Top feature stories of 2023: Howard County role models celebrated by community

Dec. 22—There was a lot to celebrate in this year's batch of feature stories.

From hometown heroes to dedicated sleuths, Howard County's residents — even the cats — continued to serve as role models and remind us to be a bit friendlier.

In no particular order, here are the top feature stories of the year.

A hero is honored by Kokomo, family and the man he saved

The city of Kokomo rededicated a park to a local veteran July 7.

Pfc. Carl Hughes Jr. grew up two blocks away from Northside Park. For a while, the park's baseball field was called the Carl Hughes Memorial Field.

A placard was installed at the park 49 years ago. But when a pump track was installed at the park, city officials decided it was time to remind Kokomo of the man who spent his last moments as a hero.

The warm Friday afternoon ceremony was attended by Carl's friends and family. There were a few veterans and government officials who wanted to pay their respects.

There was also Jim Gibbons, a Bostonian who told the crowd how Carl saved his life in Vietnam.

Karen Clelland, Carl's widow, heard the details of Jim's story a few days prior. They had known of each other for decades but didn't meet in person until a week before the ceremony.

Sitting in a City Hall conference room, Jim said he has a vivid memory of the day Carl died.

He remembers waking up in Vietnam on Dec. 14, 1969. He wasn't thrilled to work on a warm Sunday.

Carl and Jim's platoon had just rendezvoused with a couple of sergeants when a Vietnamese soldier ran into them.

Everyone, including the enemy soldier, was shocked, Jim said. The Vietnamese soldier was the first to snap out of it.

Jim watched as the two sergeants were shot and fell to the ground. Then he felt a bullet crash through his right temple. It felt like getting beamed by a plastic ball.

The bullet exited his body just below his ear.

"Time really slows down in those situations," Jim said. Everything happened in hundredths of a second.

Jim fell, landing face-down in a pool of water.

He wasn't conscious when Carl killed the enemy soldier, took out a nearby machine gun nest and dragged him to safety.

It would take decades for him to find out Carl was shot in the chest during the incident.

Carl didn't survive the encounter.

The Associated Press listed Carl as the 1,073rd Hoosier to die in the war.

Back home, Karen was looking forward to Christmas.

She was still living with her parents and had just returned home after work when there was a knock at the door.

Her father answered the door to two Army men, who explained Carl was killed in action.

Karen's memory of that evening ends with her collapsing in her father's arms.

She later received a bulletin from the Army that described her husband's last heroic actions, but wasn't sure whether it was exaggerated.

The Kokomo Tribune published a notification that Carl's funeral rites would take place at 2 p.m. Dec. 22, 1969. He's buried in Albright Cemetery.

There's an inscription on the back of the headstone that reads in capital letters, "For glory lights the soldier's tomb, and beauty weeps the brave. Killed in Viet-Nam." Karen picked the inscription.

A photo of Carl was on display during the closed-casket ceremony. It had been taken during summer, when Carl was on leave to marry Karen before deployment to Vietnam. He proposed to her three months before being drafted.

Jim explained he needed multiple surgeries to get steel plates installed in his skull. Miraculously, his brain was alright.

Years later, in 1985, he picked up a book that listed every American who died in the Vietnam War. There was only one name he was looking for — it belonged to his Kokomo friend who never responded to the letters he sent after being shot.

He found the name. Carl was dead.

When he was finally able to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Jim found out Carl died on Dec. 14, 1969 — the same day he was shot.

Jim said he thought Carl would have enjoyed the park's pump track. Karen agreed.

A mural was painted for the rededication by Rhonda Eads in May.

It depicts a diving eagle with a Purple Heart in its beak and Carl's dog tags around its neck. There's a rippling American flag in the background.

City development specialist Tom Tolen, who played a key role in organizing the rededication, was the first to speak at the rededication. He told the crowd about the new mural and a sign that had been installed.

"We're doing all that for a new generation so we don't forget," Tolen said. "We don't forget in Kokomo — in America — our heroes. And Carl is just that. ... Carl Hughes Jr.'s final act was heroic. He saved a man's life, a fellow soldier, a great friend."

Kokomo radio host recognized by Hip Hop Hall of Fame, Congress, hometown

Somewhere around 2.1 million people tune into Power 104.9 WTSX on any given day. An extra approximated 70,000 can pick up the show on sites like iHeartRadio or TuneIn.

