Looking Back: 2000 — First Lady O’Bannon visits with Census tour
By Dorothy Jerse Special to the Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
Dorothy Jerse looks back at local history from 10, 25 and 50
years ago as reported in the Tribune and Tribune-Star.
2000
Indiana First Lady Judy O’Bannon visited The Meadows with the U.S. Census 2000 Road Tour Vehicle to encourage residents to fill out Census 2000 forms. The 30,000 Hoosiers not counted in 1990 had cost the state at least $10.8 million in federal funding.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology received a $1.2 million gift from the estate of the late Bernard and Gwendolyn Wernsing. Wernsing had been vice president of Terre Haute Savings Bank and manager of Roselawn Memorial Park.
Five of the 33 Center City downtown apartments were already rented — sight unseen because of continuing construction. Pfister & Co. managed the property for the city.
Patrick Ralston, executive director of the state Emergency Management Agency and many local and state officials held a day-long terrorism prevention and reaction training session for Vigo County.
Chuck Shutt and Tim Porter starred in the Community Theatre of Terre Haute’s production of “Inherit the Wind.” Anthony Carton was the director of the play based on the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925.
1985
The cleanup of snow, ice and flood damage in February had depleted the Vigo County Highway Department maintenance budget.
The Red Cross disaster team was taking applications from flood-ravaged residents in southern Vigo County.
There were 2,300 more people working in the Terre Haute Metropolitan area at the end of 1984 as compared to one year earlier. Non-manufacturing accounted for 95 percent of all gains.
The coaches of four high school basketball teams playing in the Terre Haute Regional tournament at Indiana State University Hulman Center were Tom Oliphant of L&M, John Heckman of Owen Valley, Pat Rady of Terre Haute South Vigo and Jon Hart of Dugger Union. L&M won the championship.
Anne Eichert, Karin Donaldson, Joyce Keenan, Phyllis White, Kathy Meany and Laurie Jun were the new officers of the Terre Haute Newcomers Club.
A group of inmates at the U.S. Penitentiary south of Terre Haute became members of the first prison chapter in Indiana of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
1960
Preliminary operation began at the Breed Plant of the Indiana & Michigan Electric Co. located 20 miles southeast of Terre Haute on the Wabash River. Homer A. Sager was the plant manager.
Indiana State Teachers College 27th annual Campus Revue enjoyed a three-night sold-out run. This all-student talent show featured 12 eighteen-minute skits. Irma Jean Staley and Barbara Williams were the directors.
T. Wade Markley succeeded Donald M. Byington as warden of the U.S. Penitentiary south of Terre Haute.
Fire destroyed the First Church of God building, 1401 Third Ave. The contents were a total loss; only the shell remained.
After the supply of repairable materials had been exhausted, Theodore Grob, Goodwill Industries Inc. director, appealed to Terre Haute residents for their discards to help keep Goodwill employees working.
The Union Hospital Alumni Association initiated plans to acquire space for a chapel at the hospital in memory of the late Dr. C. N. Combs. Dortha Payne was the association president and Betty Palmer chair of the chapel project.
