812 Summer/Fall 2016

A BLIND KAYAKER TACKLES RAPIDS AND LIFE

S U M M E R / FA L L 2 0 1 6

FOOD WE LOVE

5

Restaurants

worth the drive Chefs’ tips Classics and trends + OOur top Yelpers

A Muslim family works toward understanding

Albion Fellows Bacon: Indiana’s caretaker

A convent celebrates 150 years of sisterhood

Locally owned and operated for over Bloomington Valley Nursery oers landscape design and installation. Fully stocked with a variety of trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals. Bulk mulch, soils available.

2

We Deliver!

SUMMER/ FALL 2016

50 years!

5230 S. Old State Road 37 Bloomington, IN 47401 812-824-8813 BloomingtonValleyNursery.com

Photos provided by Joshue Mayer and Bil Murray from Flickr

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ON THE COVER:

28 Fork in the road

Your insider’s guide to restaurants worth the drive, chefs’ tips, ethnic dishes and our top Yelpers. Story by Lanie Maresh, Harley Wiltsey and Hannah Lavine

Departments

Features

12

Tomorrow is an otter day

Thanks to a team of biologists, these playful mammals are thriving. Story by Jordan Guskey

16 Mass appeal

The nuns of Monastery Immaculate Conception are celebrating 150 years of sisterhood. Story by Kaitlyn Chamberlin and Alexis Daily

22 Second sight

Blinded in a hunting accident 19 years ago, kayaker Lonnie Bedwell now sees life more clearly than ever. Story by Liz Meuser

36

Painting the light

43

Indiana’s caretaker

48

Where the path may lead

Artists are drawn to the sunlight and shadows on our regional landscapes. Story

by Sami Aronowitz and Michael Williams

How one Evansville woman transformed housing for the poor in Indiana. Story by Sara Miller

A Muslim family in Columbus fosters understanding. Story by Ellen Glover and Allison Chaplin

GET OUT OF TOWN

7

Purple haze

TASTE OF SOUTHERN INDIANA

9

The Evansville Dream

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

Goodman, PALS director 11 Fern THE 812 LIST

54

Eight historic moments

On the cover: Chef Gethin Thomas at Henry Social Club in Columbus. /Photo by Michael Williams, lighting by Steven Leonard. Special thanks to Malinda Aston, Steve Layton, Gena Asher, Allen Major, Greg Menkedick, Roger Hartwell and Susan Elkins for their assistance in the publication of 812: The Magazine of Southern Indiana.

3 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Born and raised just 30 minutes from Chicago, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for big city life. I expected a culture shock when I moved to Bloomington my freshman year, but I found myself surprised by all this community has to offer.

1R ORQJHU ZHUH ´FRUQÀHOGVµ RU D ´VLPSOH OLIHµ WKH ZRUGV , XVHG to describe my college town to friends and family. Now Lanie Maresh WKRVH ZRUGV DUH ´OLYHOLQHVV µ Editor-in-chief ´RSSRUWXQLW\µ DQG ´GLYHUVLW\ µ , ZDV VXUSULVHG WR ÀQG how much more I learned about the 812 area working on this magazine. I never knew about the thriving Muslim community in Columbus or the progressive monastery in )HUGLQDQG $QG , GHÀQLWHO\ KDG QHYHU H[SHULHQFHG WKH SXUH bliss of persimmon pudding, all of which are featured in the pages to come. To me, each story is just a small piece of what makes Southern Indiana what it is today. So, whether \RX·YH OLYHG KHUH DOO \RXU OLIH RU DUH VWRSSLQJ E\ IRU WKH ÀUVW time, I hope you can learn a little bit about the wonderful place I’m proud to call, now and forever, a home.

812: THE MAGAZINE OF SOUTHERN INDIANA Winter/Spring 2016 Volume 5, Number 1 812 was conceived, reported, written, photographed, edited and designed by students in J481: Creating an Indiana Magazine at the Indiana University Media School. Contents may not be reproduced without the written consent of the school. <RX DOVR FDQ Ã&#x20AC;QG H[FOXVLYH RQOLQH VWRULHV DW our website, 812magazine.com. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested in advertising in 812, or if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like copies to distribute at your place of business, please contact ads@idsnews.com.

FOLLOW US: @812Magazine

YOUR LIFE YOUR STYLE YOUR STORE

BLOOMINGTON

4 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

2664 E. Second St. (Former location of Different Drummer)

812-345-2689 Tues. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Our 812 Staff

Sara Miller Managing Editor

Michael Williams Art Director

Sarah Lally Assistant Art Director

Ellen Glover Social Media Editor

She dove into her Evansville roots to tell the story of Indiana tenements.

He explored the art of Indiana and learned just as much about its people.

Sarah discovered the history of the state that’s her collegiate home.

Ellen is from New York and loved learning about different cultures.

Alexis Daily Staff Writer

Liz Meuser Photo Editor

Samantha Aronowitz Social Media Editor

Hannah Lavine Staff Writer

Alexis took a leap of faith when she visited a PRQDVWHU\ IRU WKH ÀUVW WLPH

Liz learned about navigating the waters of adversity from a blind adaptive sportsman.

Sami learned to appreciate the painters who capture Indiana’s landscapes.

This senior from New Jersey ditched bagels and pizza for pork tenderloin and pie.

Jordan Guskey Staff Writer

Kaitlyn Chamberlin Departments Editor

Allison Chaplin Online Editor

Harley Wiltsey Staff Writer and Designer

A love for zoos inspired him to track down Indiana’s exuberant river otters.

This senior followed her Midwest roots all the way to small town Ferdinand.

Allison was eager to explore different ways of life in Southern Indiana.

Harley discovered local ÁDYRUV DQG FODVVLF Hoosier cuisine.

Nancy Comiskey Senior Lecturer She had the privilege to work with this talented group of young journalists.

5 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Your One-Stop

GARDEN Center

6 SUMMER/ FALL 2016 6280

Growi ng qualit y plants since 1 965

Mon-Sat, 9-5:30 • Sun 12-5:30 www.maysgreenhouse.net S. OLD ST. RD. 37 • BLOOMINGTON • 824-8630

Tropicals • Annuals • Herbs • Vegetables • Perennials Trees • Shrubs • Bulbs & Seed • Bark Mulch • Landscape Rock

GET OUT OF TOWN

Purple haze Experience the sight and scent of lavender.

9LVLW :LOORZĆ&#x201C;HOG IURP PLG -XQH WR PLG -XO\ WR FDWFK WKH ODYHQGHU LQ IXOO EORRP 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI :LOORZĆ&#x201C;HOG /DYHQGHU )DUP

By Harley Wiltsey

N

estled in a small neighborhood in Mooresville, :LOORZĂ&#x20AC;HOG /DYHQGHU )DUP offers an unexpected look at a classic Mediterranean plant.

For the past 15 years, Elizabeth and Kieran Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor have been growing and producing organic lavender on their fourDFUH Ă&#x20AC;HOG D GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW WDVN LQ Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s climate. .LHUDQ ZDQWHG WR Ă&#x20AC;QG DQ enjoyable job after retiring from the Indianapolis Fire Department. The coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prior interest in gardening and lavender presented the perfect opportunity for growth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It just grabbed a hold of PH Âľ (OL]DEHWK VD\V ´:H MXVW NHHS SODQWLQJ DQG JURZLQJ Âľ Grab a glass of lavender tea and take a walk around the grounds or relax on the porch.

Either way, be sure to breathe in the sweet scent that wafts through the air.

:LOORZĆ&#x201C;HOG /DYHQGHU )DUP 6176 E. Smokey View Road Mooresville

Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday starting May 14.

Entrance is free

Summer concert series tickets are $5 a person. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Talk and walks,â&#x20AC;? where you learn the farmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story, are $2 a person.

What to do while youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re there

Visitors can explore the fouracre farm, complete with a gazebo, or browse through the barnturned-boutique. Products for sale include greeting cards, sachets, linen and body sprays, and blended teas, many of which are made by Elizabeth.

Small bags and bundles of lavender are also available for purchase. :LOORZĆ&#x201C;HOG LV DOVR D SRSXODU VSRW IRU baby showers and weddings. The wedding tree provides a perfect photo backdrop. Many brides enjoy picking lavender to include in their event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very quiet and peaceful place,â&#x20AC;?

Elizabeth says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People thank us for having that peace.â&#x20AC;?

Three rules for growing lavender

/DYHQGHU FDQ EH GLIĆ&#x201C;FXOW WR JURZ in Indiana because of the wet and variable climate, so here are three tips WR KHOS \RXU JDUGHQ Ĺ´RXULVK 1. Lavender is a full-sun plant, requiring a minimum of six hours of sunlight between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

2. It needs warm, well-drained soil. It canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sit in water, or it will rot.

3. It needs sweet soil, meaning chalky or alkaline with a pH around 7.0. WilORZĆ&#x201C;HOG UHFRPPHQGV SUHSDULQJ WKH soil with a base of limestone for draining as well as sweetening the soil.

Ways to use lavender

Lavender is a multipurpose Ĺ´RZHU 7U\ WKHVH LGHDV â&#x20AC;˘ 5XE IUHVK ODYHQGHU Ĺ´RZHUV RU RLO RQ the body to repel insects while outside. â&#x20AC;˘ Rub lavender oil on the temples or the palms and inhale the scent to ease headaches. â&#x20AC;˘ Use the oil and scent as a sleep aid. â&#x20AC;˘ Add lavender oil to tea or lemonade WR HQKDQFH WKH Ĺ´DYRU

7 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Acoustic & Electric Guitars: Taylor, G&L, Washburn, Seagull, Indiana

CEN TER SIC MU VAN CE

Sales, Lessons, Accessories & Repair

Northside of Downtown Square 112 W. Sixth Street 812-339-0618

Keyboards: Yamaha, Korg

Amps:

Orange, Supro, Line6, Laney

Store Hours Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri: 9:30 - 5:30 Wed: 9:30 - 7:00 Sat: 9:30 - 5:00

Live the Good Life Millennium and bloom Apartments Stop by for a tour and check out our newly renovated 24-hr Fitness Facility, Indoor Heated Pool and Cross-Fit Equipment

812-558-0800 hunterbloomington.com

8 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

TASTE OF SOUTHERN INDIANA

The Evansville Dream

Grippoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Ski are this cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apple pie.

By Sara Miller Hot dogs and apple pie may taste like the American Dream, but you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had the Evansville Dream until youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve opened a can of Ski and a bag of Grippoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had the big boxes of Grippoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and plenty of Ski to go around at every family gathering for as long as I can UHPHPEHU Âľ VD\V (YDQVYLOOH QDWLYH Shelby Beavin, who averages several cans of Ski a day and has even painted the Grippoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Ski logos on her nails.

The chips have been around since DQG FRPH LQ D YDULHW\ RI Ă DYRUV like Cheese and Jalapeno or Sweet Bermuda Onion.

But any true Evansville westsider knows the best way to get the Grippoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience is to stick with barbeque â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a Ă DYRU VR SRSXODU WKDW WKH\ HYHQ VHOO bottles of Grippoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gourmet Bar-B-Q spice.

Grippoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bar-B-Q Chips start out sweet. But, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get too comfortable.

The more you eat, the more the chips dissolve into an explosion of spicy barbeque goodness.

Grippoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regulars know the only acceptable way of soothing the bold

Ă DYRU LV E\ WDNLQJ D VZLJ IURP D cold can of Ski. The lemon-orange soda is produced by Evansvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only remaining local bottler, RC Beverage Company, a staple in Evansville for over 50 years. Today, it manufactures 170 million cans and bottles and distributes products to two million people each year. ´6NL LV OLNH WKH ZHVWVLGH ZDWHU Âľ born-and-bred Evansvillian Daniel Daily says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t truly grow up on the westside of Evansville without KDYLQJ *ULSSR¡V DQG 6NL DW OHDVW RQFH Âľ The combo can be found in most Evansville grocery and convenience stores. If you want to take your enthusiasm to a whole new level, Evansvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Azzip Pizza offers the ´:HVWVLGHU 3L]]D Âľ D SL]]D WRSSHG ZLWK Grippoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chips and a Ski concentrate.

You can buy Grippoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s online at www.grippos.com. Ski can be found in most southwestern counties in Indiana, from Warren down to Posey. ´, ORYH WKHP ERWK LQGLYLGXDOO\ Âľ Beavin says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and eating two good things together just seems to make WKHP WDVWH HYHQ EHWWHU Âľ

*ULSSR¡V Serving Size 1 bag (28g) Servings Per Container 1 $PRXQW SHU VHUYLQJ

Year Founded 1959

Cincinnati, Ohio *RRGQHVV

)ODYRU 2SWLRQV Cheese and Jalapeno Sweet Bermuda Onion Gourmet Bar-B-Q &DORULHV 140 %HVW 3DLUHG :LWK RC Beverage Ski Also known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Westside Waterâ&#x20AC;?

30% 72% 110%

9

Made in Evansville &DORULHV 170 7RWDO 'HOLFLRXVQHVV 100%

SUMMER/ FALL 2016

INC.

Accurate Facts. Favorable Results.SM

When you need to “eliminate doubt” that could jeopardize the outcome of a serious matter you cannot afford to hire the wrong investigative firm.

Not all investigative firms are created equal…

We use over 35 years of combined experience, tenacity and resources to provide you accurate facts and favorable results in a thorough,timely and reliable manner.

We provide you with reliable results in: • Personal injury and criminal defense investigations • Family law investigations • Estate and probate investigations • Pre-employment screening • Due diligence investigations (mergers and acquisitions) • Security consultations

Call Us Today (812) 334-8857

10 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

www.traceinvestigations.com Indiana Licenses: PI20700048, SG20700049

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

5LGLQJ LQVWUXFWRUV JXLGH D SDUWLFLSDQW GXULQJ KHU OHVVRQ DW WKH 3$/6 IDFLOLW\ LQ %ORRPLQJWRQ 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI )HUQ *RRGPDQ

Fern Goodman, PALS director This 41-year-old saddled up and founded a therapeutic riding center.

By Lanie Maresh

G

rowing up in Bloomington with a mother who provided horsebackriding lessons for those with physical limitations, Goodman was inspired to open People and Animal Learning Services when she moved back in 2000. She got her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a specialization in human and DQLPDO LQWHUDFWLRQV DQG HDUQHG KHU FHUWL¿FDWLRQ in therapeutic horsemanship. She shares with 812 how a special connection with humans makes horses great animals for therapy.

Horses help riders build strength The movement and warmth of the horse can strengthen your muscles. If you have a person who is really spastic in their muscles, putting them on a horse that has smooth movements will relax their muscles. If you have a person who has trouble using their muscles

and put them on a bouncier horse, that can increase tone in the muscles. Just the movement of the horse can have a huge impact physically.

They help us with our self-esteem They’re amazing animals and really big, VR RQH RI WKH EHQH¿WV LV JHWWLQJ WKHP WR GR what you want them to do. The pride of being in charge of such a large animal, whether on the ground, riding or whatever, will help with self-esteem.

They teach us about acceptance There are horses with all different personalities, but horses in general are very nonjudgmental beings. Whereas people with disabilities go through many parts of their lives being judged because they look, talk or walk differently. Horses see everyone as equal as long as you treat them properly.

They have a calming effect, even in tough times We hear time and time again from our FOLHQWV WKDW WKHUDS\ FDQ EH GLI¿FXOW 7KH PDJLcal thing about horses is that our clients are JHWWLQJ WKHUDSHXWLF EHQH¿WV LQ D UHDOO\ VXSHU fun environment. They almost don’t know that they’re working for it.

They help us heal emotionally and physically We started the Veterans Program because a lot of veterans have post-traumatic stress disorder or physical limitations. Riding a horse with its calming nature and learning how to WUXVW DQRWKHU EHLQJ FDQ EH YHU\ EHQH¿FLDO We’ve done family integration where the dad has been gone for a long period of time, and the little kids don’t know him well. When their dad is back, they have an activity that they can do together. It gives them something to bond over, and something to talk about and share.

11 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Thanks to a team of biologists and the resilience of these playful mammals . . .

Tomorrow is an otter day

12 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

By Jordan Guskey A car rolls gently along a gravel road.

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re sitting in the passenger seat as Donna Stanley, a park ranger at the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, drives her Ford Escape along a wetland area.

The rays of the early-morning sun à DVK RQ WKH ZDWHU¡V VXUIDFH $ quick splash catches your eye, and you focus on a spot about 50 feet away.

Stanley slows the car, stops and puts it in park.

You sit, window rolled down and camera out, catching a glimpse of an animal once forgotten in these parts.

A North American river otter,

unperturbed by your presence, gnaws on a Ă&#x20AC;VK 6WDQOH\ PRYHV WKH FDU HYHQ FORVHU <RX snap pictures of its sleek frame and dark, rich brown fur as it slides into the water DQG EDFN RXW DJDLQ D QHZ Ă&#x20AC;VK LQ LWV JUDVS every time.

Today, river otters thrive in 87 percent of Indiana counties, but a little over 20 years ago, you would have had no reason to stop the car.

River otters were said to have disappeared in Indiana twice in the 20th FHQWXU\ XQRIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOO\ LQ ZKHQ WKH VFLHQWLĂ&#x20AC;F FRPPXQLW\ EHOLHYHG QR RWWHUV ZHUH OHIW DQG RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOO\ LQ EHIRUH HIIRUWV

by Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program rescued the species. Now Hoosiers can spot these energetic, playful creatures across the state.

The success of the reintroduction effort, which included 12 separate releases in six watersheds between 1995 and 1999, can be seen in the ottersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; steady population growth. By 2005, reported sightings placed otters in 65 of Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 92 counties.

Three years later, that number rose to 71. As of 2015, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s climbed to 80.

Of course, some counties have more otters than others. Those counties where the release sites

13 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

are located, and those contiguous to them, boast a more abundant population. So do counties in the northern and southern parts of the state, which have more wetland areas.

The otters themselves are a highly social and mobile bunch. Romps, or groups of otters, may be found sliding around in snow or mud or playing in the water, chirping to communicate with one another.

2QORRNHUV PD\ Ă&#x20AC;QG WKHP HQJDJHG LQ horseplay at any time of year, as otters, who tend to live to be 8 or 9 in the wild and grow to 3 or 4 feet in length, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hibernate. Family groups usually consist of a mother and an average litter of three pups, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be surprised to see males gallivanting around.

These antics strengthen ottersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; social bonds and help younger ones practice their hunting techniques. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The relationship between an animal DQG LWV HQYLURQPHQW LV FRPSOLFDWHG Âľ 6WDQley says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but we know that every animal has a role, and the return of otters to Indiana should make our wild lands more QDWXUDO SODFHV Âľ

The river otter reintroduction effort was captained by nongame wildlife biologist Scott Johnson, who joined the Indiana

Department of Natural Resources in 1986.

Now 58, Johnson used insights gleaned from similar projects in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa and Kentucky. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They did a lot of the heavy OLIWLQJ WKRVH VWDWHV Âľ -RKQVRQ VD\V ´:H learned a lot from them. It was just a matWHU RI Ă&#x20AC;QGLQJ ZKDW ZH EHOLHYHG ZRXOG EH RXU LGHDO UHVWRUDWLRQ ZDWHUVKHGV Âľ Johnsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team found six watersheds, areas that drain into a waterway, where the otters could be released. They compared factors such as water quality, availDELOLW\ RI ZHWODQGV DQG Ă&#x20AC;VK SRSXODWLRQ and Muscatatuck rose to the top of the list.

