Jackson County REMC — May 2022 Indiana Connection

Congratulating our retirees.

Jackson County REMC’s

BOUNDLESS

Courage AMELIA E ARHART INSPIRED PURDUE COEDS TO RE ACH FOR THE STARS

pages 20-23

MAY 2022

from the editor

Breaking records

One of my most memorable collegiate memories was the day more than 2,500 of my fellow Ball State Cardinals and I gathered on the university’s quadrangle to jump in the air at the same time — all in an effort to make the Guinness Book of World Records and appear in a Toyota commercial.

I’m not sure if we broke the world record but it sure was fun trying!

I’ve been obsessed with world records since I was a kid. I especially love hearing about wacky feats achieved by ordinary people. Remember that Brady Bunch episode in which Bobby and Cindy try to break the teetor-tottering world record? That’s the kind of offthe-wall record that still fascinates me.

Since I’m also curious about Hoosiers who hold a place in THE record book, I did some online snooping. Here’s what I discovered: •

Garfield, the comic strip created by Muncie’s own Jim Davis, holds the Guinness world record for being the world’s most syndicated comic strip. It appears in some 2,100 newspapers and journals in 80 countries and is read by 200 million people.

•

The largest “Rock, Paper, Scissors” tournament — with 2,950 participants — was held at 2014’s Gen Con in Indianapolis.

•

Hard to believe but there’s a world record for most consecutive rope skips on a bed of nails over another person. And it’s held by Fremont couple Jon and Amy Bruney who set the record in 2013. Jon balanced the bed of nails on his stomach while Amy jumped up and down 117 times. Jon, who recently appeared in TBS’ Go Big Show, also set a world record by pulling a 31,000-pound-plus semi-truck for one mile in one hour, 36 minutes.

VOLUME 71 • NUMBER 11 ISSN 0745-4651 • USPS 262-340 Published monthly by Indiana Electric Cooperatives Indiana Connection is for and about members of Indiana’s locally-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives. It helps consumers use electricity safely and efficiently; understand energy issues; connect with their co-op; and celebrate life in Indiana. Over 304,000 residents and businesses receive the magazine as part of their electric co-op membership. Member’s cost per issue is approximately 32 cents, plus postage.

CONTACT US: 8888 Keystone Crossing, Suite 1600 Indianapolis, IN 46240-4606 317-487-2220 info@indianaconnection.org IndianaConnection.org INDIANA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES OFFICERS: Randy Kleaving President Steve McMichael Vice President Dr. Richard Leeper Secretary/Treasurer John Gasstrom CEO EDITORIAL STAFF: Emily Schilling Editor Richard George Biever Senior Editor

•

Last June, Lori Keeton, from Lizton, wakesurfed for eight straight hours on Raccoon Lake to claim a world record spot. She hopes to break her record by doubling her time this year.

Holly Huffman Communication Support Specialist

•

Interested in making the world’s largest ball of paint even larger? Schedule an appointment to visit the ball and its owners Mike and Glenda Carmichael of Alexandria (WorldsLargestBOP@yahoo.com). You’ll be able to add another layer of paint to the over 27,600 layers of paint that have been applied to an ordinary baseball since 1977 and be part of a world record. The ball already weighs over 2½ tons.

Mandy Barth Vice President of Communication

They say records are meant to be broken. If you long to make the record books, start by doing some research first at https://www. guinnessworldrecords.com/records/what-makes-a-guinnessworld-records-record-title/ That way, you’ll know exactly how to reach your goal.

EMILY SCHILLING

WORLD + RECORD... GET IT?

Editor eschilling@indianaec.org

On the menu: September issue: Recipes using honey, deadline July 1. October issue: Recipes using beer, deadline Aug. 1. If we publish your recipe on our food pages, we’ll send you a $10 gift card.

Giveaway: Enter to win four free general entry tickets to Logansport’s

Squeal on the Eel Festival at indianaconnection.org/talk-to-us/contests.

Three ways to contact us: To send us recipes, photos, event listings, letters

and entries for gift drawings, please use the forms on our website indianaconnection.org; email info@indianaconnection.org; or send to Indiana Connection, 8888 Keystone Crossing, Suite 1600, Indianapolis, IN 46240-4606.

Ellie Schuler Senior Digital and Layout Design Specialist Lauren Carman Communication Coordinator

ADVERTISING: American MainStreet Publications Cheryl Solomon, local ad representative; 512-441-5200; amp.coop Crosshair Media 502-216-8537; crosshairmedia.net Paid advertisements are not endorsements by any electric cooperative or this publication.

UNSOLICITED MATERIAL: Indiana Connection does not use unsolicited freelance manuscripts or photographs and assumes no responsibility for the safe‑keeping or return of unsolicited material.

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POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: Indiana Connection, 8888 Keystone Crossing, Suite 1600, Indianapolis, IN 46240-4606.

Include key number.

No portion of Indiana Connection may be reproduced without permission of the editor.

MAY 2022

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contents

MAY

10

14

energy

food

03 FROM THE EDITOR

12 INSIGHTS

05 CO-OP NEWS Energy news and information from your electric cooperative.

14 FOOD Raise a glass with these mighty mocktails.

10 ENERGY Load control: The benefits of avoiding electricity’s

16 INDIANA EATS Happy food trails: On the road to food-loving bliss.

‘rush hour.’

