2014 Times-Mail Everyday Heroes

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EVERYDAY HEROES | TIMES-MAIL | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | D3

Inside This Section...

James Babcock........................................................................4 Tomi Carroll..............................................................................5 Eric Easton................................................................................7 Charles Edwards.....................................................................8

EDITORS NOTE:

Jackson Freed..........................................................................9

The Times-Mail Everyday Heroes project started with

April Haskett..........................................................................10 Jerry Lambrecht....................................................................12 Ray Lindsey............................................................................13 Penny May..............................................................................14

readers and residents of the community. We asked for nominations of people who selflessly offer time and talent to serve others and make our communities better places.

We received nominations for 42 people from friends and neighbors, relatives and co-workers.

Each one of those nominees was worthy. It was difficult to pick those who are featured in this Everyday Heroes book.

But with the help of a committee and the nominating letters, we picked 18 — 16 individuals and one couple — to

Dr. Jim and Rowena Mount.................................................15

write about. Times-Mail staff writers wrote the articles.

Photographer Garet Cobb took most of the photos you

Ted Parker...............................................................................16

see in this publication.

Everyday Heroes, at least in this community, are not

Jan Quillen.............................................................................. 17

the kinds of folks who seek the spotlight.

But it is important that their stories be told and their

Becky Ryan.............................................................................18

accomplishments recognized. We believe the stories of

Dale Short . ............................................................................19

“everyday” people. We hope the stories move others to

Troy Simpson........................................................................20 Jeff Smith................................................................................22 Dr. George Sorrells................................................................23

these “everyday” folks can be an inspiration to other become involved in making the community a better place for all of us.

That’s our first hope for this project — that the stories inspire us all to help each other more.

Our second hope is to make Everyday Heroes an annual tradition that spreads the word about the good work being done for and in the places we call home.

D4 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | TIMES-MAIL | EVERYDAY HEROES

James Babcock

Former principal sees himself as ‘the benefactor’

BY ROGER MOON roger@tmnews.com

Contributions that James A. Babcock has made to his community already have drawn recognition, proving that the former Paoli educator and administrator has had an impact on countless lives.

In 2013, the gymnasium floor at Paoli High School, where he was principal for 23 years, was named in his honor.

In 2009, Babcock was recognized by the Orange County Community Foundation as its Male Philanthropist of the Year.

And, when the word went out inviting Times-Mail readers to nominate individuals they regarded as Everyday Heroes, Babcock’s role in the community and in helping to shape young lives again came to the forefront.

But, as Babcock looks back at his career in education, he notes a sense of reciprocity wherein he gave of himself to the students, but they gave him something in exchange.

“I have been the benefactor of that, being around kids in junior high and high school,” Babcock said from his home in Paoli. “It kept me young.”

Babcock graduated from PHS and returned there — to what’s commonly referred to as the old high school — and began his teaching career. He taught only three years, however, before moving to roles as guidance counselor and assistant principal and then becoming PHS principal in the fall of 1974. He retired in 1997.

“It has been a labor of love for me to have been affiliated with one school all these years,” he said.

Even after his students wrapped up their time in high school, Babcock has continued to maintain an interest in them, following their lives as much as possible. “I’m always asking parents and grandparents about kids,” Babcock said. And, many times when the parents of former students have died, Babcock has made a point of going to funeral home visitations to express his condolences.

Earlier honors: In 2013, the gymnasium floor at Paoli High School was named in Babcock’s honor. In 2009, Babcock was recognized by the Orange County Community Foundation as its Male Philanthropist of the Year.

At Paoli High School: Babcock graduated from Paoli High School and spent his career there, first as a teacher and later as an administrator, serving 23 years as principal.

Community affiliations: Has served on the board of directors for Paoli’s hospital, is an elder with the Prospect Church of Christ and is on the Orange County Public Defenders board.

The connections with former students began forming on his first day as a teacher at Paoli, when students with the Class of 1964 were beginning their senior year.

“I formed an association with that group that has been a lifelong friendship ... and they always make a point that I am included,” Babcock said.

That reality was demonstrated earlier this month when Babcock was on the invitation list to attend a class pitch-in at the old one-room Lynd School, which some of the classmates had attended before going to Paoli High School. Babcock made it a point to be part of the gathering.

“I guess it started with them,” Babcock said. “I’ve told them more than once that I was probably the luckiest guy alive to have them all as students my first year. I didn’t see them as a group of kids that graduated and moved on. I kind of moved on with them.”

Babcock has served on the board of directors for Paoli’s hospital, is an elder with the Prospect Church of Christ and is on the Orange County Public Defenders board.

Babcock’s nomination as an Everyday Hero came from Rebecca Haley, a former Paoli student who later taught at the high school.

She said of Babcock, “He has been a gift to our community.”

Babcock and his wife, Dorothy, have two sons, Jon and Tim, and a daughter, Amy Haworth.

Tomi Carroll

EVERYDAY HEROES | TIMES-MAIL | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | D5

‘I really like working with the kids’

BY SARA KUHL skuhl@tmnews.com

Tomi Carroll has dedicated her entire life to helping and raising children.

“It was a celebration when my last kid was out of diapers,” said Carroll, a mother of seven.

Her youngest child is 6 years old, and the oldest turned 19 on Oct. 10. For 17 years, Carroll and her husband Mike had at least one child in diapers.

Each of her children is home-schooled, and Carroll helps teach neighborhood children as well. In addition, she teaches biology at Bedford North Lawrence High School and is the head of a 4-H group.

“I get to do everything I always wanted to do,” Carroll said. “That’s what I love about it.”

She said her day includes creativity, teaching, cleaning, cooking and a lot more.

“I’m just teary-eyed when other people’s kids do really cool things,” Carroll said. “I get excited for them.”

Carroll said she’s just around to help the children do what they want to do and supports them as they attain their goals.

“I just try to set it up to help the kids,” Carroll said. “I taught myself how to cross-stitch because one person wanted to cross-stitch a project for 4-H.” She’s been involved with 4-H since she was 9 years old. Carroll was a nine-year member of 4-H in Lawrence County.

At one point, she realized one 4-H member’s poster project had a problem, and she and the member had to completely take it apart and put it back together right before the show. Carroll offered her kitchen as a place to redo the poster.

She explained she helps with 4-H because it just goes with homeschooling. The program helps build careers, gives scholarships, pro-

Tomi and Mike Carroll’s children: Emily, 19, is in her first year at Ivy Tech, is directing the Little Theatre of Bedford’s Christmas play and doesn’t know what career path to pursue.

Jacob, 17, is a junior in high school, participates in Boy Scouts and is good at math.

Michael, 15, is a freshman in high school and possesses strong leadership qualities.

Thomas, 13, is really outgoing and friendly. He enjoys LEGO Robotics and is active with cross country.

Jonathan, 10, likes science experiments and making things, especially things that fizz or change color.

Christopher, 8, is very creative, builds with LEGOs and tells stories. “He has an imagination that just keeps going,” Tomi Carroll said.

Erin, 6, is in kindergarten and enjoys playing baseball with her dad.

“All my kids are readers. They’re all creative. It manifests in different ways, and it’s interesting to watch develop. All my kids are really good with food and know their way around a kitchen,” Tomi Carroll said. vides opportunities for things such as traveling and much, much more.

“I do a lot of stuff with their activities,” Carroll said. “I really like working with the kids.”

Her nominator, Jeaneen Sons, is the mother of one of the children in Carroll’s 4-H group.