A handful of celebrities have visited the Kokomo radio station, including hip hop artist Cardi B, actor Sean Astin (of "Rudy" and "Lord of the Rings" fame) and philosophical activist Dr. Cornel West.

The station's founder and host, John "Uncle Boogie" Grant, was recognized this year by the Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum, U.S. House of Representatives and Bergen County, New Jersey, for his cultural impact on the world.

As Grant puts it, his journey in hip hop started in 1978. He was 11 years old and lived in the Bronx, just across the street from St. James Park where saw a DJ, rapper and breakdancers for the first time.

"I just fell in love with hip hop," Grant said.

When Grant moved to Englewood, New Jersey, around the late '70s, he imagined he would be the first hip hop artist from the town. As it turned out, the area was already incubating hip hop legends.

It's where he met his lifelong friend Reggie "Rock" Passley. It's also where Grant witnessed the then-upcoming group The Sugarhill Gang perform in Crispy Crust Pizza — Sylvia Robinson was also in the crowd. She invited the group back to her house and, a few months later, commercial hip hop was born with the release of "Rapper's Delight."

Witnessing the success of The Sugarhill Gang, Grant and Passley were fueled to make a name for themselves.

After high school, Grant received a full ride scholarship to Buffalo State University for football and track. However, after an injury during his sophomore year and learning money was tight back home, he decided to move back to Englewood.

Around that time, there was a songwriting competition for a new movie — Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street." Instead of making an audition tape like most of their competition, Grant and Passley decided to press an actual record under the name Rock N' Gee.

Their song, "The Freddy Krueger," landed them their first record deal, helped them rake in thousands of dollars and book bigger shows, opening for the likes of Run DMC and Whodini.

Later picking up DJ Shawn, the group secured a $5,000 bank loan and booked a few sessions with Tony Bennett's son, Dae Bennett. Signing with a new studio, they recorded their hit single "Swing Beat" and were flown out to California to record a music video that appeared on Yo! MTV Raps.

But when they didn't get paid for a handful of shows and realized their manager and booking agency had been pocketing their profits, Rock N' Gee and DJ Shawn decided to call it quits.

In 2011, Grant accepted a technician job in Kokomo, partially so he could afford a larger studio for his growing internet radio show. After joining Nerve's DJ coalition, Grant decided it was finally time to sell his mechanic tools and build a proper FM radio station.

Grant received his Low Power FM license in 2014 and Power 104.9 WTSX was born. It was the first station in Kokomo fully dedicated to hip hop and R&B.

A plaque from the Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum is now displayed in the radio station. Grant couldn't believe he was being honored by the Hip Hop Hall of Fame when his cousin, a founder of the organization, told him over the phone.

He received his award in Cleveland, Ohio's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Sept. 23.

"There's three elements why I got this award: I had to be born, I had to know hip hop and I had to come to Kokomo," Grant said in September. "So this is really not my award. This is Kokomo's Award. Kokomo is recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Kokomo is in the Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum, because WTSX is in Kokomo. This is dedicated to the city that gave me a shot."

There was more recognition on the way, though.

On Nov. 15, he was honored by Bergen County, New Jersey, and the U.S. House of Representatives.

An exhibit on the county's impressive contributions to hip hop was displayed at the Bergen Performing Arts Center to celebrate the genre's 50th anniversary. Grant received the recognition from the House of Representatives and the county he once called home at the Arts Center.

In November, Grant said some people have begun to ask whether Rock N' Gee would ever go back on tour. He thinks they'd be ready to perform again after a couple of rehearsals.

"Just to be interviewed and maybe do a tour is a great feeling," Grant said. "I wouldn't have a radio station if it wasn't for this kind of experience because the relationships that I have made making music are the same relationships now that I use a radio."

Greentown's Old Man

A cat lounged in Greentown's Heartland Market vestibule.

Sally Schroeder, a Heartland Market employee, said the feline knew most customers couldn't resist petting him or scratching his chin.

Some members of the community took to referring to him as the unofficial mayor of Greentown. Others said he was the town's mascot. Old Man was well loved.

According to Brittany Wistendahl, Old Man's owner, some folks would even drive to the Greentown market just to visit the cat.

She lives next to the market with her husband, Mitchell, and their kids.

"He loves on everybody," she said. "He's just a social cat."