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Indiana Connection

19

25

safety

outdoors

18 COUNTY OF THE MONTH Spotlighting Cass County.

24 H OOSIER ENERGY/ WABASH VALLEY NEWS

19 SAFETY Avoid downed power lines.

25 OUTDOORS “Good Ol’ Days” of Indiana wildlife weren’t so good.

20 COVER STORY Boundless Courage: Amelia Earhart inspired Purdue coeds to reach for the stars.

26 PROFILE Randy Kleaving is leaving things better than he found them.

On the cover Aviator Amelia Earhart stands in front of her plane in February 1937. Earhart was a visiting faculty member at Purdue University from 1935 until her disappearance in July 1937. Purdue helped purchase the Lockheed Electra, dubbed the “Flying Laboratory,” that was lost over the central Pacific during her attempt to fly around the world.

PHOTO BY PURDUE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

4

MAY 2022

Jackson County REMC news

ADDRESS: 274 E. Base Road P.O. Box K Brownstown, IN 47220-0311

CONTACT US:

our retirees

CONGRATULATING

Jeff Kriete worked as a groundman his whole

PHONE NUMBERS Local calls: 812-358-4458 Toll-Free: 800-288-4458

career at Jackson County

EMAIL

April 2001 and retired on

REMC. He started in March 3, 2022.

info@jacksonremc.com

NEARLY 21 YEARS OF SERVICE

WEBSITE www.jacksonremc.com

OFFICE HOURS: 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday

Jeff Kriete Roger Wischmeier

BILL PAYMENT:

worked as a pre-drop survey technician since

Online: www.jacksonremc.com By phone: 1-888-999-8816

the start of our fiber-tothe-home project. He

REPORT OUTAGES OR EMERGENCIES: 812-358-4458 (local) 1-800-288-4458 (toll-free) day or night

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: board President John Trinkle, District 3 Vice President Walter Hunter, District 2 Secretary-Treasurer Jerry Kelley, District 5 John Hackman, District 1 Paul Elliott, District 4 Mark Trisler, District 6 Curtis Wischmeier, District 7 Dave Hall, District 8 John Miller, District 9 President/CEO Mark McKinney

started at the co-op in March 2018 and retired on March 31, 2022.

FOUR YEARS OF SERVICE

Roger Wischmeier MEMORIAL DAY The Jackson County REMC office will be closed Monday, May 30, for Memorial Day. The directors and employees wish all our members and their families a safe holiday.

MAY 2022

5

Service Includes • • • • • • • • 6

Voicemail with Email Notification Nationwide Calling Caller ID Call Blocking Call Waiting Call Forwarding Do Not Disturb 812-358-4458 E911 MAY 2022

Jackson County REMC news

Take control of your water heating dollars

Besides heating and cooling your home, heating your water uses more energy than anything else in the house.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the typical family spends up to 18 percent of its utility dollars on water heating.

IF YOU NOTICE A LEAKY

WRAP THE HOT AND

FAUCET, REPAIR IT

COLD WATER PIPES THAT

IMMEDIATELY.

CONNECT TO THE WATER

Good news: It’s simple to lower that cost. Here are six tips:

GET RID OF YOUR OLD SHOWERHEADS AND BATHROOM FAUCETS. They pump out way more water than you need to comfortably get clean. In their place, install low-flow faucets and aerating showerheads. The less water you use, the less you have to pay to heat it.

HEATER — FOR ABOUT SIX The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that a faucet that drips 20 times per minute will waste a full gallon of water every day. If that happens to hot water, you are washing money down the drain with every drip.

INSULATE YOUR ELECTRIC HOT WATER TANK — BUT DON’T COVER THE THERMOSTAT. If your tank is gas- or oil-fueled, don’t cover the top or bottom of the heater or its burner compartment. You might need to ask a plumber for help.

FEET OUT. DRAIN ABOUT A QUART OF WATER FROM THE TANK EVERY THREE MONTHS TO REMOVE SEDIMENT. Built-up gunk in the water heater can make it inefficient because it has to work harder to transfer the heat to the water.

IF YOU’RE IN THE MARKET FOR A NEW WATER HEATER, CHOOSE A HIGH-EFFICIENCY MODEL WITH THE ENERGY STAR® LABEL.

MAY 2022

7

ADVERTISEMENT

energy

LOAD CONTROL: THE BENEFITS OF AVOIDING ELECTRICITY’S ‘RUSH HOURS’ Every day, you take your energy for a drive.

Some days, it is a slow cruise around the block.

Others, it is pedal to the metal from dawn to dusk.

Most often, you land somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.

But what does all that look like on your bill and where does load control come in?

Those are two great questions best answered with the driving analogy.

• Energy is the odometer – how far you go.

• Demand is the speedometer – how fast you go.

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MAY 2022

A 100-watt lightbulb demands 100 watts of electricity when it is energized. If you had 10 such lightbulbs, they would demand 1,000 watts or 1 kilowatt. If they operate for 60 minutes, then one kilowatt-hour of electricity is used.

On your residential bill, you are primarily paying for what is on your odometer – the miles (kilowatt-hours) you drove times the electrical rate.

But on a hot summer day, if you’re driving energy for your air conditioning, your clothes dryer and those lightbulbs while everyone else is doing the same, the demand put on

the electric grid increases exponentially with only so much room on the road.