Just southeast of Seymour, Muscatatuck spans more than 7,700 acres, 30 percent of which are wetlands. Protected areas as large as this were essential, as river otters require a large landscape and tend to spread out over available territory.

Since otters often fall prey to traps, even those targeting other animals, biologists teamed up with trappers to ensure each chosen area had trapping regulations.

A lack of those restrictions is one reason otters disappeared in the 20th century. ´2WWHUV ZHUH FRQVLGHUHG XQOLPLWHG Âľ Johnson says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There was no limit on their take. Same with deer and beaver and a lot of others. State game agencies hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been VDQFWLRQHG RU GHYHORSHG \HW Âľ But for all practical purposes, Johnson says, the ottersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fate was sealed in

:KHUH WR Ć&#x201C;QG RWWHUV LQ WKH UHJLRQ Restoration efforts pinpointed six watersheds in Southern Indiana that best suited the river otters. The mammals have since spread across much of the state, but they remain most abundant in areas near the initial release sites.

2 4

1

3 6

5

Rare Uncommon Common Abundant

14 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

In 1996, otters scamper off at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, then the -HIIHUVRQ 3URYLQJ *URXQGV 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI ,QGLDQD '15

1 -HIIHUVRQ 3URYLQJ *URXQG

4 6XJDU 5LGJH ):$

2 Muscatatuck National Wildlife

5 Blue River

3 Patoka Lake

6 Little Blue River

6285&( ,QGLDQD 'HSDUWPHQW RI 1DWXUDO 5HVRXUFHV

the 1800s. Habitat destruction, pollution and unregulated trapping led to their extinction in Indiana. The trapping was especially harmful, as the quality of otter fur made it highly sought after. ´,W ZDV WKH ZLOG ZLOG :HVW ¾ -RKQVRQ says of that time.

After a promising feasibility study in 1993, otters were moved back to the endangered species list. Although they were extinct in Indiana at the time, Johnson VD\V WKH\ QHHGHG WR EH UHFODVVLĂ&#x20AC;HG EHIRUH the release in order to have protection from the start.

On the morning of January 17, 1995, school children poured off buses and gathered with other members of the public around a roped-off area at Muscatatuck.

7KH VXQ VKRQH EULJKW DV '15 RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV WRRN one cage at a time, two otters per cage, out of a truck and set the critters loose.

As the 25 otters â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 15 male and 10 female â&#x20AC;&#x201D; scampered off, chatter turned to a chorus of cheers, clapping and the clicking of cameras. The pictures captured not just the beginning the Indiana reintroduction, but the end of a journey for these animals.

The Indiana DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife had purchased each otter for $400 from Louisiana during that stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trapping season and deposited them with staff and volunteers at Purdue Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College of Veterinary Medicine.

The team, led by now professor emeritus Wallace Morrison, comprised doctors, technicians, dentists and others, including Morrisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife. They spent the next 24 hours prepping the otters for release.

They fed the otters restaurant-quality Ă&#x20AC;VK 0RUULVRQ UHPHPEHUV DQG WUHDWHG them in a laboratory normally used as a classroom. Fifteen of the otters had transmitters embedded under their skin so the DNR could track their movements.

0RUULVRQ ZKR VDZ KLV Ă&#x20AC;UVW RWWHU ZKHQ the initial group arrived at Purdue, shares peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fascination with the creature, but doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t consider them cuddly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are adorable to look at, but WKH\¡UH YHU\ ZLOG DQLPDOV Âľ 0RUULVRQ VD\V â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got powerful jaws, and the last thing youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d ever want is to be bitten by an RWWHU Âľ Today, Morrison likes to hear that a new generation is cruising along the Wabash River near his home. Apparently, his former patients followed through with his wish for them â&#x20AC;&#x153;to make a lot of babies and VWLFN DURXQG IRU D ZKLOH Âľ More than 300 otters passed through the lab between January 1995 and February 1999, and watching them scamper off was bittersweet for Morrison. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You feel like \RX¡UH VD\LQJ JRRGE\H WR \RXU FKLOGUHQ Âľ Morrison says.

%HVW NQRZQ IRU WKHLU SOD\IXOQHVV URPSV RI RWWHUV RIWHQ FUHDWH PXG RU VQRZ VOLGHV GRZQ ULYHUEDQNV 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI ,QGLDQD '15

There isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any way, according to Johnson, to compile an accurate estimate of Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s river otter population today.

But there are ways to see the population is increasing. ´:H WUDFN WKLQJV ZH FDOO LQGLFHV Âľ -RKQson says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We track things like the number of otters that were reported trapped, the number of otters that might be hit on URDGV Âľ From 1995 to 2005, there were fewer than 50 mortality reports each year, but that number jumped to 75 by 2009 and to 125 in 2012. The most common cause of death is incidental trapping.

Initially, the DNR staff conducted surveys each winter, checking bridges and streams for tracks after a fresh snow. They also looked for riverbank slides, where otters slip into the water, and fecal matter.

7KH ODWWHU LV XVXDOO\ D PDVK RI Ă&#x20AC;VK ERQHV These animals are skilled anglers who put us humans to shame, Stanley says. ´7KHUH KDYH EHHQ WLPHV ZKHQ D Ă&#x20AC;VKHUman will be out for hours and catch nothing and then see a river otter pop in and RXW RI WKH ZDWHU ZLWK D Ă&#x20AC;VK Âľ Fish constitute 90 percent of a river otterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diet, and an otterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high metabolism means it must feed frequently. The otter uses its tail, which generally makes up a third of the otterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s length, to propel itself underwater. Its whiskers help it detect prey in dark or cloudy water, and its clawed feet grasp the next meal.

It helps that otters arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t too picky. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not like theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re selecting a particular speFLHV RU VL]H FODVV Âľ -RKQVRQ VD\V ´7KH\¡UH typically going to go for the most abundant Ă&#x20AC;VK PDNH D TXLFN Ă XVK DQG LI WKH\ JHW LW

Ă&#x20AC;QH ,I QRW WKH\¡OO ORRN IRU VRPHRQH HOVH Âľ $ \HDU DIWHU WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW UHOHDVH '15 discontinued tracking the otters with transPLWWHUV EHFDXVH WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW EDWFK RI RWWHUV behaved as expected. Physical tracking continued until 2007, when road-kill and trapping statistics became more reliable. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect any problems getting WKHP HVWDEOLVKHG Âľ -RKQVRQ VD\V ´EHFDXVH we used techniques that were proven HOVHZKHUH Âľ

7ZHQW\ \HDUV DIWHU WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW RWWHUV slipped into Muscatatuckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ponds and streams, the state established a limited trapping season. It began on November 15, 2015, and concluded on March 15, 2016.

A quota of 600 otters, with a limit of two per trapper, was set and met.

Johnson said trapping is a recreational activity and one way to manage the rising population and the problems that can come with that. From 2011 to 2013, the number of damage complaints the DNR received rose from 34 to 86. These complaints usually arise when otters harm SULYDWH SURSHUW\ RU VQDWFK Ă&#x20AC;VK IURP SULYDWH ponds and commercial hatcheries.

Johnson, who trapped game animals growing up and traps now for research purposes, favors the limited trapping season and sees the 600-otter quota as conservative.

Morrison acknowledges trappers in Indiana were cooperative during the reintroduction process, but, as a veterinarLDQ KH RSSRVHV WUDSSLQJ DQG Ă&#x20AC;QGV LW KDUG to believe otters have become abundant enough to warrant it. He mailed in his opposition to the new season when DNR sought public comment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I did not want to

VHH WKDW ¾ 0RUULVRQ VD\V ´, ZDVQ¡W LQ IDYRU RI WUDSSLQJ DW WKLV WLPH ¾

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re out on the refuge again, this time alone.

After speaking with Dan Kaiser, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taken pictures of wildlife here for 10 years, you know to keep a look out along the streambanks on the driving tour.

Kaiser doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go for the sole purpose RI Ă&#x20AC;QGLQJ RWWHUV EXW KH¡V JODG ZKHQ KH does. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It just seems like theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re playing all WKH WLPH LI WKH\ DUHQ¡W HDWLQJ RU VOHHSLQJ Âľ Kaiser says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re so communal, always LQ PRWLRQ FOLPELQJ RYHU HDFK RWKHU Âľ The sun provides just enough light for your car lights to stay off. Early excursions, before the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too high, have the highest probability of ending in an otter encounter.

Although, nothingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s certain. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some people VHH WKHP HYHU\ WLPH Âľ 6WDQOH\ VD\V ´6RPH QHYHU Âľ Today youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in luck. An otter glides smoothly to your left as you drive west, away from Richart Lake. You come to an abrupt stop, yet the noise of the wheels on gravel doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t disturb the otter. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s become accustomed to inquisitive visitors.

The otter dips below the surface, so you move closer. Their eyes are adapted for underwater vision, so otters are nearsighted out of the water. Now 20 feet away, you appreciate the efforts of those involved in ensuring river otters would roam Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wetlands once again. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The DNRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s otter reintroduction proJUDP Âľ 0RUULVRQ VD\V ´OLNH WKH UHLQWURduction of bald eagles some years earlier, represents another important step in the restoration of the rich fabric of Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s QDWXUDO ZRUOG Âľ

15 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Mass appeal Celebrating 150 years of sisterhood ood at Ferdinandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historic monastery ry

16 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

By Kaitlyn Chamberlin and Alexis Daily

T

he Monastery Immaculate Conception sits atop a large hill overlooking the small town of Ferdinand. A narrow, redbrick pathway leads up the hill to the entrance.

The monastery resembles a castle from a storybook. Surrounded by acres of green grass and trees, it is silent other than the IDU RII ´FDZ¾ RI WKH FURZV DQG WKH JHQWOH billow of the wind. Taking a deep breath, we walk through the towering archways and open the carved wooden doors.

A small, silver-haired woman wearing D QDY\ VZHDWVKLUW ZLWK D JLDQW ,WDOLDQ Ă DJ DQG ´,WDOLDÂľ HPEURLGHUHG DFURVV WKH IURQW greets us with a smile. Kelly Clarksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ´6LQFH 8 %HHQ *RQHÂľ SOD\V LQ WKH EDFNground. Maybe sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a volunteer who helps RXW LQ WKH PDLQ RIĂ&#x20AC;FH, we think.

She asks the purpose of our visit and assures us the communications specialLVW ZLOO EH RXW VKRUWO\ $ERXW Ă&#x20AC;YH PLQXWHV later, a woman in her 40s, wearing blue MHDQV D SLQN VKLUW DQG D EODFN Ă HHFH MDFNHW introduces herself as Sister Briana. Yet another surprise.

Where we expected no-nonsense nuns dressed in habits or sensible clothing we found a group of women both welcoming and fun. With almost 150 members, this Benedictine community of sisters is one of the largest monasteries in the country and will celebrate its 150th anniversary in October. Some traditions, like their dedication to prayer, have remained the same.

But their once strict and silent lifestyles have changed dramatically as social and economic forces from the outside world reached the monastery on the hill.

The once reclusive community of nuns now welcomes thousands of YLVLWRUV 3KRWR E\ $OH[LV 'DLO\

Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Benedictine sisters bake, play instruments and work in the monasteryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beauty parlor. In their free time, they might play euchre, pickleball or cornhole or even sled down the snow-covered hill.

This formerly reclusive group now annually hosts around 12,000 visitors of all faiths, ages and races. The monasteryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kordes Center offers lodging for all types of guests, even those making the nine-mile drive to Holiday World in Santa Claus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Benedictine value that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re supposed to treat every person like itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christ, so it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter who or what VH[ \RX DUH Âľ 6LVWHU 0LFKHOOH 0RKU VD\V â&#x20AC;&#x153;We administer help to whoever is in QHHG Âľ That commitment has prompted the nuns to adapt some of their older buildings for new purposes. Benet Hall, a former

dormitory, is undergoing renovations to become affordable senior housing. The 15 two-bedroom apartments will open in November, and all faiths are welcome.

The monastery follows St. Benedictâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advice to listen to all members in the community, youngest to oldest, because everyone has a special piece of wisdom.

The sisters have what they call â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stable 7DEOHV Âľ D UDQGRPO\ DVVLJQHG JURXS RI VLVters, to decide the monasteryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-term projects. During meetings, each sister sits with her group to discuss personal views.

The tables remain in place for the year so the sisters can get to know one another on a deeper level. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really nice, too, is I have friends that are older, my age and younger, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not like the age groups stay togethHU Âľ 6LVWHU 0DU\ 3KLOLS %HUJHU VD\V ´:H¡UH all together. Society doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always think RI UHODWLRQVKLSV OLNH WKDW Âľ

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The roles of women were changing, and the world was changing, too.â&#x20AC;?

This strong sense of sisterhood is deeply rooted in the past, to a day 150 years ago when four young women left the safety of their home in Kentucky to create a new monastery in Southern Indiana.

It was 1867, two years after the end of the Civil War, when the four Benedictine sisters traveled by boat, train, and horse and buggy to Ferdinand, where the local pastor needed German-speaking nuns to teach the children of German immigrants.

With very little knowledge of their new home but a lot of faith, the sisters, aged 19 to 33, set out to establish the Monastery Immaculate Conception.

Farmers gave them produce and meat products. The sisters lived simple lives DQG ZRUH Ă RRU OHQJWK KDELWV ´:KHQ WKH\ came, they started out in a little house, ZKLFK ZDV DW WKH IRRW RI WKH KLOO Âľ VD\V Sister Mary Andre, the monasteryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historian. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t long before women started wanting to enter, and so rather than keep adding on to that house, they got land up here on the hill and built what we call the 4XDGUDQJOH Âľ

17 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

18 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

In October 1870, the Quadrangle became the Academy of the Immaculate Conception, a boarding school. Enrollment eventually reached 200 students of all faiths from places like the United States, Japan, Mexico and Guatemala.

Prior to receiving electricity in 1910, the sisters prayed by candlelight or UHVWULFWHG SUD\HU WR KRXUV ZLWK VXIĂ&#x20AC;FLHQW daylight. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We got up when it was light DQG ZHQW WR EHG ZKHQ LW ZDV GDUN Âľ 6LVWHU Mary Andre says of her predecessorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; daily OLYHV ´$QG LQ EHWZHHQ ZH SUD\HG Âľ The monastery structure remained the VDPH XQWLO ZKHQ 0RWKHU 6HUDĂ&#x20AC;QH was elected prioress. She oversaw the building of a chapel that served as a monument to God. Twenty-one-year-old architect Victor Klutho drew the blueprints in just one month. Construction began in 1915, but a shortage of funds and workers during World War I delayed the completion until 1924. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There was a lot of blood, sweat DQG WHDUV SXW LQWR WKH FKXUFK Âľ 6LVWHU 0DU\ Andre says.

Artisans in Germany hand-carved the pews. Eighty-six angels in marble and stained glass adorned the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 90-footKLJK GRPH ´0RWKHU 6HUDĂ&#x20AC;QH ORYHG DQJHOV so she wanted to make sure thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enough of them, so we can sing and praise God ZLWK WKH DQJHOV Âľ 6LVWHU 0DU\ $QGUH VD\V During the 1950s, the monastery had its largest community, with more than 500 sisters who taught in over 75 schools in VWDWHV DQG Ă&#x20AC;YH FRXQWULHV 7KH JURZWK was mostly due to the Sister Formation Movement, which encouraged sisters to pursue formal education. They could take on more prestigious roles, such as doctors, and interact with the outside world.

However, the Vatican II reforms in the 1960s altered religious expectations for Catholics. The church urged nuns to update and modernize their look, so the habit was abandoned. The reforms gave women a more active role in the church, ultimately leading to a decline of nuns joining the monastery. Some say women realized they no longer had to be nuns to have a relationship with God and the church. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Before the reforms, there were few career options for women, and many saw EHLQJ D QXQ DV RQH RI WKRVH RSWLRQV Âľ 6LVWHU Briana says.

The declining number of nuns across the country led many monasteries to close, and the Monastery Immaculate Conception faced dwindling numbers, too. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People were leaving left and right because of the H[SHFWDWLRQV DQG UXOHV Âľ 6LVWHU %ULDQD VD\V â&#x20AC;&#x153;The roles of women were changing, and WKH ZRUOG ZDV MXVW FKDQJLQJ D ORW WRR Âľ

THEN VS. NOW The life of a nun at Monastery Immaculate Conception has changed dramatically in the last 150 years.

1867

TODAY

â&#x20AC;˘ 6LVWHUV ZRUH Ĺ´RRU OHQJWK FRWWRQ and wool habits with woolen belts, rosaries, large sleeves and a scapular over their belts.

â&#x20AC;˘ Sisters wear sweatshirts, sweaters, jeans, pants â&#x20AC;&#x201C; really, whatever they want.

â&#x20AC;˘ *URXS SUD\HU ZDV VHYHQ WLPHV D day.

â&#x20AC;˘ *URXS SUD\HU LV WKUHH WLPHV D GD\

â&#x20AC;˘ Sisters lived a life of solitude.

Visitors were rarely allowed, and sisters were not permitted to leave the monastery grounds.

â&#x20AC;˘ Sisters speak to one another and spend time playing games, like euchre, and helping with projects, like quilting, around the church.

â&#x20AC;˘ Sisters served mainly as teachers or nurses.

â&#x20AC;˘ Sisters can be lawyers, psychologists and doctors as well as teachers and nurses.

â&#x20AC;˘ Talking was not permitted in the hallways or during meals.

â&#x20AC;˘ Meals occasionally are eaten in silence for certain events, but sisters speak with one another during the day and at other meals.

â&#x20AC;˘ *LUOV DV \RXQJ DV MRLQHG WKH convent.

â&#x20AC;˘ The monastery prefers women who have college degrees or comparable life experience.

â&#x20AC;˘ If sisters did something wrong, they had to â&#x20AC;&#x153;kneel out,â&#x20AC;? or sit on their knees and pray for forgiveness.

â&#x20AC;˘ When sisters make mistakes, they apologize directly to the person or people they have wronged.

.LWFKHQ ZRUN SDVW DQG SUHVHQW 3KRWRV FRXUWHV\ RI 0RQDVWHU\ ,PPDFXODWH Conception and by Kaitlyn Chamberlin

The 20 groups of 10 sisters for stable tables transformed into nine groups of seven or eight sisters. Classes of postulates GURSSHG IURP WR DURXQG Ă&#x20AC;YH Though the community is smaller today, the monastery remains true to its YDOXHV ´&RPPXQLW\ OLIH LV VWLOO VXVWDLQLQJ Âľ Sister Briana says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The day to day is just GLIIHUHQW Âľ Today, only 110 of the 147 sisters live within the monasteryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s walls, but those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t still feel the connection. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is KRPH Âľ 6LVWHU %ULDQD VD\V ´6RPH RI XV MXVW KDSSHQ WR EH OLYLQJ HOVHZKHUH Âľ At the entrance to the chapel, the origiQDO FRQFUHWH Ă RRU GLSV DW WKH WKUHVKROG

a physical reminder of all the sisters who have passed through the chapel doors.

Adjacent to the chapel is the Blessed Virgin room. When new women enter the community, they are welcomed into this room. When nuns die, their bodies are laid here so sisters can pay their respects. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s WKH EHJLQQLQJ DQG HQGLQJ RI RXU OLYHV Âľ Sister Mary Andre says.

Hear what the sisters have to say about friendship, cats and Justin Bieber at www.812magazine.com.