“I’ve watched as children’s eyes light up with amazement at what they have accomplished through her leadership,” Sons wrote in the nomination letter. “To me, this is a hero. A person who sacrifices her time, money and life for our community so it will excel through our children.”

“It’s just really neat to see a kid, to see their eyes light up, when they meet some kind of goal,” Carroll said. “That’s where my passion is. I try really hard to help them out.”

D6 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | TIMES-MAIL | EVERYDAY HEROES

Celebrating bright spots in our community

Congratulations TO THE 2014 EVERYDAY HEROES!

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On behalf of The Times-Mail and the Everyday Heroes sponsors, thank you for your contributions! You help make our communities great.

James Babcock

April Haskett

Jan Quillen

Tomi Carroll

Jerry Lambrecht

Becky Ryan

Brady Davis

Ray Lindsey

Dale Short

Eric Easton

Penny May

Troy Simpson

Charles Edwards

Jim and Rowena Mount

Jeff Smith

Jackson Freed

Ted Parker

George Sorrells

Eric Easton

EVERYDAY HEROES | TIMES-MAIL | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | D7

Handyman ‘rides to the rescue’

BY BOB BRIDGE bob@tmnews.com Eric Easton is a humble guy, swift to deflect praise with a casual shrug of the shoulders.

But Donna Hopewell knows a tender-hearted handyman when she sees one.

“Eric is always willing to drop things to come to your rescue,” she said. “Whether it is something for a neighbor, someone from church, or someone broken down on the side of the road, Eric is always making himself available for someone else.”

When Hopewell’s son, Alan, died in 2008, Easton showed an increased interest in her needs.

“I had a hard time keeping up with repairs to my home,” she explained. “Eric started coming by to help. He organized a crew of students to help rake my yard. He also showed up to shovel the snow in my driveway without me asking. He has helped countless times when I have needed him.

“That alone is enough for me to nominate Eric as an Everyday Hero, but I’m not the only one blessed by his big heart. There are many people he checks on regularly, just to see if he can lend a hand.

He volunteers with the youth at church, drives the church bus, and is always the first to volunteer to clean up, build up, tear up or fix up whatever needs worked on.”

Easton’s full-time job is with Stone City Ironworks. A graduate of Shawswick Junior High and Bedford North Lawrence High School, Easton has two children, Tina and Stephen. Eric and his wife Susan enjoy biking, zip-lining and traveling in their spare time, which is limited since Eric is constantly caring for others.

“I grew up on a farm and my dad was always helping people,” he explained. “My brother Richard stopped to help whenever he saw someone stranded along the roadside.

“I’ve been a mechanic so I know how to fix things. And, it feels good when you help others.”

Easton especially enjoyed a trip to Haiti to install a water system

Attends Mount Pleasant Christian Church.

Member of first graduating class at Bedford North Lawrence High School Works at Stone City Ironworks.

Enjoys the outdoors.

for an appreciative group of villagers.

“It was a privilege,” he said. “We laid a 2.5 mile water line. The people were so happy, so thankful. Many of them had tears in their eyes. We made their lives a lot easier.”

A member of Mount Pleasant Christian Church, Easton plows the church lot in the winter and is swift to assist those unable to help themselves.

“He is so selfless,” Hopewell emphasized. “He puts others before himself. It’s the first thing you think of when Eric’s name is mentioned.

He has a full-time, physically demanding job, but he always makes extra time to help folks like me.

“If I hadn’t had my own son, I would have wanted someone just like Eric.”

D8 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | TIMES-MAIL | EVERYDAY HEROES

Charles Edwards

Devoting energy to moving community forward

BY ROGER MOON roger@tmnews.com When Bedford’s Charles Edwards retired from his job in 2004, he could have tossed his planning calendar out the window.

But, he didn’t. And it’s a good thing, given the many organizations he’s involved with in Lawrence County.

“There aren’t many days that go by when I’m not committed to something with respect to one of these organizations,” said Edwards, whose affiliations include the Lawrence County Concert Association, Older Americans Services Corp., Hoosier Hills PACT board, Lawrence County Domestic Violence Services, the LARC board, St. Vincent de Paul Foundation board, the Bedford Parade Committee and the Bedford Rotary Club.

Edwards served as director of special education for the South Central Area Special Education Cooperative.

“Before I was retired, I spent the majority of my time in the three counties and six school corporations I represented as director,” Edwards said. “You’re looking at 12- to 14-hour days. It was very time consuming.”

Edwards grew up in the Carolinas. His parents later moved to Indianapolis and he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University. He completed post-graduate work in special education and administration at Butler University.

Reflecting on his time spent in community organizations, Edwards said, “The thing that really opened it up for me was that I was asked to serve a term with the Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce (now the Bedford Chamber). I served a three-year term.” He added that the chamber involvement gave him “insight into the community I

Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University Retired: As director of special education for the South Central Area Special Education Cooperative Family: His wife, Maria; a son, Corey.

didn’t have before.”

Seven years ago, Edwards was asked to assist with the local concert association.

“I suddenly found myself as president (a position he still holds),” Edwards said. “The concert association was going down. It was very close to being disbanded.”

Under Edwards’ leadership, the group picked up steam and, this year, will begin its 20th season of bringing traveling entertainment acts to the community.

In helping the concert association gain momentum, Edwards was staying true to a philosophy he embraces. He said, “My focus has been to serve on boards locally. … I still have the energy and the capacity to be a part of the community in a way I believe I can help move it forward.”

His contributions haven’t gone unnoticed. Edwards was nominated as an Everyday Hero by Dan Terrell, who wrote, “Charles works tirelessly to make Lawrence County a better place to live. … He works very hard to help ensure that Bedford and Lawrence County retain quality entertainment in the performing arts. … He has earned the respect of many in the entertainment world in the Midwest.”

Edwards is married to Maria Edwards and has a son, Corey Edwards, of Westfield.

Jackson Freed

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‘Caring nature’ motivates boy to help others

BY SARA KUHL skuhl@tmnews.com Eileen Gowin became teary-eyed when describing the acts that moved her to nominate 10-year-old Jackson Freed of Orleans as an Everyday Hero.

“That caring nature he has is above his years,” Gowin said. “Jackson and I have become true friends.”

Gowin, a high school teacher, tutors Jackson. She also started a program called Meals on Mondays in May. The goal of the program is to deliver meals to people who might not be able to cook for themselves.

“Some were sick,” Gowin said. “Some people were older.”

“Some had babies,” said Dawn Freed, Jackson’s mom. “Some just came home from surgery.”

When the project was in its initial stages, the first night Gowin was going to deliver food, Jackson happened to be in her Orleans home for tutoring.

“He asked me what I was doing,” Gowin said. “I told him, ‘As a Christian, you need to help people.’ He said, ‘Can I help you?’ He asked to do it every week.”

“I like helping people,” Jackson said. “The program helps people.”

After they were done delivering the first night, Jackson looked at Gowin and said, “You know what I think? I think I feel really good now.”

And so they continued.

Not only did Jackson start helping in May when the program was started, he stuck with it throughout all of summer until school started.

He made sure his mother did not make any plans for Mondays so that he could participate in Meals on Mondays.

He declined to go to Holiday World one Monday, and told his mom

Birthday: July 23, 2004 Activities: Cub Scouts, Youth and Christ, camping, reading, basketball Favorite subject: Reading Book: “Because of Winn-Dixie” “It’s about certain characters facing their fears,” Jackson said.

he didn’t want to go swimming on another Monday because he was going to deliver food. Jackson also already committed the summer of 2015 to Meals on Mondays.

