host the event at their space. The owners of Holy Smoke Hog Roast, Roger and Mary Lawrence, donated pulled pork for the event. “When I called her to get prices, she talked to her husband and said, ‘You know what, we’ll just donate,’” Correll said. “I wasn’t calling for a donation, I was calling to shop around, see different prices. So she donated the pulled pork.” She decided to do something to help the family, because it was similar to something that happened to her family. My grandparents were killed in an accident back in 1971,” Corell said. “They were passengers in a car, the car crossed over and hit them. Killed both of them.” “My mom was 27 at the time. I was 3. So I was too young to know really what was going on. But I thought of my mother at that time, because my uncle was only 15. And so my aunt and uncle had to take care of him.” She felt sympathy for Grace and Mike and the lost of their family members. “I could relate to it, having lost my grandparents,” Correll said. Those interested in helping out the Mascoes can donate to their GiveHope campaign at givehope.com/Gracie-and-Mikey-Fund, gofundme.com/playsoftballwithgrace or gofundme.com/urwzbf-playsoftballwithgrace Checks can also be made out to playsoftballwithGrace LLC and set to P.O. Box 641, Spencer, IN 4746.

MARTINSVILLE Jessie Baker’s “pick and roll” is a bit different from the sort many in Morgan County are used to seeing played out on the hardwood. Baker, a Martinsville native is a roots musician, who plays banjo and guitar in the bluegrass group Dailey and Vincent. His interest in music was sparked early on, when he was a student at Green Township Elementary School. A young woman came to the school and performed music for the students, including a familiar melody: “Linus and Lucy,” known to some people as The Peanuts theme. That inspired a young Baker to try his hand at playing it on his mother’s piano. “And she thought that I might have some kind of musical talent, so she told my grandmother that. And my grandmother bought me a guitar for Christmas that year,” Baker said. He received some basic instruction in guitar chords and when his teacher thought Baker was good enough to play with, he brought over the instrument that would change Baker’s life —- the banjo. “After I heard that, it was all over. I up and decided right then that what I was wanting to play and what I was wanting to do for a living,” In some respects, Baker seems fated to play banjo. Born Feb. 7, 1991, he shares a birthday with banjo player Dock Boggs, born 93 years earlier. And his birthplace, Martinsville, is but 15 miles away as the crow flies from Bean Blossom, the site of annual festivals hosted by Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass. His great-grandmother used to go Bean Blossom when she was younger, but Baker, himself, had never really heard the banjo before. “So when I heard it, it was just something different. It was so different and I didn’t feel like you could ever listen to it and not enjoy it,” Baker said. “It was just some wild, crazy, new sound I had never heard before and I just wanted to be behind it and be doing whatever it took to make that thing sound the way that I heard it, make it sound the way it should.” Before acquiring a taste for roots music, Baker cut his musical teeth on classic rock, bands like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Aerosmith, Boston, Kansas and even a dash of hair metal from cassettes belonging to his father. “I really did enjoy that music but maybe after hearing me say all those bands I was familiar with, you could probably understand a little better why banjo sounded so particularly odd to me,” Baker said. The classic rock to roots music shift isn’t completely out of left field; Future Grateful Dead member Jerry Garcia made the cross-country trek to Bean Blossom in 1964 for example. The Dead, of course, were contemporaries with many of the groups Baker grew up listening to. Listening to roots music didn’t begin until Baker started playing banjo and even then he listened purely to hear that instrument. “I wasn’t a fan of the bluegrass singing or any other instrument, really,” he said. “I just wanted to hear the banjo and everything else was just filler, so you could be listening to something else while the banjo player was taking a rest.” The musicians that have influenced Baker’s playing the most are Don Reno and Earl Scruggs. The latter, along with partner Lester Flatt, later became a member of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys. “Earl Scruggs definitely is my first and foremost, largest influence and I would say for most banjo players, they would say the same,” Baker said. “Don Reno definitely inspired me and I learned a lot from him and still need to go back and learn some more because he’s just a fantastic player,” he said. “I’ll learn exactly what he did and then I’ll go back to a record two or three years later and he’s changed it. I guess I just get closer every time or I try to. It’s through music that Baker met his wife Gabrielle. He was performing in Bean Blossom when he made her acquaintance. “She was walking around carrying a mandolin case, and I thought, ‘Oh, who’s that? I’d like to meet her.’ Her dad told her if she carried an instrument case and walked around, she’d look really cool. So I guess he’s partly to blame for his own son-in-law,” Baker said. Gabrielle has been very understanding of the demands of Baker’s career as a touring musician. “She loves the music and she loves the music that I play and we both like different types of music, types of music that I don’t play,” he said. “She understands that it’s my career and she really thinks a lot of my talent, or lack there of. “She thinks a lot of me and she’s a great person. It takes a special kind person to be with somebody that has to travel and has to be gone.” For Baker, the most rewarding part of his musical career is the effect he has on the people who attends shows. “Definitely trying to entertain people, making people happy, that’s kind of what I was built and designed to do,” Baker said. “Music has been a great avenue for me to try to do that.” For more information about Baker, visit pxrec.com/p2_Patuxent_Bluegrass-Jessie_Baker.htm or facebook.com/jessiebakerbanjo/.

INDIANAPOLIS Hoosiers love their hoops. A popular quote sums up the special relationship Hoosiers have with the hardwood: “In 49 other states it’s just basketball, but this is Indiana.” Across the state are various destinations for students of the game to visit. There’s the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, which is just 20 minutes from the gym in Knightstown where the movie “Hoosiers” was filmed. That gym is about an hour north of Milan, the home of the team that inspired the film. Beginning in the 2015-’16 season, the Indiana Pacers wore jerseys inspired by those worn in “Hoosiers” for select games in honor of the movie’s 30th anniversary. The Pacers unveiled new versions of the Hickory jerseys this season as part of new designs by Nike. So far, the jerseys have been good luck for the team, as they are currently 2-0 while wearing them and will wear them six more times this season. As part of Hickory games at home, the Pacers have honored teams and important figures in the history of basketball in the state of Indiana. And Monday, the late John R. Wooden got his turn to be honored by the Pacers. Wooden, who grew up in Morgan County and went to Martinsville High School, was a fitting figure for tribute as his legacy defines the game of basketball, such as the award named for him that is given to the NCAA’s most outstanding men’s and women’s basketball players. Near Bankers Life Fieldhouse, there’s a bronze sculpture of the coach. Surrounding the statue are five pairs of legs, each represents an important year in his career and each sporting the period appropriate footwear. On Monday night, the Pacers honored the legendary coach who led UCLA to 10 NCAA championships in his time there and coached several Hall of Famers, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Gail Goodrich and Jamaal Wilkes. Apart from Wooden, the UCLA/Indiana connection is strong. The Pacers two rookies, T.J. Leaf and Ike Anigbogu played their rookie year at UCLA. Point guard Darren Collison played four seasons as a Bruin. The Pacers have the most former UCLA players on their roster in the league. The most famous Bruin to play for the Pacers is, of course, Reggie Miller, who was taken 11th overall in the 1987 NBA Draft. He was a controversial selection at the time as many Hoosier expected the Pacers to choose Steve Alford of Indiana University. Alford had just helped lead the Hoosiers to NCAA title and was a three-time All-Big Ten and a two-time first-team All-American. Alford, a Martinsville native, now coaches at UCLA. At halftime during Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Pacers honored Wooden and his legacy. Pacers announcer Chris Denari served as master of ceremonies and spoke with Cori Andersen, Wooden’s great granddaughter, who was joined by her husband, Brent. She was presented a Hickory jersey with Wooden’s name on the back. During halftime program, the jumbotron displayed Wooden’s famous pyramid of success as his list of accomplishments and credentials as a player and coach were read aloud, including leading the Martinsville Artesians to a state title in 1927. He also played for the Indianapolis Kautskys, a professional basketball team that was a member of one of the leagues that was a precursor to the NBA. Wooden represents the best aspects of Hoosiers: working toward a common goal, making a positive impact on the world and living with high character. If Monday’s game was indication, that spirit is alive and well in Indiana.