GET TO KNOW THE NUNS

Mary Philip Berger, 74

Barbara Lynn Schmitz, 61

Age when entered: 19

Prioress Age when entered: 26 Why I entered: I was workLQJ IRU DQ LQWHULRU GHVLJQ Ă&#x20AC;UP in Memphis, had an apartment, car and was dating a wonderful man. By most standards, I had a great life, but there was a desire to grow in my faith life. I came to Ferdinand and knew God was calling me to be a member of the community and serve the church in the Benedictine way of life. It gives me the balance I need to grow personally and to support others in their vocation in life.

How my family reacted: It always seems like the last people to know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested are your family and your boyfriend. My boyfriend had a Ă&#x20AC;W 7KH SHRSOH , ZRUNHG ZLWK thought I had lost my mind.

My parents were stunned.

They didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really know what to say. I come from Memphis, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a really Catholic area. No one I ever knew

became a nun.

How my family reacted: My mother was delighted that I chose the monastery. My father tried to talk me out of it, and he tried in every way to prevent me. However, as soon as I received the veil, he was overjoyed and took me around

What I do for fun: If it snows, we go sled-riding.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lots of walking around the grounds, too. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very involved with the town and the community, which is fun for us. We play a lot of card games, like Egyptian rummy, bridge, sheepshead and euchre. We also play corn hole every once in a while.

Age when entered: 23

Music minister Age when entered: 17

How my family reacted: I came here after my junior year in high school, which, at that time, was not unusual. I came home from church one Sunday, and I walked in the kitchen and I said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to the convent.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; My dad said he thought I would only last two weeks. When we were driving up the hill to the monastery, my dad said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Connie KDV KHU FDVWOH QRZ Âľ EHFDXVH when I was younger, I said I wanted to live in a castle.

Why I entered: I felt a calling to religious life. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to explain the reason. I just wanted to live a life dedicated to serving God and others in a special way.

Favorite thing about living here: We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look at birth FHUWLĂ&#x20AC;FDWHV DQG ZH DGPLQister help to whoever is in need. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be a nurse or a teacher, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m glad because I have terrible handwriting. I have a degree in business and worked in administration for a long time.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s whatever your talents are.

We all have different backgrounds.

Michelle Mohr, 80

Why I entered: The reason I went to the monastery was not because I felt like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oh, I really have this calling.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The truth was I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get it out of my mind, and so I knew the only way to get it out of my mind was to come.

Archive assistant, volunteer director, sacristy & tour guide

Connie is my given name.

Favorite thing about living here: , OLNH WKH Ă RZ RI OLIH I played clarinet in my high school band, and we played solos for the sisters. Even then as a visitor, there was a peace, and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if I could have said it when I was 17, but there was a longing to be part of that.

What I do for fun: I follow the Cardinals in baseball. I also follow Peyton Manning.

I watched every game that I could for him. I listen to the Pacers and IU basketball, too.

I also like sewing and making things.

to introduce me to all of his buddies.

Favorite thing about living here: I can be present to all the sisters and participate in the daily prayer schedule of the monastery.

What I do for fun: I enjoy playing cards â&#x20AC;&#x201C; bridge, canasta, sheepshead and Egyptian rummy.

Briana Craddock, 43 Communications specialist & bakery manager assistant

Why I entered: I became a sister because I felt God was calling me to religious life. I IHOW DW KRPH KHUH IURP WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW time I visited, even though I had never met any of the women before.

How my family reacted: My family was not too pleased that I chose to enter a community in Indiana since I was living with them in Southern California at the time. My mother was angry. My sister is over 10 years younger than I am, so she missed me a lot.

Favorite thing about living here: We have beautiful grounds and wild animals such as deer, foxes, opossums, groundhogs and raccoons.

Additionally, our community has drawn out talents I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know I had.

What I do for fun: I like to draw, sew, paint, garden, walk and read. I also enjoy playing pickleball, and I like to sing with others.

Theresa Gunter, 49 Vocation director Age when entered: 25 Why I entered: I became a religious because I wanted to see what it was about, because it was different. I wanted to get it out of my system.

How my family reacted: They were supportive. Some of them thought I was a little crazy. They all had questions, and a lot of them knew a long time ago that I was going to end up doing something like that.

Favorite thing about living here: Being surrounded by people who love me.

I love the peace that I feel. I love exploring all the different places, and I love that my life is different, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m doing what I think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m supposed to be doing.

What I do for fun: Hike, watch movies, play music, EXLOG ERQĂ&#x20AC;UHV ODXJK KDQJ out with friends, play games, do things that you like to do for fun.

19 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

NUNS BY THE NUMBERS

120

0

500

4

26

99

Minutes in prayer each weekday

Average number of habits owned

Most sisters at monastery at one time

)HZHVW VLVWHUV at monastery at one time

Age of youngest nun

Age of oldest nun

243 53.5 Bibles owned

Bowls of popcorn eaten a week

Reaching out to the world Sisters of all ages work together in various church projects. On a recent day at the monasteryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Simply Divine Bakery, Sister Jean Marie Ballard, 61, demonstrates to Sister Lynn Marie Falcony, a 29-year-old postulant, how to make the sticky pecan rolls for after Sundayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mass. She weighs the dough prior to rolling it out, then adds a generous sprinkling of cinnamon before cutting a strip of dough, twisting it and laying it atop a sugar-pecan mixture.

The sisters also bake nine different types of cookies to be sold in their gift shop and to other companies. But their Springerle cookies are their specialty. Originally made by the sisters for Ferdinandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christkindlmarkt 19 years ago, the cookies tasting of black licorice are stamped with nature or Christmas scenes on molds brought from Germany.

The monastery also hosts quilting socials with other religious groups in Southern Indiana and Kentucky. Permanent callouses mark Sister Leona Schlachterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ă&#x20AC;QJHUV IURP QRW XVLQJ D WKLPEOH DV VKH quilts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love it because you can be as FUHDWLYH DV \RX ZDQW WR EH Âľ VKH VD\V Using her motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s old wooden stencils, Sister Leona meticulously maps each

6LVWHU -HDQ 0DULH %DOODUG SUHSDUHV SHFDQ UROOV 3KRWR E\ .DLWO\Q &KDPEHUOLQ

quiltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stitching pattern. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s planning a quilting social with other nearby parishes and hopes to have 30 new quilts to sell for the sesquicentennial in October.

Their spiritual enrichment programs are another part of the sistersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; outreach.

Workshops range from four-hour sessions to weeklong retreats covering topics such DV ´)RUJLYLQJ :KDW <RX &DQQRW )RUJHW ¾ Sister Jane Will has master degrees in education and Christian spirituality, as well as a doctoral degree in psychology. She leads the programs with help from other VLVWHUV ´(DFK \HDU ZH WU\ VRPHWKLQJ QHZ ¾ Sister Jane says.

People of all age and faiths are invited. ´:H¡UH DOZD\V KDSS\ WR KDYH WKHP Âľ 6LVWHU Jane says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And I think that when people get here and see the campus and have a FKDQFH WR H[SHULHQFH LW WKH\ Ă&#x20AC;QG LW YHU\ SHDFHIXO Âľ The sisters also have a giant prayer board where people can add their prayers.

Each day, all of the sisters gather and pray, their way of repairing a hurting world.

For Sister Jane, this starts with believing in the mercy of the individual and of God. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think that we can change the world if weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re really that way and if it starts with HDFK RQH RI XV Âľ 6LVWHU -DQH VD\V

The ladies of the night

20 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

At night, the monasteryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grotto shines by candlelight, and a feeling of peace lies in the air. Inside, three women from :LQDPDF SDLQW D ORZHU OHYHO Ă RRU D GHHS red. They are St. Benedictâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ladies of the 1LJKW Âľ When farmer Diane Kolish, 53, saw D Ă \HU IURP WKH PRQDVWHU\ DVNLQJ IRU volunteers, she shared it with friends Linda Webb, 52, a nurse, and Julie Chapman, 55, a pharmacist. They decided to make the journey to Ferdinand for a weeklong visit during the summer of 2014. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we thought was our getaway ended up being D EOHVVLQJ IRU DOO RI XV Âľ :HEE VD\V 7DVNHG ZLWK SDLQWLQJ WKH DUFKLYH¡V Ă RRU the women began working in the night so to not disturb the sisters. They painted from dinnertime until around 10 p.m.,

earning their nickname. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Immediately we were impressed by how welcoming and friendly the ladies, DQG HYHQ WKH VWDII ZDV Âľ :HEE VD\V ´7KH\ ZHUH DOO VR QLFH DQG IXQQ\ Âľ During the days, volunteer coordinator Sister Mary Philip has small projects to keep them busy, like cataloging paintings.

Sister Mary Philip taught them to play the card game dirty canasta, which the women QRZ FDOO ´FDQDVWD WKH %HQHGLFW ZD\ Âľ â&#x20AC;&#x153;It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel like youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing serYLFH Âľ :HEE VD\V ´<RX IHHO JXLOW\ EHFDXVH \RX¡UH KDYLQJ VXFK D ZRQGHUIXO WLPH Âľ They already have the dates picked out for their third trip. The pamphlet calls the monastery a sacred treasure, Kolish says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But surely those sisters are the real WUHDVXUH Âľ

9ROXQWHHU 'LDQH .ROLVK ZRUNV DW WKH PRQDVWHU\ 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI Linda Webb

10

THE BIG 10 We’ve got the latest and most advanced eyecare technology.

LENS CARE

CONTACT

FOUR

#8

We provide exams & specialty care for the community.

LARGEST SELECTION

of eyewear in the area!

3.

SIX

NINE

TOP TEN REASONS TO VISIT THE ATWATER EYE CARE CENTER

All of our frames and Rxs come with warranties and guarantees.

FREE PARKING

2. MOST INSURANCES ACCEPTED.

#1 QUALITY CARE

DESIGNER EYEWEAR We’ve got the newest in designer eyewear to keep you up-to-date with the latest trends.

OPTOMETRY

A recent study found that Atwater Eye Care Center provides more thorough exams, giving customers the best in quality eyecare services.

www.opt.indiana.edu

Take advantage of our large selection and reserve your residence for 2016-2017 today.

Take a tour of our entire portfolio by visiting www.parkermgt.com or call 812-339-2115

21 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

SECOND SIGHT

22 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Blinded in a hunting accident 19 years ago, kayaker Lonnie Bedwell now sees life more clearly than ever.

By Liz Meuser

S

Lonnie paddles into the Colorado River rapids on an expedition with Erik Weihenmayer, another blind adventurer. /Photo by James Q Martin

itting at the edge of the riverbank, he listens and feels the ground pulse as whitewater peaks crash against the gorge walls.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day three of his journey. Only two rapids remain. In front of him looms ´0RUQLQJ *ORU\ Âľ D &ODVV UDSLG LWV emerald waters concealing jagged rocks in the pools below.

The plan is easy enough. All he has to do is cut the wave horizontally, left, right, then over the backside. If not, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll hit a hole and be washed out into another by the thrashing rapids.

He paddles hard and charges forward. But he hits the wave too low. The VKHHU IRUFH RI WKH ZDWHU Ă LSV WKH ND\DN pinning him upside down against the wall. Struggling, he sticks his paddle against the rock and tries to push himself off, but the water forces him back.

He strains his head upward to get air. The waves roar around him but he manages a breath before going back under. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been underwater for 45 seconds.

Should he pull the spray skirt and bail? No. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s come this far. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not VZLPPLQJ +H¡V JRLQJ WR Ă&#x20AC;QLVK LW Down river his teammates can only wait, fearfully eyeing the kayakâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upturned hull in the white foamy waters, the camera still rolling.

In Zambia, near the thundering 9LFWRULD )DOOV IRUPHU 1DY\ 3HWW\ 2IĂ&#x20AC;FHU Lonnie Bedwell is kayaking the Zambezi River, known for its high-volume waters, steep drops and punishing rapids.

If only he could see where he was going.

23 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

24 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

After a hunting accident blinded him 19 years ago, Bedwell, 50, a former power plant supervisor from the tiny town of Dugger, has tackled some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most challenging natural wonders. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kayaked the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and hiked up Mt. KilimanMDUR +H¡V EHHQ IHDWXUHG RQ WKH ´7RGD\Âľ show and in Canoe & Kayak Magazine and was a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2015. $QG \HV KH GLG PDQDJH WR Ă LS KLV ND\DN ULJKW VLGH XS DQG Ă&#x20AC;QLVK KLV MRXUQH\ down the Zambezi last summer. Though it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t easy. The Zambezi, he says, was a step up from the whitewater heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d tackled before.

But heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only getting started.

Alone in the woods, Lonnie pictured his three daughters. He didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to forget their faces.

, Ă&#x20AC;UVW PHW /RQQLH DW KLV KRPH LQ 'XJger, just up the road from his parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; house and not far from the old house he grew up in.

'UHVVHG LQ OHDI\ FDPRXĂ DJH FRYHUDOOV and his signature black Oakley sunglasses, he was standing in his gravel driveway with his cousin David Bedwell, ready for a day of coyote hunting.

In front of the garage stood a dark JUHHQ SLFNXS WUXFN ZLWK D Ă DW UHDU WLUH 7R the left lay a small pond. This was where Lonnie practiced Eskimo rolls, the act of righting a capsized kayak by body motion or a paddle, in preparation for the Grand Canyon trip three years ago.

He was told by guides with Team River Runner, an adaptive sports organization for wounded veterans, that he wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be allowed to paddle the Colorado River unless he rolled a kayak 1,000 times. He stopped counting at 1,500.

Hunting novice that I am, I arrived in a white North Face jacket and UGG boots. I was swiftly provided with a pair of camouĂ DJH FRYHUDOOV DQG VL]H PHQ¡V ERRWV The trail was slick and soggy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s VORSS\ WRGD\ Âľ /RQQLH VD\V OLVWHQLQJ WR WKH soft squish of our boots.

Lonnie still regularly hunts deer and turkey. He was turkey hunting the day his friend Tim Hale accidentally shot him in the face. Now a guide helps him aim, looking over Lonnieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoulder before giving him the signal to pull the trigger.

David walks up ahead, signaling audial clues of things on the path Lonnie canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see. He kicks a log. Smacks a tree.

With short staccato taps, Lonnie feels for the edge of the path with his red walking stick and hears the click of the point on gravel and the swish of the long grass off to the side. The stickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s red paint is shedding from wear and tear. He listens

It was still dark when Tim picked him up that Sunday morning in 1997. Lonnie had shot a turkey the day before and was going along to sound the calls for Tim. He didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a gun with him.

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been walking in the woods less than a mile from Lonnieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house when they separated so he could do the calls.

All at once he felt a presence around him. The birds stopped singing. The wind quit rustling the leaves. He could tell something was wrong.

Instinctively he ducked, going to his knees as he brought his hands up to his face. Then he heard the gun go off.

7KH LPSDFW Ă LSSHG KLP RQWR KLV VWRPach, and everything went black.

He struggled upright and reached up to wipe his eyes so he could see. Nothing. He tried again. Nothing. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when he knew.

By that time, Tim had found him. Tim, an emergency room nurse, began to pick up Lonnie and put him over his shoulder. ´:KDW DUH \RX GRLQJ"Âľ /RQQLH DVNHG ´,¡P JRQQD FDUU\ \RX RXW RI KHUH Âľ 7LP said. ´<RX FDQ¡W FDUU\ PH RXW RI KHUH Âľ ´, JRW WR <RX¡UH JRQQD EH GHDG Âľ ´7LP SXW PH GRZQ Âľ â&#x20AC;&#x153;I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t leave you. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be dead before , JHW EDFN Âľ â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tim you gotta leave me. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be dead before you get me out of here. My best FKDQFH LV IRU \RX WR OHDYH DQG JR JHW KHOS Âľ Tim obliged. He set Lonnie up against D WUHH DQG VWXFN D Ă&#x20AC;QJHU GRZQ /RQQLH¡V throat to clear the blood. Then he left.

Alone in the woods, Lonnie pictured his three daughters: Courtney, Ashley and Taylor. He didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to forget their faces.

to the breeze rustle, and he knows weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re VXUURXQGHG E\ WUHHV 2SHQ Ă&#x20AC;HOGV DUH WKH hardest to navigate. %XW WKURXJK LW DOO KH PDQDJHV WR Ă&#x20AC;QG his way.

Lonnie â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Poochâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Todd, Timâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cousin and

Lonnieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s childhood friend, was off duty that day from his volunteer position at the ORFDO Ă&#x20AC;UH GHSDUWPHQW +H KHDUG DERXW WKH shot on the radio before he got a call.

He drove to the woods and got to LonQLH Ă&#x20AC;UVW /RQQLH¡V FDPRXĂ DJH FORWKLQJ ZDV soaked with blood. Pooch was sure he was looking at a dead man.

He took a deep breath and paused before signaling the other responders. ´, IRXQG KLP ¾ They loaded Lonnie onto a stretcher and carried him to the shore of a nearby lake where a boat waited to transport him to a helicopter. His dad arrived on the scene. Jerry Bedwell, a stout former welder and coal miner, known by everyone VLPSO\ DV ´%LUGLH¾ IRU KLV WUDGHPDUN à LS RI the bird, climbed in next to his son.

/RQQLH GRHV VRPH WDUJHW VKRRWLQJ LQ WKH ZRRGV QHDU KLV KRXVH +LV FRXVLQ KHOSV KLP DLP WKH ULĹ´H 3KRWR E\ /L] 0HXVHU

Lonnie was still conscious but couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t speak. He wanted to let his dad know he was thinking about him. Mustering all his remaining energy, he squeezed Birdieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hand. ´<HDK \HDK ZKDW¡V JRLQJ RQ"Âľ %LUGLH said, swallowing hard. /RQQLH Ă LSSHG KLP RII

Miraculously, Lonnie survived a full VKRWJXQ EODVW WR WKH IDFH 7KH Ă&#x20AC;UVW [ UD\ showed 85 pellets. He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how many he still has left. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can still feel some that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go WKURXJK P\ VNXOO Âľ KH VD\V ´, NQRZ , KDYH VRPH XS LQWR P\ WKURDW DQG QRVH Âľ When he woke up in the recovery room

at the hospital, the doctor told him he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how he hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bled to death.

Fifteen more minutes and he wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have made it.

Lonnie struggled with the recovery.

He lost 50 pounds, and his eyes were in excruciating pain. Local doctors suggested removing them and replacing them with prosthetics. But Lonnie wanted a second opinion. +H Ă HZ WR WKH -RKQV +RSNLQV +RVSLWDO in Baltimore, where they recommended he keep his eyes in as long as he could. To numb the pain, they used a syringe to give him an alcohol block in both eyes. ´,W KXUW ZRUVH WKDQ JHWWLQJ VKRW Âľ he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I could feel the doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tears dropping on my hand as she gave me the VKRWV Âľ

Back in his hotel room that night, he lay there in silence. No TV. No sound. Just sitting in the darkness with his thoughts.

He didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what he was going to do, or how he was going to do it. He just knew it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be easy. ´<RXU PLQGVHW LW WDNHV \RX SODFHV Âľ Lonnie says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really ask â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;whyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; WRR PXFK Âľ The alcohol block eased some of the pain so he could start focusing on recovery.

But trying to do the small, everyday things proved the hardest and the most frustrating â&#x20AC;&#x201D; things like regaining his balance and dealing with carsickness.

Then one day, about three months after losing his eyesight, Lonnie decided heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d sat around the house long enough. He wanted to go outside.

25 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blindness will always be a part of me. But I see better now than I ever have.â&#x20AC;?

/RQQLH VLWV DW KRPH ZLWK KLV GDXJKWHU $VKOH\ ZKR VRPHWLPHV ZRUULHV DERXW KHU GDGĹ?V DGYHQWXUHV 3KRWR E\ 0LFKDHO :LOOLDPV

26 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Grabbing a broom handle from the closet, he ventured out toward his barn.

