Vol. 38, No. 51
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
of Wabash County Inc. February 24, 2016
www.thepaperofwabash.com Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
Manchester in mourning University, community in shock after deaths of three students By Eric Christiansen echristiansen@nmpaper.com
NORTH MANCHESTER – Three Manchester University students were killed and a fourth seriously injured in a traffic accident early Sunday morning in Grant County. Seven MU students, six from Ethiopia and one from Nigeria, were on their way back to North Manchester after visiting friends at Ball State University and Taylor University on Feb.
21. The students were northbound on I-69 in Grant County when their vehicle got a flat tire. According to police reports, as they were changing the tire, the students were outside of the vehicle, three to the rear area of the vehicle, and four along the driver’s side. Another passenger van was northbound on I-69, south of the broken down vehicle. That vehicle, driven by Deangelo R. Evans, 26, of Chicago, left the roadway to the
west, into the median and struck four of the students. The speed of the vehicle at the time of impact could not be determined, but the posted speed limit is 70 mph. Three of the Manchester University students — Nerad Grace Mangai, Brook M. Dagnew, and Kirubel Alemayehu Hailu — died at the scene. A fourth, Israel Solomon Tamire, was flown to Lutheran (continued on page 13)
BROOK M. DAGNEW
Speedway historian to speak at Elks Lodge
(continued on page 14)
KIRUBEL ALEMAYEHU HAILU
Parkview Wabash to add OB services
By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com Donald Davidson, Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian, will speak on Tuesday, March 22, at the Wabash Elks Lodge, 225 W. Main St. Davidson, who is speaking at various sites around Indiana to help promote the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 29, will speak at 6 p.m. Part of the talk is expected to be about Wabash’s connection to the 500. The late Jimmy Daywalt is a Wabash native who competed in eight Indy 500 races and earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1953, the second person to receive the award. Art Cross received the honor in 1952. During the 1953 DONALD race, Daywalt started DAVIDSON in 21st place and finished in sixth. His best starting position was second during the 1954 race, but an accident on the 111th lap of the race relegated him to a 27th place finish. However, he did lead eight laps of the race. Another Wabash connection is that of Dick Miller, the late owner of Dick’s Men’s Wear, who for several years treated the winner of the Indianapolis 500 to $1,000 worth of clothing. Davidson’s visit was arranged with Mayor Scott Long and the Indianapolis
NERAD GRACE MANGAI
By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com Boy Scouts Carson Rody (left) and Austin McClellan demonstrate the proper technique to use when folding the American Flag. Photo by Joseph Slacian
Scouts gather for 76th Lincoln Pilgrimage By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com Scouts from as far away as Lafayette and points in between converged on Wabash on Sunday, Feb. 21, for the 76th annual Lincoln Pilgrimage. The event, which took place at the Honeywell Center’s Legacy Hall and in the facility’s skating rink, took on a new format this year. “For 75 years it kind of evolved into a rope-making and a museum-type thing,” according to Chris Mehaffey, Scout Executive for the Boy Scouts of America Sagamore Council. “We focused on Lincoln a little bit. “We wanted to focus on the citizenship part of what Scouting really teaches.” Six different stations around the Legacy Hall focused on different items. For example, Scout Master Mike
Hopkins had a display of Scouting memorabilia from throughout the years. Meanwhile, former Mayor Robert Vanlandingham discussed the workings of local government at another booth. A third booth taught about the American and Indiana flags, and included a lesson in how to properly fold the flag. A fourth booth featured Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt impersonators – Murray Cox and Gib Young, respectively – talking about the former presidents’ lives to the youngsters. Craig Burkholder, a Scout Master and U.S. Army veteran, and Rod Stouffer, a veteran of both the U.S. Army and U.S. Marines, manned a booth dedicated to local heroes. They spoke briefly about their experiences in the military, and noted how Scouting can help one prepare for life (continued on page 14)
Obstetric services are returning to Wabash County when the new Parkview Wabash Hospital opens in 2018. “We’ve made the decision to bring back OB services when we go into the new facility,” Parkview Wabash President Marilyn Custer-Mitchell told The Paper of Wabash County. “Right now we do not have OB services and won’t until early 2018 when we occupy the new facility.” The Wabash hospital has been without OB services since 2004 when the then hospital board opted to stop the services citing, among other things, rising insurance costs. Custer-Mitchell said bringing the service back has been perhaps the most asked question among local residents. “It’s probably the question I’m asked the most: Are you going to be bringing back OB?” she said. “It’s the question the board’s been asked the most. “We did a lot of work, and the plans we’re putting together for the new hospital include an OB department. We’re very excited about that. It will be a great thing for Wabash.” While the return of full service is still about two years away, local women have some pre-natal options to choose from now. Dr. Catherine Reese, who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology, and Shelly Boone, a nurse practitioner at Family Physicians, are both seeing pre-natal (continued on page 14)