MARTINSVILLE Dan and Judy Moore are the recipients of the 2017 Mapleturn Utilities Good Neighbor of the Year Award. The Moores, however, couldn't care less about receiving recognition — what drives them to give back to the community is their strong Christian faith, a faith that compels them to do good works in the community. "The Lord has told us we're responsible for the poor and when we look around, there is certainly evidence in Morgan County that we have a substantial issue and a substantial problem with the poor and we can't just close our eyes and hope it goes away. They're people just like we are," Judy, who is involved in Stability First, said. The target of the charitable work of the Moores is poverty. Dan works as president and CEO of Home Bank. The couple took it upon itself to address the need. "Some years ago as we looked around the community, it became apparent to us that we really have a poverty issue, like a lot of communities do. One thing led to another and our bank decided to hold back 10 percent of our profits to be used in our community to address multiple issues and one of those issues that was pretty apparent was this issue of poverty," Dan said. "For the last four or five years that has been taking a pool of our money — 10 percent of our profits — and finding worthwhile endeavors in our community." Dan said that while the bank was an active part in programs and organizations for the community, none of that could have been achieved without the involvement of numerous other organizations. "I think most of us, if we look back at our life's journey, all we had to do was make one wrong turn or hit one speed bump and we could be in that same situation. So we never wanted to be at the point where we forget those folks. Many of us could be in that same situation," Dan said. Judy's charitable work comes through Stability First, which was an initiative that sprang from Home Bank's initial program: Bridges Out of Poverty. As the name suggests, Stability First focuses on helping the impoverished and needy to secure the basics, like housing and to improve the financial literacy of low-income families and others vulnerable populations. Judy said her involvement arose from a desire to reconnect with the community. Previously she said she had spent a lot of time babysitting her grandchildren and when they came of age, she wanted to engage in outreach which addressed the issue of poverty. "I'm very passionate about this work. I just have really enjoyed the time I've got to spend in it," Judy said. Judy works primarily with the Magdalene House, which provides temporary housing to women without dependents. Judy said those women would otherwise have no place to go. Though the ministry has only been open a short time, Judy said that the women in the program have made real progress. Around half of the women in the program found jobs and some of them were able to regain custody of their children. Dan said programs like Stability First and Bridges Out of Poverty were excellent ways to address the needs of the impoverished in Morgan County. "With like-minded, caring people talking with each other, we can all work together to address some of these needs of under resourced persons," Dan said. Dan said it wasn't just a shelter, but a way to improve the lives of others by giving them the knowledge and tools to succeed. It's rather like maxim about giving a man a fish. If one gives a man a fish, he eats for a day, but if one teaches a man to fish, he eats for a lifetimes. A similar principle underpins these programs which target poverty. Judy said the Magadalene House follows up on individuals who enrolled in the program to take stock of their progress and give them the push necessary to maintain their forward progress. "We have one particular lady that has just been an amazing success story, that came in with the right attitude and really wanted to make life better for herself," Judy said. Judy said it is heartening and helped to make the work worthwhile. The Magdalene House has only been open since October 2016, but Judy said seeing signs of progress early on has been encouraging. "We know what God has called us to do and that we're making a difference," Judy said. Dan said data is important because it helps to know what approaches and programs are most effective. "It's easy to write a check, but it's more difficult to do the research to know that it's being used in an appropriate manner to really move the needle," Dan said. When it comes to charity, Dan emphasized that it's a collective act, that he or Judy shouldn't be singled out for their works. "It's important that we don't put 'I' in the conversation. This isn't Judy and I — we just happen to be in positions where we're fortunate enough that this award has been bestowed upon us, which we're honored by. We just represent a large number of people that really care," Dan said. Recipients of the Good Neighbor of the Year Award are honored at the annual Mapleturn Utilities cookout in June.

