It was with great dismay a few days ago when an e-mail came to my computer saying there was a possibility the Ernie Pyle State Historic Site in Dana could close permanently.
For those journalism veterans like me, Ernie Pyle is a true Indiana and American hero. He was arguably the greatest journalist to ever live. Some credit Pyle with helping keep the American spirit high during the dark times of World War II. It was his dispatches from the trenches that told the American people the real story of the war and how the soldiers kept their spirits high despite the odds.
Ernie Pyle is as much a Hoosier legend as Larry Bird or Theodore Dreiser or even the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway itself. He is Indiana.
Countless journalism awards are given in his name and the school of journalism in Bloomington — one of best in the nation — is named in his honor. Pyle is a true hero and his memory must be preserved. Though they are quickly disappearing, if you ask any World War II veteran about Pyle, they can tell you story after story. They can tell you how he was a “regular guy” like them and wanted to work where the battle was raging. He fit their mold.
There’s no doubt the state historic site in Dana is out of the way. It’s not on a main highway and the only hope of getting people there is from the major roads in the area. But is that a reason to let such an important piece of this country’s history just close its door? I say no.
Times of economic hardship have hit everything and everyone in this country and the historic site is no exception. There probably isn’t one good answer about how to save this place that is so crucial in American history.
But there has got to be a way.
When someone’s name is associated with an entire school at a leading national university, there has to be a way to preserve his legacy in Vermillion County. It is only fitting that Pyle was from Vermillion County. He was a country boy at heart who had one of the greatest gifts of writing ever seen on this planet. But his roots are rural and that in itself was probably one of the reasons his stories touched so many hearts during one of the darkest times in our nation’s history.
It seems to me that Indiana University, in conjunction with the state government, should at least try to find some avenue to help fund the memorial as well as find ways to get more people to come and see exactly what Pyle was all about.
Longtime curator Evelyn Hobson made the memorial what it is today. She worked tirelessly to make sure Pyle’s name continued to be in front of the public. Without her work, the memorial would not have been expanded to the fine facility it is today. I knew Evelyn very well during my years as editor of the newspaper in Clinton and worked alongside her when she kept the dream alive.
She brought in actor William Windom to help out the cause and his one-act play about Pyle was sensational.
One time, a windstorm swept through the county and blew down the signs along Indiana 63 that told drivers where the memorial was located. It took pressure from the newspaper just to get the state to replace those signs, but working with Evelyn, we got it done.
And then there were the fundraisers and souvenirs and just about anything else you could imagine to help preserve the site. She worked night and day because she had a passion for Pyle and knew the importance of his work and his place in American history.
It’s easy, as time goes by, to forget just how important Pyle was to Indiana and to the country in general. Many young journalists, if they aren’t from the Hoosier State, don’t know anything about Pyle. And that’s a shame. That’s the fault of the journalism community, however, it’s no reason to see Pyle’s boyhood home fade from the landscape.
In fact, just the opposite should be the case. Everyone from Indiana should sound the rallying cry to save this important piece of history. There has to be a way and the elected leaders and school officials should get together and try to figure something out. I’m sure the journalism community would be happy to lend a hand, as well.
The legacy of Ernie Pyle must be preserved for everyone to know and enjoy. This humble Hoosier literally changed America with his pen and typewriter. We owe it to his legacy to preserve that history for future generations to appreciate. Losing that legacy is just not acceptable.
Greg Little broke into journalism in the late 1970s as a sportswriter for The Terre Haute Tribune. He is currently publisher of The Gonzales Inquirer in Gonzales, Texas, but a Hoosier at heart. He can be reached at publisher@gonzalesinquirer.com.
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FLASHPOINT: Pyle legacy must be preserved at his Dana homeplace
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