He had no clue where he was going.

6ORZO\ KH ZDONHG WR WKH HGJH RI KLV Ă&#x20AC;HOG running straight into overgrown weeds.

Frustrated, he turned back.

His 5-year-old daughter, Taylor, known DV ´%XJ Âľ ZDV VWDQGLQJ RQ WKH SRUFK 6KH was wearing a sundress, rubber boots and a backwards ball cap over her blond hair. ´'DGG\ ZKDW¡V ZURQJ"Âľ VKH DVNHG ´,¡P D OLWWOH IUXVWUDWHG Âľ Stomping her foot, with her hand on her hip, she asked, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Daddy, why are you IUXVWUDWHG"Âľ â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get into my barn without walking through chest-high weeds, and I FDQ¡W VHH QR PRUH Âľ ´,¡OO KHOS \RX Âľ VKH VDLG With that, she took his hand and led him to the garage. Inside, she helped him Ă&#x20AC;QG WKH ULGLQJ ODZQPRZHU :LWK %XJ VLWting on his lap, Lonnie rode out to the yard as she gave him directions, and then he mowed a small patch of grass.

Minutes later, Birdie pulled into the driveway. Furious, he told Lonnie that if KH QHHGHG KHOS KH ZRXOG GR LW RU Ă&#x20AC;QG someone who could.

But to Lonnie that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the point.

Bug had let him see he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t helpless. He could still do things on his own. ´<RX VHH WKDW OLWWOH JLUO ULJKW WKHUH"Âľ Lonnie told Birdie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, to her and her two sisters, my nameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Daddy. It hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t FKDQJHG Âľ

To the three girls, he was still the man.

From that day, Lonnie slowly began to improve. He started walking around his property and through the neighborhood, pushing himself a little more each day. He helped out with construction projects on family membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; houses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was just that powerful of a moment WR PH Âľ /RQQLH UHFDOOV ´WR PDNH PH UHDOL]H that I was still wanted, was still needed, ZDV VWLOO ORYHG DQG VWLOO FRXOG Âľ

For years following his accident, people tried to get him to go to a rehab center for the blind. But Lonnie refused. His main focus was caring for his three girls, who were 5, 9 and 11 at the time. He and the girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mother divorced after the accident, and he was a single father. He vowed he wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go until his girls had graduated from high school.

About 13 years after the accident, in /RQQLH Ă&#x20AC;QDOO\ ZHQW WR D UHKDE FHQter for the blind. Two years later, he was invited to an adaptive winter sports clinic LQ &RORUDGR 7KHUH /RQQLH Ă&#x20AC;UVW PHW ZLWK Team River Runner. +LV Ă&#x20AC;UVW WLPH LQ D ND\DN ZDV LQ D UHFUHational swimming pool. If you attempted a roll, you could win a t-shirt. He got one.

That July, he joined the team at the Out of Sight Clinic on the Yellowstone River in 0RQWDQD KLV Ă&#x20AC;UVW ZKLWHZDWHU WULS ,W ZDV then that director Joe Mornini brought up

the idea of the Grand Canyon.

Fast forward one year.

Lonnie is waiting on the bank of the Colorado River. The water thrashes at 19,000 to 21,000 cubic feet per minute. Before that day, he hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t kayaked anything larger than 2,000. What had he gotten himself into? ´, GLGQ¡W KDYH WKH FRQĂ&#x20AC;GHQFH WKDW , FRXOG GR WKH FDQ\RQ Âľ /RQQLH VD\V ´, MXVW KDG WKH GHVLUH WR GR LW Âľ Whether heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kayaking or walking around, he maintains an attitude of relaxed contemplation. Controlled chaos, he calls it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Personally, I think all the training I KDG LQ WKH PLOLWDU\ KHOSV PH ZLWK WKDW Âľ Lonnie spent 12 years in the service â&#x20AC;&#x201D; nine as a nuclear machinist on a Navy submarine and three in the National Guard. Part of his training was knowing what to do in the dark. His mother, Sherry Bedwell, believes that was an omen.

When he launched his kayak on the Colorado River that day, it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until he PDGH LW WKURXJK KLV Ă&#x20AC;UVW ELJ UDSLG WKDW KH began to feel he could do it. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been told to expect to swim several times and maybe even ride in the raft. Mornini had told Lonnieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guide not to let him run some of the tougher rapids. But Lonnie ran every one, paddled every mile and only swam twice.

On the last four miles, he glided down WKH ULYHU DQ $PHULFDQ Ă DJ Ă \LQJ RXW WKH back of his life jacket.

When he called Mornini after completing the trip, Mornini broke down.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do you realize what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve just GRQH"Âľ KH DVNHG ´<HDK Âľ /RQQLH VDLG ´, KDG D KHFN RI D JUHDW WLPH ND\DNLQJ WKH &RORUDGR 5LYHU Âľ

When Lonnieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the kayak, he steers his own ship.

The three things he misses most in life are driving himself where he wants to go, viewing the beauty of nature and seeing his children and grandchildrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s faces.

What comes closest to giving him back WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW RI WKRVH WKLQJV LV WKH ND\DN Kyle Thomas has guided Lonnie on many outings through Peace of Adventure, a program for disabled veterans. Thomas also helped Lonnie get ready for his Grand Canyon trip at the Olympic whitewater training center in North Carolina. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kayaking is generally an individual sport, but working with Lonnie, it quickly EHFRPHV D WHDP VSRUW Âľ 7KRPDV VD\V Being a guide forces you to become a better communicator, he says. But the ultimate reward comes from helping someone reach a goal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seeing him excel to the point where heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surpassing those of us who are guiding him â&#x20AC;&#x201D; thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something LQWULQVLFDOO\ YDOXDEOH DERXW WKDW Âľ For Lonnie, the greatest satisfaction comes from helping veterans overcome personal barriers. He says that dark period after an injury is like a prison where you are surrounded by metaphorical walls with no way around, under or through them.

Then, someone comes along with a vision of whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the other side of those walls and helps lead you through. ´,¡YH EHHQ OHG WKHUH VR LW¡G EH VHOĂ&#x20AC;VK RI me to stay on that side without going back through and helping someone just like I ZDV Âľ KH VD\V ´7KDW¡V P\ GXW\ QRZ Âľ Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why he returns every year as a mentor at the Yellowstone clinic where he got his start. And while his family isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always keen on some of the trips he takes, all agree heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where he belongs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every time, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a nervous wreck.

7KDW¡V WKH PRWKHU LQ PH Âľ 6KHUU\ VD\V ´%XW , ZRXOGQ¡W ZDQW LW DQ\ RWKHU ZD\ Âľ As Birdie puts it, Lonnie already has a big enough obstacle in front of him for the rest of his life. Why add to that burden by saying he canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do something? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sometimes I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand, but then Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not supposed to understand. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m GDG Âľ %LUGLH VD\V ZLWK D FKXFNOH ´<RX DW least have to give him the credit for having WKH IRUWLWXGH WR JR RXW DQG GR LW Âľ His daughters arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t surprised by his adventures anymore, but Courtney, now a mother herself, and Ashley, still worry from time to time about the danger.

But Taylor, who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember when her father wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t blind, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want KLP SOD\LQJ LW VDIH ´+H¡V OLYLQJ Âľ VKH VD\V â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing his thing now. He put his life on hold, and now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s his turn to live his life again. If he can go full throttle and have fun until he canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it anymore, WKDW¡V DOO , FDUH DERXW Âľ In March, Lonnie completed a week of kayaking in the Florida Keys with friend and fellow blind veteran Steve Baskis. The two sailed alone in Hobie tandem kayaks, navigating with the help of voice commands on iPhones and iPads.

When they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t on the water, they hosted speaking engagements with visually

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We as people are blinded by our eyesight from our true vision.â&#x20AC;? impaired children and young adults as part of Baskisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; foundation Blind Endeavors. ,Q 0D\ KH¡OO KRVW KLV Ă&#x20AC;UVW HYHQW )LYH blind veterans, including Baskis, will join him for a guided turkey hunt in his hometown. As for his next adventures, he plans to do more kayaking and climb the Devilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tower in Wyoming. Other international excursions are in the works, but due to sponsor involvement, he isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t authorized to talk about them.

7RGD\ EOLQGQHVV GRHV QRW GHĂ&#x20AC;QH Lonnie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blindness is a part of me. It will DOZD\V EH D SDUW RI PH Âľ /RQQLH VD\V ´%XW , VHH EHWWHU QRZ WKDQ , HYHU KDYH Âľ Acceptance is a cornerstone in his life and his principle in overcoming adversity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;How do you overcome it? You break it GRZQ Âľ KH WHOOV YHWHUDQV DQG NLGV A, acknowledge it and then accept it.

Accept what?

D, the GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOWLHV and the differences.

Then you move on to the VER, visualize every road you can take and realize there are multiple routes.

Next, S, stand up and step. Where?

ITY, in to you, who you are and who you can be. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I really think we as people are blinded by our eyesight. Our eyesight blinds us from our true vision. What I mean by that is that when you see something, you get so focused on it that you miss out on everyWKLQJ DURXQG \RX Âľ Losing his eyesight gave him the opportunity to slow down, think more and really

appreciate life.

His childhood friend Pooch sees that. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When he started doing all this stuff â&#x20AC;&#x201D; kayaking, climbing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t out to prove to anybody he could do that. He was SURYLQJ LW WR KLPVHOI Âľ KH VD\V But Lonnie says there were and still are frustrations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today, if I start to get frustrated and say, Gosh if I could just see, I instantly stop what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m doing and think, When you could see, you couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do this, this and this. So whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the difference? Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re no different.â&#x20AC;?

And through it all, he has never lost his sense of humor.

About a year after the accident, Lonnie was visiting his cousinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house with his brother Larry. He decided he wanted to drive home. After all, it was his truck, and his license was still valid. So he did.

Larry sat in the passenger seat, occasionally tweaking the steering wheel, telling him to slow down or move left or right as they drove down the rural highway to Lonnieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house.

Coming up the road towards them was Birdieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s old truck. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Uh oh, here comes Dad the other ZD\ Âľ /DUU\ VDLG ´7HOO PH ZKHQ WR ZDYH Âľ /RQQLH VDLG What Lonnie didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know at the time was that Larry ducked down when they passed Birdie. All Birdie saw was Lonnie, alone behind the wheel, smiling and waving as he cruised past.

Nearly 20 years after the accident, with everything lost and gained, Lonnie says he wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t change a thing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been too many things going on in my life, too many good things, gifts given to me and to others. How could you JR EDFN DQG WDNH WKRVH DZD\ WR FKDQJH LW"Âľ Instead, he quotes a Garth Brooks song. ´, ZRXOGQ¡W ZDQW WR PLVV WKH GDQFH Âľ

ONLINE EXTRA Lonnie Bedwell talks about the freedom of being on the water and demonstrates Eskimo rolls with D *R3UR FDPHUD *R to 812magazine.com to watch the video.

27 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

FORK

IN THE ROAD

AN INSIDERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GUIDE TO SOUTHERN INDIANA CUISINE

By Lanie Maresh, Hannah Lavine and Harley Wiltsey

28 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

W

hen it comes to cooking a traditional meal in Southern Indiana, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mess around. No one is better than we are when it comes to serving up crispy pork tenderloin, a steaming bowl of beef and noodles or a sweet slice of sugar cream pie.

But weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not afraid to try something new. Today, an abundance of local, fresh ingredients allows us to create a variety of farm-to-table dishes that stem cultures. ste tem em from many different cultures Our culinary roots date back to the early 1800s, when immigrants from Kentucky and Virginia arrived and let their hogs, the main source of meat at the time, run free in Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forests. These settlers eventually formed communities and tended small farms but still relied on hunting small game and kept their meals simple.

Richard Wilk, professor and director of the food studies program in the anthropology department at Indiana University, says settlers lived on a diet of corn, salt pork and beans. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not a very elaborate cuisine, but one that you could provide with not a JUHDW GHDO RI ZRUN Âľ :LON VD\V ´3ODLQ EXW VROLG $PHULFDQ FRRNLQJ Âľ Over time, our towns and cities grew, and our sources of meat and

produce expanded.

But, for the most part, we still enjoyed the comfort dishes our forebears had perfected. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only in the last decade or so that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve started to think more elaborately when it comes to our food.

Gethin Thomas, chef and proprietor of the Henry Social Club restaurant in Columbus, says the farm-totable movement, where consumers seek out fresh meat and produce from local farmers, has caught on in Southern Indiana, and he predicts it will continue to grow. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The pleasure you get from eating a real green bean is much greater than if you ate a green bean that came from a frozen bag or something that got picked three weeks ago and made its way here from a foreign SODFH Âľ 7KRPDV VD\V ´7KH HQHUJ\ LQ WKH IRRG LV FRPSOHWHO\ GLIIHUHQW Âľ Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not alone in that belief. Many restaurants â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and consumers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; have started sourcing their ingredients

locally. We can buy meats from Fischer Farms, Rhodes Farms eggs from F f Rh d Family F il Farm and goat cheese from Capriole Farm. On weekends, we shop at nearby farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; markets, which have more than doubled in the last decade.

So come join our food adventure as we revisit some of the traditional foods of the past and explore how local chefs are shaping the way we look at food today. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll discover restaurants worth the drive and meet top Yelpers who have made their mark in the world of online food talk. You can explore the ethnic restaurants on Fourth Street in Bloomington or try the a spicy bowl of goulash, a traditional German dish, in Jasper.

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in for a delicious treat of history, recipes and even a few cooking tips to get yourself into the kitchen â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Southern Indiana way.

29 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

CHEFSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; TIPS

We asked three professional chefs for advice to get you cooking up traditional dishes and new favorites.

3KRWR E\ +DUOH\ :LOWVH\

3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI (G (OOLV

Chef Gethin Thomas

Chef Ed Ellis

Chef Watez Phelps

Thomas is known for his sophisticated cooking with a fresh, local taste.

Formerly the executive chef at Cummins Inc., he is now the proprietor and executive chef of Henry Social Club in Columbus.

Ellis has more than three decades of experience as an executive chef with private clubs, hotels and healthcare companies. For the past 17 years, he has been the chef instructor at the Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center in Evansville and a mentor to many aspiring chefs.

Phelps is an associate professor and chair of hospitality administration at Ivy Tech Community College in Evansville.

Buy good olive oil. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Olive oil is almost like a magic ingredient. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost like cheating in a way, because if you get really good olive oil, the fat coats your mouth with a JUHDW Ă DYRU DQG DURPD Âľ Always keep lemons or citrus in your refrigerator. You can use it to brighten up almost anything. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lemon on a salad in olive oil with a little bit of vinegar and some Dijon mustard is a great way to start D PHDO Âľ Keep it simple. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s super important to buy fresh and local ingredients. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then as you JHW EHWWHU DQG PRUH FRQĂ&#x20AC;GHQW \RX FDQ JURZ \RXU SHUVRQDO UHSHUWRLUH RI UHFLSHV Âľ

NEXT TREND? 7KH LQĂ XHQFH RI RWKHU FXOWXUHV "Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a mom-and-pop Thai restaurant opening in Columbus. Two years ago it was a Vietnamese restaurant, and now we have two or three authentic Mexican restaurants.

7KH IRRG LV DEVROXWHO\ LQFUHGLEOH Âľ

30 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI :DWH] 3KHOSV

Practice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And then be open to suggestions, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s from someone else or from the product of the season. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and have the same old thing all the time. When something new comes DURXQG LW¡V NLQG RI D QLFH FKDQJH IRU \RX Âľ Be creative. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to try something you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like before. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do it a different way. Look for another angle or DYHQXH Âľ Have fun. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have to enjoy it. It canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be GUXGJHU\ IRU \RX Âľ

NEXT TREND? The farm-to-table movement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot more variety for customers who like to eat out and those who want to cook at home. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just not all salt, steak and potaWRHV LQ ,QGLDQD ZKLFK LV D ELJ SOXV Âľ

Best Food Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Ever Eaten From donuts to goat cheese, these Southern Indiana residents shared their favorite meals.

Alisha Sims, owner of Alisha Sims Photography, Evansville 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI Alisha Sims

Do your research. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Read plenty of periodiFDOV VXFK DV IRRG PDJD]LQHV Âľ Have the basics on hand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every kitchen should have kosher salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic, thyme, sage and RUHJDQR Âľ Plan ahead. The French term â&#x20AC;&#x153;mise en SODFHÂľ PHDQV KDYH HYHU\WKLQJ LQ SODFH before you begin cooking. Have all your tools and ingredients assembled before \RX VWDUW Âľ

NEXT TREND? Summertime fresh vegetables. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once, a magazine called me and said theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to use a recipe for their publication. I went to WKH IDUPHUV¡ PDUNHW DQG JRW Ă&#x20AC;YH GLIIHUHQW types of tomatoes, wonderful spring onions and what have you. I made this classic tomato dish I used to eat as a kid. They liked it so much that I saw the recipe in three different editions. Sometimes we want to over-apply cooking to things when a lot of stuff, such as our vegetables, are excellent UDZ ZLWK MXVW D YHU\ OLJKW GUHVVLQJ Âľ

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

The half-and-half plate from Sauced in Evansville. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s half fettuccine alfredo with fried chicken and half spaghetti with meat sauce and one meatball. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best of both worlds.

â&#x20AC;?

FINDING THE CLASSICS When we think of classic Southern Indiana food, our minds immediately jump to a golden, breaded pork tenderloin, a spicy persimmon pudding or a tender slice of sugar cream pie.

6

3

2

1

5

4

Photo courtesy of Brau Haus

THE PORK TENDERLOIN

PERSIMMON PUDDING

SUGAR CREAM PIE

In Indiana, the tenderloins are big, the buns are small and the breading is plentiful. The sandwich is believed by some food historians to have originated at Nickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen in Huntington. Tenderloins vary from place to place but typically come with standard toppings such as tomato, lettuce, onion, pickles and mayonnaise.

Persimmons grow abundantly in the 812 region and can be used for anything from brandy to pudding. Persimmon pudding is typically available only during the fall months after the persimmons have fallen from the trees. The persimmons are gathered, pureed and frozen to be used later on.

6LPSO\ D SLH VKHOO Ă&#x20AC;OOHG ZLWK D PL[WXUH RI FUHDP VXJDU Ă RXU RXU and butter, this pie originated with the Amish and Shaker communities that settled in the state in the 1800s. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is also NQRZQ DV GHVSHUDWLRQ SLH Âľ VD\V /LQGVH\ Skeen at the Indiana Foodways Alliance.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because it could be made out of items in the house when fresh fruit was unavailable or unaffordable.

FIND THEM HERE:

1 2

FIND THEM HERE:

BRAU HAUS 22170 Water St., Oldenburg www.oldenburgbrauhaus.com $6.95

STORIES RESTAURANT 109 E. Main St., Greensburg www.storiesrestaurant.com $5.10 sandwich or $8.40 platter

Joshua Bell, violinist and senior lecturer in music at IU, Bloomington 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI -RVKXD %HOO

3 4

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

FIND THEM HERE:

MILLERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ICE CREAM HOUSE 61 W. Main St., Nashville millericecream.com $6.60

PERSIMMON FESTIVAL Main Street in Mitchell www.persimmonfestival.org September 17-24, 2016

Hinkleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hamburgers, especially because it is next to Rac nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cue.

â&#x20AC;?