MARTINSVILLE Pam Bland never stopped thinking about the baby girl she gave birth to 52 years ago on April 14. She never had another child after her daughter. It’s something that ran in the family — Bland was only child of an only child, a norm going back four generations. Bland, now 71, lives at Grandview Health and Rehab Center in Martinsville. When she was 19 and pregnant, she went to Florida to stay with her grandparents until she gave birth and ultimately gave her child up for adoption. She wondered what had happened to her daughter. How did things turn out? Was she happy? Did she have a good life? Did she ever wonder where she came from? Nearly 30 years ago, when Bland was 43, she hired a private investigator to travel to Jacksonville, Florida, to track down her daughter. The P.I. spent four or five months attempting to find her, but to no avail: the daughter could not be located. Her adoptive parents had an unlisted number. Florida state law is also very restrictive about adoption records — that information is sealed, and releasing it requires the signatures of both parents. Bland had given birth to her daughter, Donna McMurray, on April 14, 1965, during Holy Week. Easter fell on April 18 that year. Everything changed about a month ago when Bland’s cousin Kathy White contacted her. “I asked her, ‘What’s coming up this week?’” White said. “She said, ‘Well, Easter.’ I said, ‘Anything else, Pam?’ And she said, ‘My baby girl was born April 14.’ And I said, ‘Would you like to meet your baby girl?’ And she broke out in hysterics when she heard.” Tracking the family tree Donna began her search for her birth mother after signing up for 23andMe, a web-based service that allows customers to send in a DNA sample, have it analyzed and receive information about their heritage. It also allows users to get in contact with distant relatives. Donna used it because she was interested in learning her health history. Her adoptive parents died more than two decades ago, so unsealing her adoption records wasn’t an option. “The DNA background gave us about 1,200 DNA relatives, and the file that we downloaded gave us one common name: Mullens,” said John McMurray, Donna’s husband. They reached out to a second cousin, Cynthia Bender, and explained how important the search was to Donna. Bender said her maiden name was Mullens. That led the McMurrays back to the family tree on Donna’s biological father’s side. “It just happened to be that Donna’s father, his relatives had done 23andMe or else it wouldn’t have been there. They wouldn’t have had anything to start with,” White said. The McMurrays contacted around 500 relatives across the country, each one leading further on down the trail, weaving a plot as heady, elaborate and chock-full of characters as a Thomas Pynchon novel. “No, it wasn’t the right tree, but you don’t know until you climb it and then you get down and climb another tree,” White said. A Mother’s Day gift Donna first spoke to her mother on April 13, the day before her birthday. “That helped, so I knew what she sounded like,” she said. They’ve developed a rapport on the phone. On Sunday nights, they call each other at 7 p.m., and other times, one might call for a brief chat. Bland has not only gained a daughter, but three grandchildren: Sean, 27, Patrick, 25, and Jacqueline, 21. Sean recently celebrated his 27th birthday, and Bland mailed him a card. The McMurrays flew to Indiana for Mother’s Day weekend to allow Donna and her mother to meet face to face for the first time. She said talking on the phone was one thing, but seeing her mother in the flesh was another emotional experience entirely. “Actually seeing her ... I was overwhelmed with emotion. It felt really good; I never envisioned that this would happen. I thought about it, but never thought it would happen for sure,” Donna said. Donna said everything and lined up perfectly: she found her mother right before her birthday and was getting to meet her for the first time on Mother’s Day weekend. “I’m just really happy; I just wanted to thank her, because she gave me life and I appreciate that,” Donna said. Donna said she and her mother have a lot of catching up to do. There were plans to take her out for dinner, do a little bit of shopping and just spend time together. “We’ve found similarities — she has a giggle, I have a giggle. She puts stickers on cards like I do. It’s uncanny, you know,” Donna said. When Bland hired the detective to search for her daughter, Donna was living in Tallahassee, attending Florida State University. Donna currently lives in Lakeland, Florida, roughly an hour from her where her birth father resides. She plans to meet him in the near future, potentially on Father’s Day. He’s married and has additional children. Bland never had another child, but now she has the chance to get to know the girl she gave up for adoption — and it’s hard to top gaining a whole new family as far as Mother’s Day gifts are concerned.

