The

MEGAPHONE

Elwood, Indiana                                                  Elwood High School(s)

Volume 6, No. 9                                                                                              Thursday, September 1, 2005

Looking west from the railroad tracks ~ 1921

The corner just ahead is the intersection of Main and Anderson Streets.

Contents

Page 1 . . . One of Elwood's Characters -- Estel Harney

Page 2 . . . Panther Den Birthday & Anniversary Calendar -- Nancy Sumner (Our Calendar Girl)

                           The Conflict -- Cindy (Benedict) Odom        

Page 3 . . . Labor Day / Back to School Tips  -- Louise (Mountcastle) Romine

                            Class of '55 Reunion -- Class of '55

                                      A Work of Art -- Cindy (Benedict) Odom

Page 4 . . . When the Railroad Came to Quincy -- Marvin Crim

Page 5 . . . Pushing Ice Cream Carts and Other Jobs -- Jerry McClish

Page 6 . . . Memory of Swirling Skirts and Brilliant Smiles -- Julie (Stout) Crim

Page 7 . . . Love at First Cry -- Ron Runyan

Page 8 . . . Silenced Roar -- Robert Hinshaw

One of Elwood's Characters

by Estel Harney

I am writing this as a follow-up of a question from someone on the den site a few years back. I am not slow, just thorough. Here is what I have found about a "character of Elwood."

His name was William "Sam" Vello, not a celebrity of Hollywood or stage, but a resident of Elwood, Indiana.

The best dressed man of the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, this resident of Elwood had a passion for fine clothes. Only he and his brother had any idea as to how many "outfits" he really had. Those who seen him on the street corners say it was a different one every week.

Neat as a pin, the crease in his trouser was as sharp as a razor. The clothes he wore were spotless. They weren’t bizarre, but certainly unusual for the streets of Elwood. Today, he would have been in style when it is not unusual to do your own thing in the fashion line.

On Saturday night, it was "family night on the town," as entire families made their way to downtown Elwood. It was time to relax from a hard weeks work for young and old. The sidewalks were crowded and cars lined the curbs as people visited with one another. Sam Vello was always a large part of those conversations. He would be seen posing like a model on the street corners downtown. Greeting folks with a smile and a tip of his tall top hat. "Did you see Sam tonight? What an outfit, with his top hat, white tuxedo, and even white shoes." This was the talk of the town on Saturday night.

Sam Vello was a loner, never married, and never a scandal connected with his name. Even as rough as the era was, Sam never hurt a soul. He could be seen in his attire at most public events, be it circus, carnival, or along the streets when there was a parade. Sam was actually the best attraction, he new this but pretended to ignore the attention he got from his way of dress. His outfits were spotless. He kept all his outfits at a cleaners downtown on Main Street. This cleaners might have been Sam Hollies or Brunnemers Cleaners, some say both.

Sam worked at the old Elwood Tin Plate for a man named Elmer Balser. Elmer was a "roller" and Sam was his "catcher." They were the main men on the "hot mill" crew. Their jobs were the highest paying jobs of the "blue collar worker." Being single, he put most of his paycheck into clothing. No one knows for sure if Sam designed his own clothes or not. It was said that he had a brother in the Chicago area that was a tailor. Their background was either Greek or Italian.

When the mill closed its doors in 1937, Sam moved to Gary, Indiana. He found work there to continue his occupation in millwork. It was said he also still went to town on Saturday night in his outfits. They say he was hardly noticed in the big city of Gary. When he became too old to continue working in the mill, he was retired without pension. There were no such things as pensions in those days. This "old nice guy" found work as a dishwasher in a restaurant of Gary. 

Nothing bad was ever said about Sam Vello. He was quite a character to many who knew or heard of him. He was a big part of Saturday night downtown in a peaceful if not prosperous time in Elwood, Indiana. 

The photo caption above reads, "Sam Belew." But his obituary from September 25, 1961, reads, "William 'Sam' Vello." It states he died at age 73 in Gary: "Vello, noted for his eccentric manner of dressing, left Elwood and was a retired employee of the Gary Sheet and Tin Mill."

This writing comes from people and articles telling about Sam in Elwood in the early 1930's. Thanks to the late Ray Striker, my late grandfather, Wilbert Wise, and articles in the Elwood Call-Leader.

Estel E. Harney '62
West of Anderson, IN