Logansport to name street after Cpl. Sanchez

Sep. 15—Mayor Chris Martin returned to work Wednesday morning, chairing the Board of Works meeting where planned streets were officially named after Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, businessman and philanthropist Mike Anderson and Mike and Kathy Dingo.

Martin had been in quarantine after being diagnosed Sept. 6 with COVID-19, and he wore a face mask while in the City Council chambers for the meeting. In a Facebook post on Sept. 7, the mayor reported experiencing flu-like symptoms, including body aches, a fever and chills.

"I'm able to come back," he said, although he added that "we'll see how well it goes."

Martin declined to disclose whether he had gotten a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Board of Works' naming of streets was for the planned Lexington Village subdivision, going into the empty lot off High Street and behind Mary Max Cinema and Walmart.

Cpl. Sanchez Way will go north from Lexington Road to connect with Mike Anderson Way, which comes in off High Street and goes along the east-west row of homes in the subdivision.

Sanchez was one of the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Aug. 26 bombing of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was laid to rest in Mount Hope Cemetery in Logansport on Tuesday.

"We're just honored to have Cpl. Sanchez representing Logansport, and we wanted to give back something," Martin said.

Anderson built Mike Anderson Auto Group, headquartered in Logansport and extending across northern Indiana. Before his death on Sept. 1, 2019, he gave generously to local causes, including the Cass County YMCA, historic State Theatre, local schools, the United Way of Cass County and the Cancer Care and Family Birth centers at Logansport Memorial Hospital.

The late Mike and Kathy Dingo — whose family established and still runs Bruno's Pizza after 61 years — were also generous contributors to the community, with Kathy centered on beautification.

The city gives the Kathy Dingo Award to recognize those who follow her example in improving quality of life in Logansport.

The city chose to name the streets now, as work is beginning to ramp up.

"We're in the process of putting them in," said Deputy Mayor Jacob Pomasl. "We were looking for prominent members of our community."

Board Member Lisa Terry asked at the meeting that the city have a written policy for whom to name streets after. She said that she could think of a list of prominent residents off the top of her head who could have streets named for them.

One would be Milt Cole, who started Cole Lumber and was also a prominent philanthropist before he died Nov. 26, 2020. His family continues the business and generosity.

Martin said that Cole's name is on the list for streets in the planned development at 18th Street and the Hoosier Heartland Highway (Indiana 25, where it combines with U.S. 24 and U.S. 35).

That intersection is a significant gateway into the city and near the Ivy Tech campus.

Another name that was suggested for that development was Ralph "Doc" Anderson, who was a prominent veterinarian and had been involved in local politics for years, most recently as a Cass County commissioner.

Anderson died May 8.

Reach James D. Wolf Jr. at james.wolf@pharostribune.com or 574-732-5117

Twitter @JamesDWolfJr