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INSIDE G2 Karen Pence Profile G4 Timeline G6 A Flood of Memories G7 House Colleagues G8 Path to the Statehouse
PHOto by joe harpring
A political journey
Gov. Mike Pence submitted photo
A Special Commemorative Section
Growing up as part of the american dream By boris ladwig bladwig@therepublic.com
I TOP: Mike Pence stands inside the Statehouse in Indianapolis. ABOVE: (From left) Brothers Mike, Tom, Ed and Greg with parents, Nancy and Ed, in the 1960s.
n December 1980, 21-yearold Mike Pence walked into the living room of his parents' spacious home and saw his grandfather, sitting on a couch, his eyes brimming with tears. The old man, who had grown up in a two-room house in Tubbercurry, Ireland, had been struggling with health issues, and young Mike asked if his grandfather needed anything. "He just shook his head, and his voice cracked ... and I said, 'What's wrong?'
"And he said, 'I just never thought a child of mine would live in a house like this.'" His grandfather passed away that Christmas Eve, but the moment illuminated in Pence's mind what he had witnessed in his own home: the American Dream. It explains, in part, his dedication to creating growth and opportunities for people, he said. "I believe in the unlimited potential of every person in this country," he said. Pence's parents, both from
working-class backgrounds, moved from Chicago to Indianapolis and to a typical middle-class neighborhood in Everroad Park West in Columbus. His father worked most of his years in Columbus with Kiel Bros. Oil Co. "My folks often said that when we were growing up, we didn't have two nickels to rub together. I know I slept in the same bed with my younger brother for the first year in his life. But I don't ever remember feeling deprived of anything," Pence recalled recently as he sat in a small room on the eastern side of Continued on g2
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"I am always amazed by the people who want to give their time, talent and treasure to make Indiana better," she said. "We always feel invigorated when we come off the trail." Karen said she is looking forward to serving as an ambassador, welcoming people to Indiana, and spotlighting some of the things the Hoosier state has to offer, such as the schools. "Mike likes to say that Indy is about to take off," Karen said. "And I am really excited to watch that." One aspect of life in the governor's mansion that hasn't yet come fully into focus is exactly what causes she will choose to champion in her role as first lady. "I haven't really decided what I am going to do as first lady," she said. "But I know that it will have to do with kids." For Karen, who minored in art while studying education at Butler University, art therapy has long been a cause she supports and one likely to continue once she assumes her new role. She is the honorary chairwoman of the art therapy initiative at Riley Hospital for Children and sits on the board of directors at
As first lady,
Karen Pence eager for new challenge
photos by joe harpring
Mike and Karen Pence, with their children, (from left) Audrey, Michael and Charlotte.
By beth clayton-george
From the moment Indianapolis native Karen Batten agreed to marry Mike Pence in 1984, she knew she had signed up for a life in politics. But life as first lady of the state of Indiana was a bit more unexpected. The pair met just a block from the governor's mansion when Karen was playing guitar at a Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. Mike was in law school at the time, and Karen said he was clear from the start that holding political office was important to him. "Running for Congress was definitely a dream of his," said Karen, and one she fully supported. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts at the position in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Pence was elected to Congress in 2000. But when it came time for him to throw his hat in the ring for the governor's race, the answer didn't come quite as easily. "That part was much slower to come into the picture," said Karen, remembering a conversation during the holidays last year with their
children, Michael, now 21, Charlotte, 19, and Audrey, 18. "We made the decision as a family." 'We' is a word that comes up often when discussing Mike's political career. Karen said that she has always had a voice when it was time to make a decision about his pursuing political office and that the kids have chimed in as they grew older. "We've always approached it that way," Karen said. "It would be difficult to do this separately." After a whirlwind year of campaigning around the state resulted in Mike being elected governor in November, Karen said that the family is slowly beginning to adjust to a new normal. Part of that normal is now ever-present security and an increasing loss of privacy. Karen said that while Mike is still the one in the
spotlight, since the election, she is recognized in public more often. "There's a little bit of anonymity that is just about gone," she said. The loss of that anonymity necessitates increased security, and Karen admits that having bodyguards, who escorted the family through Election Day and haven't let up since, is taking some getting used to. "We knew that was part of it, though," she said. "It was part of our decision." But for her, the good of political life far outweighs the bad. While many people might have become exhausted after days on the campaign trail, Karen said she loved being on the road and drew inspiration from the many people she met who were so devoted to their communities.