5

AHLEMEYER FARMS OLD TYME BAKERY

6

NASHVILLE GENERAL STORE & BAKERY

2034 17th St., Columbus ahlemeyerbakery.com $10 a pie

118 E. Washington St., Nashville nashvillegeneralstoreandbakery.com $3.99 a slice

Christine Barbour, author of Home *URZQ ,QGLDQD, Bloomington 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI Christine Barbour

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Goat cheese from Capriole Farms in Greenville.

31 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

GRAB YOUR KEYS! RESTAURANTS WORTH THE DRIVE

6RXWKHUQ ,QGLDQD HDWHULHV UXQ WKH JDPXW IURP FR]\ PRP DQG SRS GLQHUV WR Ã&#x20AC;QH UHVWDXUDQWV Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the mood for a fresh-off-the-grill onion burger or slices of pork loin with Castelvetrano olives, these eateries make great road trips. 812 scrolled through Yelp ratings to help us compile places worth hopping in the car for.

Story Inn 67$7( 52$' 6287+:(67 2) NASHVILLE STORYINN.COM $$$

32 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Tucked away in the hills just south of Brown County State Park, the Story Inn is housed in a 1916 general store. While the exterior may be old and rusted, LQVLGH \RX OO Ã&#x20AC;QG JRXUPHW LQQRYDWLYH cooking. Using fresh and local ingredients, executive chef Eric Swanson creates elegant plates that highlight Hoosier cuisine. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to showcase authentic Indiana, and only put food on the menu that is LQ VHDVRQ DQG IUHVK LQ WKH VWDWH µ FR RZQHU Jacob Ebel says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We only work with what ZH FDQ JHW µ Just a short walk from the entrance to the Story Inn is the restaurantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s garden.

What the inn canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t grow, they source locally. Meats from Fischer Farms in Bloomington and Viking Farms in Morristown are on the menu alongside ingredients from Martinsville, Seymour and Nashville. ´,W MXVW PDNHV VHQVH µ (EHO VD\V ´,W·V WKH RQO\ ZD\ , HYHU RSHUDWHG µ The menu changes daily, and dishes range from a juicy and hand-seared pork loin served on a bed of sweet aioli and Castelvetrano olives to grilled winter squash to pork ragout. A wedge salad of roasted Brussels sprouts, blue cheese, prosciutto and smoked croutons primes the palate for further courses.

2QFH WKH\ Ã&#x20AC;QLVK GLQQHU JXHVWV FDQ H[plore the surrounding property or spend a night in one of the guesthouses or rooms, complete with a ghost. But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another story.

Above 6OLFHV RI MXLF\ VHDUHG SRUN ORLQ sit on a strip of sweet aoli and are topped with watercress and Castelvetrano olives.

3KRWR E\ +DUOH\ :LOWVH\

Left 7KH UXVWLF H[WHULRU RI WKH 6WRU\ ,QQ FRQWUDVWV ZLWK WKH Æ&#x201C;QH IRRG VHUYHG LQVLGH 3KRWR E\ +DUOH\ :LOWVH\

2

The Brick 309 WALNUT ST., -21(69,//( )$&(%22. &20 $

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to be 21 for this stop. The Brick in Jonesville is a classic dive bar and home to the Brick Burger, cooked with grilled onions and optionally topped with cheese.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always get mine with the grilled onions and deluxed, so it's a big, juicy, nasty, XQKHDOWK\ GHOLFLRXV PHVVµ VD\V (ULNND Thompson, a frequent visitor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It might be a bar, but if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve grown up around there, it became a family tradition. Of course, HYHU\RQH QHHGV WR WU\ LW DW OHDVW RQFH µ Other menu items include hot dogs, ham and smoked sausage sandwiches and a popular combination, the Brick Burger with chili. %H VXUH WR VWRS E\ DQ $70 Ã&#x20AC;UVW 7KH Brick accepts only cash.

$

UNDER $10

$$ $11-$30

$$$

1

MORE THAN $31

AVERAGE PRICE OF A MEAL INCLUDING ENTRĂ&#x2030;E, DRINK, TAX AND TIP

3

2

3 4

Crystal & Jules : 0$,1 67 0$',621 &5<67$/$1'-8/(6 &20 $$

Since its opening in 2011, Crystal and Jules has dominated the upscale dining scene in Madison. In 2012, Best of Madison gave the restaurant the best steak and best dessert awards.

Using fresh ingredients, Crystal and Jules serves up gourmet cuisine. The most popular item is the 12-ounce Costa Rican New York strip, which is marinated for three days in 18 ingredients. It starts out VSLF\ EXW Ă&#x20AC;QLVKHV ZLWK D VZHHW Ă DYRU ,W V

4

One of Crystal & -XOHV V PRVW SRSXODU PHQX LWHPV LV WKH Costa Rican New York strip. The 12-ounce steak is marinated for three days and VWDUWV RII VSLF\ EXW Ć&#x201C;QLVKHV VZHHW 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI &U\VWDO -XOHV

118 W. MAIN ST., NEW ALBANY (;&+$1*()25)22' &20 $$

Tre Bicchieri :$6+,1*721 67 COLUMBUS TREBICCHIERICOLUMBUS.COM $$

served with two sides, which can include EURQ]HG FDXOLĂ RZHU EXWternut squash, Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, salad, soup or handmade fettuccine.

Crystal & Jules takes the extra step of making all its pasta in-house and by hand. ´1RERG\ HOVH GRHV LW ¾ VD\V FKHI DQG RZQHU Andy Richmer.

The Exchange Pub + Kitchen

Housed in a historic 1875 building, The Exchange Pub + Kitchen is anything but stodgy. Executive chef Matt Weirich takes pride in seasonal menus featuring locally sourced ingredients. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We believe that a product from just down the road will always be much fresher, healthier and taste better than something that has been raised or grown half way around the ZRUOG Âľ KH VD\V Menu items include dishes such as French-cut pork chops, blackened salmon

5

5

tacos and salads straight IURP WKH JDUGHQ <RX FDQ Ă&#x20AC;QG ingredients on their menu sourced from Clarksville, Ramsey, New Albany and Louisville. Their most popular d menu item is the Exchange Burger, topped with Gorgonzola, sautĂŠed Portobello mushrooms and caramelized onions. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s served with a bed of Parmesan and garlic frites.

,I \RX ZDQW D WDVWH RI ,WDO\ WKLV Ă&#x20AC;QH dining Italian restaurant boasts ingredients, wines and beers, and a coffee blend that are almost entirely locally sourced. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We make everything from scratch, use local growers when available and grow our own basil in the summer to make pesto and freeze to use year-

The Exchange burger, a ground beef patty topped with arugula, mushrooms, onion and gorgonzola on a pretzel bun, is one of the most popular dishes at The ([FKDQJH 3XE .LWFKHQ 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ of The Exchange Pub + Kitchen

URXQG ¾ VD\V RZQHU .HOO\ *OLFN ´2XU ZLQH list features smaller wineries, and our beer list is 90 percent Indiana breweries.

We have a local roaster, Crownlinks, who KDV D VSHFLDO EOHQG MXVW IRU XV Âľ The most popular menu items include the house-made soups, the grilled salmon DQG WKH DSSOH PDQFKHJR ZLWK Ă&#x20AC;J MDP

33 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

GLOBAL DINING IN THE 812 REGION

Goulash, pad Thai, chicken tikka masala: These dishes may not sound like classic Hoosier cuisine. But Southern Indiana is home to people of many cultures that add spice to our palates. So letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a tour of the world right in our backyard.

BLOOMINGTONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FOURTH STREET ANATOLIA RESTAURANT

KOREA RESTAURANT

MANDALAY RESTAURANT

ANYETASANGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LITTLE TIBET

405 E. Fourth St. (812) 334-2991 $$ Turkish, Mediterranean Popular dish: Pides, kebabs

409 E. Fourth St. (812) 339-2735 $$ Korean Popular dish: Bibimbap

413 E. Fourth St. (812) 339-7334 $$ Burmese Popular dish: Chicken pho

415 E Fourth St. (812) 331-0122 $$ East Asian Popular dish: Mo Mo

SOUTH DUNN ST.

EAST 4TH ST.

SOUTH GRANT ST.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can tour the world by eating at )RXUWK 6WUHHW Ĺ? VD\V Carol Kugler, food and outdoor editor of The Herald-Times.

People from all over the globe have settled in Bloomington, bringing their favorite dishes ZLWK WKHP )RXUWK Street boasts nine ethnic restaurants and is the spot for Thai, Mediterranean, Korean and Indian food. Ĺ?<RX FDQQRW Ć&#x201C;QG a similar street in other places,â&#x20AC;? says Sibel Cekic, owner of Anatolia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never seen anything like it.â&#x20AC;?

SIAM HOUSE 430 E 4th Street (812) 331-1233 $$

TASTE OF INDIA 316 E. Fourth St. (812) 333-1399 $$ Indian Popular dish: Butter chicken

MY THAI CAFE Thai 402 E. Fourth St. (812) 333-3993 $$ Popular dish: Pad Thai

D O: ASIAN FUSION CUISINE & LOUNGE

Thai Popular dish: Pad Thai

INDIA GARDEN

404 E. Fourth St. (812) 333-7470 $$ Asian fusion Popular dish: Chicken fried rice

416 E. Fourth St. (812) 331-8844 $$ Indian Popular dish: Chicken tikka masala

SOUTHERN INDIANAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S RHINE VALLEY

34 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

´<RX JRW WKH URDVW EHHI"¾ DQ ROGHU ODG\ calls across the dark wood-paneled bar. ´<HDK ¾ DQVZHUV D JHQWOHPDQ VLWWLQJ alone. ´-XVW OLNH PRP XVHG WR PDNH ¾ VKH VD\V with a hint of nostalgia.

These two regulars at the Schnitzelbank Restaurant in Jasper want classic German dishes just like their ancestors used to make.

In 1961, Larry Hanselman decided to change his tavern into an establishment that could give customers just that. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He started asking around to families here in town if they had any old German recipes that came RYHU IURP *HUPDQ\ WKDW KH FRXOG EX\ Âľ explains Alan Hanselman, Larry's son and co-owner of Schnitzelbank.

Larry was able to get recipes for goulash, sauerbraten and Wiener Schnitzel. ´:H¡YH NHSW WKRVH UHFLSHV DOO WKHVH \HDUV Âľ Hanselman says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was the food that made WKH SODFH Âľ Alan says the sampler platter, which gives the customer a choice of three different meats, is a must. Be warned: Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s big enough to feed a family.

Although Ramona MĂźnzer, owner of German CafĂŠ in French Lick, is a newcomer by comparison, she feels the same way

about authenticity.

When a family friend from Paoli visited MĂźnzerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home in WĂźrzburg, Germany, she insisted that Southern Indiana needed a restaurant with MĂźnzer's food. MĂźnzer, who had never run a restaurant before, tossed around the idea with her family for a couple of years. Finally, she decided eight yyears ago g to move to French Lick. German CafĂŠ has been in business for six years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do it fresh, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t overdo erdo our PHQX Âľ VKH VD\V 7KH GLVKHV DUH UHFLSHV UHFLSHV from her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side of the family, mily, and the baked goods recipes from m hers.

Together with their three children, n, daughter-in-law and son-in-law, they run the cozy cafe not far from the French Lick Resort.

MĂźnzer advises visitors to order the grosse platter fuer, which is like a buffet right at your table, or the Jeagerschnitzel, a pan-fried breaded pork tenderloin covered in a creamy mushroom gravy.

SCHNITZELBANK RESTAURANT 393 Third Ave., Jasper (812) 482- 2640 $$

GERMAN CAFE 452 S. Maple St., French Lick (812) (812 (8 12)) 936-1111 93693 6-11 1111 11 $$

The Sampler Platter at Schnitzelbank lbank features WKUHH GLIIHUHQW PHDWV D VLGH RI *HUPDQ IULHV DQG D *HUPDQ IULHV DQG D YHJHWDEOH 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI 6FKQLW]HOEDQN 6FKQLW]HOEDQN

MEET THE YELPERS Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re feeling adventurous, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been eyeing that new restaurant on the edge of town. But something stops you: the fear of being disappointed. So, what do you do? Check the Yelp reviews, of course.

Yelp has posted 95 million written reviews that let customers preview a restaurant before investing their time and money. The Southern Indiana Yelp Elite Squad comprises the top reviewers in our area, and they have a EDGJH RQ WKHLU SURĂ&#x20AC;OHV WR SURYH LW <HOS elites are invited to gatherings, parties and openings of businesses, and their reviews carry more weight on the site.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve rounded up the top three 812-region Yelpers, who've reviewed restaurants from Bloomington to the Ohio River, to get their take on favorite restaurants.

:LWK KLV ZLIH 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI .\OH Snyder

Kyle Snyder NEW ALBANY YELPER SINCE NOV. 2011 275 REVIEWS )2//2:(56

TOP 3 YELPIEST RESTAURANTS IN THE 812 REGION $= $10 and under, $$= $11-$30 $$$= $31-$60

Best Food Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Ever Eaten

Kristie Tomes -())(56219,//( YELPER SINCE -81( 482 REVIEWS )2//2:(56

3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI .ULVWLH Tomes

It all began with a simple Google search. Kristie Tomes, 39, was looking up a Mediterranean restaurant when she clicked the Yelp reviews. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I started looking at it DQG WKRXJKW , FDQ GR WKLV Âľ VKH VD\V +HU Ă&#x20AC;UVW UHYLHZ ZDV for that restaurant.

An elite since she began writing reviews in 2013, Kristie has racked up 482 reviews, posted 922 photos, and has received 159 compliments on her reviews.

Kristie doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mess around with her reviews. She

Kyle Snyder from New Albany has been a Yelp elite since 2012. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been elevated to the elite status, so I almost feel a responsibility to continue to SRVW Âľ ,W KDV SXVKHG .\OH WR write 275 reviews.

Originally from the town of Brazil, Kyle moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Indiana University. In LA, his friends started using Yelp to Ă&#x20AC;QG ZRUWK\ UHVWDXUDQWV DQG bars. Kyle moved back to the Hoosier state and found a home in New Albany. He saw an opportunity to mix his passion for writing with the new restaurants to evaluate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My wife and I started going to different places, and I wanted to share the experiences and help the small local restaurants and get them out

1 MAYASARI INDONESIAN GRILL 213 N. Broadway St., Greensburg 812-222-6292 $$ Indonesian, ethnic

gets to the point of why she did or didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like the establishment and what she ate, and she always adds photos.

A mother of three, Kristie also likes to say whether the restaurant is kid-friendly.

One is her favorite restaurant, the Come Back Inn in Jeffersonville. Her favorite dish on the menu is the Hot Brown: an open-face sandwich of Texas toast topped with a tender turkey breast, crispy bacon, tomato and mornay sauce. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss out on this Louisville classic.

WKHUH PRUH Âľ .\OH VD\V A 36-year-old product manager, he writes reviews that tell a story. He takes the reader through his experience at each restaurant and always hits on four main topics: the environment, the overall feeling, the service and, of course, the quality of food. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are a number of phenomenal places in Southern Indiana that are among the best places Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been WR Âľ .\OH VD\V 6RPH RI KLV preferred restaurants are The Exchange Pub + Kitchen and Feast BBQ in New Albany and the Irish Lion in Bloomington.

But his favorite is the New Albanian Brewing Company Pizzeria and Public House in New Albany. As he writes LQ KLV Ă&#x20AC;YH VWDU UHYLHZ ´*R WKHUH 'R LW Âľ

3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI -RUGDQ 6KHD

Jordan Shea, social media manager for the IU branch of Spoon University, Greenwood

â&#x20AC;&#x153; â&#x20AC;?

Plain glazed donuts from the Donut Bank in Evansville.

:LWK ZLIH 3DP 3KRWR courtesy of Brian *LOOLODQG

Brian Gilliland, equipment salesman for JW Jones Company, Spencer

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Fried chicken at McKinley Orchard Restaurant in Oaktown. I like it because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wonderful. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all homemade.

â&#x20AC;?

2 SOGNO DELLA TERRA

3 CRYSTAL & JULES

901 Washington St., Columbus 812-783-0569 $$ Cafe

709 W. Main St., Madison 812-274-1077 $$ American

35 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Painting the light

36 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Our landscapes have drawn artists past and present.

By Sami Aronowitz and Michael Williams

On a foggy autumn morning, you stand atop a Brown County hill, a bare canvas resting on your easel. In the distance, a soft purple haze tints the Indiana sky, and vivid yellow leaves coat the sycamores.

To capture this scene, you must paint quickly.

The longer you paint outdoors, the greater the shift in natural light. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Midwestern lighting is unique in that the air is UHDOO\ PRLVW PRVW RI WKH WLPH Âľ VD\V 5DFKHO %HUHQson Perry, author of Paint and Canvas: A Life of T.C. Steele. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot in the atmosphere here that makes things bluer or more purple, especially on a IRJJ\ GD\ Âľ That light and the landscape it illuminates lured many artists, such as T.C. Steele, J. Ottis Adams and William Forsyth, to the hills of Southern Indiana.

Known as the Hoosier Group, they sought a simple life where they could focus on their artwork.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;After the late 1800s, artists were no longer stuck painting portraits inside a studio. They painted outdoors in a much looser and more colorIXO VW\OH Âľ VD\V /\Q /HWVLQJHU 0LOOHU DXWKRU RI The Artists of Brown County. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;painting the OLJKW ¡ DV RSSRVHG WR ÂśSDLQWLQJ WKH VXEMHFW ¡¾ Today, artists here paint many of the same landscapes as the artists of the Hoosier Group. However, not everything looks as it once did. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Historical artists had these big, long views of Southern Indiana. Everything was clear-cut, and \RX FRXOG MXVW ORRN RXW DW DOO GLUHFWLRQV Âľ /HWVLQJHU Miller says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the forest is all grown up now, and RXU WRZQV DUH PRUH EXLOW XS WRR Âľ 812 explores the past and present of Southern Indiana landscape painting in the work of T.C. Steele and two contemporary artists. Through words and photography, we offer a fresh look at the enigmatic light that has drawn landscape artists here for over a century.

T.C. Steele

1847-1926 â&#x20AC;˘ Owen County â&#x20AC;˘ Oil Often cited as the pioneer

T.C. Steeleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ĺ?)LJXUHV LQ WKH Road,â&#x20AC;? 1911. &RXUWHV\ RI Brown County Art *DOOHU\

of Indiana landscape paintings, Steele captured the natural beauty of Indiana landscapes by experimenting with light, colorful palettes and broken brushwork. ´+LV WLPLQJ ZDV QRWHZRUWK\ Âľ 3HUU\ VD\V ´+H painted Southern Indiana impressionistic landscapes in the early 1900s, which there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a market for just yet. He also didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the most prominent name in places like New York but still PDGH D OLYLQJ RII KLV DUWZRUN Âľ $IWHU VWXG\LQJ DUW LQ 0XQLFK IRU Ă&#x20AC;YH \HDUV Steele returned to Indianapolis in 1885. In the 1890s, he started traveling around Southern Indiana. He wanted to paint what he knew best: the scenic landscapes of rural Indiana. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Steele was an Owen County native, but later IHOO LQ ORYH ZLWK %URZQ &RXQW\ Âľ /HWVLQJHU 0LOOHU says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want civilization or the trappings of a city or town. He was looking for a primitive environment to paint in, one that would give him PRUH H[SRVXUH WR QDWXUH Âľ Steele liked to illustrate the natural light of

Southern Indiana in all seasons, but mostly during the warmer months of summer and autumn. Although he made a living by painting portraits in his studio, he preferred painting landscapes outdoors.

