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The La Porte County
Making something beautiful
Local eye surgeon has sights on building guitars musicians love to play By MATT FRITZ
Staff writer 1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13887 mfritz@heraldargus.com
La PORTE — Getting a commission to construct the next guitar for noted Nashville recording artist Andrew Peterson was a big deal for Ben Mannix back in 2006. The La Porte-based eye surgeon had been building custom guitars under his own name for more than a decade and never had a well-known artist request his services. He just didn’t know how wrong everything would go. Mannix spent months carefully crafting and designing the new instrument, choosing the right woods and the right shapes for the notes, so it produced the perfect sound for Peterson’s style of music. Then, two weeks before it was due, something happened. “I had the whole thing done and it was perfect,� Mannix said while dusting off a new instrument in his workshop. “I had just spent all kinds of time thinking through the design, doing extra little touches to make it really cool. It was beautiful and it sounded great, and I couldn’t wait to give it to him.� All he had to do was install one little pickup to let the guitar play through an amplifier. But while drilling a hole for the jack, the drill slipped, cracking the top of the guitar and splitting it along the sides and back. Mannix couldn’t believe what happened. “I just set it down and went upstairs and laid down for a while,� he said. “I just couldn’t deal with it. And then I started thinking about it and thought, ‘Well,
Ben Mannix carves away on the wood braces as he tunes the front of his guitar.
Building a guitar – step by step – Page A5 if you’re doing surgery you can’t quit until it’s right,’ so I went ‘Okay, I have to figure out how I’m going to fix this.’� So he went back down to his shop, glued the sides together, and clamped them down to seal the instrument properly. But when he left the guitar on the table to think about what to do next, he heard a thunk. The instrument had fallen off and crashed into the floor. A big dent now decorated the front. It was one of the least favorite moment’s of Mannix’s guitar-building career, one that has spanned nearly 19 years and dozens of stringed instruments, and one that he’s still developing as he molds and shapes each new piece. Mannix, who has an opthalmology practice in La Porte, said constructing an instrument requires a
similar attention to detail as Photos by Matt Fritz surgery. He even utilizes a Ben Mannix leans on one of his guitar molds, which he uses to shape the sides and pair of surgical glasses for tune the wood of his instruments. On his bench are the top and bottom pieces of his his work. new guitar, turned upside down to show the bracing patterns. “One of the things that another builder would look at, if he were looking at my guitars,� he said, “is not just the sound, but the quality of workmanship. And, for instance, this looks fairly simple,� he said, pointing to the decorative rosette around one of his guitars’ sound holes, “but trying to make this inlay just perfect is difficult. And the joints have to be perfect, like on any fine piece of furniture. A really good craftsman is going to have flawless work. So that carries over, the same kind of attention to detail you would want in eye surgery too.� And repairing a guitar can require just as much detailed work as building one. See GUITARS, Page A3 Ben Mannix tunes the strings on one of his finished guitars.
Judge rules against Long Beach homeowners By KELLEY SMITH For The Herald-Argus
MICHIGAN CITY — It’s official: Long Beach beach goers may continue to walk the Lake Michigan shoreline or even set up a blanket and beach chair along private lots — as long as they do so
in the space between the water’s edge and the ordinary high watermark. La Porte Circuit Court Judge Thomas Alevizos ruled Thursday in favor of the Town of Long Beach, which had been the defendant in a civil suit filed by the Long Beach Lakefront
Homeowners Association and two individual property owners just more than a year ago. The LBLHA, Don Gunderson and Margaret “Peg� West alleged in their Dec. 10, 2012, lawsuit the town had illegally claimed ownership rights of private lakefront
properties, the boundary of which the homeowners say extends to the water’s edge. The town, however, says private property ordinances must be enforced only above the OHWM, which is 581.5 feet, making land between Lake Michigan and the OHWM available for
public use. On Oct. 10, 2012, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources changed text on their website to say, “The ordinary high watermark is the line on Lake Michigan and other navigable waterways See LONG BEACH, Page A3
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Local | State Obituaries Florence Gately
December 15, 1918 - December 27, 2013 Florence Wright Gately, 95, of Michigan City, passed away on Friday, December 27, 2013 at her home. Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Notre Dame Catholic Church with the Rev. Keith McClellan officiating. Gately Viewing will be from 10-11 a.m. Tuesday at Notre Dame Church. Burial will follow in Madison, Wis. Root Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements. Florence was born December 15, 1918 in St. Louis to the late John and Eleanor Wright. She married Tom Gately in June 1939. Florence lost her husband in the summer of 1988.