“I’ll be helping more people,” Jackson said.

For the 10-year-old boy, it’s common sense to help others.

“It makes him happy,” Dawn Freed said.

His mother said Jackson has always had a caring nature. Before working with Gowin and Meals on Mondays, Jackson did things such as replacing flags on veterans’ graves throughout Lawrence County.

Jackson has been involved in Boy Scouts for four years. His troop also retires flags sometimes.

Even when helping Gowin with the program in Orleans, Jackson would do things for Gowin, too.

“He knows I’ve had serious injuries,” Gowin said. “He knows I have trouble going up and down stairs.”

So on days when it rains a lot, for example, Jackson will load the van with the food by himself. If he can’t carry everything in one trip, he tells Gowin to stay where she is, and he’ll come back to get the rest.

D10 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | TIMES-MAIL | EVERYDAY HEROES

April Haskett

Nurse finds purpose in serving others

BY CAROL JOHNSON cjohnson@tmnews.com

Mark Twain said the two most important days in a person’s life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.

April Haskett discovered her purpose early on in life and has never departed from it. Her purpose, her mission, is to serve others and to do so in a caring, compassionate way.

Saluting our everyday heroes and all they do to make our community strong

Gary Pruett, Mayor of Mitchell

www.mitchell-in.gov

HT-6 6240 0643 3

Job: RN at IU Health Paoli Hospital and Columbus Regional Hospital Hometown: Bedford Family: Married to Bryce; four children: Luke, Olivia, Grace, Eva. “I just try really hard to do what God puts before me,” she said. “And I thank God he’s given me a husband who understands that about me.”

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April and her husband Bryce are parents to four children: Luke, 19; Olivia, 17; Grace, 15; and Eva, 12. That would be enough to keep most people busy and fulfilled, but April makes time to serve others through her church and work as a registered nurse.

April has been to Haiti as a medical missionary four times and is planning a fifth trip in March. She is involved with a women’s ministry at the Rockville Correctional Facility and she teaches a Sunday school class for disabled adults at Mount Pleasant Christian Church.

“I went to Africa in 2007 and that started my love for missions,” she said. “I just feel like God uses me for whatever I can do.”

The conditions in the Haiti villages she has visited are poor, with substandard housing and very little food and water.

“But the people there are so appreciative. It’s just amazing to go there and give what little gifts I have,” she said. “They end up blessing me so much more in return. Going to Haiti … it fine-tunes my whole perspective about life in America. It’s hard to come back and see how much we take for granted.”

April is also involved with the Kairos Prison Ministry for women at Rockville. Volunteers visit the women inmates twice a month for “prayer and share.” Volunteers also lead the women in a spiritual journey similar to the Walk to Emmaus, which works to build leaders in churches and make the walk with God closer.

“It’s amazing to see women who have truly hit rock bottom and have changed, to see how God works through that ministry is amazing,” she

said. “Some women will say they’ve never had anyone pray for them.”

April’s two oldest children have accompanied her on mission trips to Haiti. In March, all four children and Bryce will travel to Haiti.

“It has been a dream of mine that my whole family would share in this with me,” she said. “I’ve seen how my oldest two kids have been affected. It’s good for the soul to serve others; it’s a very humbling experience. My two youngest are scared to death and likely so. I’ve told them we have to be mindful when we are there, but they are very excited.”

April was nominated for Everyday Heroes by her sister Amanda Stiles, who said April was her hero when her husband passed away in June at the age of 33.

“She didn’t leave my side as I faced the most difficult time in my life,” wrote Stiles, a mother of three. “She was strong when she could’ve been weak. She was there for me when I needed to cry, laugh, or just sit quietly.

“I am confident that God used my sister to get me through this, I am th so unbelievably M O R T UA R Y, I N C thankful for that!”

1889-2014

Honoring the Past, Upholding the Present, Embracing the Future 1133 L inc ol n Ave • B ed fo rd (812) 275-3389 • w ww.d ay ca rt er.c om

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Congratulates Congratulations to the Everyday Heroes!

Thank you for all you do for our community.

the Everyday Heroes who offer their time to serve others in the community. ivytech.edu/bedford HT-6235337 HT-6235337

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D12 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | TIMES-MAIL | EVERYDAY HEROES

Jerry Lambrecht

Fair volunteer’s passion for county fair contagious

By BOB BRIDGE bob@tmnews.com Jerry Lambrecht’s name has become synonymous with the Lawrence County 4-H Fair.

“Jerry is the face of Lawrence County 4-H,” insisted Allison Roodschild. “He has been a member, a club leader, a fair board member, a parent and a grandparent of 4-H’ers, as well as a buyer at the auction for years.

“He has provided guidance, instruction, support and confidence to many 4-H members. The day we face the Lawrence County Fair without Jerry Lambrecht will be a sad, sad day.”

Indeed.

Lambrecht’s contributions to enhancing the quality of the fair are immeasurable. A proud graduate of Shawswick High School, Lambrecht earned a degree in animal science at Purdue University.

He and his wife Brenda, who passed away in June, have four sons — Jeffrey, Jason, Jeremy and Jan — plus seven grandchildren.

Jerry served as a trusted board member for Bedford Regional Medical Center and Ivy Tech of Bloomington. He reigned as president of the Indiana Guernsey Board and served two terms as president of the local county fair board.

“I’ve always been involved with the county fair,” he said. “We

Jerry Lambrecht has been employed State Farm Insurance since 1986 and has shown cattle at Indiana State Fair for 49 years. He attends Pinhook Church of Christ, where he has served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher.

would play basketball in the winter, and the rest of the year it was all about the fair.”

Lambrecht, who supervised the cattle barn at the Indiana State Fair for a decade, credits his family for engendering his fondness for farming and cows.

“My Mom and Dad were involved in the fair,” he explained. “When I was a kid we went to two places — the fair and church. We all loved the fair. It was such a great outlet for me and our children. All of my kids and family are 10-year fair members.

“I have developed this inner love for the county fair, and I want to share it.”

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Ray Lindsey

EVERYDAY HEROES | TIMES-MAIL | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | D13

Selfless act saves life of friend

BY CAROL JOHNSON cjohnson@tmnews.com

Of the many lessons Ray Lindsey learned from his parents, one stood out.

“If you can help someone out, do it,” he recalled them saying. “You may not always be able to donate money, but you can do something.”

Those words were all Lindsey needed to hear when he found out his good friend Bob Evans needed a kidney, but no family members were eligible to donate. Following extensive testing, Lindsey of Oolitic, was determined to be a match. In July the two men, friends for many years, underwent successful transplant surgery in Indianapolis.

Lindsey’s selfless act didn’t just help his friend. It saved his life.

In his letter nominating Lindsey as an Everyday Hero, Evans, 66, of Needmore, wrote that he had lost hope that a kidney would be found for him. He became depressed and in November 2013 when he was told his kidneys were failing, he refused to go on dialysis.

“I had no hope,” he wrote. “I was two weeks from my life ending.”

Months earlier, Lindsey, 50, had told Evans’ wife that he wanted to be a living donor, but the family kept the information from Evans until they knew for certain Lindsey was approved to donate a kidney. Even though Lindsey was a match, doctors told him he had to quit smoking and lose weight before the surgery could take place. A longtime smoker, Lindsey didn’t want to get his friend’s hopes up in case he wasn’t able to donate.

Evans’ family realized they couldn’t keep the secret any longer and told him that Lindsey would provide a donor kidney.

“Once I knew what Ray was doing for me, it restored my hope and I started on dialysis,” wrote Evans. “He knew time was running out.