Load control seeks to reduce the demand at those peak moments, so member cooperatives and member-consumers are offered an incentive not to drive in rush hour traffic. By staying off the road during rush hour and delaying, not canceling, your trip, you help reduce demand on the grid and ultimately save money on your bill.

The trick is reducing traffic enough to make a significant impact. If only a handful of cars stay off the road in rush hour, the traffic will still be heavy

with greater potential for problems. It would take a majority of the usual rush hour drivers deciding to stay off the road and delay their trip for the traffic jams to be alleviated.

The more participants in load control, driving demand before or after rush hour, the greater the impact.

by Jarred

Meinders

DSM Technician Southeastern IN REMC

ADVERTISEMENT

insights

Letters

TO THE EDITOR LIKES TRAVEL ARTICLES The travel section of your Indiana Connection magazine is appreciated. Keep up the good stories of Indiana history.

Interesting articles and an invitation for Hoosiers to discover Indiana with their families.

Louise Mayer, Bluffton, Indiana

MARKETPLACE Our Marketplace offers maximum exposure for your business or organization at a minimal cost.

Please contact Cheryl Solomon, 847-749-4875 or cheryl@amp.coop, for other small business advertising opportunities in Indiana Connection. a

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MAY 2022

WIPE OUT You might want to know some dirty little secrets about the sanitizing wipes you and I use to clean our grocery cart handles (as mentioned in the March editor’s column).

These wipes (the ones that don’t smell like alcohol) contain one or more of the disinfectant chemicals known as “quats”, AKA quaternary ammonium chlorides.

Quats really work GREAT at killing germs, viral pathogens, and other nasty stuff, but only IF used according to the instructions.

It takes several minutes hold time to get rid of the “badness in the bad stuff.” Yes, you’ll find some difference between brands, but the surfaces must remain visibly wet with quats for the full hold time to do the full job.

Most times I see people use wipes, it looks like their hold time is less than 20 seconds. After that the handle is dry and the quats stop working. So, if a dozen people wipe your cart before you get it and none of them touch it, then your 20 second wipe might add up to the full

hold time and you’ll be assured you’ve got safe surfaces.

The strong chemicals used on these wipes aren’t supposed to be left on surfaces that contact food, like counters, tables, menus, hands, and salt/pepper shakers. That’s why I won’t use quats at home. When I go shopping, I’ll put a squirt of the alcohol hand sanitizer on the cart handle if that’s available because 20 seconds hold time is more than enough for alcohol (70% minimum) to do the job. If quats are the only option, then I’ll push the cart with one hand while wiping back and forth till my wipe is dry. It’s probably still not the full hold time but it’s far better than 20 seconds.

When I get home, I wash my hands to get rid of the quats so I don’t eat some residue. By the way, washing probably takes care of the germs too!

So, by now you’re wondering “Just how does this geek know all this stuff?” I spent several weeks studying hundreds of disinfectants as part of my job as director of research during the beginning of the pandemic.

Bob Steingass, Valparaiso, Indiana

food

Raise a glass

THE ALCOHOL MAY BE MISSING IN THESE MIGHTY MOCKTAILS — BUT NOT THE TASTE

VIRGIN PINA COLADA

CHOCOLATE MARTINI

BABY BELLINI

3 heaping cups frozen pineapple chunks

½ cup cold milk

2 oz. peach nectar

2 T. chocolate syrup plus extra for rimming glass

4 to 5 oz. sparkling cider

1 (15 oz.) can full fat coconut milk 1 T. maple syrup Blend all ingredients together.

Taste and adjust the sweetness as desired. Pour into glasses and garnish with drink umbrellas.

Yield: 4 small servings.

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MAY 2022

½ T. corn syrup Chocolate sprinkles Combine milk, chocolate syrup, corn syrup, and ice in a blender.

Place excess chocolate syrup and the chocolate sprinkles on the rim of a martini glass. Pour drink into the glass. Yield: 1 serving.

Peach slice Pour peach nectar into a champagne glass, then add the sparkling cider. Garnish with the peach slice. Yield: 1 serving.

food VIRGIN APPLETINI Granulated sugar ¼ cup fresh apple juice 1 T. simple syrup ½ T. fresh lemon juice Apple slices Rim the cocktail glass with sugar.

Pour apple juice, simple syrup, and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into the glass and add the apple slices on top.

Yield: 1 serving.

Note: To make simple syrup, use equal amounts of water and sugar.

Heat water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until hot but not boiling. Add the sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Let the syrup cool to room temperature before using. Can be stored in refrigerator up to 3 weeks.

PINEAPPLE MINT MOCK-ITO 10 fresh mint leaves 2 packets Splenda sweetener ¼ cup pineapple juice Juice of 1 lime Ice ½ cup club soda Additional mint leaves for garnish

Place the mint leaves and Splenda into a cocktail shaker and press them against the side of the shaker.

Add the pineapple juice, lime juice, and ice, and shake. Strain into a tall glass with ice and fill the rest with the club soda. Garnish with mint leaves. Yield: 1 serving.

CLASSIC SHIRLEY TEMPLE (The mocktail that started it all!)

2 T. grenadine 1 T. lime juice ⅔ cup ginger ale or ginger beer Ice

In a highball glass, stir together the grenadine and lime juice. Add the ice and fill the glass with the ginger ale. Top with cherry.

Yield: 1 serving.