Florence and Tom had two children: Tom (Patsi) Gately and Mary Ann Jensen. Florence also had five grandchildren: David Gately, Joy (Mark) Hargraves, Sean (Camille) Jensen, Carrie (David) Brockway and Charles (Elizabeth) Jensen. Florence really enjoyed her eight great-grandchildren: Caitie and Connor Gatley, Claire, Lee and Emmett Brockway, Addison and Lincoln Jensen and Timmy Jensen. Florence is also survived by her two sisters: Grace Mayer and Sister Marie Bertrand O.P. and her brother Joseph Wright. She is preceded in death by two brothers: Jack Wright and Emmett Wright. Florence was a warm, loving grandmother; she will be greatly missed by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Notre Dame School Foundation.
Phyllis J. Lain
December 30, 1931 - December 27, 2013 Phyllis J. Lain, 81, La Porte, passed away at 8 p.m. EST, Friday, December 27, 2013 in the Gilead Elder Care, St Joseph, Mich. She was born December 30, 1931 in La Porte, Ind. to John and Lillian “Ruth� (Holloman) Welker and lived her entire life in the La Porte area. She retired from Hamilton Communities as a CNA, and also worked at Luigi’s Pizza in La Porte. On October 28, 1950, in La Porte, she married Jack R. Lain, who preceded her on July 23, 2000. Phyllis was a volunteer at La Porte Hospital, enjoyed recreational games and spending time with her family. She leaves behind three sons Rick (Debbie) Lain, La Porte, Ron Lain, Scottsdale, Ariz. and Thomas Lain, West Lafayette, Ind.; three grandchildren, Kristen (Jacob) Lopez, Joshua Lain and Alexis Lain; three great-grandchildren, Dominick, Jayvie and
Olivia Lopez. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, who left too soon in life, and one brother, Jay Holloman. A funeral service will be held at 12:30 p.m. CST, Tuesday, December 31, 2013 at Essling Funeral Home, La Porte, with Pastor Evan Lash officiating. Visitation will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 31, 2013 at Essling Funeral Home. Burial will be in Pine Lake Cemetery following the service. Essling Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to American Diabetes Association, 7363 E. 21st St., Indianapolis, IN 46219 or American Cancer Society, 130 Red Coach Drive, Mishawaka, IN 46530. Family and friends may leave their condolences at www.esslingfuneralhome. com.
