The

MEGAPHONE

Elwood, Indiana                                                                                 Elwood High School(s)

Volume 5, No. 7                                                                                                 Thursday, July 1, 2004

Contents

(The page numbers are links!)

Page 1 . . . Your Old Home Town -- Sharon (Benedict) Hurst 

Page 2 . . . And He Got E in Chemistry -- from the 1919 Crescent

Neil Armstrong -- Bob Hinshaw

Page 3 . . . A Ship Named ELWOOD -- Nancy Sumner

Page 4 . . . A Farm Boy -- Dewey Smith

Page 5 . . . The Reunion Photo -- Jean (Taylor) Rodgers

                             Buttermilk Station -- Marvin Crim

Page 6 . . . Friends -- Shirley (Fite) Dellinger

                             My Grandson's Birth -- Becky (Hahn) Capps

Page 7 . . . Misty Morning -- Sharon (Woods) Schwartz

                             Poem Used in Reagan's Challenger Speech -- Jean (Taylor) Rodgers

Page 8 . . . Elwood Theatres Follow-up -- Chuck Hood 

 Grade School Mascots -- A Collection

          Tell Me You Knew It . . . All Along -- Nancy Sumner & Marvin Crim

Your Old Home Town

 by Sharon (Benedict) Hurst

This month the subject of interest in Elwood was Denstock.

Some of the people who had been "regulars" were not able to make it this time, but there were several first timers who just had to come to Elwood to see what in the world all of this fuss is about. I can personally say that none who attended were disappointed.

There were several people who gathered at the SH ... that's Shelter House ... on Friday evening to arrange the tables the way they needed to be for Saturday. Several out of towners came out also and that started the annual celebration. After many hugs, screams and hellos, this group moved uptown to Wolff's. Here the back room was filled to overflowing with Den members. While we were there, several people we knew came in to eat and the conversations were started up again. So much to say and so little time to spend with each and everyone who wants to see each other. The group finally disbanded to go their homes or places where they were staying to make ready for the Big Day.

By 8:00 the next morning the back room at Jim Dandy was filled with the same hugging, screaming and hellos that were heard the night before. There were new members who were in town just for the day to go to Denstock. There were many greetings and introductions around the room from those who had been to Denstock from the beginning to those who were there for the first time. By the time we had finished breakfast there were only friends and Den members in the room. Everyone was visiting and talking as if all had been together many times. But this is still just the beginning of this special day for the very special people who are gathered together and we all leave to head for the park and the day ahead.

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day. No humidity, temperatures in the low to mid 70's and a nice gentle breeze blowing through the shelter house. As we were making the final preparations, people started arriving bringing their pitch-in offerings. Theresa Mangas came with items the Elwood/Pipecreek Historical Society sells and had a table at the south end of the building. The food tables were at the north end to easily bring in the larger items like ice, etc. The auction tables were set up along the east side of the building and on the west side the entrance was designated by using benches strung with rope to block the openings. This made it easy for people to enter, sign in, get their nametags and buy a 50/50 ticket. For those of you who do not know what this is, a ticket is drawn and the number called out. This winner splits the take 50/50 with the Den. Congratulations Nancy Sumner. Our Dewey Smith made sure all attendees registered as they came in with the assistance of Toots Davies Pethoud.

Scott Poulson sold the 50/50 tickets and the rest of us just hung around to greet those coming in.

The morning had people coming and going almost constantly. Some needed to go watch their grandchildren play baseball while others had weddings or other commitments. Others kept arriving after driving here quite a distance. Boy could we use a good motel here in town. Hint, Hint to the City Fathers, the economic director and the chamber.

Meal time was at High Noon and the serving lines were formed. There was a lot of various kinds of food. However, I still do not know who brought the wonderful Black Forest cake but I love them and want them to be my best friends.

After eating, a Euchre game was started and lasted until the last person was leaving. The auction was silent so those who were bidding wrote down their bid then kept drifting back and forth to see if they needed to write down a raise on the item they were bidding on. There were several prizes given such as coming the longest distance, Sharon Schwartz, who is from Phoenix; the shortest distance, Dan Nance who lives at the park and a few other prizes as well. As 4:00 neared, only the diehards remained. Those playing Euchre and those who were clearing up the serving tables.

I can not tell anyone who has not attended the Denstock gathering here in Elwood about the memories that flood into your mind as you walk around visiting with friends you had not seen for many years or visiting with the friends you have only know on-line through the Den, remembering the times spent at the park with your school chums, the place where the school played football, the track where the team ran, did the broad jump and the pole vaults and the baseball diamond. You could close your eyes and relive all of these things as those who were present talked about the times that were spent in these places. Even the uptown streets are looking more like the old Elwood before the old lights were taken down and replaced with the tall ugly vapor lights.

How do you tell people about feeling ageless; part of the past and the present at the same time? Feelings that are almost tangible; something in the air that you can reach out and almost be touched and the feelings are real. The friendships of long ago that are rekindled and the coming together of people who have never met but became friends on line is indescribable. The sharing of memories and thought on this Panther Den on-line and the gathering of those who were able to be here in person is something most of us thought were gone forever. How wrong we were!

Thanks to Marvin Crim there is a cyberspace ship that he captains; that goes back and forth in time; it takes us from the present to our early years and back to the present again in a nanosecond. Our captain has shared this time travel with any of us who choose to take advantage of it and he does it because he cares. He cares about his classmates, his friends, his hometown and making these things come together as a gift for all of us. We become ageless as we go online to share the memories with others who came from this same area. Memories that had been locked away for years are released for us by someone just sharing a memory they had and we do the same for others by sharing our memories. This caring and sharing is truly a unique thing among those of us who grew up here. There is a special bond that connects us to our past and keeps us in touch in this present time. I can still see this bond among most of the people who still live here.

Yes, your Old Home Town is alive and well! This Denstock gathering makes us all aware of this. All who return for this visit do so proudly and the improvements they see will continue, we are making this small town of Elwood, Indiana, a place that all will be proud to call My Old Home Town.

Sharon (Benedict) Hurst '53

Elwood, IN 

Out on Fairground Road

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