My life consisted of daily dialysis four times a day, seven days a week.”

Three months post surgery and the two are almost fully recovered from the surgery. Lindsey returned to his job at Lowe’s in Bedford in September. Evans is back working in his Bedford body shop, Limestone Capital Automotive.

“I still get a little tired, but it’s getting better,” Lindsey said.

Hometown: Born in Arkansas, grew up in Paoli.

Personal: Married to Debbie. “We met when I was working as a bartender. She would stop in to get something to eat on her way home from work.”

Favorite food: “Pizza, burgers, most everything the doctor says is bad for you.”

Hobbies: Camping, serving in the Bedford Noon Lions Club

Many in the community learned of Lindsey’s organ donation. Fourteen letters of nomination to Everyday Heroes were submitted for him.

Lindsey said he has been surprised by the reaction of others.

“A lot of people say, ‘I don’t know that I could do that,’ I don’t know what to say to them,” he said. “I didn’t do this to say, ‘Hey, look at me.’

Bob was a friend and he needed my help.”

Lindsey wants his experience to encourage people to consider becoming organ donors.

He recalled going with Evans for a pre-transplant appointment with his doctor. They were seated in the waiting room and he glanced around at the other patients.

“You could tell they were waiting on a donor; you could see the despair on their faces,” he said. “And there was Bob sitting next to me and he knows he’s going to have a new kidney from me in a few months.

My friend Bob could’ve been in their situation.”

The two remain close friends, checking on each other with a daily phone call to see how each is feeling.

If anything has changed, said Lindsey, it’s that the two feel more like brothers than friends.

Lindsey said the best part of the transplant surgery has been seeing Evans restored to his old self.

“Bob has never been one to sit around and he’s always been chipper,” he said. “To see him sitting around before was awful. Now when I go see him at the shop, sometimes he’s tired, but I can tell he’s happy.”

D14 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | TIMES-MAIL | EVERYDAY HEROES

Penny May

‘Helping others was the way of life’

BY KRYSTAL SHETLER kshetler@tmnews.com When tragedy struck, Penny May threw herself into the Little Theatre of Bedford as a way of overcoming the grief she felt when she lost her young husband, making her a widow at the age of 27.

“I got involved in theater to recover from that,” May said.

But the seed of community involvement was planted long before May took the stage.

“I was born in Jackson County,” she said. “My folks lived in Clear Spring. That’s where my world started out.”

Her grandmother owned a grocery store in the tiny community.

As a child, she would play in the store, watching her grandmother offer store credit to those who came in and lacked the money to pay for their goods.

“She always listened to them,” she said. “She kept a cheese box, filled with tickets of what people owed. It was always full; it never emptied. ... She had a good heart. She died when I was 10, but she sure made an impression on me. Helping others was the way of life.

“From those early days, when things were going on, I always liked being involved in things that helped people.”

Theater was a tough reach for a shy young lady, but May finally came out from back stage to take a line in “Annie Get Your Gun,” and the experience hooked her for life. Through her love of LTB, she met her current husband, Jack, and the couple went on to have two children.

“God had all these plans for me I never dreamed of,” May said.

When May first joined the LTB, children were not allowed to participate. Although she understood the rule, she worked hard to change the policy. Today, children are often cast in LTB plays and a summer drama camp helps prep them for stage time.

“A lot of children never leave the county; they just don’t,” May said. “We have all these wonderful places, such as WonderLab and the Children’s Museum, but so many children don’t get to go. I’ve

Most of Penny May’s involvement has centered around children and the Little Theatre of Bedford, but she also has a love for history she enjoys sharing with children.

In addition to acting and directing at LTB, she also conducts an annual drama camp for young aspiring actors and actresses. She writes the play for the camp, prepares all the food and organizes the week-long summer camp.

She’s been involved in the Limestone Girls Club, as an assistant and coach.

May also worked for the USO during the Vietnam War. She started out as a volunteer, then was hired to do programming for the soldiers serving overseas.

Today, she works for the Lawrence County Museum of History, where she oversees the World of Discovery children’s program each week, and she takes history into the local schools on Fridays in an effort to teach students about Lawrence County history.

At her church, Community Baptist Fellowship, she does the children’s sermon each Sunday and operates the Wednesday night children’s programs. She has a passion for vacation Bible school, another summer project, and she prepares all the funeral dinners for the church. “One of my hobbies is cooking,” she said.

She also works as a first-grade aide at Parkview Primary. always been proud to share in the whole host of wonderful things available to kids in Bedford.”

Today, she spends most of her time in the theater directing plays.

She recently closed on her 15th play as a director.

“I like directing more than anything,” May said. “I always said I’d quit once I got to 15 plays, but I’m not ready to quit yet so I might do one or two more. ... It’s a lot of fun for us. We have more fun doing this than anything, and I can tell you we’re going to have a lot of stories to tell when we’re confined to our rockers.”

EVERYDAY HEROES | TIMES-MAIL | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | D15

Dr. Jim and Rowena

Mount

Mounts are driving force behind Bedford Hiking Club

BY JEFF ROUTH jeff@tmnews.com Whenever the Bedford Hiking Club has an event, Dr. Jim and Rowena Mount are most likely there.

Jim and Rowena met while Jim was in his residency in Indianapolis and she was an elementary school teacher there. They married and moved to Bedford a short while later and they have made Bedford their home about 50 years, although neither are natives to Bedford or Lawrence County.

Her interest in hiking goes back to when she was a young girl, growing up on a farm in northern Indiana.

“I loved being outdoors and being active,” she said. “After I moved to Bedford, I met Kay Emery and had her son Steven in my thirdgrade class at Parkview. She began hiking and volksmarching in the 1980s and I followed here in the 1990s.”

It was a little later before Jim became involved in the hiking club.

“I became a member of the Bedford Hiking Club in 1995,” he said.

“I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors along with camping and hiking.

Rowena encouraged me to join. She was already a member, walking and traveling with her friend Kay. They were going places that I wanted to go.”

“Rowena and Jim are the heart and soul of the Bedford Hiking Club,” said Teena Ligman in her nomination of the Mounts. “They organize the weekly walks, motivating different people to step up and lead the walks and think of interesting places to take the group.

They’ve developed a devoted group who attend not only for exercise but for the social aspects of walking with old friends and seeing interesting places.”

In addition, the Mounts help organize volkswalks in the area. The hiking club sponsors year-round walks in Bedford and at Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell. This year the club also had a volkswalk in Orleans. They have done these walks in many surrounding communities.

A native of Greene County, graduate of Bloomfield High School and the U.S. Naval Academy, Indiana University and the IU School of Medicine, Jim Mount interned at St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville, enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a medical officer, and did his resident training at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and Harlem Hospital in New York City. He began his practice in Bedford in 1968. He is a 45-year member of the First United Methodist Church, holding various offices in the church.

He served on the board of the Lawrence County Community Foundation and plays in the Residue band.

A native of Bluffton, graduate of Ball State and Indiana University, Rowena Mount taught in California and Indianapolis before moving to Bedford. She is a 45-year member of the First United Methodist Church; Sunday School teacher for 25 years.

They are the parents of two children, Carrie and Carter. Carrie and her husband Steve have two children Max, 10, and Sutton, 8. Carter lives in Arizona with his wife, Jennifer, and three children, Hannah, 17, Maisy, 14 and Parker, 12.

Volkswalks are 10K hikes that originated in Germany.

