Vol. 40, No. 7
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
of Wabash County Inc. May 3, 2017
www.thepaperofwabash.com Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
County hosts state conference
WRT to host public meeting
By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com Nearly 300 Hoosiers converged in Wabash Tuesday, April 25, for the annual Indiana Landmarks Statewide Preservation Conference. While the four-day-long event acted as an educational series on preserving historical sites around the state, it also spotlighted Wabash for its accomplishments in the practice, according to Marsh Davis, Indiana Landmarks President. While he said he could not speak on behalf of the conference’s planning committee, Davis told The Paper of Wabash County there are many reasons why, in his opinion, it was a great idea to use Wabash as the event’s backdrop this year. “It’s a historic city and it’s taken good care of many of its historic resources,” he said. “That’s one of the first things we look for when placing conferences, what kind of historic places exists and Wabash has many of them. Secondly, it has a great history and cultural history with of course starting with the canal and moving into the Honeywell era up through the present with Richard Ford and (continued on page 4)
Freshmen take look at job market By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com Wabash, Huntington, Miami and Grant counties’ high school freshmen assembled at the Honeywell Center and Wabash County Fair Grounds Friday, April 28, for the first Northeast Indiana Career Expo. The event served as an introduction to future career opportunities, according to Mark Hobbs, Heartland Career Center director. “We’re trying to expose students to careers in our area, in our region,” Hobbs told The Paper of Wabash County. “We’ve formed partnerships with several businesses and organizations in the area that helped us bring (the event) together.” Heartland Career Center (continued on page 5)
By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com
Bud Biery holds a photo of the USS Wabash sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge while heading out to sea during an auction Friday night at the Wabash County Historical Museum. The auction raised $1,700 which was donated to the museum. Photos by Joseph Slacian
USS Wabash crew gathers for reunion By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com The second largest reunion of the USS Wabash crew is now history. Twenty-one crew members and 19 spouses spent the weekend in Wabash, rehashing old stories, touring the county, raising funds for the Wabash County Historical Museum and dancing the night away at the Wabash Elks Lodge. The USS Wabash AOR-5 was a replenishment ship that was commissioned in November 1971 and decommissioned in September 1994. It was housed at the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, Calif., before being scrapped in Brownsville, Texas, in 2013. Among those at the reunion were six plank owners, or those who served on the ship when it was first commissioned. Reunion Chair Harold “Andy” Anderson was one of the plank owners present. “It was fabulous,” he said of the weekend. “I can’t reiterate the type of community you have, and how many improvements have been done in the city. But, it’s still just a pretty as the last time I was here.” He said he looks forward to his visits to Wabash. This is the second time the reunion was here, the first being six years ago in 2011. “The people are fabulous,” he said. “The community is great. We’re accepted here really well. I feel like I live here.” Reunion Secretary Bud Biery was in Wabash last fall to begin making arrangements for this year’s event. He, too, was pleased, with the weekend. “I think this weekend was near flawless,” he
USS Wabash crew member Phil Hawkins rings a bell during a memorial service Friday night for deceased crew members. Each time a crewman’s name was read, he rang the bell two times. Near the conclusion of the service, he rang it one more time for those who have passed but not recognized. For another story on the reunion, see Page 15. said. “Any of the glitches we might have had, no one really noticed. “There was ample time for the shipmates to get together in smaller groups and talk. It was the right time, for this particular group. As odd as it may sound, we may never have these 21 guys together again, ever. It’s just been great to have them together, and I’ve had an opportuni(continued on page 6)
Wabash River Trail Inc. will have a public information meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, May 8, at the Lagro Community Center. The meeting is one of two ordered by the Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority in order for the WRT to qualify for funding from the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s Road to One Million program. WRT officials requested $960,236 from the RDA. However, RDA officials, to make sure it
Can’t make the meeting? It will be available for viewing in its entirety on WebTV beginning Tuesday, May 9.
had enough funds to distribute to the various projects seeking help, cut 2 percent off all the last projects to be funded. The reduction gave the WRT $941,031.28 toward the $4.8 million section of trail between Lagro and Wabash. The WRT will only receive the funds if it meets various requirements established by the RDA, including having two public meetings in an effort to reach an agreement between WRT officials and those opposed to the trail. Working out issues that exist between the WRT and its opponent is not the duty of the RDA, board chair Bob Marshall said when the committee met in Wabash on April 11. Rather, it is up to both sides to meet and iron out the differences. “It might be a compromise,” Marshall said. “And if you know the definition of a compromise, it’s a decision that no one likes but you learn to live with it.” Concerns expressed to the RDA by opponents include the lack of a route and work being done without proper permits or permission from the Indiana (continued on page 6)