Maraschino cherry for garnish

M O CKTAI LS PREPARED BY EM I LY SCHI LL I NG PHO TO S BY LAUREN CARMA N

MAY 2022

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Indiana eats

HAPPY TRAILS

ON THE ROAD TO FOOD-LOVING BLISS Thanks to the Indiana Foodways Alliance’s culinary trails program, Hoosier foodies can map their way to their next dining adventure. The Alliance promotes a whopping 21 unique trails crisscrossing the state and featuring more than 220 locally owned establishments.

The trails focus on a variety of cuisines, sweet treats, beverages and guilty pleasures. It’s no surprise that the Tenderloin Lovers Trail would be one of the most popular taste tours considering Hoosiers’ devotion to the breaded pork sandwich. In 2018, media company and pop culture blog PopSugar ranked the tenderloin trail number seven in its “10 Best Food and Drink Trails” ranking. Meanwhile,

Tenderloin Sandwich from Come ’n Git It Diner in Martinsville

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MAY 2022

in USA Today’s 2015 listing of “Best Food Trails in America,” the Hoosier Pie Trail placed fourth, besting Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail in popularity. The Sweet Temptations Trail, like a real life Candyland, leads visitors to gourmet marshmallows, ice cream, candies, cakes, baked goods and more. This sugar-laden expedition to 43 shops, cafés, restaurants, bakeries and even a honey farm, orchard and farmers’ market is another top trail.

Other creatively coined trails to suit palates of all kinds include Here Fishy Fishy (seafood — including shrimp and frog’s legs); Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner (26 restaurants’ take on a favorite comfort food); and A Cut Above

(the fine dining tour). Several of the restaurants participating in the Alliance have been featured in Indiana Eats in the past including Bonge’s Tavern (Perkinsville), One Ten Craft Meatery (Warsaw), The Post (Tell City), Pea-Fections (Vincennes), and Chaperral Café (Shelbyville).

The Indiana Foodways Alliance, based in Fishers, Indiana, began as a subsidiary of the I-69 Cultural Corrider Association, in January 2006. The non-profit’s goal was to promote culinary tourism in the state and spread the word about Indiana’s local food culture. The trails program debuted the next year.

As well as supporting Hoosier restaurants and enjoying some good food all around the state, those who hit the trails can win fun incentives.

Just sign up for an Indiana Culinary Trails mobile passport at visitindiana. com/cuisine and eat and drink your way to rewards with every stop you make. Visit 30 locations to earn a pie server, 60 stops for a tumbler and 90 places for a hat.

Also check out the Alliance’s Tales from the Trails blog at www.indianafoodways.com/blog for its upcoming promotions.

Indiana eats DISCOVER NEW RESTAURANTS

Assorted doughnuts from Wheel House Donuts in Rockville

BROWSE INDIANA’S CULINARY TRAILS AT INDIANAFOODWAYS.COM/ TRAILS

Sugar Cream Pie from Mrs. Wick’s Pies in Winchester

MAY 2022

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county feature

Cass County Cass County might be famous for cats (as in “Felix the” … the Logansport Community High School mascot which was also the state’s first mascot) and beautiful hand-carved horses on its nationally historic carousel, but come June 18 the county will be high on the hog … as in pork.

The first “Squeal on the Eel Festival,” a barbecue competition and pork festival, hopes to attract 10,000 visitors to Riverside Park on the south side of the Eel River in downtown Logansport. A variety of events and music are being planned for the day with 100% of the profits being divided equally among four Cass County charities.

“The whole concept of the festival is to give back to the community,” said Stephanie Helton, community liaison with Tyson Fresh Foods, the title sponsor of the festival. The Tyson pork plant on the southwest edge of Logansport is one of Cass County’s largest employers, with 2,300 workers in three shifts.

Helton noted that while Tyson put up the largest portion of funding, other large sponsors include the county visitors bureau and other groups and individuals. By the time June 18 rolls around, the community will have almost two years of planning behind it.

“We wanted it to be a very well thought out festival,” she said.

The festival will kick off at 10 a.m. and end around 10:30 p.m. Admission to the grounds will be $10, with additional tickets required to partake in the sanctioned Kansas City Barbeque Society Competition and an additional local barbecue contest. Food vendors will also be on hand.

ENTER TO WIN 18

MAY 2022

Other events and features include a hot dog eating contest, car show, the Indiana Army National Guard team repelling from a helicopter, Indianapolis Colts’ “Gridiron Gang” of Robert Mathis and Daniel Muir signing autographs, a beer and wine garden, and a kid zone with all kinds of activities. The Cass County Dentzel Carousel, located at Riverside Park, will be running through the day, too. Anchoring the event, beginning at 4 p.m., will be a concert of four bands: Scarecrowe, The Grace Scott Band, The Flying Toasters, and LOCASH. The four non-profit organizations that will benefit from the proceeds are Emmaus Mission Center, 4th Dimension Recovery Home, Father’s House and Cass County Domestic Violence Task Force.

“We’re just really hoping for a good attendance to see the community together and to give back to the community. The more money we raise,” Helton said, “the more that goes back to these nonprofits. And then the more they can in turn give back to Cass County.”

For more information, visit: SquealOnTheEel.org

P HO TO CRE DI T: KE V I N BURKE TT, FLI CKR

The Cass County Dentzel Carousel in Riverside Park was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

Built by the Dentzel Carousel Company, it is one of the company’s oldest surviving menagerie-style carousels, with animals likely handcarved by Gustav Dentzel.