NASHVILLE The rain that soaked Indiana and prompted flash flood warnings in parts of the Hoosier state didn’t deter members of the Indiana Bigfoot Research Organization from their annual camp out over the weekend. The precipitation also didn’t dampen the spirits of those camping out, that much was apparent on Saturday afternoon as participants in the camp out gathered in a shelter in Yellowwood State Forest to hear Larry Battson give a talk about his experiences with Bigfoot. Battson was scheduled to speak at 4 p.m. but made a wrong turn, an easy thing to go given that several routes to the park were closed due to construction or flooding caused by high levels of rainfall. While they waited for Battson to arrive, the campers shared stories about encounters with the creature. Part of the weekend plays out like other gatherings of like-minded people in Brown County: the campers set up their RVs, tents, campers or whatever will be their home away from home for a few days. There’s community meals gathered around the fire, campers talk shop and catch up with those they know. There’s community meals and many of the other things one might see, but there’s another element to the weekend, the reason all these people have come through winding, country roads and across streams swollen with rain that nipped hungrily at the dirt and gravel of those roads: Bigfoot. Members of IBRO lead campers on outings in the woods during the day and the night, their mission to find evidence of Bigfoot activity. LeRoy Nail, organizer of the weekend, said the group had experienced some of that on Friday night when they had rocks thrown at them. It’s a common occurrence for those who go in search of Bigfoot in the woods straddling Morgan and Monroe counties. One way the group attempts to draw in any of the alleged Sasquatches is through a bit of trickery, enticing the cryptids with the promise of an easy meal: a rabbit in distress. According to Nail, they don’t like it when they realize they’ve been tricked — that’s when the rock throwing comes in. “If you’re playing that call, they will hit you. In a group like this, you’re going to get hit. But last night, they were off a bit or they weren’t aiming to hit,” Nail said. “I got hit, but it bounced. It bounced off the glass of my car and it hit hard. I thought I was going to turn around and see my window shattered,” Edie Caito, IBRO member and author of several books on Bigfoot, said. Another way of allegedly attracting the hairy cryptids is through the use of a bullroarer, an item consisting of a thin piece of wood or stone attached to a long cord. It’s operated by being swung in a circular fashion and produces the item’s namesake roaring sound. Battson’s bullroarer is from Australia. Battson is known as Larry the Animal Guy and spends much of his time traveling around and educating people about animals as part of his non-profit Wildlife Education Services, Inc. Battson uses rescued wild animals in his educational talks. His interest in Bigfoot stems from his interest in wildlife. Battson said when he gives these talks about Bigfoot, there is often someone who would stick around after the event was over so they could share a story with him. Battson said he knew that usually meant they had something good for him. The talk Battson gave Saturday discussed his experiences as well as those of fellow researchers such as John Willison Green, a Canadian journalist and Bigfoot researcher who passed away in May 2016. Or the 1967 film of an alleged Sasquatch made by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin. It’s the most famous piece of alleged evidence of Bigfoot and the veracity of the film has been a subject of debate. Battson said that he was aware of the film, but didn’t take the possibility of the existence of Bigfoot seriously until the 1980s when he was asked to put together an exhibit on Bigfoot. Battson collaborated with Green on the exhibit and in the course of research in which he spoke to Bob Titmus, another well-known Bigfoot researched and Robert Gimlin, that he began to take it more seriously. “I’ve had quite a history with this. You may not realize this, but I was the only one who was ever asked by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to speak to a group of naturalists and rangers on Bigfoot in Washington, D.C.,” Battson said. “I got a letter from a guy who works in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that said ‘We’ve been involved in this for years, but nobody knows.’ In 1977, they issued a press release, ‘What if a Sasquatch is found what would the government do.?’ They’d send in the National Guard, immediately classify it as an endangered species and the whole area just gets protected.” One memorable anecdote Battson related happened with a group of teachers he brought to the woods. “I brought a group of teachers down and this was over 30 years ago and what we were doing is, I had this concept which was collecting reptiles that they could take to their classrooms and teach children with. And one of the teachers was involved in taking tracks and she say, ‘Mr. Battson. What kind of track is this?’ And I’d identify it for her. And she’d been looking at the ground quite a bit and she said, ‘Mr. Battson, what’s this track over here?’ And I looked down at the ground and saw and I said, ‘You don’t wanna know,’” Battson said. Battson said the group of teachers kept badgering him until he finally informed them that it was a Sasquatch track. One teacher said she thought they didn’t exist. “The most amazing thing is we were supposed to be there until 4 or 5 in the afternoon. We found that track about 11 o’clock in the morning, about noon, they were all ready to go home,” Battson said. “They decided they were not in the pursuit of this creature whatsoever.”

MORGAN COUNTY — April was a monthlong celebration for Lillian Chaney, who marked her 100th birthday April 12. Chaney said she stopped counting the number of birthday cards she received at 140, but she has enjoyed the festivities surrounding her recent milestone. “I haven’t been 100 very long, I’m surprised at all the celebrations. Just turning 100 has been the highlight. I haven’t been 100 before,” Chaney said. At 100 years of age, she has been witness to a lot of history — and in several instances, events of major historical importance occurred on her birthday. Chaney was born 56 years to the day after Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter and the American Civil War began. She shares a birthday with Helen Forrest, who also was born in 1917 and sang for some of the most popular musicians of the swing era, including Benny Goodman. President Franklin Roosevelt died in 1945, the day Chaney turned 28. Exactly 10 years later, when Chaney turned 38, a polio vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk for the disease that afflicted Roosevelt was declared safe and effective. Six years after that, in 1961, the day Chaney turned 44, Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut, became the first man in space. Five years before Chaney was born, the R.M.S. Titanic was two days away from its fatal encounter with an iceberg. Outside of mid-April, two events in particular stick out in Chaney’s mind: the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963. Life and loved ones Chaney was born in Alexander, Kentucky, as one of 10 children. She had a twin brother named William, but all of her siblings have passed on. She moved to Banta when she married husband Everett. She and Everett were married nearly 50 years, and they had three sons together: Benny, Darrell and Rodney. Chaney previously has called Martinsville home, but she has spent the last several years in Morgantown, where she still lives independently. “Her husband’s gone and her three sons are gone,” said Terry Miller, Chaney’s niece. “She has several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Lots of people who care for her.” Chaney credits her long life to her friends and said she has a lot of guardian angels looking after her. “She still lives by herself; she dances; she plays cards and she has a lot people that take care of her,” Miller said. Miller said her aunt is known for her positive attitude, her smile, her love of dance and playing cards. Chaney dresses up daily, including jewelry. Though she doesn’t drive, Chaney leads a fulfilling life, and those who meet her are very fond of her. “I’m alone a lot, but I do have a breathing machine. I don’t see good. But when I get lonely, I keep busy. I do some sewing and some exercising. I have lots of good friends,” Chaney said. The Morgantown Fire Department escorted her to a birthday event on April 9. At one of several events held in her honor, state Sen. Rod Bray and state Rep. Peggy Mayfield stopped by to acknowledge Chaney’s 100th birthday. At an April 11 event in honor of Chaney at the Martinsville Area Senior Center, she was given a certificate of recognition on behalf of Martinsville Mayor Shannon Kohl. Her biggest celebration was held by her grandchildren, daughter-in-law and nieces. Chaney’s plans for her birthday month were simple: enjoying the celebration and the food. “I’m gonna celebrate the whole month. I’ll go somewhere and they’ll have cake or something for me, and I’m full of cake,” she said.