Tracy's Kids in Washington, D.C., a pediatric art therapy program for children with cancer. "I am excited about having a platform to encourage those children," she said. Karen said that from the moment it became clear that her husband would become the 50th governor of Indiana, other gubernatorial spouses have stepped forward to offer their advice and support. "The advice I keep hearing from other women who have been in my position is 'just be yourself,'" she said. "And that's very comforting." After spending the last 12 years balancing her roles of art teacher, mother and supportive spouse, Karen said she is thankful to be back in her home state. With her children mostly out of the house — youngest daughter Audrey will go off to college this fall — she is looking forward to starting this new phase of her life. "It'll be fun to be empty-nesters on this new adventure," she said.
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the Indiana Statehouse, where he will begin serving as governor this month. After a few years in Everroad Park, the Pence family moved to Hunter Place, into the upper middle-class Parkside neighborhood. Their spacious third home in Columbus was on Woodside Drive, a few blocks west but significantly larger. Homes on Woodside today cost between $300,000 and $500,000. "Dad and Mom just lived the American Dream," Pence said. He and his three brothers would tease their parents about moving into a large home after the boys had gone off to college, Pence said with a laugh. But it was the home on Hunter Place, where Pence spent his years from junior high through high school, that proved most formative and where his dreams of politics awoke. At about age 11, Pence made a time capsule, stuffing it with clippings about President John F. Kennedy, a great hero of his youth.
Mike Pence tested his guitar skills at home in the 1960s.
city and provided a rich experience in matters beyond politics. Pence's next-door neighbor on Hunter Place was Julius P. Perr, the late titan of innovation at Cummins Inc. who had fled Hungary during the revolution.
“My foundation in my life is my faith; my calling is leadership.” —MIKE PENCE
As a teenager, as his interest in politics grew, his father put him in touch with John Rumple, a local Democrat who later would run as attorney general. In 1975 with Rumple's help, Pence said, he became the youth Democratic Party coordinator in Bartholomew County. He got young people together, knocked on doors for local candidates and handed out pamphlets at the Democratic tent at the county fair. Pence said that his neighborhood was a microcosm of the
Cummins has named its innovation award after Perr, who died in 2005. "To grow up next door to ... an individual who was a historic figure in a historic moment in the life of his nation ... this is the kind of place that Columbus is," Pence said. "I got to learn what was best about small towns. I got to learn about the world by talking to my neighbors over the backyard fence. Made the best friends of my life to this day." One of those friends was
Tom Hodek, who lived across the street from the Pences. "Tom was one of those next door neighbor friends who, you know, I'd walk in his house and open the fridge to see what was there. He'd walk in my house and open the fridge to see what was there." Hodek and Pence recall an idyllic and happy childhood, growing up in Parkside in the 1960s and 1970s. In the summers Hodek, Pence and others played pickup football in a nearby farm field (now the city's soccer fields), competed in knock hockey through the local parks program and rode their bikes to Northside Drugs to buy candy, occasionally being chased by dogs. In the winters, the kids would defend snow forts in their yards with a heavy arsenal of snow balls and build model airplanes — or, as Pence puts it with his typical self-deprecating humor: Hodek, who would become an engineer at Cummins, built model airplanes, while Pence simply tried. "We had a lot of good times," Hodek said. "A lot of fun."