County Facts FOUNDED: 1829 NAMED FOR: Lewis Cass, a general and governor of Michigan Territory through 1831, who was instrumental in the making of treaties with the Native Americans of the region.

POPULATION: 37,870 COUNTY SEAT: Logansport

Four general entry tickets to the Squeal on the Eel Festival in Logansport See page 3 for information on how to enter this contest.

INDIANA COUNTY NUMBER: 9

safety

AVOID

DOWNED POWER LINES

If you drive the same route to work every day, odds are you don’t give the road itself a lot of thought. It’s always there; until it’s not.

If you suddenly come upon a big orange “road closed” sign with barricades, what do you do? You stop, think about an alternative route, and take it.

Consider overhead power lines much the same way as a closed road. Power lines are always perched tightly to their poles serving their purpose; until they’re not.

When they are suddenly somewhere they’re not supposed to be, consider it an orange barricade – a warning sign to stop and reconsider your plans.

Power lines can fall during strong winds. Utility poles can topple, or trees and broken limbs can fall and take power lines down with them. Vehicles that crash into poles can also bring power lines to the ground. When you see a power line out of place, Indiana Electric Cooperatives reminds you to never touch it; never approach it. The result could be deadly! The best course of action is to steer clear and call for assistance.

“The overhead power lines that run along the county roads generally carry 7,200 volts of electricity,” said John Gasstrom, CEO of Indiana Electric Cooperatives.

“Fatalities can occur when someone makes contact with a live wire of only a couple hundred volts.”

WHAT TO DO WHEN A DOWNED POWER LINE TOUCHES YOUR VEHICLE If your vehicle comes in contact with a downed power line while you’re in the vehicle, stay inside the car. Call 911 or honk your horn to get help, but tell those rendering aid to stay away from the vehicle.

If you must exit the vehicle for lifethreatening reasons, jump out and away from it. Make sure to land with

HELPFUL SAFETY TIPS TO STAY SAFE AROUND DOWNED POWER LINES:

your feet together and

• If you see a downed power line, move away from it. Keep a distance of 35 feet, as the ground around downed power lines may be energized.

touching. Then, shuffle

• Don’t touch anything touching downed power lines.

touching until you reach

• Assume ALL downed power lines are live. They don’t have to be arcing, sparking or humming; they can be as quiet as they usually are.

a safe distance. NEVER

• If you see someone in direct or indirect contact with a downed line, DO NOT touch him or her. You could become energized as well. Call 911 for assistance.

• NEVER attempt to move a downed power line or anything else in contact with it, even with an object such as a broom or a tree branch. Non-conductive materials like wood or cloth can conduct electricity if even slightly wet.

away with your feet

attempt to get back into a vehicle that is in contact with a power line.

• Don’t step in water near downed lines.

• Never drive over a downed power line.

MAY 2022

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Boundless Courage AMELIA E ARHART INSPIRED PURDUE COEDS TO RE ACH FOR THE STARS

Courage Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace.

The soul that knows it not, knows no release from the little things: Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, Nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear The sound of wings.

How can life grant us boon of living, compensate For gray dull ugliness and pregnant hate Unless we dare The soul’s dominion? Each time we

By Richard G. Biever

make a choice, we pay With courage to behold resistless day,

Pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart is remembered most for how her life ended. Her tragic disappearance over the Pacific while trying to girdle the globe in 1937 remains a mystery that still evokes a sense of wistful sadness and loss.

But her most endearing legacy, especially at Purdue University where she was a visiting faculty member, will be the boundless spirit in how she lived.

Earhart was a barrier-breaking pilot and an early advocate for women’s rights. She remains an inspiration, not just to women, but to all who passionately pursue their dreams.

“She is most known for the disappearance,” said Tracy Grimm, archivist for flight and space exploration at Purdue University’s archives and special collections.

“But if people really get interested, they will be pleasantly surprised when they learn how deeply she was committed to women’s issues.

She really took time with young women, with students here on campus. She didn’t have to come here and be a counselor for women.

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MAY 2022

And count it fair.

AMELIA EARHART JUNE 1928

PHOTO ABOVE Amelia Earhart's pilot license photo.

PHOTO RIGHT

MEDIA SOURCE The poem and historical Amelia Earhart photos are used with permission

Earhart poses with

courtesy of Purdue

Purdue University

University Libraries,

President Edward

Karnes Archives and Special

Elliott at the

Collections

Purdue University Airport, the nation's first university airport.

But she did. And it seems it was important to her.”

At Purdue, she was both a career counselor for women and an advisor in the aeronautical engineering department from 1935 through her final flight. The plane she was piloting when she disappeared, nicknamed the “Flying Laboratory,” was funded by Purdue’s foundation and its supporters.

This July marks the 125th anniversary of Earhart’s birth, and the 85th commemoration of her disappearance. In pursuing her interests outside the realm of her contemporaries, Earhart pushed the boundaries. She gave women 15,000-foot views of all that was beyond traditional “women’s roles.”

“We have lots of students who come to Purdue because they

know Amelia was associated with aeronautical engineering,” Grimm said. “Amelia existed in that time when women were right on the cusp of gaining more rights and being seen as human beings who could do anything a man could do.”

Grimm noted Earhart was not without detractors. “Amelia did face criticism. She faced people who maligned her in the press and said she couldn’t do things, or shouldn’t be doing things,” she said.

