TERRE HAUTE — Talk about a catharsis.
When the Tribune-Star published its original Terre Haute’s Top 40 series four summers ago, readers responded in waves. The idea of telling the stories behind unique virtues of this community unleashed a stream of pent-up pride. In a place that once wore derisive labels such as “Sin City” and “Nowhere, USA,” the urge to boast about this town is often repressed.
So in 2005, Tribune-Star Editor Max Jones conceived the Terre Haute’s Top 40 series as a way to remind folks of the things that define the city in a positive way.
After the conclusion, one reader summarized the thoughts of dozens who wrote in, saying, “Thanks for the Terre Haute’s Top 40 series. My wife and I moved here in 1988 and love this town. We found that many who lived here seemed to focus a little more on what they didn’t like about the community, as opposed to what was great about the community.”
Some choices, by Jones and the Trib-Star staff, were no-brainers, such as Deming Park, the late Tony Hulman and the Indiana Theatre. Others were subtle or obscure, such as the Carmelite Monastery, Square Donuts and the National Heritage Trail.
Yet all are special and unique to Terre Haute, and that was the criteria. Some people, places and things on our nominations list didn’t make the final Top 40 — a number chosen then, because it was familiar (thanks to Casey Kasem) and comfortable (not too large, not too small). Those left off the list didn’t miss the cut because they weren’t valuable, treasured local assets; many were just that. But the idea was to pinpoint things found nowhere else, or aspects that link the outside world to Terre Haute in a distinct, positive way.
This summer, Jones and the Trib-Star staff are revisiting the Top 40 by adding five more entries. Stories about that special quintet will be published on each Sunday this month, beginning with today’s spotlight on Ivy Tech Community College.
“Why stop at 40?” Jones said last week, explaining the expansion.
Plus, he added, “a lot has changed in five years.”
Indeed, one Top 40 entry — Mother Theodore Guerin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence — became a saint of the Catholic Church in 2006. Local employer BMG Columbia House — which included a record club that linked music buyers from around the world to its Terre Haute plant — announced earlier this year that its local outlet would close.
Ivy Tech’s addition to the Top 40 exemplifies the community’s evolution. The struggling economy and the skyrocketing cost of higher education has boosted enrollment at the Terre Haute campus, thanks to its affordability and accessibility to both young students and second-career adults.
The four subsequent Top 40 newcomers may surprise a few folks, satisfy others, or irritate some. Those reactions were common when the original list ran in 2005. The majority of respondents liked the idea, if not all 40 selections. The series won a Community Service Award from the Hoosier State Press Association. Other newspapers asked “about what we did and how we did it,” Jones said.
“It felt good to know there was so much positive reaction to it,” he said. “People appreciated it and agreed — agreed with our intent. Some people took issue with some of our choices, and that’s OK.”
One point should be clarified: Even with the five new entries and a new total of 45 (none of the originals has been removed), the name of the series will remain Terre Haute’s Top 40. And, in a few years when the series adds another handful, it still will be called the Top 40.
“It’s sort of like the Big Ten,” Jones quipped about a college sports conference composed of 11 schools.
Readers wishing to review the original list can go to the Terre Haute’s Top 40 link on the newspaper’s Web site www.tribstar.com. Suggestions or comments can be sent via e-mail to opinion@tribstar.com.
Mark Bennett can be reached at (812) 231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Related Photos
Discussion
Terre Haute's Top 40: Special, new quintet emerges because ‘a lot has changed’
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Water rescuers
Emergency personnel wheel a man who was removed from a vehicle that had been driven into the water at Crystal Lake on Boston Avenue near 14th Street at about 9 p.m. Friday.
-
For many, camping outdoors is the way to beat the heat, enjoy nature
Stringing up fishing poles in the shade of American flags, households full of Hoosiers are packing into parks across the state this weekend.
-
Towns along National Road readying for next week’s miles-long yard sale
Stretching 824 miles from Baltimore to St. Louis, the National Road — known as U.S. 40 through Indiana — will soon be the host site for perhaps the longest bargain market in the country.
-
Rose grads honoring late president Branam at commencement today
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Class of 2012 will honor the memory of Matt Branam during today’s commencement ceremony by wearing special pins with the phrase “Make It Happen; Make It Fun,” a favorite saying of the former Rose-Hulman president, who died unexpectedly on April 20.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 26, 2012
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday and Friday, based on jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers but are not final until the Vigo County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
-
A fallen soldier returns home
An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Arronn D. Fields early Thursday morning at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
-
Official touts trade with northern neighbor
A top Canadian diplomat told a Terre Haute audience Thursday his country was “disappointed” when President Obama at least temporarily rejected a proposed transcontinental oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas.
-
Caution urged for summer’s kickoff
Lane restrictions in construction zones on Interstate 70 and other highways around the state will be lifted to accommodate holiday travel for the Memorial Day Weekend.
-
Letters delivered
Several positions will be eliminated this summer at the Terre Haute mail processing facility as the U.S. Postal Service begins moving the operation to Indianapolis, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman has confirmed.