"It was just a great place to grow up," Pence said. Pence would challenge Hodek in discussions, but he said the two never talked about politics directly. Nonetheless, Hodek said, Pence had a vision and knew early on that he wanted to serve and lead people. "I had no doubt he would be successful," Hodek said. "Tom and I used to spend a lot of long hours sitting up in his bedroom talking about the future," Pence said. Beginning in grade school, at what was then St. Columba Catholic School, Pence, encouraged by one of his teachers, wrote his own speeches and won speech competitions. Later, at Columbus North High School, another teacher, Debbie Shoultz, saw something in Pence and kept telling him to continue to develop his talent. "Your ability to communicate ... she kept saying ... it's something you have an obligation to develop," he said. On the high school speech team, he and his team, which
included Steven David, now an Indiana Supreme Court justice, would "drive to some school week after week to a speech contest," Pence said. His speaking ability and his sense of humor made him fun to listen to and be around, Hodek said. Those two attributes also increased his popularity in school, which was lacking, especially in junior high school. The St. Columba students spent only one year, ninth grade, at the then Northside Junior High School. That sole year together meant they had much less time than the other kids to bond with their classmates. In high school, Pence said, he developed a broader range of friends — though almost no one recognized him when he returned for his junior year. He had lost 55 pounds that summer, and people walked up to him and asked, "Are you new?" "People didn't know who I was," he recalled. He had struggled with his weight for years, and over that summer a doctor finally put him on a strenuous program to lose weight. That weight loss unfortunately ended his stellar football career. Pence jokes that he was the fourth-string center on the ninthgrade football team. In his senior year, Pence became class president, and, Hodek said, unlike others who simply ran for the prestige, Pence actually tried to change things for the better and organized events, such as a talent contest that he emceed. Pence's political views changed after high school. He attended Hanover College and Indiana University's McKinney School of Law, graduating in 1986. "After I went off to college and started to study American history and the American Constitution and think carefully
about my philosophy of government, I started being drawn to ... common sense conservatism." Pence also considered using his leadership and speaking abilities in the service of the Catholic church. His upbringing at St. Columba, attending Mass twice a week and serving as altar boy had a profound impact on him, he said. After graduating from Hanover he met with priests in the Indianapolis archdiocese. "My foundation in my life is my faith; my calling is leadership," Pence said. But he decided against priesthood in part because of another calling: family. Pence said he was convinced that eventually he would meet someone with whom he would build a family. But his faith remains important to him. Pence reads the Bible almost every day and makes time for prayer and quiet reflection. His fireplace is adorned with Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." His wife presented him with a framed version of the verse after they decided to sell their house, move their children and spend their life savings on a third run for U.S. Congress. Pence said the verse will hang in the governor's mansion once the couple move. And while they still have a home in Columbus, Pence said that with three kids in college, he did not know how long they would keep the Columbus home. In any case, Pence said, his connection to his hometown will remain strong. His mother lives here, as do his brothers, Greg and Ed. The family recently hosted a wedding here for the first of his mother's 18 grandchildren. "Columbus will always be my home," Pence said.
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mike pence
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Graduated from Columbus North High School. In high school he served as president of the senior class, was a member of the speech team, competed in wrestling and was on the staff of the school newspaper, The Triangle. He won the American Legion’s Indiana oratorical contest and was awarded the George Washington Honor Medal for a speech he delivered before the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
Born to Ed and Nancy Pence at Bartholomew County Hospital. He is named for his maternal grandfather, Richard Michael Cawley, a Chicago bus driver who came to the United States from Ireland through Ellis Island.
Married Indianapolis native Karen Batten.
1988 1986 1985 1981 Graduated from Indiana University School of Law. Practiced law in Indianapolis.
1977 1970
1959 Competing against sixth-, seventh- and eighthgraders, the St. Columba Catholic School fifthgrader won an oratorical contest sponsored by the Columbus Optimist Club. 1
Made his first bid for congressional office, although his father, Ed Pence, and other family members were initially opposed to the plan. After the family came around to his decision, he won the Republican Party’s nomination for the 2nd District congressional seat and lost narrowly to longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Phil Sharp.
Graduated from Hanover College, where he was the chapter president of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. It was at Hanover that he experienced a spiritual awakening that would guide him through his private life and public career. 2
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Began a new career working with the Indiana Policy Review. Later he would enter into private practice as an attorney. He resumed a speaking career and hosted a radio show at a small station near Muncie. From there he moved into the Indianapolis media market as a conservative Christian talk show host. The three-hour program was carried on more than a dozen stations around the state and had an estimated audience of more than 200,000.
Decided to re-enter politics with another congressional bid, this time a successful one. In the following years he rose through the ranks of the Republican Congressional Caucus.
1990
2012 2011 2010
2009 2006
2000 1991
Elected Republican conference chairman, the thirdranking leadership position. He was listed by several political commentators as one of a dozen or so potential candidates for president of the United States.