Flora B. Collins
Indiana enlisting scrapyards to combat metal thieves GRIFFITH, Ind. (AP) — Indiana is enlisting the help of scrapyards to crack down on brazen metal thieves who’ve even darkened stretches of highways by stripping wiring from roadside lighting. A measure passed by state lawmakers that took effect in July targets scrap vehicles, catalytic converters and air conditioner evaporator coils being brought to scrapyards in exchange for cash. State Rep. Justin Moed, D-Indianapolis, said he filed the bill after hearing of growing numbers of thefts of catalytic converters and air conditioner units in his
Indianapolis district, where there are more than 10 scrapyards. “We looked at how do we increase some of the proof required for people who bring in these items, to make sure they came about them lawfully,� Moed told The Times of Munster. His measure requires someone who disposes of a vehicle for scrap metal to provide proper documentation and makes not doing so a misdemeanor. It also requires documentation for sales and purchases of air conditioning parts or a catalytic converter. Police agencies across the
nation have seen increased thefts of metals such as copper, bronze, brass and aluminum, according to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Indiana State Police and county highway departments earlier this month launched an effort to stem growing incidences of thefts of wiring from highway lighting. Swaths of highway, including portions of northern Indiana’s Borman Expressway/Interstate 65 interchange, have been darkened by such thefts. Among the scrapyards keeping watch for metal thieves is Metro Recycling
in the northwestern Indiana community of Griffith. Employees there monitor scrap metal deliveries nonstop on more than a half dozen computer screens, while still cameras capture photos of every load of scrap weighed. Metro Recycling CEO Neil Samahon said the technology is part of the company’s effort to purge stolen scrap metal from its work stream and help law enforcement track such thefts. “We’re always looking for ways to control it,� Samahon told the newspaper. “We want to be part of the solution.�
GUITARS
more advanced courses in California, studying under such noted guitar builders as Ervin Somogyi, whose work sells for $30,000. “He was just a master at guitars,� Mannix said, “everything from how you pick a piece of wood, how different woods sound, the basic design of a guitar, what’s important and what’s not. The mechanics of a guitar, what makes a guitar sound good. What would be a negative influence on the sound. Every aspect ... I probably learned more from him than anyone else for the things I still use today.� The styles Mannix likes to build are dreadnoughts, small jumbos and OOOs. Originally from Southern Indiana, Mannix moved to La Porte in 1985. He said the first time he came to La Porte was to study under a pair of local eye surgeons. At the time. he just wanted to be a general surgeon. “(Eye surgery) looked like a great specialty and I switched my direction and got into an eye program and the rest is history,� he said. But woodworking has always been a passion of his, and guitar making was just a special kind. “There was just something unique about,� he
said. “It’s more interactive I think because the whole time you’re doing the woodworking it’s having an effect on the way this is going to sound. It’s not just making a pretty piece of wood, like you would with a piece of furniture. You want it to look good, there is some structural aspect to it, but with the guitar, just very small changes can have a tremendous effect on the sound, and getting it just perfect is really cool.� And Mannix has experimented with other instruments. He once built a mandolin for a friend, and he’s also tried his hand at constructing an archtop jazz guitar, based on a design from the 1930s. “These archtop guitars are more like a violin,� he said. “The top and back are carved rather than being a flat piece of wood. I’ve also built a couple electric guitars, but that’s not very challenging. I’ve got a plan for an acoustic bass that I’m intrigued by. I’m just waiting for somebody to need one, and it’s a really pretty design. And what about that damaged guitar he built for Andrew Peterson?
able to visit the Ryman Auditorium, a historic building in Nashville where the Grand Ole Opry used to be located, and where famous musicians still play before crowds of thousands. He had previously given Peterson the repaired instrument, with copious explanations as to what happened and what repairs had been done. He was worried the artist would be disappointed, or would want to give it back. But Peterson was apparently fine with it, because when he took the stage at the Ryman, walking in front of thousands, it was with Mannix’ guitar in his hands. Mannix said building guitars is an incredible experience. “But the best moments are hearing a really good guitar player play your instrument and make something beautiful from it,� he said. “Just a beautiful piece of music. Then you’re kind of part of that.� When Mannix completes a guitar, it can be found for sale online at www.guitargal.com/mannix.html. Pictures and sound clips are available on the site.