“She represents courage in not taking ’no’ for an answer, pushing boundaries, and being herself, being true to her interests. That resonates with young women today, too.”

Eyes on the skies Purdue University Airport was the first university-owned airport in the United States and the site of the country’s first college-credit flight training courses. In 1930, inventor-industrialist David Ross donated a tract of land to be used as an aeronautical education and research facility at Purdue University. Into this academic atmosphere, Earhart was eagerly welcomed by Purdue’s president, Edward Elliott, in November 1935.

In the fall of 1934, Earhart and Elliott were both invited by The New York Herald Tribune to speak at a women’s conference. After giving his speech, Elliott stayed to hear Earhart, who was already world famous for her flying exploits (please see timeline on pages 22–23). She spoke about the future of aviation and women’s roles in the industry. As she spoke, Elliott realized she was the perfect role model for the female students enrolled at Purdue.

Elliott’s views on women were radical for the time. He was dedicated to preparing his female students for careers outside the home.

The Herald Tribune arranged a dinner meeting with Elliott and Earhart and her husband, George Putnam. After dinner, Elliott asked Earhart to join his staff at Purdue as a visiting faculty member.

Elliott later presented Earhart with a list of the six conditions of Earhart’s proposed position at Purdue, most of which concerned her duties as counselor in Careers for Women.

Toward the end of that list, he casually mentioned that she would also serve as chief consultant for work in aeronautical engineering.

She loved the campus atmosphere.

During her weeklong visits to West Lafayette each semester, Earhart stayed in a dorm room at Duhme Residence Hall, living and having dinner alongside the female students. Today, just down First Street from Duhme Hall is a largerthan-life bronze sculpture of Earhart holding a propeller. It was erected in 2009 outside a dining hall that also bears her name.

Whether she expressly meant to, Earhart served as a role model for CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

The document made it clear that Purdue recruited Earhart mostly as a mentor and role model for women, not for her knowledge of aviation. She did not see this as an insult, but rather a challenge.

According to Putnam, when Elliott spoke to Earhart of his concern that Purdue’s female students weren’t keeping abreast of the “inspirational opportunities of the day nearly as well as they might be,” Earhart’s “eyes shone at the suggestion of a challenge.” And, according to her husband, Earhart regarded her short time at Purdue University as “one of the most satisfying adventures of her life.”

Earhart took her new role to help woman prepare for careers seriously. She handed out a survey and found 92% of the women on campus wanted a career. Her job, as she saw it, was to help their dreams take flight.

PHOTO RIGHT A statue of Amelia Earhart on the Purdue campus is still an inspiration to new generations of students.

PHOTO ABOVE Earhart meets with a group of Purdue coeds on campus.

PHOTO RIGHT Earhart and Purdue President Edward Elliott study a globe.

PHOTO ABOVE Earhart works on her Electra's left engine.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 1

many young women, not just aspiring aviators. From Earhart’s short, wind-blown hair to her wardrobe, the young women on campus wanted to emulate her. One story told is that when a group went to the dean of women to ask if they could wear slacks, as Earhart usually did, their request was met with the tactfully mild reproach and promise: “When you fly an airplane solo across the Atlantic, you may wear slacks on the Purdue University campus.”

Earhart viewed her accomplishments not only as personal achievements, but as feats for women everywhere.

“Someday,” Earhart said, “people will be judged by their individual

aptitude to do a thing and (society) will stop blocking off certain things as suitable to men and suitable to women.”

It’s been said that Earhart had a knack for navigating the world within societal limitations of the time while simultaneously defying them. She figured out how to present herself as a barrier breaker without being abrasive. For that, she was admired by men and women alike.

Though Earhart focused her time at Purdue primarily on counseling, Purdue’s Research Foundation funded her “Flying Laboratory,” an aircraft for her flight around the world planned for 1937. The

Foundation contributed $80,000 from illustrious Purdue alumni and corporations with the defined objectives of collecting scientific and engineering data during the flight itself as well as during its preparation. Part of the goal was also to better understand the rigors long-range flight put on a body. Purdue stood to gain from the wide public attention as it sought to enhance its expertise and reputation as an aeronautical proving ground.

The plane, a Lockheed Model 10 Electra, was prepared for her around-the-world flight attempt in Hangar 1 at Purdue and in California. Earhart performed many

JULY 24, 1897

JAN. 3, 1921

JULY 1921

JUNE 17-18, 1928

FEB. 7, 1931

MAY 20-21, 1932

Amelia Earhart is born to affluent parents in Atchison, Kansas. Her father is a lawyer for the railroads.

Begins flying lessons.

Purchases her first plane.

Becomes first woman to fly across the Atlantic.

Marries George Putnam, who becomes her manager.

Becomes first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

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of the tasks herself. For the flight, the plane had to be modified to add fuel capacity and lightened.

Originally, the global flight was to start and end at West Lafayette in the spring of 1937, according to a map published in The New York Herald Tribune. Flying west, the trip was aborted after reaching Hawaii.

On March 21, on takeoff to the tiny central Pacific atoll known as Howland Island, a tire blew before the Electra left the ground. The plane “ground looped,” damaging the propellers, and had to be shipped to California for repairs.

With the delay, Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, changed plans. Once the plane was repaired, they flew to Miami and began their second attempt from there on June 1, flying first to South America, then east across the Atlantic to Africa, India and Australia.