Conservative columnist William Kristol urged that he run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Evan Bayh. He declined the opportunity. He was named the top choice for president in a straw poll conducted at the Value Voters Summit.
Announced he would be a candidate for the highest post in the Republican Party's congressional leadership, minority leader. He was defeated by Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio.
In January he announced he would not seek his party’s presidential nomination. In May he announced he would run for governor of Indiana.
Elected governor. Ran again for the 2nd District seat but was defeated by a much wider margin following a bitter campaign. He later apologized for the negative attacks that defined the contest.
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Opposite page:
1. Mike Pence holds one of the trophies he won in speech competitions while a student at St. Columba Catholic School. Submitted photo. 2. Pence accepts congratulations from a Hanover College official after delivering an address at the college commencement in 1981. Submitted photo. 3. Members of the Pence family in the early 1980s. Sister Mary Therese is seated on the floor. Sitting on the couch, from left, are Ed Pence and his wife, Kim; sister, Annie; mother and father, Nancy and Ed. Back row: Denise and Greg; Mike and Tom. Submitted photo. 4. Mike and Karen at their 1985 wedding. Submitted photo. 5. Mike and Karen talked to a potential voter during a bicycle tour of the 2nd District in his first run for Congress in 1988. The Republic file photo. this page:
6. Pence, seated, talked with Chris Pollock, a producer on his political talk radio program that aired on more than a dozen stations in the mid-1990s. The Republic file photo. 7. Mike and Karen were guests at a White House reception hosted by President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush. Submitted photo. 8. Pence posed with military officials and a representative of the South Korean government on the occasion of a presentation of a medal honoring Ed Pence for his military service during the Korean War. The officer at right holds a photo of the younger Pence with his father. Submitted photo. 9. The Pence brothers, from left, Tom, Ed, Mike and Greg, gather in a suite at Lucas Oil Stadium on Election Night 2012. Submitted photo.
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Memories of Home survived flood
The officer and his wife told us how they had been overwhelmed by the kindness of neighbors. This tough veteran of many years on the force restrained emotion as he said, “People just started showing up.”
Back ‘home’
We got back in the squad car and headed to Everroad Park West, the modest neighborhood where I grew up. I have taken my children by our old house at 2744 31st St. several times. It is the first home my parents ever owned, and it is the backdrop to every memory
bedroom where we would pile on the bed to watch the “Wizard of Oz” once a year. After that I walked into my old bedroom.
Unexpected homecoming
This was not the homecoming I had hoped to enjoy someday, but I believe it was the homecoming I needed to see this day. You see, my present home on the north side of town was missed by the floodwater by about 20 feet. As I walked out of 2744 31st St., I felt that it was important for me to be in my old house to better understand what nearly 2,000 Columbus families
Losing the place of memories is second only to losing those with whom you made them.
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U. S. Rep. Mike Pence talked with Julie Jordan in the days following the 2008 flood in front of her heavily damaged home in which he had lived as a child.
By mike pence In the summer of 2008, Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., paid a sad visit to Columbus. He arrived several days after the flood of June 7 damaged a major portion of his hometown. One of the neighborhoods hardest hit was Everroad Park West. It was in this neighborhood that the man who will become governor of Indiana spent his childhood. He recounted his visit to the house where he spent his early years in the following column that appeared in The Republic June 18, 2008.
S
erving in Washington is about never being where your heart is, and that is especially true in times of tragedy at home. Arriving home after a week of urging federal assistance for families struggling to recover from the torrential flooding of June 2008 was an anxious experience. I represent 19 counties, but Columbus is home. I didn’t know what it would be like to see so many of the sights of my youth laid waste, and I was right. It was heartbreaking to see street after street of homes despoiled by the waters of June 7 and to see the brave but weary faces of family and friends struggling to find the energy and the courage to press on. I arrived late Thursday, the day after we learned that President Bush would extend personal assistance to families in Bartholomew County. The cop who lives next door and a boyhood friend joined me for an unscheduled look around town. We were met by the tough and cheerful mayor of my
hometown, Fred Armstrong. He is a Vietnam veteran, whose nonpartisan neighborly leadership has made him a local institution. But I suspect it was his time in combat that steeled him for these days, and the entire community has benefited from his calm and professionalism. Riding with the mayor, we headed into the neighborhoods. It was worse than you could imagine. House upon house, street upon street, family upon family had every worldly possession caked with mud and piled in a heap in the front yard. We stopped and approached one family after another and heard the same terrifying story.