Old Man died June 24 after being hit by a car. He's buried on the eastern side of Wistendahl's house, close to the Heartland Market.

A crowd gathered to attend a memorial in his honor.

Wistendahl explained she adopted Old Man six years ago when his former owners didn't want him anymore.

Under the impression Old Man was a female, his initial owners named him Stella.

Wistendahl was the one who realized he was a male. She decided the name Stella wouldn't do.

Wistendahl explained she didn't know the cat's age, but thought his fondness of napping with newspapers likened him to an old man.

She would tell him, "You're such an old man, reading the newspaper and relaxing all day." The name stuck.

Wistendahl's family moved to Greentown three years ago. It wasn't long until Old Man started strutting to the Heartland Market.

"It's almost like dropping him off at daycare," Wistendahl said.

As the community grew to love the cat, some members began to take Old Man on excursions.

Old Man would accompany Wistendahl's former mail carrier along delivery routes. Occasionally, a Greentown couple would pick him up for a cruise around town in their golf cart.

"He's part of Greentown," she said. "If you need a friend, he's a friend."

When concerned posts popped up on the Greentown Connections Facebook page, hoping to reunite the wandering cat with his owner, other residents were quick to let them know Old Man's public appearances were commonplace.

"That's Old Man, the unofficial mayor of Greentown," one comment assured. "That's old man he's the towns cat," another wrote. "He's the G.O.A.T. of cats. Definitely very loved by our community. Town Mascot."

Real Life Superman

James Dixon's mother used to tell him he was Superman, just with a bit of kryptonite.

He was 11 when his leg was amputated due to poor circulation. Encouragement from his family didn't make him feel any less of outsider. So, he hid the fact he was an amputee for 45 years.

Dixon's attitude changed four years ago, though.

"I thought about the fact that at some point, I had to get over the fear of what other people thought it said about me," Dixon said. "I decided I would wear shorts. And that was a monumental day for me. But I waited to do it until I got a new prosthetic."

His change of perspective has since led to a book deal, a documentary made about him, and an appearance in a comic book.

Dixon's new leg wasn't meant to imitate human legs. Instead, it was designed to keep up with the athletic lifestyle he adopted after his amputation.

Part of Dixon's enthusiasm for fitness came from a desire to be accepted — he got into sports shortly after the amputation to show people he was just as capable as everyone else.

He has an additional, more pragmatic reason, though. Prosthetic legs are made to fit the person they're attached to. So, gaining 20 pounds can affect an amputee's ability to walk.

The legs don't come cheap, he added. They range between $16,000 and $150,000.

So, fitness became a way of life for Dixon. As a powerlifter, his deadlift record sits at 760 pounds.

Finding a local gym that caters to people with disabilities has helped, Dixon said.

One More Gym, 3780 S. Reed Road, has specialized equipment, such as a modified squat machine that takes pressure off the lifter's spine.

Brian Cox, the gym's owner, said he fell into the niche after his wife was in a car accident and needed to undergo several back surgeries.

Cox decided to order the modified squat machine to help her strengthen her back and leg muscles.

Ever since, he said, he's tried to keep people with disabilities in mind while making changes to the gym or ordering equipment.

Far from Kokomo, Marci Krown met Dixon in California, where he had been supporting athletes at a Challenge Athletes Foundation triathlon.

She was immediately struck with him. To her, Dixon was the epitome of an everyday person — someone interested in sports that people could relate to.

Krown was working on a documentary about people who continue to participate in sports after loosing a leg.

The film will be titled "The Power of Sports for Amputees" and introduce the audience to three people.

The first is a woman training for the Paralympics. The second is a teenager who plays high school football and participates in his school's track team. Dixon is the documentary's third character.

"He's living life without limitations," Krown said. "His personality and his positive attitude were other reasons why I wanted to include him in the film."

During another trip to California, Dixon spoke about the need for amputees to enjoy the same access to life as nonamputees.

Someone in the crowd asked whether there was anything he hadn't yet accomplished, but would like to.

He said wanted to publish a book.

As luck would have it, Mark Victor Hansen, a co-author of "Chicken Soup for the Soul," was listening. He reached out to Dixon a few weeks later and, soon after, extended an offer for a book deal and his writing services.

Dixon picked up another collaboration when he was contacted by Michel Fornasier.