MARTINSVILLE As mankind has explored more and more of the globe, the number of unanswered questions diminishes and humanity learns more and more about the fragile blue marble on which it resides. For some people, however, there are still mysteries to uncover — like Bigfoot. The Indiana Bigfoot Research Organization is looking to gather evidence of the creature’s existence around the Hoosier State — including the woods around Morgan County. Going out into the woods and looking for evidence of the presence of Bigfoot is a major part of the activities of IBRO. The group will have its annual spring camp out the weekend of May 5 in Yellowwood Forest and the event is open to the public and other interested parties. Originally, the camp out was just in the spring, but it proved to be so popular, the group added a fall camp out. “Our thought on the group is we’re not armchair researchers. I don’t sit here on the computer,” LeRoy Nail said. “I don’t look at everybody else’s stuff. I watch some of it. I don’t pay and get into and try to criticize what everybody else is doing. We run on what we find, what we hear, what we can’t explain and things like that.” Steve and Violet Abney founded the nonprofit in 2005 and LeRoy and Nancy Nail took over the group in 2014 as the Abneys stepped down for health reasons. Nail was initially skeptical of the presence of Bigfoot in Morgan County. “There’s nothing around here, maybe out west. Woods around here are not deep enough, but little did I know that you don’t have to go very far and they’re there. I can show you these castings right here, made less than half a mile from the sheriff’s department,” Nail said. He said he went out in the woods with the Abneys and several other people who were interested and it changed Nail’s mind about Bigfoot activity in Morgan County “We actually went out. It was probably early to mid-March, little bit of snow, maybe 35, 40 degrees, so some of the ground was thawing, other parts were still frozen and we ran across a print. We found a footprint,” Nail said. After that experience, Nail was hooked. He said IBRO has a core group of six or seven couples passionate about finding evidence of Bigfoot. “Some of them are out all the time. I would venture to say that there is someone in the woods and out researching 90 percent of all weekends,” he said. “We’ve got two different couples that camp all year round. They camp every single month, even through the winter they will camp. They see stuff and have stuff happen to them that you just cannot explain.” Nail said he has never seen a Bigfoot himself, but other members of the group have. He said there have been some occurrences he has had while out in the woods he couldn’t explain. “We’ve had two different instance now where we’ve had rocks thrown at us, thermal imagers running. Can’t find nothing. We see nothing in the woods,” Nail said. “So if there’s a person out there, we should have picked it up. The same as if we should have picked it up if it was a Bigfoot, but you can literally hear them coming through the trees, not dropping and then pick up the heat off the rock once it hits. “If a rock comes through and hits the ground and you take a thermal image of it, you’ll go ‘Yup, there’s a rock.’ You’ll see it bright as can be on the thermal imager, so that’s what’s strange and you might pick it up and we’ve found it before where it’s out of the creek, they’re still wet when the hit. It’s things like that. Being close enough that you hear them scream. You know they’re right around you, you can actually feel them.” Nail said the presence of Bigfoot is noticeable and there have been times where it’s made him feel uneasy. “There’s times where I’ve been out where it’s all I can do to keep from getting back into my truck even though I’ve been in that spot a number of times and then maybe 30 minutes later, it’s perfectly fine,” Nail said. The Indiana Bigfoot Research Organization’s annual spring camp out will be held May 5 to 7 in Yellowwood State Forest, 772 Yellowwood Lake Road, Nashville. There will be outings during the day and the night. The public is invited to join the group around the campfire to talk to members of IBRO. Larry Battson will give a presentation at 4 p.m. May 5. For more information about IBRO, visit indianabigfootresearchorganization.org or contact Nail at 765-346-0288 or at lnail1979@gmail.com. Information about Battson can be found at larrytheanimalguy.com.