Under water
Within 15 minutes of water bubbling up from the sewers or appearing in the streets, basements were completely filled to the ceiling and homes were ruined with up to 3 feet of water on the main floor. Columbus saw three lives lost in the torrent, but all agree it would have been much worse had the floodwater risen in the middle of the night. There was simply no time. We made our way to the home of a 19-year veteran police officer whose large backyard was now filled with small piles of cherished possessions, lovingly placed there by the entire Columbus East football team. As I stood speaking to a weary half dozen volunteers, I looked down at a mud-covered glass case filled with badges and mementos from years of brave service to this community.
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of my boyhood. The red bricks and black shutters of this small home, the cornfield in the backyard, the woods by Haw Creek, the dead end and dirt-clod fights are all lost in the ether of youth but always with me. As we pulled into the neighborhood, it was worse than I imagined. Every single home on the way back to 31st Street was ruined. Like Candlelight Village trailer park and elsewhere, it seemed like the storm reserved its worst for good people just starting the American Dream. Turning onto 31st Street, I strained to see my old house and was relieved to see those old red bricks and black shutters still standing tall. I bounded from the car and introduced myself to the kind but weary owner of my old home. She and her mother had been wearing themselves out carrying despoiled possessions from the house, but she seemed remarkably unbowed. Smiling she asked, “You want to go in?” We moved away from Everroad Park West when I was about 12 in 1972, and I had never been back. Walking into the house was like walking into a dream and a nightmare. The walls and the picture window of the living room were the same. But for the collapsing furniture and mud stains, I was home. And my heart was breaking. I walked into the kitchen where my mother watched us out the back window while she made dinner. I saw that view of the cornfield. I walked into my parents’
are dealing with. The pictures and the financial loss don’t explain the hardship that families are facing after the Great Flood of 2008. When the debris is cleared and the federal assistance is disbursed, the heartbreak will still remain. Losing the place of memories is second only to losing those with whom you made them. Over the next five days I was in Indiana, my experience at 2744 31st St. would be repeated again and again. Homes ruined, possessions destroyed but families standing tall, surrounded by neighbors sharing the work and looking to the future. Heroes all. Here in this small Indiana city, as the Old Book says, the rain came down, the floodwaters rose, the wind blew and beat against these houses, but they did not fall because 2744 31st St., like all of Columbus, like all of Indiana, is built on a foundation of faith and compassion and generosity that no storm can ever defeat. I will continue to work to help these families recover. I urge you to do likewise. Find a way to come alongside with either resources or time because there are long days of recovery ahead for many Indiana cities and towns. And remember to pray that the Lord “be close to the brokenhearted.” If we will all do our part, if we will continue to give and work and pray, I know that all the 2744s will again be the place where memories abide and the place where hope is born; they will again be home.
G7 What they're saying about Mike Pence: submitted photos
"Mike has been a great friend and mentor to the Indiana members who were new to Congress. He was available and ready to answer questions, give advice and help us navigate the legislative process. I'm excited for his new opportunity and hope to help his office with federal issues as needed."
FAR LEFT: Mike Pence and his mother, Nancy, with Rep. J.C. Watts, R-Okla., at a Washington reception. MIDDLE: Pence, right, with Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., foreground, and Gov. Frank O’Bannon, center, during a plant tour. RIGHT: Pence with former House colleagues, from left, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
—U.S. Rep. Todd Young, R-Ind.
House colleagues have fond memories of Columbus native By kirk johannesen johannesen@therepublic.com
Butch Cassidy is riding off to the Statehouse to become Indiana’s next governor. That’s how U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., views Mike Pence’s election and inauguration after Pence served Indiana’s 6th District — including his hometown Columbus — for 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. Pence and Flake go back a ways, to the 1990s when they both worked at political think tanks. They first met at
a conference, but it was when they were elected to Congress at the same time, in 2000, that their dynamic duo partnership formed. They clicked because they shared conservative views and philosophies about politics, supporting a federalist approach of smaller government. Their families also became acquainted, and Flake said he learned of Pence’s “great” sense of humor and that Pence is “as smart as a whip.”