After stopping in New Guinea, they began the longest and most perilous leg of the 29,000-mile journey on July 2, 1937. It was to be a 19-hour flight of 2,600 miles over the open Pacific. Their target was Howland Island, the same tiny uninhabited coral rock to where she was taxiing for takeoff when her plane was damaged in Hawaii. The cucumber-shaped island was barely more than a half-square mile, just big enough for the landing strip that

had been prepared for her. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Itasca waited near the island to assist. But the flight never arrived at Howland.

That morning, the ship received strong radio signals from Earhart which indicated the Electra was in the vicinity. But Earhart radioed that they were unable to hear any twoway communication. She said they were unable to locate the island or the ship, and they were running low on fuel. That was the last message the Itasca received.

Legacy Earhart loved writing poetry. But the only poem of hers published while she was living was aptly called “Courage” (please see page 20).

The 1928 poem summarized her view about life: That it’s better lived with the courage to push oneself, to break beyond “gray ugliness,” to “dare the soul’s dominion.”

Earhart lived her life with boundless courage, charting new courses for herself and all women. Seemingly the only barriers she couldn’t overcome were the mechanical limitations of her plane and a faulty two-way radio receiver.

Her writings and so much more can be found in the world’s largest collection of Earhart-related items

at Purdue University’s Archives. The collection of some 3,500 papers, memorabilia, scrapbooks, photos and artifacts was donated to Purdue by her husband in 1941.

In the collection is a telegrammed press release from the New York Herald Tribune Syndicate dated July 3, 1937, the day after she disappeared. It had the exclusive details of her decision to discontinue flying upon completion of her world flight. “I have a feeling that there is just about one more good flight left in my system,” she told the reporter before departing on the trip. “I hope this trip around the world is it. Anyway, when I have finished this job, I mean to give up long distance stunt flying.”

The story also indicated her next plans were to carry out an intensive flight research program at Purdue.

Grimm notes Earhart’s love of Purdue was evident, too, by her husband’s gift. “He said she would have wanted her papers to be at Purdue University.”

Though Earhart’s earthly remains have never been found, her body of work and her spirit still reside — and still inspire — at Purdue.

And all of Indiana is richer for the connection.

Richard G. Biever is senior editor of Indiana Connection.

NOVEMBER 1935

MARCH 17, 1937

JUNE 1, 1937

JULY 2, 1937

JULY 19, 1937

JAN. 5, 1939

Accepts invitation to become a visiting faculty member at Purdue University as a career counselor and aviation advisor.

Begins her first attempt to fly around the world, going west to east, but damages her plane on takeoff in Hawaii.

Leaves Miami on a second attempt, this time heading south and east, to South America, Africa, India, and New Guinea.

Departs for Howland Island in the central Pacific. At sunrise, she and navigator Fred Noonan radio they cannot find the island and cannot hear radio transmissions.

Official search efforts for her and Noonan end.

Is officially declared dead.

MAY 2022

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Hoosier Energy news

WhyElectrify: WHERE TO GET ANSWERS FOR YOUR ENERGY QUESTIONS Hoosier Energy and its 18 member distribution cooperatives officially launched the WhyElectrify website, www.whyelectrify.com, on March 1.

Infographics, articles, case studies, videos, links and more are designed to educate on topics like energy efficiency, beneficial electrification and power generation types such as solar, wind, hydro, natural gas and coal. Environmental stewardship is also a high priority with links to educational websites such as Energy Kids, Science Buddies, Science Fair Projects and more.

WhyElectrify is a one-stop resource to get answers for your energy questions. “There really was a lack of educational resources for member-consumers to learn about what’s happening in the industry, what’s happening with technology,” said Hoosier Energy Manager Energy Management Solutions Blake Kleaving. “Where do memberconsumers go?”

“It’s not really about promoting specific programs, like a $50 rebate on electric lawn equipment. That’s not the goal,” Kleaving said. “It’s to educate the member about the technology itself — electric lawn equipment or heating and cooling technology or farm beneficial electrification — then direct them back to their local co-op for more information.”

That question kicked off the process to develop WhyElectrify nearly two years ago. The informational site is filled with data and information on electricity use, energy efficiency and beneficial electrification.

That two-way street approach without a sales pitch gives the member cooperatives confidence about referring member-consumers to the site.

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“At some point, we realized there are a lot of things about the electric grid to educate people on, so it’s best to have a one-stop shop for people to get actual information,” said Colin Mahoney, marketing and energy solutions specialist at WIN Energy REMC in Vincennes. “The site shows how electricity gets from the beginning to the end where they’re using it, which is helpful.

It’s not just about energy efficiency but what cooperatives do, what Hoosier Energy does and how that all connects every time you flip on the lights.”

WhyElectrify was designed with room to grow in the future, as well.

“I think one of the largest pieces of our industry is that it is changing every day,” Kleaving said. “With this website, we don’t want to be static.

We want to grow not only a library of resources but include what’s new and trending.”

outdoors

‘GOOD OL’ DAYS’ OF INDIANA WILDLIFE WEREN’T SO GOOD

“My grandfather was born in 1875. He lived his entire life in southern Rush County and never saw a whitetail deer.”

For those of us today and for the earliest Hoosier 200 years ago, it’s hard to imagine an Indiana without deer. But the once expansive herds of whitetail deer of Indiana’s earliest pioneer days were killed out by habitat loss and unregulated hunting by the time my grandfather came along. Records show the last “wild” whitetail deer was killed in Knox County in 1893, and whitetail deer were considered extinct within the borders of Indiana for almost 50 years.