He often wandered around his Brown County home and studio, called the House of the Singing Winds, to paint the surroundings that comforted and inspired him.

More than 50 of Steeleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impressionist paintings are displayed at his home, now part of the T.C. Steele State Historic Site, between Nashville and Bloomington. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Steele opened Hoosiersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; eyes to the subtle EHDXW\ RI 6RXWKHUQ ,QGLDQD Âľ 3HUU\ VD\V ´:H GRQ¡W have dramatic landscape features, like mountains and oceans, but Steeleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s landscapes made people realize our hills and woods are beautiful on their RZQ :H JHW WR VHH YLHZV WKDW QR ORQJHU H[LVW Âľ

37

WHERE TO SEE T.C. STEELEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WORK T.C. Steele State Historic Site, Indiana State 0XVHXP %URZQ &RXQW\ $UW *DOOHU\ ,8 $UW Museum, Indiana Memorial Union

SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Ken Bucklew 59 â&#x20AC;˘ Spencer â&#x20AC;˘ Oil, pencil

3KRWR E\ 0LFKDHO :LOOLDPV

Ken Bucklew might

38 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

drive past the same spot 20 times and never notice it. Maybe it was overcast, or the wrong time of day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But when you see it after a rain, 5:30 in the afternoon, strong side light and mist coming up, it looks spectacuODU Âľ .HQ VD\V That scene may well be the basis for his next painting, which heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll create at his home in Spencer, just across the street from McCormickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Creek State Park. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the perfect location, he says, as all the colors and trees of Southern Indiana are right there in front of him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m inspired just looking out my window. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m inspired just by the things , VHH HYHU\ GD\ ULJKW KHUH Âľ .HQ VD\V ´, tell people Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got 10 lifetimesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; worth of stuff to do within 10 minutes of the KRXVH $QG , UHDOO\ GR Âľ Ken took an interest in art at an early age. In his youth he was, in his own ZRUGV D ´UDLQ\ GD\ GRRGOHU Âľ EXW E\ WKH

time he was in high school, he was sellLQJ KLV Ă&#x20AC;UVW DUWZRUN (YHQ EHIRUH WKDW his home of Owen County had already found an important place in his heart. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I knew every tree by the time I was LQ WKH VHFRQG JUDGH Âľ .HQ VD\V In the summer of 1975, he was preparing to study commercial art at Ivy Tech in Columbus, hoping to turn his passion into a true career. A diving accident in Minnesota that summer put those plans on hold.

Ken was left with a broken neck, and in the immediate aftermath was totally paralyzed. His spine was permanently damaged, but he started physical therapy to regain what movement he could.

Drawing was an early focus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While I was in the hospital, I had an occupational therapist who would actually tape a brush to my hand and get me WR GRRGOH Âľ .HQ VD\V Ken drew on newsprint in the hospital to practice. Unknown to him,

his mother held on to the drawings. A few years ago, his sister returned them to him.

Today, Ken has control of his arms and shoulders, but has limited feelLQJ DQG GH[WHULW\ LQ KLV Ă&#x20AC;QJHUV /LJKWO\ gripping the brush is the most his hands can do. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s developed his own method of painting, which relies on the movement of his upper arm and allows him a remarkable level of control and detail, a trademark of his work.

His work is sought by clients looking for art that captures the feel of the region. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My stuff looks like the grandparentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; farm they used to visit, or when they used to go to IU and come over to the parks. My stuff looks like real, traditionDO WUXH 6RXWKHUQ ,QGLDQD Âľ KH VD\V â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m just like one of those Hoosier Group guys, just came along a hundred \HDUV ODWHU Âľ .HQ VD\V ´, MXVW ORYH 6RXWKHUQ ,QGLDQD 7KLV LV ZKHUH P\ KHDUW LV Âľ

&RXUWHV\ RI .HQ %XFNOHZ

WHERE TO SEE KENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WORK .HQ %XFNOHZ 6WXGLR *DOOHU\ %URZQ &RXQW\ $UW *DOOHU\

FAVORITE PLACE TO PAINT Owen County

39 &RXUWHV\ RI %URZQ &RXQW\ $UW *DOOHU\

&RXUWHV\ RI %URZQ &RXQW\ $UW *DOOHU\

SUMMER/ FALL 2016

&RXUWHV\ RI %URZQ &RXQW\ $UW *DOOHU\

WHERE TO SEE CHRISâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; WORK %URZQ &RXQW\ $UW *DOOHU\ %URZQ &RXQW\ $UW *XLOG *DOOHU\ ,, LQ ,QGLDQDSROLV

FAVORITE PLACE TO PAINT Brown County

40 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

&RXUWHV\ RI %URZQ &RXQW\ $UW *DOOHU\

&RXUWHV\ RI %URZQ &RXQW\ $UW *DOOHU\

Chris Newlund

66 â&#x20AC;˘ Columbus â&#x20AC;˘ Oil

3KRWR E\ 0LFKDHO :LOOLDPV

As a child, Chris Newlund was a nomad.

Her father worked in the military, and the family lived in Japan, Germany and Korea. On vacations, they visited art museums in Amsterdam, Paris, London and Rome.

The impressionist paintings she saw there were her favorites. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was a creative child. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always liked the lively, visible, broken brushstrokes of WKH )UHQFK LPSUHVVLRQLVWV Âľ &KULV VD\V She later married and started a family.

They lived in Chicago, where Chris worked as a photographer and had her own studio.

After her children grew, she and her husband moved to Southern Indiana in 2002.

Once there, Chris quit photography and began painting with oil. As a member of

the Indiana Plein Air Painters Association, she has won awards for her work in statewide shows, including Indiana Heritage Arts and the Hoosier Salon. Her artwork can also be found in corporate and private collections throughout Indiana and the country as well as in Brown County and Indianapolis galleries.

Looking back on her earlier works, Chris sees her progression as an artist. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every time you put a brushstroke down, you have decisions to make, like warm or cool colors, hard or soft edge, intensity or grayness and lightness or darkQHVV Âľ &KULV VD\V ´<RX KDYH WR PDNH WKRVH decisions carefully. Before I learned from ZRUNVKRSV , XVHG WR VODS SDLQW DURXQG Âľ Chris has an indoor studio at home but usually paints outside, depending on the season. Her favorite areas include Brown

County, New Harmony, West Baden, French Lick and Madison. While outdoors, she paints rapidly in anticipation of the change in lighting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wonderful if you can actually get out to paint in the winter, because the sun is so low in the sky and you have a lot of ORQJ VKDGRZV Âľ &KULV VD\V ´(DUO\ PRUQLQJ is when the light is just right. The trees bring out the mists and the hollows. The land here also holds the moisture and gives some really nice atmospheric effects ZKHQ WKH VXQ FRPHV XS Âľ Chris considers herself a country person. She loves living close to the woods EHFDXVH WKH WUHHV ZLOGĂ RZHUV DQG KLOOV surround her everywhere she goes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always look for beauty when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m SDLQWLQJ HVSHFLDOO\ RXW LQ QDWXUH Âľ &KULV VD\V ´, FDQ¡W KHOS LW Âľ

41 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Established 1948

FAMILY Owned FAMILY Operated

Free Delivery Your “One-Stop” Solution For All Your Of Needs

1634 I St, Bedford, IN 47421

www.bedfordof

812-275-7595 * 800-821-6250

.com

Before we feature any story, we make sure to dig, question, examine, and explore it. So when you tune in, you get the perspective you need to make sense of what’s happening in south central Indiana and across the state.

42 @wfiunews SUMMER/ FALL 2016

@wtiunews

indianapublicmedia.org/news

Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Caretaker P How one woman transformed housing for the poor in Indiana.

By Sara Miller

hotos of Evansvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worst tenements hang from a clothesline along a corridor of the Indiana Statehouse.

Image after image features buildings with broken windows and sagging balconies and roofs. In one, a young girl sits cramped between a bed, stove and wash bin in the single room she shares with her family. Her face is dirty. A caption asks, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What Ideals Can The &KLOGUHQ :KR /LYH +HUH +DYH"Âľ $QRWKHU VD\V ´'HDWK .HHSV :DWFK 2YHU 7KLV +RXVH Âľ The photographs greet more than a hundred white men as they make their way into the capitol from the cold winter air. It is January 21, 1909, and the Indiana General Assembly has gathered for a joint session. Albion Fellows Bacon, a well-to-do mother of four from Evansville, makes her way to the front of the room.

A woman of simple beauty with sleek brown hair worn pinned up and back, she is about to bring Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crumbling, diseaseridden tenements to the forefront of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agenda. )HDU RI VD\LQJ WKH ZURQJ WKLQJ Ă&#x20AC;OOV KHU ZLWK GUHDG %XW VKH IDFHV WKH KDOO Ă&#x20AC;OOHG with successful businessmen and politicians and begins.

43 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

S

44 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

he tells the General Assembly about GLUW\ Ă RRUV LQ WLQ\ URRPV FUDPPHG with too many people. About the Ă DNHV RI VRRW WKDW IDOO OLNH EODFN VQRZ IURP FHLOLQJV 6RPHWLPHV VL[ IDPLOLHV Ă&#x20AC;JKW over one water well, she says, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nowhere to pour dirty bath water but the streets. Slime from the alleys runs right up to doorsteps.

These tenements, she says, produce disease and crime. These houses are where tuberculosis and thievery are born.

In the days following her address, Albion corners legislators, explaining details and showing pictures of decrepit buildings.

When the men are too busy to see her, Albion talks to their wives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We see the poor as a mass of shadow, SDLQWHG LQ RQH Ă DW JUH\ ZDVK DW WKH UHPRWH HGJHV RI RXU VXQVKLQH Âľ VKH ZURWH â&#x20AC;&#x153;Several generations of slum environment ZLOO SURGXFH D VOXP KHUHGLW\ Âľ As the bill makes its way through the Legislature, opposition rises from lawmakers who own tenements or know men who do. One member wants to put tenements above stores he plans to build. Another Ă&#x20AC;JKWV WKH ELOO EHFDXVH KLV ZLIH ZDQWV WR build an entire lot of cheap apartments with dim and poorly ventilated rooms. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even though I expected the opposiWLRQ RI VHOĂ&#x20AC;VK LQWHUHVW , ZDV VXUSULVHG WR see the unabashed way in which money, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;vested rights,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; were weighed against huPDQ OLIH KHDOWK VDIHW\ DQG KDSSLQHVV Âľ Albion wrote.

When she describes housing conditions to three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Great CommonHU Âľ KH ZDUQV WKH DVVHPEO\ WKDW ´JURZLQJ VHQWLPHQW ZLOO Ă&#x20AC;QG VRPH ZD\ RI Ă&#x20AC;OOLQJ WKLV hall with people who will respond to this demand of a higher intelligence and of an DZDNHQHG FRQVFLHQFH Âľ Still, legislators chip away at the bill so it regulates only tenements, lodging and apartment houses in Indianapolis and Evansville. The amended bill passes and becomes law on March 3, 1909. â&#x20AC;&#x153;LAW FRAMED BY MRS. BACON NOW 21 %22. Âľ UHDGV WKH (YDQVYLOOH 3UHVV headline the next day. ´%HWWHU KDOI WKDQ QRQH Âľ $OELRQ VD\V She knows there is still work to do.

The passage of the 1909 housing bill ZDV WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW RI PDQ\ YLFWRULHV WKDW ZRXOG change how poor families lived in Indiana.

The bill affected only the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two largest cities. But Albion Fellows Bacon, who had never lived anything but a comfortable life, would go on to spend nearly another GHFDGH Ă&#x20AC;JKWLQJ IRU FOHDQ DQG VDIH KRPHV for all Hoosiers. Thanks in part to an era of Progressive reform and an army of women who longed for careers outside the

$OELRQ WKULYHG EHIRUH EHLQJ FRQĆ&#x201C;QHG LQ GRPHVWLFLW\ 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI :LOODUG /LEUDU\

home, what began as one womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey to make a place for herself in society culminated in groundbreaking statewide housing laws.

B

orn in Evansville on October 20, 1865, Albion Fellows moved with her family to rural McCutchanville soon after. As a schoolgirl, she wrote of an idyllic childhood with cousins for playPDWHV DQG RSHQ Ă&#x20AC;HOGV IRU H[SORULQJ The rural town north of Evansville had dirt roads and no real stores. The post RIĂ&#x20AC;FH ZDV ORFDWHG LQ D SULYDWH KRPH ZKHUH the mail was delivered weekly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was simply a scattered settlement having two foci, the church and the school KRXVH Âľ VKH ZURWH ´,WV ODZV ZHUH WKH 7HQ Commandments, the Golden Rule, and the FXVWRPV RI WKH IDWKHUV Âľ Albion was a pious girl whose family attended the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Methodist church

´ZKHQHYHU WKH GRRUV ZHUH RSHQ ¾ Her mother, Mary, had spent her childhood in McCutchanville and wanted her own children to have the same freedom.

As Albion grew older, she noticed her mother â&#x20AC;&#x153;spent her life in a passion of VHOI VDFULĂ&#x20AC;FH PLQLVWHULQJ WR DOO ZKR ZHUH LQ WURXEOH Âľ +HU PRWKHU¡V ZRUN Ă&#x20AC;OOHG Albion with a sense of responsibility and the notion that she had to â&#x20AC;&#x153;amount to VRPHWKLQJ Âľ %RRNV ZHUH D Ă&#x20AC;[WXUH LQ KHU KRPH DQG she grew up reading Aesopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fables and Foxeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Book of Martyrs. She and her sister $QQLH VZHSW WKH Ă RRUV DQG KXQJ WKH ZDVK to the tune of long poems they recited to one another.

7KH\ UDQ LQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;HOGV QHDU KHU KRXVH and built pretend houses under the apple trees with bark and stones and mossy roofs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had never heard of town planning, but took delight in arranging quaint YLOODJHV Âľ VKH ZURWH The freedom she felt made her transi-

WLRQ WR (YDQVYLOOH LQ D GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW RQH ´, have kept that vision of those wind-swept, sun-crowded hills, and the feeling of those JUHDW IUHH VSDFHV Âľ VKH ZURWH ´,W LV WKLV WKDW PDNH RXU FLWLHV FKRNH PH Âľ Still, she thrived in school and graduated as salutatorian from Evansville High School in only two years. She took a job as a private secretary for her uncle, a judge.

The position taught her how to navigate the professional world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was the making of me. It gave me a balance, a discipline, a VFKRROLQJ , FRXOG KDYH KDG QRZKHUH HOVH Âľ At 23, she married Hilary Bacon, a local merchant nearly 14 years her senior, at Trinity Methodist, the church her father had helped build. They settled into a life of comfortable domesticity, welcomLQJ WKHLU Ă&#x20AC;UVW WZR FKLOGUHQ 0DUJDUHW DQG Albion Mary, in 1889 and 1892.

Over the years, however, Albion became disenchanted with her daily routine.

Robert G. Barrows, a professor of history at IUPUI who wrote Albion Fellows Bacon: Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Municipal Houskeeper, speculates that her life at home lacked the excitement of the professional world sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d grown to enjoy. She was educated, artistic and capable. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There were these abilities there WKDW ZHUHQ¡W EHLQJ XVHG Âľ KH VD\V Bacon may have suffered from what ZDV WKHQ FDOOHG ´QHUYRXV SURVWUDWLRQÂľ EXW might be diagnosed as depression today.

It manifested itself in many women, but especially those who were educated.

Often these women turned to a Grand Tour of Europe, art, poetry or social work to escape the doldrums of domestic life.

Otherwise, Barrows says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

Sinks and toilets were a rarity. In some rooms, workers for the night shift took RYHU VWUDZ Ć&#x201C;OOHG beds vacated by the day shift.

'LVHDVH Ĺ´RXULVKHG really a role, especially for someone who is PLGGOH FODVV Âľ After the birth of Albionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second child, she spent months in bed, windows drawn, overcome with fatigue. Though thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no clear evidence of what brought her out of WKH LOOQHVV LW FDPH VKRUWO\ EHIRUH KHU Ă&#x20AC;UVW dance with reform work.

A

lbionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health improved when her family moved into a new house and she co-authored a book of poems and literature with her sister, Annie.

As so many women of the age did, she joined a number of associations and social welfare groups, like the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foreign Missionary Society and the Ladies and PasWRUV 8QLRQ 6KH EHJDQ WR Ă&#x20AC;OO KHU GD\V ZLWK meetings and issues where she felt she

could make a difference.

In this way, she began a reform career, where, as Barrows put it, the income was intellectual rather than material. +HU Ă&#x20AC;UVW LQWHUHVW LQ KRXVLQJ IRU WKH poor came, ironically, out of concern for her own children. She realized they attended school with kids who lived in the tenements where disease festered.

Once, as she walked through town with her children, they passed a shabby, run-down building. One of her daughters called out to a black-haired girl in the window. ´+L 6DGLH Âľ â&#x20AC;&#x153;Who on earth is that child, and how GLG \RX FRPH WR NQRZ KHU"Âľ $OELRQ DVNHG â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the girls in my class. ,VQ¡W VKH SUHWW\"Âľ When her daughter asked to play with the girl, Albion refused. Later, she wrote, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was sickening to think of my little girl in such an environment, even for a moPHQW Âľ But the idea that her daughter knew someone who lived in the ramshackled buildings stayed with her. When two of her children contracted scarlet fever, she joined the sanitation committee for the Civic Improvement Association. She visited one of the largest tenements in the city, Old St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, a former Marine hospital that sheltered dozens of families â&#x20AC;&#x201C; each in a single room. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I began to notice how the threads of the social problems, the civic problems and the business problems of a city are all tangled up with the housing problem, and to realise that housing reform is

45 Albion used photos to illustrate poverty in Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slums. Entire families often lived in one cramped room. The bottom-right photo KDG WKH FDSWLRQ Ĺ?:KDW LGHDOV FDQ WKH FKLOGUHQ KDYH ZKR OLYH KHUH"Ĺ? 3KRWRV FRXUWHV\ RI 5REHUW %DUURZV DQG :LOODUG /LEUDU\

SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Industrialist A.C. Rosencranz built a new apartment block in 1909. The Albion $SDUWPHQWV VWLOO VWDQG LQ (YDQVYLOOH WRGD\ 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI :LOODUG /LEUDU\

fundamental,â&#x20AC;? she wrote.

Barrows says Albion wanted to bring the joys she knew as a child to the children of the tenements. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not one line or spot of beauty was WKHUH LQ DOO WKDW PDVV RI KRSHOHVV XJOLQHVV Âľ she wrote. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had never dreamed that SHRSOH OLYHG OLNH WKDW LQ RXU FLW\ Âľ

I

46 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Q WKH WK FHQWXU\ LPPLJUDQWV Ă RRGHG into Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cities. New York City saw its population double every decade. Living space for often impoverished immigrants was in high demand, and tenement housing was the response.

In Evansville, tenement buildings with names like Coal Mine Hill and Cotton Mill Row sprouted along the Ohio River. Inside miners and millworkers, many German immigrants, lived in wretched conditions.

Though the buildings were only two or three stories high, rooms were buried deep inside, and light and fresh air were in short supply.

Sinks, toilets and baths were a rarity.

In some rooms, workers for the night shift WRRN RYHU WKH VDPH VWUDZ Ă&#x20AC;OOHG EHGV YDcated by the day shift. Disease, alcoholism, GUXJ DGGLFWLRQ DQG SURVWLWXWLRQ Ă RXULVKHG Albion didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect the immigrants to move into the graceful neighborhood where she and her family lived, but she knew they deserved better than the slums on the river.