During their first six years in the House, Flake said, they fought against their own party — often unsuccessfully — to rein in spending and government’s reach. Flake recalled the first State of the Union Address they attended, when President George W. Bush spoke of the education reform he supported — called No Child Left Behind — that he and Pence opposed. Per tradition, members of Congress
stood and applauded. “Mike Pence said, ‘Just because I’m a clappin’ for it doesn’t mean I’m a votin’ for it,’” Flake said. Many nights Flake and Pence would stay late during sessions of Congress because they knew that votes often were taken around midnight. Sometimes someone would alert them about a vote on a bill they opposed. “We’d have to run to the House floor to object. You’d see the looks of the
leadership staff because they knew we were there to object. Someone compared us to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” Flake said. “I would say that because Mike is smarter; he’s Butch.” Flake was so heartened that he and Pence won their elections in November — Flake won a first term in the U.S. Senate — that he sent a congratulatory message to his sidekick. “I sent him an email after the election and said we survived Bolivia,” Flake said. Bolivia is where Butch and Sundance met their demise. Flake believes Pence will thrive in Indiana as its governor. Pence believes that Washington doesn’t have all the solutions for the states, and real innovation and the best policy decisions are made at the state level, Flake said. “I think it fits well his leadership goals, to have your own political initiatives and working through the job,” Flake said.
FOLLOWING HIS FOOTSTEPS
The way U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, sees Pence’s new role, when the day comes that he no longer is governor, it will
mean that Hensarling will become the next governor of Indiana. That’s because Hensarling has a history of following in Pence’s footsteps. Hensarling was elected to Congress two years after Pence was. When Pence stepped down as chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, Hensarling became the chairman. When Pence stepped down as chairman of the House Republican Conference — the thirdranking GOP position in the House — Hensarling moved into that role. “So I guess I am Robin to his Batman,” he joked. Hensarling doesn’t consider this history negatively. He said he’s always looked up to Pence. “When I first came into Congress, I looked for principled, conservative leaders who knew how to make a difference,” he said. Pence was one of three people who caught his attention. He often checked to see how Pence voted to compare how he viewed an issue. Hensarling said he likes Pence because Pence values courage and freedom and “dreaming big dreams.” Hensarling said Pence inspires people because
his visions are born in the heartland of America, he understands working families and he “appeals to the better angels of our nature.” “He’s the kind of person you want to be your next-door neighbor,” Hensarling said.
A MAN OF VALUES
Former U.S. Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., knows Pence well. Burton was one of the founders of the Republican Study Committee, which Pence later chaired and which has become the largest Republican organization in Congress. He nominated Pence for chairman of the committee. “I think Mike’s values are really apparent, and he’s a very strong Christian and a family person. His wife and children mean a lot to him,” Burton said. Pence has matured well and has become one of the brightest people in Congress, he said. Pence is an “outstanding” conservative and expresses himself well, he added. Burton believes Pence’s values will benefit Hoosiers when he is governor. “He’s very committed to the principles that made this country great,” Burton said.
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G8 photo by joe harpring
State Rep. Eric Koch, left, greets Gov.-elect Mike Pence at the Statehouse.
The road to the
governor’s office submitted photos
LEFT: Mike Pence at his First Communion at St. Columba Catholic Church. BELOW: Mike and his future wife, Karen, with Mike Reardon in 1984. Reardon died a few weeks later from complications of muscular dystrophy.