as reflected in its publications ... the ordinary high watermark is the line on Lake Michigan used to designate where the state’s regulatory jurisdiction lies and in certain instances, to determine where public ownership or use begins and/or ends.� The resolution also states the Long Beach Police Department may only enforce private property ordinances between Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan above the OHWM. In his order, Alevizos writes, “Given the preceding facts, the Court finds that the Resolution passed by the Town is not a claim adverse to the Landowners’ property rights nor does it constitute a taking. The Resolution is merely a statement of policy and does not speak to ownership of the land under discussion.� Later in his explanation, the judge says, “Within the
four corners of the document, nowhere does the Town assert any ownership of any land, nor does the Town take a position relative to the ownership of any specific parcels.� Alevizos also clarifies in his order that any verbal or written communication on the matter by town council members, the clerk-treasurer or the town attorney do not indicate the town’s position regarding Resolution 12.003, as only the activity recorded in the minutes of Long Beach Town Council meetings may be deemed official or relevant to litigation. And regarding Charles Hendricks’ 1984 surveys of town lots, the judge determined those surveys do
From Page A1
A second try When he picked Peterson’s damaged instrument off the floor back in 2006, he knew he had a lot of work to do. Hours and hours of work, and only two weeks to do it. So he began working, piece by piece, to repair the cracks, getting all the damaged parts lined up perfectly, gluing them back down and refinishing the instrument all over again so the repairs were nearly seamless. Mannix first began making guitars in 1995 when his wife bought him a kit for Christmas. A craftsman since he was a boy, Mannix had fun putting the instrument together, and almost as much fun playing it, so he decided to build one from scratch. “The next thing I did was find a guy over in Crown Point who did guitar repairs and also built some,� he said, “and he kind of did a little apprenticeship with me.� Mannix drove there once a week, learning how to build an instrument from the ground up, and then decided to take
Broken no more One night, Mannix was
Follow Matt Fritz on Twitter @matt_fritzHA.
June 26, 1927 - December 29, 2013 Flora B. Collins, 86, of Rolling Prairie, Ind., died Sunday, December 29, 2013 at the Golden Living Center, Countryside in La Porte. Arrangements are pending with Haverstock Funeral
Home and Cremations Services and will be announced later. Further details may be found at www.haverstockfuneralhome.com.
Randall Brooks Randall Brooks, 48, of Anthony Hospital at 8:25 Michigan City, passed away p.m. on Wednesday, December Arrangements are pending 25, 2013 at Franciscan St. at the Root Funeral Home.
Charles E. Trout Charles E. Trout, 80, of thony Hospital. Michigan City, passed away Arrangements are pending on Saturday, December 28, at the Root Funeral Home. 2013 at Franciscan St. An-
Former Ind. Congressman Andrew Jacobs Jr. dies at 81 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Andrew Jacobs Jr., a former longtime Indiana congressman, died Saturday afternoon, according to a family spokesman. He was 81. Gary Taylor, a family friend and former campaign manager for Jacobs, said the former Democratic lawmaker had died earlier in the day at his Indianapolis home among family. Taylor said Jacobs had experienced
declining health in recent years. He said the death was likely due to complications from old age rather than any single cause. “He was a great man,� Taylor said. According to his congressional biography, Jacobs served in the Indiana House of Representatives in 195960, and then the U.S. House from 1965-73, and again from 1975-97.
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LONG BEACH From Page A1
used to designate where regulatory jurisdiction lies and in certain instances to determine where public use and ownership begins and/ or ends.� (The words “regulatory jurisdiction� replaced “ownership.�) More than two years prior to that change, in July 2010, the Town of Long Beach passed Resolution 10.002, which recognized and accepted the DNR’s position on public versus private property ownership on the land abutting Lake Michigan. Then, after the DNR clarified its position in October 2012, the town in November 2012 passed Resolution 12.003, which says, “The Town of Long Beach, Indiana, recognizes and accepts the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ position
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not define the lakefront lotsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; northern boundary, only the eastern and western boundaries of the road easements. Alevizos cites the court case United States v. Carstens, which says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;According to the Indiana â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;public trust doctrine,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; the beach area between the ordinary high watermark and the edge of the water of Lake Michigan is public land not owned by any person, entity or municipality.â&#x20AC;? However, he later clarifies he is not qualified to determine ownership of the land between the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge and the OHWM, saying it is a matter that must be handled by the Indiana Legislature or an appellate court in a case in which the State of Indiana is a party.
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