Albion tackled the housing issue with â&#x20AC;&#x153;a new gleam in my eye and a new GHWHUPLQDWLRQ LQ P\ VWHS Âľ 6KH EHFDPH D Friendly Visitor to the poor and encouraged her friends to do the same. She EURXJKW Ă RZHUV WR SHRSOH OLYLQJ LQ WHQHment housing and sat and chatted for an hour or two. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We listened and soothed as long as we could stay, emptied the boxes

RI WKH ODVW Ă RZHU DQG FDPH DZD\ ZLWK aching hearts and a new realisation of the ÂśLQDGHTXDF\ RI UHOLHI ¡¾ She founded the Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Circle for the Friendly Visitors, which met in her home.

She encouraged men in the community to take steps to heal social ills. Her husband was a member, though that appears to be the extent of his reform efforts. But he supSRUWHG KLV ZLIH¡V ZRUN ERWK Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLDOO\ DQG emotionally. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was proud of what she was doing, even if he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t particularly XQGHUVWDQG WKH ZRUN WKDW ZDV LQYROYHG Âľ Barrows says.

Yet, despite her activism, Albion was not immune to the prejudices of the day.

She hired both black and white workers to keep up the house, but the white workers often boarded in the home â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a luxury never afforded to the black workers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She was clearly prejudiced. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no TXHVWLRQ DERXW WKDW Âľ %DUURZV VD\V ´7RGD\ we would say that at some level, she was D UDFLVW Âľ Though more moderate in her racial views than some of her contemporaries, she once wrote of being appalled during a trip to northern Indiana to discover blacks and whites living in the same apartment building. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Evansville, even today, is a very southHUQ FLW\ Âľ %DUURZV VD\V ´,Q WKDW SODFH DW that time, any white was going to grow up ZLWK WKRVH DWWLWXGHV Âľ ,Q $OELRQ Ă&#x20AC;UVW HQWHUHG WKH UHDOP of politics. She proposed that tenement regulations be added to an Evansville building ordinance. When that stalled, she looked for a statewide solution.

She attended a national conference and met others working for housing reform.

She researched housing laws and corresponded with author and social reformer Jacob Riis. She wrote a draft of a state tenement law and spent the rest of the

summer gathering evidence to support it.

She convinced leaders of the Indianapolis Commercial Club to sponsor the bill in the Legislature.

7KDW GD\ VKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW DGGUHVVHG WKH /HJLVlature in 1909 led not only to the eventual passage of the bill but to her reputation as WKH ´DPEDVVDGRU RI WKH SRRU Âľ Still, she hated the way the bill had been stripped down to apply only to the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two largest cities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Did you ever sit by during an operation on one of your own FKLOGUHQ"Âľ VKH DVNHG ´$IWHU KDYLQJ QXUVHG and doctored and lived with and sat up at nights with a creature like that, for so long, LW GRHV VHHP LQ D ZD\ KXPDQ Âľ As a result, she couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t resist the urge to push again for a statewide tenement law.

A

lbion came back to Indianapolis in 1911 with a bill that would have expanded housing reform beyond Evansville and Indianapolis. The House passed it, but the bill failed in the Senate, due to an 11th-hour vote change.

One of the billâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most adamant opponents was Sen. Levi Harlan, a Democrat from Marion County. He claimed the measure should be titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;a bill raising the UHQW RI SRRU SHRSOH Âľ $Q LQLWLDO YRWH JDYH the bill the 26 votes it needed to pass. But Harlan and his supporters cornered the lieutenant governor and kept him from announcing the vote until they could convince a senator to switch sides. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Finally, they got one man to change his vote, and RXU YLFWRU\ ZDV VWROHQ IURP XV Âľ $OELRQ wrote.

The Indianapolis News headline the next day read, â&#x20AC;&#x153;HARLAN TRIUMPHS 29(5 )5$,/ :20$1 Âľ Disappointed by the narrow defeat, Albion came away from the General Assembly even more determined to pass a statewide law. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Here lies the body of the Tenement Bill, slain March 1911. Awaiting WKH UHVXUUHFWLRQ Âľ VKH ZURWH Over the next two years, Albion spoke at conventions and conferences, with the 1911 failure never far from her mind.

She used her memberships in voluntary associations, like the Indiana Housing Association, to advance her cause. Middleand upper-class women proved to be LPSUHVVLYH SDUWQHUV LQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;JKW IRU UHIRUP The Indiana Federation of Clubs backed her efforts.

In 1913, the resurrected bill passed, expanding the 1909 bill to every corner of the state. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What was once essentially a one-woman campaign for a statewide housing reform bill had grown into a

well-organized, politically sophisticated FRDOLWLRQ Âľ %DUURZV ZURWH That coalition remained Albionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s focus even as the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suffrage movement and other reform campaigns gained momentum. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t much care for ZRPHQ¡V VXIIUDJH Âľ %DUURZV VD\V ´6KH wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t against it, but it really was secondary to her. If she could have gotten what she wanted without womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s votes, she ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ SHUIHFWO\ KDSS\ Âľ Albion eventually publicly supported the suffrage movement, but only after the 1915 defeat of a bill that would have given the state board of health some power over WKH FRQGLWLRQV LQ VOXPV Âł RU ´GHDWK WUDSV Âľ as she called them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If all men were like some men, the LQGLUHFW LQĂ XHQFH RI ZRPHQ ZRXOG EH enough, and we would not need the ballot. %XW WKH\ DUH QRW Âľ $OELRQ ZURWH

I

Q HLJKW \HDUV DIWHU KHU Ă&#x20AC;UVW KRXVing victory, Albion again made her way to the Statehouse and reintroduced the death-trap bill that had been shot down two years earlier. The bill gave state KHDOWK RIĂ&#x20AC;FHUV WKH SRZHU WR RUGHU EXLOGLQJ improvements or evacuation should they deem any tenement house or dwelling

XQĂ&#x20AC;W IRU OLYLQJ The bill passed the House 90-0 with only minor amendments, a stark contrast from two years earlier. Albion later wrote that the victory could be attributed in part to â&#x20AC;&#x153;an awakening sense everywhere of the QHHG IRU EHWWHU KRXVLQJ Âľ Days later, the Senate also passed the bill unanimously. This would be Albionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last major political victory, though she was not there to see it.

Refusing to miss the birth of her grandson, Albion had returned home to EvansYLOOH MXVW EHIRUH WKH Ă&#x20AC;QDO YRWH 6KH ZDLWHG anxiously for news. When a reporter called to tell her the bill has passed, she was overcome with happiness and relief.

After years of campaigning, Albion and her supporters had convinced the Legislature to give housing reform laws some teeth. Now the children of St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, of Cotton Mill Row and of tenements across the state might no longer be caught up in a cycle of poverty, crime and disease. They, like her own children, had a chance for a better life.

A

fter her 1917 victory, Albion remained active in reform work, including city planning in Evans-

ville. Most of her efforts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; much like her housing work â&#x20AC;&#x201D; centered around children.

She was a member of the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Welfare Committee during World War I, a group that tried to keep children in school and out of factories during the labor shortage caused by the war.

Her work took its toll on her health, however, and Albion battled bouts of exhaustion. She reduced her commitments dramatically in the 1920s, though she continued to do some form of civic work until her death in 1933. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I do not grudge a moment I have JLYHQ LW QRU ORVV RI Ă HVK DQG VWUHQJWK Âľ she wrote. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it has taken something out of me I can never hope to EXLOG XS DJDLQ Âľ Sarah Lally contributed to this story.

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note: Sources include Albion Fellows Bacon: Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Municipal Housekeeper by Robert G. Barrows, Beauty for Ashes by Albion Fellows Bacon, Indianapolis and Evansville newspapers, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Women, the Legislature and the Homes of Indianaâ&#x20AC;?

by Albion Fellows Bacon, the University of Evansville, the University of Southern Indiana and the Willard Library. Special thanks to Jon Carl of F.J. Reitz High School for pointing us in the right direction.

A celebration of Southern Indiana.

For inquiries about advertising in future editions of 812 magazine, contact IU Student Media at 812-855-0763 or email advertise@idsnews.com.

47 Catch the next issue in stands January 2017.

SUMMER/ FALL 2016

48 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

Where the path may lead A Muslim family in Columbus fosters understanding.

By Ellen Glover and Allison Chaplin

T

he sun has set and Wan Baba and her youngest daughter, Teehah, are still at the Islamic Center on Chestnut Street. The small basement is dimly lit, with little windows peeking out to the parking ORW &DUGERDUG ER[HV Ã&#x20AC;OOHG ZLWK VQDFNV DUH scattered about, and just below the loudspeaker in the ceiling is a whiteboard with phrases written in Arabic.

Wan offers us coffee and hands us each a pack of Cheez-It Baked Crackers and a chocolate chip granola bar. She scurries around the cluttered kitchenette and apologizes when some dirty dishes crash into the sink.

7HHKDK ZKR WXUQHG LQ 0D\ Ã&#x20AC;QGV D dinosaur puzzle in a cabinet in the back of the room, sits down at one of the long plastic tables and asks if weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll help her put

LW WRJHWKHU +HU QDPH LV VKRUW IRU WKH Ã&#x20AC;UVW chapter in the Quran called Surah Al-Fatiha (the opener). She looks up at her mother at the Keurig. ´$UH \RX JRLQJ WR KDYH RQH"µ 7HHKDK DVNV ´,·YH KDG HQRXJK FRIIHH IRU WRGD\ µ :DQ ODXJKV ´$P , ULJKW"µ ´<RX·YH KDG OLNH HYHU\ GD\ µ 7HHKDK says.

Suddenly, a manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice comes over the loudspeaker, singing in Arabic. Wan ditches the idea of coffee and begins to collect her things. ´([FXVH PH µ VKH VD\V ZKHQ VKH KHDUV WKH call to prayer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m just going to go pray for D IHZ PLQXWHV µ She grabs her daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hand and Teehah trails behind her mother, following her upstairs in a pink polka-dot hijab.

&ORFNZLVH IURP WRS :DQ DQG 7HHKDK ZDWFK ,KVDQ SOD\ ODFURVVH 7HHKDK VLWV LQ WKH ,VODPLF FHQWHU RQ &KHVWQXW 6WUHHW DIWHU 6XQGD\ OHVVRQV =XONLÅ´\ VPLOHV DW ,O\DDV FOXWFKLQJ D EHDU 3KRWRV E\ 0LFKDHO :LOOLDPV (OOHQ *ORYHU DQG $OOLVRQ &KDSOLQ

49 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

W

an and Teehah are part of the VHYHQ PHPEHU =XONLĂ \ IDPLO\ who came to Columbus in 2012. They, along with roughly 150 other Muslims, are members of the Islamic Society of Columbus, housed in a small brick building just north of downtown.

Today, more than three million Muslims live in the United States. Bartholomew Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Muslim population, estimated DW MXVW RYHU PD\ VHHP VPDOO DW Ă&#x20AC;UVW JODQFH %XW WKDW Ă&#x20AC;JXUH SXWV WKH FRXQW\ LQ the top 6 percent of all U.S. counties, according to the Association of Religion Data Archives.

The growth of the Islamic community here is directly related to Cummins Inc., a Fortune 500 engineering company that hires employees from all over the world.

Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop says the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diversity is an advantage and broadens everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thinking. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What you realize quickly is that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got far more in common than we do differences. Diversity PDNHV XV D EHWWHU FLW\ Âľ :DQ KHU KXVEDQG =XONLĂ \ <XVXI DQG WKHLU Ă&#x20AC;YH FKLOGUHQ KDYH IRXQG WKDW NLQG of welcome here. But theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also faced suspicion and resentment, especially in the wake of terrorist bombings in Europe and the highly charged political debate this election season. For them, the Islamic center is a refuge, a place to pray, play, learn and be with friends. ´,W¡V UHDOO\ OLNH KRPH IRU VRPH RI XV Âľ Wan says.

A

50 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

t their nearby brick ranch house, :DQ DQG =XONLĂ \ ERWK DUH preparing a Malaysian dinner with noodles, vegetables and chicken.

The kids sit in the living room, watching the Disney Channel. Books and family photos line the walls. Two of their 18-yearold son Imanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paintings are displayed at the front of the room. One is abstract, and the other is his rendition of the green light at the end of the dock in The Great Gatsby.

7HHKDK LV Ă&#x20AC;UVW WR UHPRYH KHU KLMDE Without it, her long dark hair falls past her shoulders. Her older sister Farah soon follows suit, but Wan leaves hers on as she heads straight to the kitchen to cook.

Farah, which means happiness, is in the eighth grade at Northside Middle School.

Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nervous about transitioning to high school because she doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to get lost during passing periods. She plays the clarinet and aspires to be a pediatrician. ´, NLQG RI ZDQW WR JR WR 0DUV Âľ 7HHKDK chimes in.

Farah has to wear her hijab anytime she is out in public because she is a teenager. Teehah decided to start wearing hers

Iman started the creative writing club when a girl he had a crush on didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to start it on her own. But he enjoys it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a SRHW NLQG RI JX\ Âľ LQ VFKRRO RQ KHU Ă&#x20AC;UVW GD\ RI WKLUG JUDGH and she also wears it at the Islamic center.

She wants to start wearing it full time when she begins fourth grade. :KHQ =XONLĂ \ YLVLWV 0DOD\VLD HDFK \HDU he buys Wan hijabs, which mysteriously go missing now that both girls are wearing them, too. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like the ones that wrap DURXQG EHFDXVH WKH\¡UH SUHWWLHU Âľ 7HHKDK explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the ones you slip on are so PXFK HDVLHU Âľ Farah chose to cover her hair at an earlier age. She was 6 when she started begging her mother for more hijabs.

Her school in the U.K. had more Muslim students, and she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to feel like the odd one out. Now, the situation has reversed, and she stands out because of her hijab.

She says most of the kids who pick on KHU MXVW DVN ´XQLQWHOOLJHQWÂľ TXHVWLRQV DERXW her religion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been asked if I have ears, if Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m EDOG RU LI , VKRZHU ZLWK P\ KLMDE RQ Âľ Farah says.

None of her close friends in Columbus are Muslim, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all the same to her. ´)ULHQGV DUH IULHQGV Âľ VKH VD\V EOXQWO\ Next to Farah on the couch is Ihsan, 16, which means compassion. He is cradling his 2-year-old brother, Ilyaas, on his chest. $W WKH =XONLĂ \ KRXVH ,O\DDV QDPHG IRU D religious prophet, is the star of the show.

Everyone takes turns holding him, feeding KLP FRRNLHV DQG JLYLQJ KLP KLJK Ă&#x20AC;YHV DV he toddles around the room.

Although Ihsan has never had a pet, he thinks he might want to work with animals someday. But according to his mother, he remarks resentfully, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too irresponsible for a pet cat.

Ihsan just began his second season on his schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lacrosse team. He has braces and a wider stature than his older brother, who has a runnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s build.

THE 5 PILLARS OF ISLAM Ĺ?,VODP LV GHĆ&#x201C;QLQJ WKH UHODWLRQVKLS EHWZHHQ \RX DQG *RG Ĺ? VD\V Nassim Khaled of the Islamic Society of Columbus. Islam has Ć&#x201C;YH IXQGDPHQWDO SULQFLSOHV RU Ĺ?SLOODUV Ĺ? RXWOLQHG LQ WKH 4XUDQ 1. The Testimony of Faith: One PXVW WHVWLI\ WKHUH LV RQO\ RQH *RG Allah, and his messenger and servant is Muhammad.

2. Prayer: It is important to Ĺ?HVWDEOLVK SUD\HUĹ? DW OHDVW Ć&#x201C;YH times a day to keep a connection ZLWK *RG VWURQJ Ĺ?:H VD\ â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;establishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like a building,â&#x20AC;? Khaled says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not something you do as a second thought. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really a big, major thing.â&#x20AC;?

3. Giving (Zakat): If you are fortunate enough to have excess wealth, you should give a portion of it â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 2.5% according to Khaled â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to charity.

4. Fasting for Ramadan: Ramadan is a holiday that occurs once every lunar year and lasts 30 days.

'XULQJ WKLV WLPH DV D IRUP RI VSLULWXDO VHOI SXULĆ&#x201C;FDWLRQ 0XVOLPV are expected to avoid food or beverages before sundown.

5. The Pilgrimage to Mecca: Once in their lifetimes, Muslims can take a journey to their holy place, Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The journey is only for those who are physically and economically capable of doing so,â&#x20AC;? Khaled says.

TO READ THE SIX PILLARS OF FAITH, VISIT 812MAGAZINE.COM

No one really moves when Wan announces that dinner is ready. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re KXQJU\ WKH\¡OO FRPH LI QRW PRUH IRU XV Âľ Wan says as she sets down our plates.

T

KH =XONLĂ \ IDPLO\¡V VWRU\ VWDUWV LQ &DPERGLD ZKHUH =XONLĂ \ <XVXI ZDV born and lived until he was 7. His IDPLO\ Ă HG 3RO 3RW¡V UHJLPH DQG PRYHG WR Malaysia, where Wan was born and lived with her eight siblings. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My father stressed very, very much the LPSRUWDQFH RI HGXFDWLRQ Âľ :DQ VD\V When she was 15, Wanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father died.

With all her siblings away at school, Wan lived alone with her mother. Her fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LQĂ XHQFH GURYH KHU WR H[FHO LQ VHFRQGDU\

)DPLO\ SKRWRV OLQH WKH ZDOOV LQ WKH =XONLĹ´\ KRPH 7KLV RQH ZDV WDNHQ LQ IURQW RI WKH :KLWH +RXVH ZKLOH WKH\ ZHUH YDFDWLRQLQJ LQ :DVKLQJWRQ ' & 3KRWR E\ $OOLVRQ &KDSOLQ

school and pass a placement test that landHG KHU DW D EHWWHU VFKRRO ZKHUH =XONLĂ \ was a student. The two met as classmates when they were 16.

Wanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother died when Wan was 17, DQG VKH DQG =XONLĂ \ DWWHQGHG GLIIHUHQW universities. But mutual friends helped them keep in touch. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He would send me a birthday and Eid FDUG HYHU\ \HDU Âľ :DQ recalls.

Dating wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really an option, since it is against Islam for a man and woman to be alone together before marriage. On top of that, per Cambodian customs, ZulkiĂ \¡V SDUHQWV DOUHDG\ KDG SURPLVHG KLP WR marry a family friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter, a girl he had never met.

It took a lot of convincing for both famLOLHV ´EXW HYHQWXDOO\ WKLQJV ZRUNHG RXW Âľ :DQ VD\V ´+HUH ZH DUH \HDUV ODWHU Âľ In a Muslim marriage, the suitor is expected to ask permission from a womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father in order to marry her. Since both of Wanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents had passed away, the responsibility to give Wal, or permission to marry, fell to Wanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest brother Abdullah Sharin. ´7KH ELJ EURWKHU ZDV WKDW Âľ =XONLĂ \ says as Wan laughs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Big and scary with ELJ KDQGV Âľ After they were married, they kept with the Islamic tradition that Wanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last name â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Baba â&#x20AC;&#x201C; would stay the same, and

WKHLU FKLOGUHQ ZRXOG WDNH RQ =XONLĂ \¡V Ă&#x20AC;UVW name as their last.

7KH FRXSOH KDG WKHLU Ă&#x20AC;UVW WKUHH FKLOdren â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sons Iman and Ihsan and daughter Nurfarah, Farah for short â&#x20AC;&#x201C; while living LQ 0DOD\VLD ´:H WKRXJKW ZH ZHUH GRQH Âľ Wan remembers.