By harry mccawley
harry@therepublic.com
Mike and Mark Reardon lived short and difficult lives. Shortly after their births, the brothers were diagnosed with muscular dystrophy — a progressive neuromuscular disease that attacks the respiratory system. Throughout their childhoods both were confined to wheelchairs. The disease restricted their physical movements. They needed help even getting dressed. They had support, especially from their parents, John and Ellen Reardon, and their siblings, Tom and Shawn. There was also another network, one put together by Maynard Noll, an auto dealer and longtime volunteer with the Easter Seals Society. In an effort to ease the stress on the Reardon family, Noll recruited several high school students who volunteered their time on a rotating basis. Each day, one or two of the students would go to the Reardon home and help get Mark and Mike ready for the day. One of them was a young man who will be inaugurated as governor of Indiana Monday — Mike Pence. "Actually, Mike inherited that role," said his older brother, Ed, who works at Cummins Inc. "Our older brother, Greg, was the first to get
involved, and when he graduated from high school, Mike took his place." The Reardon brothers died before they could reach adulthood — Mark in 1980 at the age of 15. Mike lived to graduate from Columbus North High School with his classmates in 1984. Less than two weeks later he died at the age of 18. Mike Pence remained close to the Reardon family for years after the brothers died. He served as a pallbearer at their funerals. He delivered the eulogy at services for Ellen. His involvement in helping the Reardon brothers was recounted by his mother, Nancy Pence Fritsch, during an interview, but it was presented almost as an afterthought. She talked about it from the perspective that such a service would have been expected in the Pence family. Mike Pence was born June 7, 1959. He was the first of the Pence children to be born in Bartholomew County. His parents, Ed and Nancy Cawley Pence, had moved to Columbus only a few months earlier from Indianapolis. Both parents came from humble origins in Chicago. Nancy's father
came to the United States from Ireland through Ellis Island. He was a bus driver in Chicago. Ed's father worked in the Chicago stockyards. The family's first home in Columbus was in Everroad Park West. "I guess you could describe it as modest at the time, although we never thought in those terms," said the governor-elect's brother, Ed. "It was just our home." The senior Ed had worked with Pure Oil Co. in Chicago and later with Marathon. In Columbus, much of his career was with Kiel Bros. Oil Co. Mike is the third of four brothers. Greg and Ed preceded him, and Tom followed. Much later, two sisters — Annie and Mary Therese — would be added. "In a way it was like our parents had two families," Ed said in describing the age differences in the two sets of siblings. "We had an unwritten rule to defer to your older brother, but it wasn't always followed." The "older" Pence family was active. Sometimes the brothers could be rambunctious. One who observed that behavior close up was Jeff Brown, a close friend of Mike. "I grew up in a family of girls," he said. "It'd be like going into
prise," said Nancy. "He was always talking. What surprised me was how well he could talk in front of large crowds." The Pence family got its first inkling of what was to come when Mike was in the fifth grade and entered an oratorical contest. "I believe it was sponsored by the Optimist Club, and Mike was competing against kids in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades," his mother said. "When it came his turn, his voice just boomed out over the audience. He just blew everybody away. I had a hard time associating the boy up there speaking with our son." Mike won that first contest, but it was only the beginning. He followed a number of other pursuits in school. He wrestled at Columbus North, but public speaking was his first love. One of those who noticed his ability was Debbie Shoultz, speech coach at Columbus North. "I first encountered Mike in his sophomore year. At that time I was the assistant coach but moved up to the position of coach the next year," she said. "It wasn't just that it came naturally to him. He worked hard at it. He once told me that he was sort of a goof-off in junior high, but by the time he came to North he had developed a sincerity that showed in his speaking." It also showed in his record. In 1977 he took first place in the American Legion's Indiana Oratorical Contest. Three months later he placed
“He was always talking. what surprised me was how well he could talk in front of large crowds.” —nancy pence Fritsch, mike pence’s mother
another world when I'd visit Mike and see the brothers interact." The Pence brothers attended St. Columba Catholic School from the first through the eighth grades. It was at the diocesan school where Mike developed the trait that would serve him well in adulthood. He gave speeches. "It shouldn't have come as a sur-
third in the National Forensic League speech tournament in Seattle. The showing in Seattle was more remarkable because of a virus that infected several of the competitors. "Mike was on the verge of collapsing after every round," Shoultz said at the time. There was another quality shown by her student that became apparent Continued on G9
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G9 Continued from G8
to Shoultz — leadership. "I think he became interested in politics in high school. He had come across a book on the Constitution. He read that book over and over, and it obviously had an influence on his life." Ironically, the book — "Growth and Development of the American Constitution" — was written by a former Columbus resident, Loren W. Noblitt, the son of a legendary teacher, Loren S. Noblitt, and nephew of Q.G. Noblitt, co-founder of Arvin Industries. Shoultz also noted in Mike's senior year another aspect of her student. "Even when he was a senior, he talked to his classmates about one day being president." Upon graduation from Columbus North in 1977 Mike was considering a career in broadcast journalism. He approached Columbus newscaster Sam Simmermaker for advice on choosing the
best college to begin pursuit of that career. "I remember that we talked about Indiana University because it was well-known for its journalism department," Simmermaker recalled. "However, I also suggested that he look at some other colleges in the state, specifically Ball State and Hanover." Mike enrolled at Hanover College, where he not only pursued his interest in speaking but also underwent a spiritual transformation. "Mike became deeply religious during that time," his mother remembered. "At one point he was seriously considering entering the priesthood." The notion of becoming a Catholic priest passed, but the commitment to Christianity would only deepen in future years. After obtaining a degree from Hanover, he entered law school and received his degree from Indiana Uni-
photos by joe harpring
Mike Pence speaks during a campaign stop at Lee’s Ready Mix and Trucking in North Vernon. BELOW: Supporters react to his arrival.