The dramatic return of the whitetail deer in Indiana can be largely attributed to one group of people: the sportsmen of Indiana. The first deer reintroduction efforts were funded from the modest hunting and fishing license fees. Later research and introductions were funded by the federally enacted PittmanRobertson Act. The project first began in the area now encompassing much of the Hoosier National Forest. In the early 1930s, the Indiana Division of Fish and Game recognized much of the eroded and abandoned farmland in south and central Indiana had recovered enough to support a population of whitetail deer. From 1934 until 1942, 296 deer were purchased from other states for release. An additional 111 deer were released between 1953 and 1955.

Monitoring the growing herd, the Fish and Game investigators estimated there were 900 animals in 1943 and 1,200 in

1944. By 1950, the herd was estimated to number at least 5,000 — and becoming problematic to farmers because of crop depredation. A hunt was deemed necessary, and the first deer hunting season in the 20th century was held for a period of three days covering an area of 17 counties. An unlimited number of licenses were issued for $5 for the any sex deer hunt. Legal hunt weapons were archery and slug shotguns.

Fast forward to 2020, the herd in the state of Indiana was estimated at 680,000 deer. The total number of licenses sold for deer hunting in 2020 came to 132,966.

In comparison to the days of yesteryear, the deer harvest in Indiana has increased dramatically with a total take in the 2020-21 season of 124,180. During the season, 70% of participants were reported as having taken at least one deer.

With great wildlife wealth and numbers come great responsibility. Indiana’s DNR tries to maintain the herd numbers to minimize the amount of crop depredation and deer/vehicle accidents. By increasing antlerless harvest in select counties and keying on special areas of high deer density for special depredation hunts, the DNR hopes to reduce the herd annually by more than 20%.

till next time,

Jack

JACK SPAULDING is a syndicated state outdoors writer and a member of RushShelby Energy.

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication, or by email to jackspaulding@hughes. net. Spaulding’s books, “The Best Of Spaulding Outdoors” and “The Coon Hunter And The Kid,” are available from Amazon.com as paperbacks or Kindle downloads.

MAY 2022

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profile

Randy Kleaving LEAVING THINGS BETTER THAN HE FOUND THEM Randy Kleaving always heard one proverb when he was young: “No matter how good something is, when you’re done with it, you need to leave it better.”

That’s something he says he’s always taken to heart: in his vocation as a farmer, and multiple avocations as volunteer firefighter, county commissioner, and director on his local, state, and national electric cooperative boards.

After a four-year stint on the executive board of Indiana Electric Cooperatives, he was elevated to board president in December 2021. He is the first IEC board president to simultaneously represent Indiana on the board of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

When Kleaving, 57, a director from Southern Indiana Power, ran for NRECA board in 2018, he questioned whether he was biting off more than he could chew. “That weighed on my mind quite a bit — if I had the time to dedicate myself to those organizations,” he said. But after thinking it over, he decided he could make the time. And, now three years in, he is making both the time and the most of the challenges.

Among the biggest challenges he sees looming before him as president is setting the course for the future of the venerable statewide organization.

That includes both what it will look like down the road, and what address it literally will occupy on that road.

Before purchasing or building IECs next home, the directors of the 87-year-old association, which serves Indiana’s 38 local electric distribution cooperatives (REMCs/RECs), need to determine what its needs are and will be into the future.

Fortunately, Kleaving’s multiple past experiences have prepared him well for looking at facilities. As a board member and a past firefighter on his township’s

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volunteer fire department for 38 years (he first volunteered when he was 18), he’s been part of two building programs there.

On the national electric cooperative association board, he’s chairman of the association’s building committee which oversees NRECA’s properties.

While setting the future course, Kleaving also has a long bloodline of electric cooperative services behind him beginning with a grandfather he never had the chance to meet, George Kleaving. “He passed away really young, but he was one of the individuals that really pushed for rural electric in our area. He helped put the lines into the farm. He saw his house wired, but he passed away before the electricity was energized. When I became a board member, I always thought of that.”

RANDY KLEAVING Age 57 Married: Dawn Renee; Sons: Blake & Adam Native of rural Perry County, Randy is a grain and cattle farmer, raising corn, soybeans and Holstein calves.

Hobbies: passion for collecting International Harvester tractors; Jeep

His father-in-law, Louis Evrard, had been a director on Southern Indiana Power’s board many years earlier, too. Evrard always said serving on the co-op’s board was a way to make a really positive difference in the rural community. Kleaving appreciates being elected and the opportunity to represent the co-op members.

riding and spending time with family

“When something sparks your interest, it's just easier to work with — no matter if it's a local board or if it's IEC or the national board,” Kleaving said. “My interest is rural America and what we can do for our members. Anytime I make a decision, I always step back for a second and put myself in the member’s shoes. Once you put yourself on the outside looking in, that's how you know you’ll make the best decision with the information you have.”

Director of National Rural Electric

and friends.

Co-op service: Director of Southern Indiana Power, over 16 years.

Director of Indiana Electric Cooperatives, 15 years

Cooperatives Association, three years Randy is also an elected county official, serving as county commissioner for nine years.

Board director and retired firefighter for the Anderson Township Volunteer Fire Department where he served for 38 years