Hoosier History Highlights: December 12-18

Evening World
·4 min read

This Week in Indiana History

1871 - Edward Eggleston published The Hoosier Schoolmaster, a novel about a teacher and his students in an early Indiana school. Eggleston, born in Vevay in Switzerland County, was a historian who wrote stories about pioneer life. His other books include The Hoosier Schoolboy, The End of the World, and Faith Doctor.

1888 - Vice President-Elect Levi Morton and his wife Anna arrived at Union Station in Indianapolis. They were taken by carriage to the home of President-Elect Benjamin Harrison where they had dinner and discussed the issues facing the new administration.

100 YEARS AGO

1921 - Stores and shops around the state were well-stocked with toys for Christmas. People's Outfitting in Indianapolis advertised its line of the most popular toys for the holiday. They included a gyroscope top for 19 cents, a coaster wagon for $3.98, a doll carriage for $4.98, a pedal car for $5.98, and a Lionel electric train for $6.98.

1950 - 19-year-old James Dean got his first paid acting job in a commercial for Pepsi-Cola. He had recently moved to California after graduation from high school in Fairmount, Indiana. He went on to a short but legendary career in Hollywood movies.

1958 - Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to a crowd of 4,000 at Cadle Tabernacle in Indianapolis. The 29-year-old Baptist minister was welcomed to the city by Mayor Charles Boswell. King told the crowd, "If democracy is to live, segregation must die."

1977 - A DC-3 crashed shortly after takeoff from the Evansville airport, killing all 29 aboard. The dead included Coach Bobby Watson and nearly the entire University of Evansville "Purple Aces" basketball team. Among others on board were university sports information director Gregory Knipping and sportscaster Marv Bates.

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HOOSIER QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"We may run, walk, stumble, drive, or fly, but let us never lose sight of the reason for the journey or miss a chance to see a rainbow on the way."

- - - Gloria Gaither

After graduation from Anderson College, Gloria Sickal became a teacher at the high school in Alexandria, Indiana, where she met her future husband, Bill Gaither. Together, they became a songwriting team, producing scores of Christian songs.

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Indiana quick quiz

1. Which county is part of the Indiana area known as "the Region"? a/ Boone b/ Lake c/ Vanderburgh

2/ Which county is found in central Indiana? a/ Elkhart b/ Hamilton c/ Gibson

3. Which county is found in southern Indiana? a/ Howard b/ Porter c/ Jefferson

Answers

1. b; 2. b; 3. c

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Did you know?

Last week this column brought you the winning entry in this year's Statehood Essay contest. The topic for 2021 was "Indiana's Great Outdoors." The first place essay, presented last week, was written by Josiah C. of Greenwood.

Here are excerpts from the second, third, and fourth-place winners.

Excerpt from the second-place winner, Luke G. from Clarks Creek Elementary in Plainfield: "Each summer I watch the green corn stalks come alive across the road from where I live. The plants start off growing slowly as summer begins. In June, they are only halfway done. In July, they are fully grown, and by October, they are brown and ready to be harvested. Indiana is a beautiful place year around. Indiana's great outdoors has so much to offer."

Excerpt from the third-place winner, Lillian W., Otterbein Elementary, Benton County: "Chirp, chirp, is what I hear when I wake up to the light shining through my bedroom window. My mom calls for me to go outside to play with our dog. As I walk outside, I think, 'Ah, the fresh air smells so good.' I look at the flowers and the beauty of the plants all around and then ask my mom if we can walk to Mulvey Pond. I love to walk the trails from our house where there are wildflowers, beautiful butterflies and if you get lucky, you'll see the bald eagle that lives nearby. As you can see, I don't have to go too far to enjoy Indiana's great outdoors."

Excerpt from the fourth-place winner, Matthew P., Discovery Charter School, Porter, Indiana: "Nature is very important because all life depends on it. Without clean water, clean air, and a healthy environment, plants, animals, and people can't live. We need animals like butterflies, native bees, hummingbirds, and bats to help pollinate much of the food we eat. We need healthy trees to provide oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. We need healthy wetlands to help filter pollution out of the water that we drink and keep the water clean for fish, birds, and all life."

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ABE MARTIN SEZ:

These are awful hard days t' listen without buttin' in.

(Kin Hubbard, Abe Martin's Sayings, Abe Martin Publishing Company, Indianapolis, 1916)

This article originally appeared on Evening World: Hoosier History Highlights: December 12-18