The couple has assisted the Lawrence County Cancer Patient Services organization by opening their home and garden to the Christmas Tour of Homes and the Garden Tour.

Jim serves on the board of the Lawrence County Historical and Genealogical Society and was on the planning committee for the Milwaukee Trail. For many years he has been associated with the Boys Scouts in Lawrence County and was a board member of the Limestone Girls Club.

“I grew up having parents who were active in their community, church and various organizations where they lived,” she said. “I have found it a natural thing to be involved in my community also.”

She is a member of Psi Iota XI and Ladies of the Round Table and has held offices in both groups.

The Mounts have done volkswalks in all 50 states and several countries around the world.

D16 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | TIMES-MAIL | EVERYDAY HEROES

Ted Parker

From youth softball to StoneBridge

BY KRYSTAL SHETLER kshetler@tmnews.com If you build it, they will come.

A voice didn’t exactly whisper those words to Ted Parker as he was walking through a cornfield in Iowa, but brick dust diamonds became synonymous with the Parker name for four solid decades in Mitchell.

Parker met his bride, Gail, while he was serving in the military.

When he got out of the Army, the couple and their three children weren’t quite sure where they’d end up: Ted’s home state of California or Gail’s hometown of Mitchell?

“It wasn’t until we hit Birmingham, Ala., after leaving Fort Benning, Ga., that we decided to take 231 north to Indiana,” Parker said.

That was 1964, and the family only intended to stay in Mitchell for a couple of years, then it was off to California.

Rob Parker was a young lad when his father became involved with the town’s Little League program. Circumstances changed, and the family never left Mitchell. While Rob was young, Ted coached the boys’ teams. When his daughters, Jill Morse and Jamie Philpott, were ready to play softball, he began a 30-year softball engagement that didn’t end until 2008.

“In 1978, I decided the girls needed a better league than they had, so I took it over,” Ted Parker said. “We started the first season with eight teams.”

The next year, construction on the junior high took out the field the girls were using, so with the blessing of Mitchell Community Schools, Ted Parker built a new field in front of the junior high, where it remains today.

“The girls league kept getting bigger and bigger,” Ted Parker said.

“I still have pictures of every team that played in the league from 1978 to 2008. Thirty years of team pictures.

“I had very, very good support from our local merchants during those 30 years.”

Gail died in 2006, and two years later, he retired from both the recreational league and his job as the Mitchell High School fastpitch coach. He met his current wife, Nicki, who worked as a nurse

In 1965, Ted Parker began volunteering in Lawrence County by serving as an umpire and coach in the Mitchell Little League with Gabby Granecki and Chub Day. During the next 10 years, he would coach for Ted’s Dari Dream, Ted’s Drive-In and Migro Hybrids.

He organized the Mitchell Girls Softball League in 1978 and operated it for the next 30 years, retiring in 2008.

Throughout the years, he has organized adult softball leagues and softball tournaments for the girls, including the Firecracker Classic, which was held annually during the Fourth of July holiday.

He and his wife, Gail, were the 1996 Volunteers of the Year as presented by the Greater Mitchell Chamber of Commerce.

Since retiring from the softball world, Parker has continued to volunteer at StoneBridge Health Campus in Bedford. He organizes games and activities for the residents, often using his own funds to purchases prizes and help make life easier for the residents.

Shortly after he started volunteering at StoneBridge, he purchased a 50-gallon fish tank for the residents and allowed them to pick the types of fish they wanted to see in the tank. He still does all the maintenance for the tank, which he describes as a therapeutic pastime for the residents.

“It keeps me going,” Parker said of his work at StoneBridge. “I really enjoy it. It’s probably something I’ll never quit doing.” at StoneBridge Health Campus in Bedford, and she convinced Ted to help with activities that would benefit the residents.

Since that time, he has created and assisted with various activities, including a nickel pitch game every Tuesday that allows the resident who comes closest to the target to keep the nickels thrown and a Final Four basketball tournament that separates residents into teams that compete in games altered for their abilities each February.

“He has been actively involved in the campus activities and events,” said Morse, who nominated her father for the Everyday Heroes award.

“He has created activities for residents that keep them active, involved and has made a significant difference in so many lives. ... Besides his creative ways to bring happiness and joy in activities to the residents, he also visits their rooms to chat, repair wheelchairs, run cable lines in their rooms for their own television sets, has planted tomato gardens and any other odd jobs that could help residents enjoy daily life.

“Volunteers are an integral part of any community. Without the generosity of volunteers, it would be impossible for many communities to provide the variety and quality of programs that they do. The bright spots in our communities are endless. (Volunteers) do many a difference, and they are numerous.”

Jan Quillen

EVERYDAY HEROES | TIMES-MAIL | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | D17

Creating craft projects for kids

BY MIKE LEWIS mlewis@tmnews.com A decade ago, Jan Quillen read an article in the Times-Mail about the monthly story times for children at Lighthouse Christian Bookstore. At the time, she was a single mom with two young girls in school and a full-time job at a local health care facility.

Brenda Harrison of the bookstore told Quillen that, in addition to stories and refreshments, the bookstore offered small craft projects for children. Quillen volunteered to provide a craft project for children to do each month.

She’s been at it ever since.

“I’ve probably been doing it 10 or 12 years now,” Quillen said. “We do anything. We’ve done mobiles, plaster handprints, Christmas ornaments. ... We’ve done Easter eggs.

“It’s a variety of things.”

The craft projects are intended for children from about age 2 to about age 13. The ideas come from a range of sources.

When her daughters — Jennifer and Joni — were younger, they often accompanied their mother to the craft sessions.

“I have always loved seeing her and her girls together,” Harrison wrote in a letter nominating Quillen for Everyday Heroes. “They are so close and really enjoy each other.”

The girls have grown, but Harrison still relies on Quillen.

“A few years back we cut back on doing a monthly event and now hold one approximately every two months. Without Jan’s help, I don’t know if we would have been able to do as many children events as we have done through the years. You never know exactly how many children to expect — some events would draw up to 40 to 60. Having dependable help like Jan has been such as blessing to us.”

Quillen also has pitched in for other causes, including a local food ministry. She was not a member of the church, but volunteered her time to help provide low-cost food to people in the community.

“One of the blessings of having this store ministry is getting to know people like Jan who give from the heart without expecting or

Jan Quillen’s life isn’t relegated to religious work.

Until recently, she worked with the St. Vincent Medical Group as a supervisor.

Her family life also has been busy with her husband, Raymond Quillen, and two children, Jennifer Fields and Joni Summers.

And then there’s the Quillens’ alpaca farm.

“That keeps us busy also,” she said.

wanting anything in return,” Harrison wrote. “Jan has such a giving heart. ... I know that I am probably just one of many that Jan has helped throughout the years. She’s just that kind of person who wants to help others, not to seek honor or recognition, but just to make a difference in the lives of others.”

For her part, Quillen said she has no plans to stop making a difference through the craft work with children.

“I’ll keep doing it as long as Brenda wants me there,” Quillen said.

“I just really enjoy the children and the relationship with the children, the adults and the other volunteers at the bookstore.”

D18 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | TIMES-MAIL | EVERYDAY HEROES

Becky Ryan

Relishing role as spiritual leader

BY BOB BRIDGE bob@tmnews.com Sister Rebekah “Becky” Ryan began preaching alongside her husband, the Rev. Jack Ryan. Not everyone welcomed her into their circle of worship.

“Back then women preachers weren’t very common and weren’t very well accepted,” Ryan said. “People, especially men, were very verbal against it. Many times I was left out, overlooked, or just simply asked not to minister.”

