Ruth Rusie, Dave Keister and others named to Morgan County Hall of Fame
Editor's note: In 2022, both Morgan County and the city of Martinsville will celebrate their bicentennial. This year, the Reporter-Times is publishing a series of stories in celebration of the 200th birthdays for both Morgan County and Martinsville. This story is the seventh part in that series.
MORGAN COUNTY — Bicentennial celebrations are swiftly approaching as Martinsville and Morgan County prepare to celebrate 200 years of existence.
While the area has been home to several noteworthy inhabitants throughout the decades, 12 current and former Morgan County residents have received the distinction of being added to the county's Hall of Fame.
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The newly chosen recipients include: Gary Bettenhausen, Richard Bray, Sally Butler, Eliza Callis-Scott, Christie Loren (Habig) Dunham, Marshall H. Goss, Dave Keister, Nina Mason Pulliam, Ruth Rusie, William Shields, Jerry Sichting and John Vawter.
The Morgan County Hall of Fame was first established in 1976 to pay tribute to America's Bicentennial celebrations at the time. 31 inductees were awarded a place in the Hall of Fame that year. An additional three honorees were included in 1986. The Hall of Fame wall was last updated in 2012 when eight more names were added.
The selection process
Morgan County Public Library Director Krista Ledbetter said the selection process was difficult and featured some debate among committee members before deciding on who should be recognized as the new inductees.
Nearly 30 nominations were reviewed by Ledbetter, David Reddick, Janice Bolinger, Chip Keller and Ellen Wilson-Pruitt, all members of the selection committee tasked with choosing the list of names.
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Each of the 12 inductees not only accomplished their goals locally in Martinsville or Morgan County, but also went on to achieve prominence across Indiana or on the national stage. Ledbetter said this was a vital aspect of the decision-making process.
"We had so many qualified candidates. I think what we really focused on was the criteria. That helped us narrow it down that they need to have achieved some kind of state or national prominence, not just have been someone in Morgan County because when you look at some of our Morgan County residents, they have just done wonderful, wonderful things," she said. "The Hall of Fame's purpose has always been to identify folks who have achieved something outside of the county as well and that helped us narrow it down some."
Despite that expansive nature, Morgan County remains at the heart of the selection committee's decisions. Each candidate must have a significant connection to the county, whether they were born there or moved from elsewhere.
Ledbetter explained that the candidates' accomplishments can span across industries, ranging from sports accomplishments to entertainment prowess or business accolades.
"I think this is showing some of the best of Morgan County. I think what is interesting is the breadth of what these people accomplished," Ledbetter said. "We have people in business like William Shields. We have noted philanthropists like Ruth Rusie and Nina Mason Pulliam. We have several sports figures, with Jerry Sichting and Gary Bettenhausen. There is just such a breadth of experience."
Morgan County resident and selection committee member David Reddick said he believes the new inductees strike a nice balance between different industries and types of contributions.
"There was a good balance to the candidates. It wasn't all politicians or all athletes. I think there's a tendency sometimes to kind of focus on those because they tend to get more highlights throughout their careers and so on," he said.
That doesn't mean the selection process was easy though.
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"It was somewhat difficult because we had a little over two dozen people that were nominated," Reddick noted. "As you started to go through the information that people submitted, you realize that all of them are deserving in one way or another, and to actually be able to nail it down to about half of what we received was somewhat difficult."
Reddick said the hall of fame serves as a platform to highlight the accomplishments and contributions made by Morgan County residents, reminding locals and visitors of the impact the county has had on Indiana and the country.
"One of the things that I have found in the 20-plus years I've lived here is that this county has had some terrific people over the years that have done some pretty amazing things," Reddick said. "If you go back and look at the Hall of Fame Wall and read the bios of some of these other folks, there were some pretty interesting people. So I like the idea of the wall because, to me, it's a reminder to people just how great a county Morgan County has been in terms of people that have come out of here and done some pretty amazing things."
A public induction ceremony is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Martinsville branch of the Morgan County Public Library System, 110 S. Jefferson St., to honor those who have been inducted.
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Profiles for each inductee can be viewed on the Morgan County and Martinsville Bicentennial Facebook page.
"I think the neatest thing about the Hall of Fame is that we can showcase these folks who came from Morgan County, this small county in the middle of Indiana, and have gone on to do great things," Ledbetter said.
Contact reporter Tyler Haughn at thaughn@reporter-times.com.
This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Morgan County Hall of Fame honors 12 locals as bicentennial continues
