of wabash county inc. www.thepaperofwabash.com April 30, 2014 Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977 Vol. 37, No. 8
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
Manchester’s Mariah Mobley receives 2014 Lilly Scholarship Business Selfless gesture results in big surprise for first alternate
LILLY SCHOLARSHIP WINNER Mariah Mobley was surprised by her parents, Keith and Julie Anna Mobley and program director of the Community Foundation of Wabash County, Julie Garber, when she found out she was receiving the Lilly Scholarship. (photo by Shaun Tilghman)
CELEBRATING THE SCHOLARSHIP: Mariah’s parents, Keith Mobley and Julie Anna Mobley, were in attendance, along with Manchester Community School Superintendent Dr. Bill Reichhart, Emily Eckelbarger, and Julie Graber, to present Mariah with the scholarship. (photo by Shaun Tilghman)
by Shaun Tilghman Earlier this month, Manchester Jr.-Sr. High School senior Mariah Mobley received a disheartening letter from the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship committee stating that she had not won the prestigious, full-tuition scholarship. However, for the first time in Wabash County, the winner of the scholarship, Northfield Jr.-Sr. High School senior Emily Eckelbarger, declined the award, allowing the first alternate, Mariah, to take the prize. Originally, Mariah took pride in at least being named a finalist, and joined in praising Eckelbarger, but she now has even more reason to be proud, as she becomes the 25th Wabash County Lilly Scholar. Not long after Eckelbarger received the Lilly Scholarship, she got an offer to join the Cox Research Program at Indiana University, which included full tuition, full room and board, a research stipend, and a travel stipend for four years, according to Julie Garber, program director for the Community Foundation of Wabash County. “Not only was it a better offer than the Lilly Scholarship, but she also knew that, by declining the Lilly Scholarship, she could make it possible for another Wabash County student to get a full-tuition scholarship for college,” Garber said. “So, she came to me on Monday (April 21) to decline the scholarship. I was momentarily disappointed that Emily had to decline, but the turn of events demonstrates what great education and talented students we have in Wabash County.” Even though the research program provided such a great opportunity, Eckelbarger was still reluctant to turn down the scholarship that had been conferred by her own community. In the end, she showed tremendous character by declining the Lilly Scholarship, but she admits it was a very difficult decision. “It was excruciating!” Eckelbarger stated while on (continued on page 27)
Lighthouse Mission hires new director and store manager
by Emily Armentrout emily@thepaperofwabash.com Recently, the Lighthouse Mission Wabash County Thrift Store announced they replaced former director Claire Coyne, after Coyne announced her retirement in late 2013. The Lighthouse Mission hired Pastor Tom Curry as the new director, and longtime Lighthouse employee, Mary Harris, as the store manager. Pastor Tom Curry recently returned to the United States after being a field missionary in India for the past five years. He was a pastor in Wabash County for 17 years and he also spent 10 years in Chicago as a pastor. Pastor Curry will be in charge of outreach programs at the Lighthouse like the food baskets and growing the ways the mission can assist those in Wabash County. “We purposely try to keep our prices very, very low. People who are in need know that this is a place to help them,” Curry told The Paper. After hearing about Coyne’s retirement, Curry and his wife knew they wanted to get back to this general (continued on page 5)
NEW MANAGEMENT AT LIGHTHOUSE MISSION: Mary Harris, the new store manager, and Pastor Tom Curry, the new mission director, have been working in their new positions for the last month. (photo by Emily Armentrout)
community recognizes students by Eric Stearley eric@thepaperofwabash.com On April 24, Wabash County’s top students gathered at the Honeywell Center for a special luncheon with the county’s business leaders. The Wabash County Chamber of Commerce, the North Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and Manchester University sponsored the event. The purpose of the event was “to honor top graduating seniors from the county high schools, and to have an opportunity to encourage local talent to return to their home for employment opportunities during the summers or after graduation from their college experience,” according the a press release from the chamber. The large number of honors students was matched by a heavy community presence. Many students were able to sit with business professionals working in their areas of interest, as well as fellow students with similar college and career goals. Serving as a sort of Master of Ceremonies for the luncheon, Manchester University Associate Vice President of Finance and Director of Operations Chris Garber welcomed those in attendance and introduced Wabash County Chamber of Commerce President Kim Pinkerton, who delivered the invocation. While sharing college plans and networking with local education and business representatives, students enjoyed a light lunch consisting of a ham sandwich, pickle, and potato chips, finished with a cookie. Businesspeople had the opportunity to talk with students about current and future opportunities in the Wabash County business landscape. Students also had an opportunity to share their plans for college and beyond with the group. As usual, these ranged from detailed undergraduate, post-graduate, and career plans to those students who had no idea what the were doing after graduation. Following lunch, those in attendance enjoyed a keynote speech from Crossroads Bank Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Emily Boardman. A Northfield High School graduate, Boardman (then Emily (continued on page 26)