But Becky Ryan is a woman of formidable will and faith.

“I felt the calling of my life,” she explained, “and never let anything discourage me from that. It helped that my husband was very encouraging and very supportive of my ministry.”

The Ryans moved from Owensburg to Bedford and started Charity Chapel, which grew to include a food pantry and shelters.

“It was Jack’s desire to have a church established for me before he passed on,” Becky said.

The couple also founded Ryan Ministry Training Center Inc., a Bible school/ministry established to train and encourage current and future ministers.

She has continued to actively serve those in need throughout the community. Becky’s Place, the local shelter for women and children, is named in her honor.

Sister Becky Ryan reaches out to those in need of food, shelter and spiritual guidance.

“Sister Becky is my everyday hero,” said Samantha Ingle. “She does selfless acts of helping young women at the food shelter and by helping them learn to take care of themselves.

“She is not only a hero to the community, but to me and my family.

When we felt there was no one to listen, she was there.”

Ryan’s goal is to remain available to those coping with personal challenges — spiritual or otherwise.

“I’m still reaching out to those in need, just on a much smaller scale,” she explained. “When you’re called to preach, that’s all you want to do.

I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Times-Mail celebrates... www.tmnews.com

Dale Short

EVERYDAY HEROES | TIMES-MAIL | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | D19

‘Always thinks of others’

BY SARA KUHL skuhl@tmnews.com

Dale Short doesn’t think of himself as a hero; he just does what he feels every person should do.

“To me, I don’t do anything special,” Short said. “I’m just an average man.”

Short takes care of his family, and he helps anyone who needs help.

If there’s a person on the side of the road with the hood of a vehicle up, Short can be counted on to pull over and assist.

“I’ve always said, and my father always said, if everyone would help one another when they need help, wouldn’t this world be a better place,” Short said. “And it would be, wouldn’t it?”

Short, a welder and certified boiler maker, became a volunteer firefighter for the Pleasant Run Township Volunteer Fire Department eight months ago. His goal is to become part of a search and rescue team, and he wants to become part of the Alaska Coast Guard.

“I’ve always taken everything 110 percent serious,” Short said.

“He wants to go where no one else wants to go,” said Melissa Short, Dale’s wife of 21 years.

Short’s never cared about money, and just enjoys seeing sunrises and spending his nights at home with Melissa and their 14-year-old son, Sheldon.

Short helps people whenever he sees someone who needs help.

He’s taught a handful of people in his Heltonville community how to weld and fix cars, for example. He once drove a stranded woman to Martinsville after her car broke down. He never told her who he was or where he lived, but at Christmas, he received a card from that Martinsville woman.

“It’s things like that Christmas card showing up that make it worth it,” Short said. “I’ve given up my last dollar for someone to eat before.”

Short works at RSI on heavy diesel equipment. He used to work on boilers across the nation and spent a lot of time on the road.

But in 2008, Dale and Melissa Short lost their daughter, Braylee.

Sheldon asked his father to spend more time at home, so Short stopped his traveling job, and now he’s home every night.

Dale Short’s actions and decisions are strongly influenced by the late Stuben Lee Thomas.

Thomas, his stepfather, raised Short since he was 6 months old.

Thomas was in the Marines and the Navy.

He inspired Short to make Eagle Scout, specializing in wilderness and first aid. Short’s favorite part is emergency trauma.

“You don’t have time to think, you just do,” Short said. Short had planned to go into military after high school, but his father had a stroke, which changed Short’s plans.

In high school, he was taking care of his father who passed away 14 years ago. He had Alzheimer’s disease. His mom, who died in 2005, had dementia.

“I’ve always had older parents,” Short said.

Their son, Sheldon, is named after Thomas.

If he’s working on someone’s car, he’ll talk to the person, learn about that person’s life. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to charge them.

“If it’s a single mom of three, and she needs money to just feed her kids, and she depends on that car for transportation, why charge someone in that kind of situation?” Short said. “We’ve been there before.”

In nominating Dale Short, Melissa Short wrote, “He is a big part of our community helping with anything and everything he can. He is always donating his time to teach kids life skills. He teaches young men that want to become welders how to weld or fix cars; he is a great teacher and role model for the younger generation. ...

“He also volunteers his time when others are in need of help, and he will drop what he is doing and try his best to help someone out, even if we are the ones that are needing help ourselves. He will give his last dollar to someone so they can eat, and he will go hungry. He is selfless and always thinks of others before himself, and that is why he is a true hero to me and our family.

“I’m proud of him,” Melissa Short said. “I want everyone to see what I see when I look at him.”

D20 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | TIMES-MAIL | EVERYDAY HEROES

Troy Simpson

‘You just try to leave your mark’

BY MIKE LEWIS mlewis@tmnews.com Troy Simpson cleans houses and businesses. He also builds relationships.

That’s how he became a regular visitor at some local nursing homes, visiting people who were once his customers. That’s why he tidies up yards in his neighborhood. And it’s why he has taken older people on trips to grocery stores or treated them to dinners.

He’s driven one person to a medical facility for eye surgery. Another thought of him first when she fell at her home — he stopped what he was doing and went back to help her.

Once, when a snake was spotted near a residential pool where children were playing, Simpson was called on to take care of it.

“You just try to leave your mark, make the world a better place,” Simpson said. “I was kind of raised that way. You pick your spot and do the best you can.”

That might imply he has a lot of free time to donate to various causes. He doesn’t. He runs a business, Troy Simpson Cleaning, serving nearly 30 residential customers and a handful of businesses.

“I do my houses in the daytime,” he said, “and I do the businesses at night.”

Working for people means getting to know them. And, sometimes, it means building friendships that last beyond those working years.

Some of his former clients are now in nursing homes. Simpson visits some of them.

One former customer has become a routine dinner partner. She’s a nursing home resident now, and, with the family’s permission, Simpson takes her out to eat from time to time.

He’s become a regular at a McDonald’s restaurant — not because of the food, but because of the relationships.

It started when an older McDonald’s customer, noticing that Simpson was sporting a shirt bearing a competing restaurant’s logo,

Running a business keeps Troy Simpson busy, but he’s still an avid race car fan.

He puts NASCAR’s Kyle Busch as his favorite driver, behind local racer John Gill and his father, the late Kenny Simpson.

Kenny Simpson was the winningest driver in the Midwest in 1984. Among other honors, he’s a member of the Hall of Fame at Brownstown Speedway.

criticized that eatery. Simpson explained he didn’t work at the restaurant, he just had the shirt.

One thing led to another, and Simpson found himself a member of clutch of seniors who regularly meet at that McDonald’s for food and conversation.

“Since I’m 25 or 30 years younger than everyone that’s eating there, I’m kind of the chairman,” Simpson said with a laugh.

His mother, Phyllis Herr, lives near Simpson in Bedford. She said Simpson helps her and his stepfather, Bob, with shoveling snow, mowing the grass and other tasks.

But it goes beyond family.

“He cleans tree clippings, etc., from neighbors’ lawns and stops and helps anyone who is working on lawns. Some of that is ... cutting up large limbs with his chain saw. He likes to keep the whole neighborhood looking nice,” Phyllis Herr wrote in a letter nominating Simpson.

“Sometimes it’s a compulsion, but he continues to mow and pick up trash all around his neighborhood and some of what is beyond.”

EVERYDAY HEROES | TIMES-MAIL | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | D21

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D22 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | TIMES-MAIL | EVERYDAY HEROES

Jeff Smith

Shining light in somber setting

BY BOB BRIDGE bob@tmnews.com Of all the everyday heroes toiling tirelessly in our quaint community, perhaps none works in a more behind-the-scenes setting than Pastor Jeff Smith of Springville.