A year later, the family relocated to Durham, England, where Wan got her Ph.D. in philosophy and applied linguistics from the University of Leicester. In 2007, Teehah was born. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then we really thought ZH ZHUH GRQH Âľ :DQ VD\V )LYH \HDUV ODWHU =XONLĂ \ JRW D MRE DV a reliability leader at Cummins, so they moved again, this time to Columbus, and got their green cards. Wan started teaching English as a second language at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus.

Another two years passed and the famLO\ JUHHWHG WKHLU VHYHQWK DQG Ă&#x20AC;QDO PHPEHU Ilyaas, who was born in Columbus.

Moving to a new country meant large and small changes for everybody, but they adjusted quickly. Culture shock really hit them when, driving on the opposite side of the road, they saw fast food restaurants on nearly every corner. They were surprised WR VHH WKDW SROLFH RIĂ&#x20AC;FHUV DQG VHFXULW\ guards carried weapons. For Farah, the differences between apples in England and in the States stuck with her. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The apples DUH VR KXJH Âľ VKH H[FODLPV ´,Q (QJODQG

Wan was driving down the road when a man drove up next to her and glared at her. Wan noticed WKH ULĂ H WKDW OD\ on his dashboard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He knew I saw the gun. I was WHUULĂ&#x20AC;HG Âľ , FRXOG Ă&#x20AC;QLVK DQ DSSOH LQ OLNH IRXU ELWHV +HUH LW WDNHV D ZKROH KRXU Âľ

T

KH =XONLĂ \V¡ MRXUQH\ LV RQH RI PDQ\ paths to Columbusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Islamic Society.

The centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demographics are more diverse than most mosques because Muslims here come from more than 30

51 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

countries, says spokesperson Hanna Omar. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have people here who are Hoosiers and have eight different generations that KDYH EHHQ LQ ,QGLDQD Âľ 2PDU H[SODLQV ´:H have people from various African countries and European countries. We have Mexicans, Chinese, Malaysians and Sri Lankans, VR WKHUH LV ORWV RI GLYHUVLW\ Âľ The group started out in 2001 as 40 or 50 Muslims praying in an apartment.

They were a slowly growing minority that needed a place to call their own. So, they rented space in the United Way of Bartholomew County building and watched WKHLU FRPPXQLW\ Ă RXULVK But they were forced to move again when the building burned in December 2009. They bought the current building, previously a Reformed Presbyterian &KXUFK DQG WUDQVIRUPHG LW LQWR WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW house of Allah in Southern Indiana.

Now, seven years later and almost double in size, the group uses the threestory space for just about everything. The basement has a kitchenette and seating area where members gather and feast during Ramadan and other Eids, or Muslim holidays. Every Sunday, children meet in the four classrooms to learn Arabic and study Islamic teachings. And anyone may come to the partitioned space on the main OHYHO IRU WKH Ă&#x20AC;YH GDLO\ SUD\HUV

W

52 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

an and her close friend Sahar Almasri are on their knees behind the partition in the prayer room, where women gather on the red-and-gold carpet. Sahar wears light makeup and a gold necklace with a symbol encrusted with diamonds that means ´3UDLVH WR *RGÂľ LQ $UDELF Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for Jummah, a weekly prayer held on Fridays, and although only men are required to attend, Wan and Sahar have come, too.

A man at the front of the room leads the prayer, while others arrive late. Before they enter, they must wash themselves in a process called Wudu, and the sound of splashing water comes from the nearest bathroom. Everyone praying together creates a low humming noise. )RU 0XVOLPV ,VODP LV DERXW GHĂ&#x20AC;QLQJ their relationship with Allah and better understanding their role as his creation.

To achieve this goal, Muslims study the 4XUDQ DQG DUH FDOOHG WR SUD\HU Ă&#x20AC;YH WLPHV a day. Muslims believe the Quran was sent to them directly from Allah, so they can use it as a guide to navigate life. Allah also sent the Prophet Muhammad to teach the practices in the holy book.

A Muslimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s faith, or Iman, is determined by the the six pillars of faith, which

)DUDK GHPRQVWUDWHV Ĺ?7KH ,WV\ %LWV\ 6SLGHUĹ? IRU KHU EURWKHU ,O\DDV DQG D IULHQG LQ WKH SUD\HU URRP DW WKH ,VODPLF FHQWHU 3KRWR E\ $OOLVRQ &KDSOLQ

are essential beliefs.

There are fundamental and nonfundaPHQWDO SUDFWLFHV DV ZHOO 7KH Ă&#x20AC;YH SLOODUV RI Islam listed in the Quran are, perhaps, the most fundamental religious principles.

One key practice is modesty. When they reach puberty, women are expected to cover up around those not in the immediate family, and men must be clothed from the navel down. How Muslims, particularly ZRPHQ GHFLGH WR FRYHU XS LV XVXDOO\ LQĂ Xenced by the country they are from.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;People tend to confuse culture DQG UHOLJLRQ Âľ For example, Wan is from Malaysia and wears a headscarf, but a woman from Pakistan may not be expected to cover her hair because that is considred a nonfundamental way to show modesty. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People tend to confuse culture and UHOLJLRQ Âľ :DQ VD\V For instance, Islam forbids forcing a woman into marriage or committing murder. Yet, in some cultures, these are accepted practices. Wan says associating forced marriage and honor killings with Islam is a common misperception.

The Quran also mandates that the husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s money is for the family, and any money a wife makes is her own. Household duties should be shared between the man and woman. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I work, my money is PLQH +H ZRUNV KLV PRQH\ LV PLQH Âľ :DQ VD\V ´+H SURYLGHV IRU HYHU\RQH Âľ

Eating halal food is another fundamental practice. Meat, other than pork, is halal if it is slaughtered in the most humane way possible, with a swift cut to the throat WKDW LQĂ LFWV WKH OHDVW DPRXQW RI SDLQ 3RUN is haram, which means forbidden. Alcohol, as a beverage or ingredient, is haram, too.

Wan shops at Restaurant Depot in Indianapolis. Sometimes, the family eats out at the two halal establishments in Columbus, Apna Kitchen and Mumbai Grill.

Together, these principles and practices form the core of the Islamic faith.

O

n a warm Sunday at the Islamic center, Wan decides to teach KHU Ă&#x20AC;UVW UHOLJLRQ FODVV RI WKH GD\ outside. She and her students sit in a circle and take turns reading from the Quran.

Later, she steps in for an Arabic teacher who is running late. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Teehahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s class, and Wan doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t speak Arabic, so sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ă XVWHUHG ´(YHU\ERG\ WDNH RXW \RXU $UDELF ERRN Âľ Wan orders. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know everyone has it, so no PRUH H[FXVHV Âľ Until the teacher arrives, Wan points to pages that the children have already studied and has them review the vocabulary.

Meanwhile, Iman is in an upstairs classroom where kindergarten students are memorizing short Arabic verses through song. He usually leads the class, but, today, a new teacher is giving lessons. A breeze blows in through the open window and chimes from a nearby house accompany their singing voices. The walls are plastered with coloring-book pages of the Prophet Muhammadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name in Arabic and

Kaaba, the center of Islamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most sacred mosque in Mecca.

Iman has gelled hair and is wearing red sneakers and a Nike t-shirt that says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Man 8S RU 6KXW 8S Âľ +H¡V D VHQLRU DW &ROXPEXV North High School and has run cross country since his sophomore year. Iman also is president of the National Honor Society and helped found a creative writing club at school. He says he started the club when a girl he had a crush on didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to start it on her own. But he found he enjoys writLQJ ´,¡P D SRHW NLQG RI JX\ Âľ KH VD\V Iman graduates in May and is set on going to Purdue University and becoming a dentist.

Sundays at the center end with a prayer that starts just before 2 p.m. Afterward, some of the girls linger in the room, comparing cartwheels and roundoffs.

Other children throw their shoes back on and head outside for races or football. The parents chat, sometimes breaking conversation to call out a childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name or round up the family.

Wan waits patiently by the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s VLOYHU 1LVVDQ PLQLYDQ ZLWK =XONLĂ \ LQ WKH GULYHU¡V VHDW ,PDQ LV Ă&#x20AC;QLVKLQJ XS D JDPH of football, and his siblings are still hanging out with friends. Eventually, they all make it to the van and head home.

But life isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always this quiet. Muslim IDPLOLHV OLNH WKH =XONLĂ \V VRPHWLPHV GR encounter bullying and harassment.

One day at the supermarket parking lot, Wan saw a man write down her license plate number. Another time, she was driving down the road when a man drove up next to her car and glared at her. Wan QRWLFHG WKH ULĂ H RQ KLV GDVKERDUG â&#x20AC;&#x153;I looked back at him, and he knew I VDZ WKH JXQ Âľ :DQ VD\V ´, ZDV WHUULĂ&#x20AC;HG Âľ With her infant son Ilyaas and Teehah in the car, Wan drove away and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t report what happened to the police. +RZHYHU WKH =XONLĂ \V KDYH EHHQ surprised by the acceptance theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found here, too.

In August 2014, three local churches ZHUH YDQGDOL]HG ZLWK JUDIĂ&#x20AC;WL WKDW UHDG ´,QĂ&#x20AC;GHOV Âľ DQG ´4XU¡DQ Âľ 7KDW SDVVDJH VD\V WHUURU ZLOO EH ´FDVW LQWR WKH KHDUWVÂľ RI those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t follow Allah.

Wanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friend Sahar, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s involved in the societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community outreach, says she worried when news of the incident spread. But she was touched by the response of church leaders, including the Rev. Clem Davis, a longtime pastor at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church.

Davis says no one he talked to imagined that anyone at the Islamic Society had been responsible. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some voiced that anyone with Google can look up troublesome WH[WV LQ WKH %LEOH RU WKH 4XUDQ Âľ KH VD\V

Wan remembers watching TV coverage of September 11, 2001, and saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a Muslim.

Please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a 0XVOLP Âľ After the incident, the church sponsored a series of eight discussions regarding terrorism, its coverage and the Islamic faith. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I, personally, had never studied Islam nor even looked at the Quran. That ZDV H\H RSHQLQJ Âľ 'DYLV VD\V ´&RQQHFWLQJ with them showed us the human side of everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. That made for a warmth DQG DQ DIIHFWLRQ WKDW JUHZ XS EHWZHHQ XV Âľ

A

V ZH Ă&#x20AC;QLVK RXU GLQQHU ZLWK WKH =XONLĂ \V WKH GLVFXVVLRQ WXUQV VHULRXV :DQ DQG =XONLĂ \ VLW QH[W to each other, playing off each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s remarks.

In media coverage of bombings and beheadings by ISIS and other extremist groups, Americans see images of Muslims who dedicate their lives to the destruction RI WKH :HVW <HW WKH =XONLĂ \V VD\ JURXSV like the Taliban and ISIS twist the words of the Quran to justify violence. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They bomb everything. The mosques, the synagogues, the churches . . . They ERPE HYHU\WKLQJ Âľ :DQ VD\V ´:KHUHDV in the Quran there is a chapter that says when you are even at war you cannot destroy houses and places of worship.

They are doing it right now, and they are claiming to represent Islam. How can you represent when you are doing the opposite RI ZKDW ,VODP LV WHOOLQJ \RX"Âľ â&#x20AC;&#x153;You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even cut the trees during ZDU Âľ =XONLĂ \ DGGV They are frustrated and saddened when political candidates address Islam as if it were a cancer to be eliminated.

Wan wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget the coverage of September 11, 2001. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I remember watching TV and praying, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a Muslim, SOHDVH GRQ¡W EH D 0XVOLP¡ Âľ VKH VD\V Ă&#x20AC;JKWing back tears.

She knew if a Muslim were responsible for the terrorist attacks on the Twin Tow-

ers, her faith would be wrongfully judged. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A big chunk of what people choose to EHOHLYH LV ZKDW WKH\ KHDU Âľ =XONLĂ \ VD\V :DQ DQG =XONLĂ \ LQVLVW WKDW NQRZOHGJH is vital to ending misperceptions about Islam. So they make sure their children, both the girls and boys, are actively pursuing an education. They point out that extremist groups, like ISIS, would deprive their daughters of the chance to learn. ´, WKLQN HGXFDWLRQ LV NH\ WR IUHHGRP Âľ she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you want to be oppressive, \RX OHDYH WKH PDQ LJQRUDQW Âľ ,W¡V LPSRUWDQW WR :DQ DQG =XONLĂ \ WKDW their children understand Islam and make a positive impact on their religionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s image. â&#x20AC;&#x153;ISIS scares me as much as it scares \RX Âľ :DQ VD\V ´, NQRZ WKDW LI WKH\ ZHUH WR FDWFK PH , ZRXOG EH Âľ 6KH GRHVQ¡W Ă&#x20AC;QLVK KHU VHQWHQFH EXW PDNHV D FXWWLQJ gesture across her throat.

O

n the last Saturday we spend with WKH =XONLĂ \ IDPLO\ ZH PHHW WKHP at Ihsanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lacrosse game. The wind is cold, but Wan and Teehah brave the weather to cheer him on. ´&RPH RQ ,KVDQ JR Âľ :DQ VKRXWV She points Ihsan out to us among the players dressed in blue-and-white jerseys. She yells again, clapping, when Ihsan makes an assist and his team scores.

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re up 7-0. ,O\DDV LV DVOHHS VR =XONLĂ \ VWD\V ZLWK him in the van. Farah is at a band competition, and Iman is working a shift at Subway. Wan stands on the sidelines and Teehah sits, wrapping her stuffed dog in a blanket she brought. A little boy asks if he can play, joining her on the grass.

We leave before the game is over, folORZLQJ :DQ DQG 7HHKDK RII WKH Ă&#x20AC;HOG /DWHU Wan reveals to us that sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not sure how much longer the family will stay in Columbus. They would like to stay until Ihsan graduates high school, but Wan admits she feels restless. Still, moving back to Malaysia or another Muslim country would feel like a step backward. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think I have embraced diversity ZKHQ , OLYH LQ D QRQ 0XVOLP FRXQWU\ Âľ Wan says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By moving to other countries, I learn more about Islam and more about WROHUDQFH Âľ Living in Columbus has changed who she is, she says. Growing up in a Muslim country made Wan biased toward Muslims, but after living in a new country, she has found that there is more than one way to live.

6KH DQG =XONLĂ \ KRSH WKHLU FKLOGUHQ will be able to live in any society as Muslims, no matter where their paths may lead.

53 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

THE 812 LIST

8 moments that shaped our region In honor of our stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bicentennial, historians helped us identify key historic events.

By Ellen Glover HOOSIERS ANSWER THE CALL TO BATTLE When Confederate forces Ă&#x20AC;UHG RQ )RUW 6XPWHU RQ April 12, 1861, more than 197,000 Hoosiers joined the Union and another 100,000 participated in the militia, according to the Indiana Historical Society. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Civil War was important to Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s KLVWRU\ Âľ 0DGLVRQ VD\V ´7KH\ FKRVH WR Ă&#x20AC;JKW IRU WKH 8QLRQ DQG WKH\ IRXJKW YHU\ HIIHFWLYHO\ Âľ

4

1

INDIANA BECOMES A STATE On December 11, 1816, Indiana became Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 19th state. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It could be argued WKDW ,QGLDQD¡V Ă&#x20AC;UVW LPSRUWDQW PRPHQW was when humans settled there thouVDQGV RI \HDUV DJR Âľ VD\V -DPHV 0DGLVRQ an Indiana University history professor and author of Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But when the state was founded in 1816, that really laid the foundation for HYHU\WKLQJ HOVH WKDW ZRXOG IROORZ Âľ AN AMENDMENT IS PASSED AND REPEALED Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population ballooned from 64,000 in 1816 to 988,000 in 1850. Consequently, our constitution was amended in 1851.

3HUKDSV WKH PRVW LQIDPRXV PRGLĂ&#x20AC;FDWLRQ was Article 13, which stated that â&#x20AC;&#x153;no QHJUR RU PXODWWRÂľ FRXOG VHWWOH LQ WKH VWDWH â&#x20AC;&#x153;This made Indiana a homogeneous state RI PDLQO\ ZKLWH 3URWHVWDQWV DW WKH WLPH Âľ says Chandler Lighty, the Indiana Historical Bureau director. Lawmakers repealed Article 13 in 1881.

2

EDUCATION GETS A BOOST â&#x20AC;&#x153;Indianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s constitution promised education as soon DV SRVVLEOH Âľ /LJKW\ VD\V %XW WKH FHQsus showed that one in seven adult Hoosiers were illiterate. All this changed when Caleb Mills, a New England Presbyterian missionary, wrote letters to the Legislature encouraging reform. Millsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; push led to the 1852 Free School Law, requiring each county to provide at least three months of free education.

7

OUR FIRST STATE PARK OPENS Richard Lieber led the drive to establish McCormickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Creek State Park in Owen County in 1916. The park celebrates its 100th birthday in July. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now there are SDUNV DOO RYHU WKH VWDWH Âľ /LJKW\ VD\V â&#x20AC;&#x153;McCormickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really shows the power of QDWXUH Âľ

5

AN ERA OF ART AND LITERATURE BEGINS In the late 1800s, the state experienced D ´JROGHQ DJH¾ RI OLWHUDWXUH LQFOXGLQJ Southern Indiana writers like Theodore Dreiser, Lew Wallace and Kin Hubbard, above. This was also a time of artistic growth as painters like T.C. Steele and J. Ottis Adams formed the Hoosier Group in Brown County.

3

54 SUMMER/ FALL 2016

6

GENTLEMEN START THEIR ENGINES The Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted LWV Ă&#x20AC;UVW ,QGLDQDSROLV UDFH LQ ´7KLV ZDV WKH JHQHVLV RI UDFLQJ LQ ,QGLDQD Âľ Lighty says. Even though the 500 is run in Speedway, the race spawned smaller tracks and generations of drivers in Southern Indiana.

8

THE GREAT DEPRESSION ARRIVES Indiana was hit hard by the Great Depression in 1929. But Paul McNutt of Franklin, elected governor in 1932, helped turn things around. Under his leaderhship, Indiana established income taxes and began to participate in Social Security and other welfare programs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The programs were YHU\ FRQWURYHUVLDO Âľ 0DGLVRQ VD\V ´7KHUH were a lot of people who thought that ZDVQ¡W WKH JRYHUQPHQW¡V EXVLQHVV Âľ ,QGLDQDĹ?V Ć&#x201C;UVW FDSLWDO DQG 0F&RUPLFNĹ?V &UHHN Ć&#x201C;OH SKRWRV .LQ +XEEDUG DQG 3DXO 0F1XWW 3KRWRV courtesy of the Indiana Historical Society.

ZLQQHUV 3KRWR FRXUWHV\ RI Bass Photo Collection, Indiana Historical Society

Get more from your card.

Wherever you travel, earn extra rewards by using your IU Credit Union Platinum Rewards Credit card.

Our Platinum Rewards Card features: • No Annual Fee • Low rate for purchases and cash advances • No Balance Transfer Fee • Scorecard® Rewards points for every qualifying dollar you spend Apply at any branch or online at

w ww.iucu.org www.iucu.org

We started a credit union and created a community.

55 SUMMER/

Federally insured by NCUA

FALL 812-855-7823 • iucu.org

2016

16/ 17 SEASON

Hear the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best emerging artists at the IU Jacobs School of Music.

Season includes 5 operas, 3 ballets, and 1 musical!

Musical Arts Center Box Office Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

music.indiana.edu/operaballet 56 SUMMER/ FALL 2016