-
Companies seek Vigo tax abatements
Two Vigo County companies are seeking tax abatements for expansion projects, one of which is included as part of a county incentive package.
-
High-speed chase suspect caught in West Virginia
The suspect in a cross-country, high-speed chase originating in Terre Haute last week was reportedly in federal custody Thursday evening.
-
Second victim of deadly I-70 semi-trailer crash identified
The Vigo County Coroner’s Office has identified the passenger of a semi-tractor crash on May 16 in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near the 12-mile marker.
- VIGO COUNTY JAIL LOG: May 22-24, 2012
-
Burn ban in effect for Vigo County through holiday weekend
Vigo County officials have issued a burn ban effective Thursday and remains in effect until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
-
Brazil remembers a Fallen Son
A small town seemed sadly quiet Wednesday, waiting to honor a local fallen warrior.
-
ISU OKs four-year degree guarantee
Indiana State University has announced a four-year “graduation guarantee” for students enrolling this fall and beyond.
-
Dems tout good side of compromise
Indiana Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson, chosen to run as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate John Gregg, said during a stop Wednesday in Terre Haute that bipartisan experience is a key factor in creating jobs and legislation to help Hoosiers statewide.
-
Motorcyclist dies, motorist charged after accident
A Terre Haute man has died of injuries he sustained in a two-motorcycle, one-car crash that also injured another motorcyclist late Tuesday. The incident has led to the arrest of the car’s driver.
-
Grant money will help replace Collett Park area tree canopy
A combination of city funds and a state grant is allowing TREES Inc. and the city of Terre Haute to plant 100 trees next year to replace a storm-destroyed street-tree canopy in the Collett Park neighborhood.
-
Schools surpass goal for Riley
The lives of about 5,000 children in Vigo County are touched each year by Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, and now, the Riley Children’s Foundation has been touched with gratitude by students in the Vigo County School Corp.
-
Historic preservation proposal discussed during open forum
More than three dozen people turned out Wednesday to ask questions about a proposed Terre Haute ordinance that would set up a formal process to preserve historic properties in the city.
-
Banks of the Wabash workers getting festival ready to roll
Concession stands and amusement rides lined the lawn, waiting for a crowd.
-
Search on for Gibault walkaway
The Indiana State Police are seeking help in finding a juvenile who they say walked away from a Vigo County treatment facility Sunday evening.
-
Graduate college in four years? ISU ‘guarantees’ it
Indiana State University has announced a four-year graduation guarantee for students enrolling this fall and beyond.
-
School bus crashes into central Indiana home
A school bus rumbled through the backyard of a suburban Indianapolis home and crashed into the side of the house.
-
Markets swoon, oil prices fall as anxiety about Europe takes hold
The threat of a financial crisis spreading from Europe shook markets on Wednesday. The euro dropped to a nearly two-year low against the dollar. Oil prices sank to their lowest this year, and stocks took another fall.
-
The closing of St. Ann Parish: Shuttered parish will help others live on
St. Ann Parish celebrated its last Mass on Sunday.
-
Foreclosure lawsuit questions dog mayor
Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett said Tuesday he is “100 percent” certain the foreclosure suit filed against him by GMAC Mortgage on his eastside home will be resolved within the next “couple of weeks.”
-
TB case cause for concern, not panic
A suspected case of tuberculosis at a Vigo County middle school is cause for concern, but health officials are taking appropriate precautionary steps, says Union Hospital’s chief medical officer
Dr. John Bolinger said the suspected TB case at Woodrow Wilson Middle School “is a concern,” but Vigo County and state health departments “are there to handle situations like this. They’ll do the right thing.” -
Woodgate residents considering legal action
Residents came in force Tuesday to try to compel the Vigo County Board of Commissioners to change how a development is progressing near Woodgate subdivisions in southern Vigo County.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Dragon Arrives at Space Station in Historic 1st
Astronauts Enter World's 1st Private Supply Ship
Passenger Restrained on Flight to Miami Arrested
Police: Gunman Has Hostages in Realty Office
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Beer Here!: An Historic Exhibit
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Sudden Storm Topples Wisconsin Trees
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
FAMU Bandmates: Victim Volunteered to Be Hazed
Vegas Grocer Deported to Face War Crimes Charges
Colorado College Student Shot While Trespassing
Will Smith & Josh Brolin on "Men in Black 3"
80-Year-Old Skydiver's Nightmare Jump
JWoww Sizzles in a Black Bikini
Sliders on the Grill
Cruise ship crunch
Backstage With Beyonce
Ultimate Creamy Potato Salad
Pope's Personal Butler Under Arrest
Jenny McCarthy's New Man
Tyler's Classic Coleslaw
Britney Spears Under X Factor Fire
Flesh-Eating Bacteria Victim Hits Milestone
Hurricanes and Heat Waves Across America
Kristen Stewart Is Red Hot
Shark Attacks Australian Fishing Boat
Bradley out for playoffs
Kayaker Survives Trip Over Washington Waterfall
Alison Brie Likes To Jog Naked
