I N D I A N A D A I LY S T U D E N T | T H U R S D AY, J U LY 1 7, 2 0 1 4 | I D S N E W S . C O M
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LEFT George Taliaferro doing the Heisman pose in 1945. TOP RIGHT IU footbal players Nick Sebek, Del Russell, Taliaferro, Wayne Benner and Alan Linneman in 1945. MIDDLE RIGHT IU Basketball and Baseball Hall of Famer Ernie Andres congratulates Taliferro on his College Football Hall of Fame honor. BOTTOM RIGHT Taliaferro talks with children at an IU football game in 1973.
The Civil Rights Act was passed 50 years ago this month, but IU football legend George Taliaferro doesn’t think racial equality in America has been achieved. BY EVAN HOOPFER ehoopfer@indiana.edu
George Taliaferro remembers the first night he came to IU. He called his father and cried afterward. Taliaferro, now 87 years old, came to Bloomington in 1945 to get an education and play football. But the 18-year-old African American was shocked by how segregated IU was at the time. He figured a community based around learning and knowledge wouldn’t do something so traditional as to segregate. But Bloomington was segregated. Taliaferro couldn’t live in the dorms. He couldn’t go to certain shows at the movie theater. He couldn’t go swimming at the pool. So on that first night he called his father and told him he didn’t want to come to IU. He wanted to come back to Gary, Ind., and live in his community of integration. His neighborhood wasn’t integrated between whites and blacks, but between blacks and Europeans from Germany, Italy, Yugoslavia and other countries. “I thought my father would say to me, ‘Son, I agree with you. If they don’t want to treat you like every other human being, you shouldn’t go to school there,’” Taliaferro said, now sitting in his kitchen. He lives on the south side of Bloomington and has lived 42 years
in the city that gave him such a bad first impression. But on that phone call on his first night, he didn’t receive compassion from his father. George still remembers the conversation. “Son, can I ask you one question?” George’s father said. “Yes sir,” George responded. “Is there another reason you are at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana?” George’s father said. George’s father hung up. “I lay there with tears coming out of my eyes,” George said, recounting the memory. *** It wasn’t until later that night, unable to shake the feeling of why his father hadn’t understood him, that George realized what his father meant. “I am here to be educated,” George realized. To George’s father, receiving an education didn’t mean you got along with everybody. It didn’t mean you just went to class, studied the books and took a test. An education for the Taliaferro family meant learning about the real world, what real people think and how they act. Especially how the real world acted toward black people. A person shouldn’t stay in their comfort zone their whole life, George said. During his time at IU, Taliaferro
was a three-time All-American and helped IU to its first and only undefeated Big Ten season. Now, his picture hangs from the rafters outside of Memorial Stadium with other IU football legends. Taliaferro was certainly not comfortable when he first arrived at IU, even though he went on to achieve greatness. Taliaferro, who wasn’t allowed to stay in the same dorms as his white peers, left IU as one of the most important figures in not only IU athletics history, but also in civil rights history. He became the first African American to be drafted into the National Football League, selected in the 13th round by the Chicago Bears. While black players had been playing in the NFL before Taliaferro, none had been drafted into the NFL. Taliaferro opted not to play in the NFL immediately, instead deciding to play for the Los Angeles Dons of the All-American Football Conference first out of college. After just a season with the Dons, Taliaferro went on to play in the NFL for six years, making three pro bowls in his career. Taliaferro played for the New York Yanks, Dallas Texans, Baltimore Colts and Philadelphia Eagles. But still, when he first came to IU, he was shocked by how he was treated as a second-class citizen. Earlier this month, America cel-
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Taliferro and his wife, Viola, in August 2013
ebrated the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The historic act outlawed discrimination of a person based on their religion, sex, national origin or race. But even today, Taliaferro sees racism all around him. He doesn’t believe black people will be treated as equals any time soon. “I can’t tell you how discouraged I am when I see entire states who are looking down on giving all human beings equal education,” Taliaferro
said. “We’re nowhere near the end. We’re nowhere near.” *** Taliaferro gets up from his seat at the kitchen table, eager to pull out a piece of memorabilia he’s kept for more than 50 years. “I got something I want to show you,” he said. Taliaferro grabs a manila folder, which is starting to tear because of all SEE TALIAFERRO, PAGE 3
State budget surplus meets partisan disagreement BY SARAH ZINN sjzinn@indiana.edu
Indiana closed the books on fiscal year 2014 on June 30, ending the year with a $106-million surplus and more than $2 billion in reserves. The $2 billion in reserves is allocated to Indiana’s emergency funds, medical and state tuition funds and the rainy day fund. According to a press release, the state government could operate for 49 days using this reserve money if a state emergency or economic disaster were to occur. “At the end of the fiscal year, we do not want to have to go back to Hoosier taxpayers and raise taxes because we need more money,” State Auditor Suzanne Crouch
said in a press release. “By living within our means, keeping prudent reserves and identifying areas of potential growth, we can continue to make Indiana the fiscal envy of the nation.” Indiana’s thriftiness has also allowed the state to maintain its coveted AAA credit rating, making Indiana one of only a handful of states in the country to accomplish this feat. “These numbers show that the Indiana economy is in a good place,” Crouch said. “The $2-billion reserve will help Indiana keep our AAA credit rating, indicating to businesses and employers that Indiana has a stable economic environment and is a wise place to make investments, start new businesses and hire
Hoosiers.” While republicans commend Governor Pence and his administration for its fiscal conservatism, democrats have said the surplus results from cuts in higher education and social programs. Mike Claytor, who is running for state auditor as a democrat, is one of these critics. He said he believes the state needs to be more transparent about its spending and should adjust its financial priorities to better suit the needs of citizens. “The state isn’t really forthcoming about the things it does and doesn’t do,” Claytor said. “The state’s priority seems to be reducing taxes for corporations instead of improving our educational systems.
Several years ago, the state reduced education funding by $300 million, and they never restored that funding.” Claytor, who has worked as an accountant and attorney for more than 40 years, cited several instances where he believes the state is lacking in transparency. “For example, there was a law passed several years ago that said the state had to pay a stipend to parents who adopted special needs children. The stipend was never paid, and the state owes these families $100 million in stipends,” Claytor said. “It’s sort of a slap in the face to parents of special needs children when, under contract, the state has rescinded the stipend money
to make the fund balance appear higher.” Claytor also said the $2 billion in reserves does not account for contingent liabilities, which are financial obligations of an unknown amount that the state will have to pay in the future. According to Claytor, the recent lawsuits, such as one concerning the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, are not accounted for in the budget. “If you really looked at all the money that the state should be paying, the fund balance would be around $1 billion,” he said. “Ultimately, we don’t need $2 billion stuck in the bank when there are more important items we should be addressing.”