“I am an inmate at the Lawrence County jail,” explained Jason Morran, who nominated Smith as an Everyday Hero. “My hero is Pastor Jeff Smith. He comes to the jail every Wednesday and tells us the word of the Lord.”

Morran met Smith in 2010.

“Jeff has made such an impact on my life,” Morran wrote. “He has done nothing but help my future, and I will never forget it. He was there when no one else in the world would listen to me.”

Morran credits Smith for steering him from darkness to light.

“Jeff shows love like a person that lives for God,” he said. “You feel it. He only speaks the truth. He doesn’t water anything down.”

Morran conceded he has stumbled on occasion, but swears he’ll never be problematic again.

“I am human,” he said. “Changing someone like myself took an act of God. I thank God every night I was able to find a hero in the darkest of all places. My hero is Jeff. He is appreciated and loved more than he knows. He taught me an act of kindness can change the world.”

A former drug abuser, Smith is both sensitive yet unmistakably tough. He exudes determination, refusing to give up on troubled men and women many perceive as irretrievable.

“A lady asked me when I would give up on a prisoner,” Smith explained. “I told her only when I’m standing over a casket.

“I’ve seen men and women convert after 30 or 40 years of lawlessness. I’m going to be kind to them and love them until they overcome their addictions. Most of the inmates in this jail are here because of drugs and alcohol. It’s a sickness.”

And, he is aware of just one sure-fire remedy.

Pastor Jeff Smith offers spiritual direction and comfort to inmates at the Lawrence County Security Center. A former drug abuser, Smith is both sensitive yet unmistakably tough. He exudes determination, refusing to give up on troubled men and women many perceive as irretrievable.

“I’m fully supportive of rehabilitation programs, but what happens when the program ends?” he asked. “Christ offers you support for the rest of your life.”

Smith concedes he arose from rough and humble beginnings.

“I’ve been there,” Smith whispered. “I know what they’re dealing with.”

Jeff and his wife Karen, who led him to Christ, attend Tunnel Hill Church near the Crane gate, and he is employed by a nearby school system. He claims there is nothing courageous about his mission at the jail.

“I’m no hero,” he said, shaking his head side to side. “I am simply a humble servant of God.”

Dr. George Sorrells Physician has served

EVERYDAY HEROES | TIMES-MAIL | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | D23

the Lawrence County area for 49 years

BY JEFF ROUTH jeff@tmnews.com To many, he’s Dr. George. To others, it’s just Doc, but George W. Sorrells II has made an impact on this community. He has been practicing pediatric medicine in Bedford for 49 years and has served three and sometimes four generations of the same family.

He was born on a farm in rural Orange County to two teachers, George W. and Evelyn Sorrells. He went to school first at Orangeville, then Huron and graduated from French Lick High School. Then it was off to Indiana University. He did his internship at Hurley Hospital in Flint, Mich., and then his residency at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

“Then I came straight here, in July of 1965,” he said. “I also brought along a wife and two kids. I came into a wonderful practice with Dick Hawkins at BRMC. “I’ve always tried to stress the Four A’s in my practice: Availability, Affability, Affordability and a little bit of Ability. The first three are truly the most important.”

Although he has slowed down over the years, retirement is not in sight at the present.

“Age has the ability to slow you down,” he said. “But I have no immediate plans to retire. I enjoy working, I enjoy taking care of the kids.”

Many of those kids that he saw when he began his practice 49 years ago have brought their children and grandchildren back to Dr. George.

“He even gives out his home phone number,” said Bev Luse in her nomination of Dr. Sorrells. “He comes in early and stays late. He even met me on Christmas morning at the office once to help my little girl.

It’s amazing how he remembers all of the children’s names.”

He believes in keeping his mind sharp and reads medical journals and articles on a daily basis to keep up with what is going on in pediatrics.

Wife: Barbara Sorrells Four children: Rhonda, George W. III, Ann and Trish and 10 grandchildren.

Member: First Christian Church of Bedford, currently serving as trustee; Mitchell Masonic Lodge No. 222, serving as worshipful master.

He enjoys: Playing on the farm; taking care of his patients; his family and traveling.

“I’ve always been a believer that if I didn’t know what was wrong with a child, send them on up the system,” he said.

“I have been associated with many wonderful physicians, and the health care workers are the best,” he said. “I have had a bunch of people who put up with me.”

Although he is from just down the road and his wife grew up in Mitchell and graduated from Mitchell High School, he is grateful to the community.

“This county has been great to my wife and family and to me,” he said. “I feel it is I who owe the debt to this community, not them to me.”

He is proud of his local roots and has never stayed too far from them.

“One of my grandfathers never went to school a single day,” he said.

“He was taught to read by his granddaughter. The other grandfather was a dairy farmer all of his life.”

Helping others is fundamental to his beliefs. He has served on the board of the Lawrence County Community Foundation and the Mitchell Community School Scholarship Foundation.

“I believe the scholarships are the most important,” he said. “My wife and I have been able to provide scholarships in both the Bedford and Mitchell school systems and through the J.O. Ritchey Foundation at the IU School of Medicine.”

He said he likes to travel and his success in his field has allowed him to do that extensively, but he truly believes, there is no place like home.

“It is an honor to be thought of like this,” he said. “There are a lot of other people in this community who are more deserving.”

D24 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | TIMES-MAIL | EVERYDAY HEROES

We hoped the community would respond to the Times-Mail call for Everyday Hero nominations. We were thrilled to receive more than 40. All of them have inspiring stories to tell, and we wish we could have done feature stories on each of them.

To make sure all of them are honored, here are brief summaries of all the nominations, in alphabetical order.

Kelsi Allen

A sophomore at Anderson University, she has interned at Sonrise Camp, a camp for special needs children in Anderson, and spend part of her summer on a mission trip to a Native American reservation in Arizona.

James A. Babcock

A retired Paoli High School principal, his nominator considered him her guardian angel” because he had a way “of finding me on my worst days and making me feel better.”

Mike Branham

Chief deputy at the Lawrence County Police Department, he was praised because his “service to our community goes above and beyond the call of duty.”

Bob Bridge

Longtime sports editor and now a columnist and reporter for the Times-Mail, he was singled out for the help he has given to people and animals in Lawrence County.

Clarence Brown

Founder and still organizer of Bedford’s Martin Luther King Jr. March for Unity, he was cited because he is “always a positive influence on everyone.”

Robin Brown

A supporter of Prevent Child Abuse Orange County, she operated a day care and preschool for 20 years and worked for the Orange County Child Care Cooperative.

Amanda Bush

A Girl Scout leader, she was praised for devoting “not only her personal time but her personal money as well to make sure all the girls get to participate.”

Tonya Canada

A photographer and a volunteer at Spring Mill State Park, she offers free photo shoots for people with life-altering illnesses so families can have images of their loved ones, and she offers free photo shoots for charity events.

Tomi Carroll

A volunteer in the local 4-H program, she was praised for her work with children and adults.

Dr. Deborah Craton

A former member of the North Lawrence school board, she was nominated for her work with patients in Lawrence County.

Brady Davis

According to his wife, Virginia, their 2-year-old son fell into a swimming pool in 2010. “My husband did CPR and saved our son,” she wrote.

Jack and Ronda Dixon

Cited because they “tirelessly work to improve the lives of those around them,” they were praised for providing transportation for those in need and buying gifts for special needs teachers in the community.