The Swiss comic book author writes stories about nonviolent heroes who strive for diversity, inclusion and bullying prevention. They also build bridges between people with and without disabilities, Fornasier said.

Two Marvel artists and a Japanese manga artist help him produce the comics.

Fornasier explained he saw videos of Dixon sharing his story online and decided to reach out.

"I thought it would be such a great synergy to have him in the bionics team," Fornasier said.

His fourth book features a character based on Dixon, named Joyful James.

Together, Fornasier said, the nonviolent team makes the world a better place.

"There's nothing that will take away the fact that I am living life with a disability. But I do live without limits," Dixon said. "'I'm able to do everything because I'm so dedicated. The gym is crucial for me on that, by being an example role model."

Answers still sought on Kokomo man's mysterious 1947 disappearance

Patti Mosson has been searching for answers for years. She's struggled to answer her uncle's disappearance and clear his name, but has thus far found more red tape than answers.

Cpl. Harvey Eugene Whitacre was declared missing July 1, 1947, after he didn't show up during a morning roll call at the secretive Sandia military base in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

He was 20 years old at the time and working on the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project (AFSWP) — the follow-up to J. Robert Oppenheimer-led Manhattan Project.

According to a July 8, 1947, article in the Kokomo Tribune, Whitacre rose to the rank of corporal in less than two years and was in the engineer corps when he disappeared.

He was last seen at a nearby bowling alley and, as treasurer of an Army bowling league, had been carrying $400 to $500 when he disappeared.

His glasses, hat, necktie and shirt were found in a nearby alley — blood and slash marks on the back of his shirt led investigators to believe Whitacre had fallen victim to foul play.

The FBI took over the investigation fairly quickly. News outlets across the world picked up the story —nsome speculated he had been mugged.

Mosson doesn't think that's the case.

"You might lose a hat and your glasses in a scuffle. Are you going to lose a necktie and a shirt?" Mosson asked. "To me, that whole thing is hinky. I do not, for one minute, believe that he was just robbed."

Instead, she thinks he was abducted and held against his will by someone who wanted to extract information about the highly confidential projects that were worked on in Sandia Base.

According to Whitacre's entry with The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, which is operated by an arm of the United States Department of Justice, "The FBI and the Defense Department spent much time and effort questioning family members, wire tapping their phones, and intercepting mail in the hopes that Gene would contact one of them but that did not happen."

His Kokomo bank account had also been checked.

A Jan. 15, 1954, article in the Kokomo Tribune noted Army officials were concerned by his disappearance.

"He was reportedly assigned to a unit whose commanding office was highly important in atomic bomb operations," the article stated. "In addition, it was also learned that the soldier had at one time been connected with work on the highly-secret guided missile."

The article also explained spy operations had already been uncovered at the nearby Los Alamos base.

Later, a July 17, 1947, United Press International wire story stated the War Department discredited "any international spy angles to the strange disappearance."

In August, Det. Chris Ramidez, a member of the Albuquerque Police Department, said no police report was documented in 1947 for Whitacre's disappearance. His clothes weren't processed or tagged into the department's evidence, either, since the FBI conducted the investigation.

"Unfortunately there is no new or additional information to report at this time," Ramidez wrote in the email.

The FBI did not respond to the Tribune's request for comment on the investigation.

Mosson's investigation began about a decade ago. She never got to meet Whitacre, but grew up listening to stories about him.

"It upsets me that the Army still lists him as a deserter and AWOL," she said.

She started by reaching out to Albuquerque detectives who worked on cold cases. They didn't have much information.

Later, Mosson filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the National Archives and Records Administration on Feb. 27, 2020.

She's still waiting to receive documents on the FBI's investigation, though.

"I have implored and begged. I have tried to appeal to their humanity," Mosson later added. "I just get a bureaucratic answer. But I'm not done. They don't know me. I'm not done."

Mosson also asked the National Archives whether Whitacre's cap, glasses, necktie and bloodied shirt were still floating around somewhere.

"If they're not going to use them for anything, then I would like to be able to give the man a burial with what we have," she explained. "I feel like he deserves that."

For now, Whitacre doesn't have a marker in any cemetery. There's nothing to bury.

"The chances of getting much information is slim to none," Mosson said. "But I'm not going to let it rest."

James Bennett III can be reached at 765-454-8580 or james.bennett@kokomotribune.com.