versity in 1986. A year later he made a decision that surprised even his family. He decided to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The decision not only surprised but angered some members of the family, particularly his father, Ed. At the time Mike was just beginning married life, having married Karen in 1985, and he would be competing against a veteran legislator in Rep. Phil Sharp, D-Ind. "Ed was really upset about the decision," Nancy said. "At first he was dead set against it, and he really grilled Mike about why he would want to do such a thing." The senior Pence even recruited help in making his case. "It was over Christmas, and I got this call asking me to come over and help talk Mike out of his decision," the younger Ed recalled. "We (father and son) both thought it was Don Quixoteish and didn't think he had a prayer." Apparently the would-be candidate was able to marshal his oratorical skills and change the minds of his father and brother. "In the end Dad came around," Ed recalled. "In fact he became a big supporter and was really helpful in coaching Mike on raising money for the campaign. He took Mike throughout the district and introduced him to all the acquaintances he had made in his business career. It was invaluable." The younger Ed believes it was his father's philosophy that helped change his mind. "One thing Dad always preached to us was that we had to climb our own mountain." The elder Pence didn't limit his help to fundraising. In April 1988, less than a month before the primary election, he arrived at his namesake's home with a trunkload of campaign signs for Mike. "He told me to get out in the district and put out those yard signs," his son recalled. "He was really excited about how things were going for Mike." Ed never got to see his third son win his first election. On April 13, 1988, in the midst of a round of golf at Harrison Lake Country Club, he collapsed on the course. He was pronounced dead at Bartholomew County Hospital. It was a poignant turn of events for the family. Ed remembered his own reaction several days after his father's funeral. "I came back to the house one day and saw those yard signs my father
had left me," he recalled. "I recruited my brother Greg, and we put every one of them out." Less than a month later Mike, in his first foray into politics, won the Republican Party's nomination for the U.S. House seat in Indiana's 2nd District. He still faced a herculean task in ousting the veteran Sharp. In the end he failed in that quest but only by the narrowest of margins. He returned to the campaign trail two years later, intent on finishing what he had started over the Christmas holiday of 1987. The results this second time were very different. The Columbus native was trounced by Sharp after a bitter and divisive campaign, one for which he later apologized. At that time, Mike appeared to have closed the door on a potential political career. Instead he became a radio talk show host, returning to a vocation he had pursued earlier. He developed a three-hour show that allowed him to express his viewpoints, especially on conservatism and Christianity. The show proved to be a hit, and though its host was an unabashed conservative, even dedicated liberals felt comfortable talking with the Columbus native on the air. One Democrat who appeared was Gov. Evan Bayh. "I remember that Mike had told him before they went on the air that he was going to be asking a lot of tough questions and probably put him on the spot," Ed said. "I'm sure that Bayh was expecting some pretty tough questions about political philosophy." The questions were, indeed, tough for Bayh to answer, but they had nothing to do with political philosophy. The governor, an expectant father, was asked by Mike, already the father of three children, to define such paternal terms as "binky" (pacifier) and "woobie" (blanket). Bayh failed the test, but the exchange served to humanize Mike in the eyes of his guest and his audience. That ability to speak to an audience served the Columbus native well. Prior to the 2000 election he was given the opportunity to once again run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was successful, launching a career that would eventually catapult him into the national spotlight and to the position he will assume Monday. That, as they say, is the rest of the story.
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