Steve Dorsett

Principal at Burris Elementary School, his nominator called him “one of the kindest, most compassionate gentlemen I have ever had the privilege of knowing.”

Dr. Dan Dusleag

A former Lawrence County physician now practicing in Indianapolis, a nominator praised the physician because, “When we didn’t know what to do he was always there with full support in every hard decision we had to make.”

Eric Easton

An active volunteer at his church, he also was praised for unselfish service to help others with many everyday tasks, from shoveling snow to making auto repairs.

Charles Edwards

Now retired, he was nominated for his work with the Older American Services Corp., Hoosier Hills PACT, LARC and other agencies, including his leadership of the Lawrence County Concert Association.

Jackson Freed

The youngest nominee at age 10, he was praised for his steadfast work in volunteering for Meals on Mondays, which delivers home-cooked, catered meals to those who need them.

EVERYDAY HEROES | TIMES-MAIL | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | D25

Susan Gales

Described as the “champion of the Bedford Revitalization Inc. group,” Gales has been involved in organizing the Limestone Heritage Festival and the annual parades on July Fourth and during the Christmas season, among other activities.

Steve Gilbert

An officer with the rank of major on the Bedford Police Department, he was praised for his work with the DARE program, which helps steer young people clear of drug, tobacco and alcohol abuse.

Teri Hamilton

An employee of the North Lawrence Community Schools, she has been involved in many activities and events and, in the words of her nominator, has spent “many, many years there making a difference in a lot of children’s lives.”

April Haskett

A nurse, she helps lead the Friendship Class, a religiousbased class focused on serving people with disabilities. She also serves at a prison ministry for women and is preparing for her fifth medical mission trip to Haiti.

Kim Key

Nominated by her teenage son, she was praised for taking care of the family and helping “those who can’t afford it get on medical insurance.”

Jerry Lambrecht

Called “the face of Lawrence County 4-H,” Lambrecht was praised for his leadership in the 4-H program and the guidance, support and instruction he provides 4-H members and others involved in the annual Lawrence County 4-H Fair.

Morgan Lee

A Bedford police officer, he was described as an “excellent cop” who has urged many to attend drug rehabilitation sessions “and in return has heard testimony of those who did so because of the care he showed to them.”

Ray Lindsey

Taught to help people whenever given the opportunity, Lindsey put that lesson into practice this year when he donated a kidney to a friend, Bob Evans. “He literally gave me the gift of live,” Evans wrote.

Kris Mathews

A family services specialist with Hoosier Uplands Head Start, she was described as “an inspiration to many families and children in Lawrence County.”

Penny May

Known for her leadership in Little Theatre of Bedford, she also was cited as the “driving force” behind the Ladies of Love, a Christian fellowship group, and as a volunteer with the World of Discovery program at the Lawrence County Museum of History.

Dr. Jim and Rowena Mount

Now retired, the Mounts were nominated for their volunteer leadership in the Bedford Hiking Club, among other community endeavors.

Ted Parker

Retired from Crane, he was the longtime leader of the Mitchell youth baseball and softball programs and more recently has been an active volunteer at StoneBridge Health Campus.

Jan Quillen

A career woman and mother, she was cited for her decades-long service of providing craft programs for children at the Lighthouse Christian Bookstore.

Kate Ratliff

A former English teacher at Mitchell High School, she was praised because “she was there to listen to any student who just needed someone to talk to.”

Gail Reynolds

The owner of Skyhaven Entertainment, he was praised for staging events that benefit cancer patients and others in need.

Becky Ryan

Known for years as the operator of a shelter for women and children, she was described as “a woman of God” and “a giver (who) asks for nothing in return.”

Dale Short

A member of the Pleasant Run Township Volunteer Fire Department, he teaches skills such as welding to others and designed and built a special protective cage for equipment at his workplace.

Troy Simpson

The owner of Troy Simpson Cleaning, he was nominated because of the way he helps clients, friends and neighbors with everyday issues, from keeping people company to cleaning up area yards.

Jeff Smith

A pastor, he was cited for the impact he has had on jail inmates and other people in need. “He was there for me when no one in the world would listen to me,” his nominator wrote.

Dr. George Sorrells

The physician was praised for his dedication to the health of Lawrence County’s children. “He comes in early and stays late,” his nominator wrote. “He even met me on Christmas morning at his office once to help my little girl.”

Robert E. Terry

A mechanic, he was praised because of the way he helps those in need and for the role he played in the life of his grandson, who was born with a terminal condition and died before reaching the age of 6 months.

Kathy Thompson

Owner of a dance studio and possessor of what her nominator called a “happy and contagious” personality, she has been involved in many community events, from Little Theatre of Bedford productions to the recent Gallery Walks and the Lawrence County Concert Association performances.

Carol Voris

A longtime music teacher at Bedford Middle School, she taught piano and harp lessons and served as the choir director at the First United Methodist Church for 50 years.

Steve Warren

An employee of Bedford Ford, Warren was praised for his devotion and services to several local causes, from the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence County to the Lions Club, and from Distinguished Young Women to career exploration days at local schools.

D26 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | TIMES-MAIL | EVERYDAY HEROES

Area businesses celebrate the selfless efforts of residents who make this a great place to live!

Christie’s

When choosing a healthcare provider to care for you r needs at home, look no further than the award-winning staff at Hoosier Uplands Hospice & Home Health Care

Whether catering your event, dining in our restaurant or taking out… We promise incredible food, extraordinary service and a pleasant dining experience.

“The Choice of Hoosier Families for Generations!”

A Big Salute & Thank you to our Everyday Heroes for making the difference!

Serving: Crawford, Lawrence, Martin, Orange and Washington counties including portions of Clark, Dubois, Harrison, Jackson, and Scott counties.

Historic Courthouse Square • Salem, Indiana • 883-9757 www.C hristiesOnSalemSquare. com Mon: 10:30 am - 4:00 pm Tues-Sat: 10:30 am - 9pm Sun: 11:30 am - 2pm

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Come see why... Taste the Difference at Christie’s

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be because I said I would.

A promise made. A promise kept.

A promise made. A promise kept.

because i said i would.

Alex Sheen’s father died of small cell lung cancer on September 4th, 2012. His father was good with his promises, so Alex titled his father’s eulogy “because I said I would” and created the promise card in his memory. Eventually Alex would decide to resign from his corporate position in order to advance because I said I would’s mission.

Because I said I would is a social movement and nonprofit dedicated to bettering humanity through promises made and kept. To encourage positive change and acts of kindness, we send “promise cards” to anywhere in the world at no cost.

People use these cards to remember the importance of their word, for promises both big and small. It might just seem like a piece of paper, but promise cards have motivated people to stick with their commitments to better humanity. A heroin addict’s promise to stay in rehab. A young girl’s promise to stop cutting herself. Or a simple promise to volunteer at the local food bank. We have distributed over 1,275,000 promise cards to over 105 different countries!

To learn more, visit the website at www.becauseisaidiwould.com.

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Living Well Home Care Proud Sponsor of

Everyday Heroes With Many Thanks for all Everyday Heroes ...for uplifting others and bringing a positive impact in our community with your selfless efforts God bless and keep you

“Touching Lives One Home at a Time” Providing compassionate care in a loved one’s home, allowing them to remain at home.

Living Well Home Care provides care for anyone whether it is a couple hours a day, or several hours a day (or night), or just the weekends.

1490 W Main St. Mitchell IN 47446

812-849-6000 livingwellhomecare.org

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MEMBER OF