by Emily Armentrout

emily@thepaperofwabash.com

History Hunters holds monthly events hosted by the Wabash County Historical Museum, which allow people to come in and enjoy presentations on history by people who were actually a part of it. For the month of January, basketball legend Clyde Lovellette visited the History Hunters. Lovellette recounted events from his past about playing high school basketball in Indiana, fulfilling a prophecy at Kansas University, winning gold at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, success in the NBA and reaching kids here in Wabash County while working at White’s Family and Residential Services.

Lovellette entered the Wabash County Historical Museum the morning of his presentation, towering over everyone in attendance, standing 6 foot 9 inches tall. One can only imagine what it would be like facing a man with a presence like that on the basketball court, but Lovellette had a smile that let you know he was happy to share his story with the audience.

Lovellette began reminiscing about high school. As a freshman, he stood 6 foot 4, which was unusual back then, according to Lovellette.

“I don’t think there was a kid 6 foot when I was in high school,” Lovellette told The Paper.

With that type of size difference, Lovellette was an awkward teen. Basketball did not come naturally, even with his height.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

Northfield High School graduate and current junior at Indiana University Mackenzie Wright recently received Indiana University’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Building Bridges Award for her work promoting equality, diversity, and empowerment on the university’s campus and in its host city of Bloomington.

The award is given to one undergraduate student each year. Wright was selected from more than 30,000 students to receive the award based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrated passion for change or improvement to fulfill the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

• Demonstrated leadership in promoting equality, equity, diversity, and justice

• Demonstrated practices of respect and non-violence

• Demonstrated commitment to empowerment

• Developed innovative measures for the advancement of diversity

Among other things, Wright was selected because of her volunteer work with Middle Way House, an organization dedicated to helping victims of domestic and sexual violence escape abusive situations and build a new life for themselves and their family. Wright was placed with the organization for her four years as an undergraduate through her Cox Engagement Scholarship.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

Thursday Night Blues kicks off Jan. 30 with Dr. Duke Tumatoe and the Power Trio, the first of the series’ three shows. The Power Trio, made up of James Hill on keyboard, Joseph “G.I. Joe” Maddox on drums, and A.J. Jones on bass, will join Duke on stage at 7:30 p.m.

Growing up in Chicago in the 1950s, Duke grew up listening to blues. At 10, he started playing drums, and when he was 13, he heard Muddy Waters for the first time.

“He was rehearsing in a nightclub and I was out in the alley with a friend of mine,” said Duke “I was so moved, I wanted my whole life to be able to be as invested in the music as he was. He would be in the room playing the song, but he was not in the room at all. He was someplace else.”

This was perhaps the single most influential experience in Duke’s early life.

“I don’t have the same voice he had and I don’t approach the guitar the same way he did, but the essence of his energy affected me and was one of the prime motivating things in my career.”

Shortly after, he picked up guitar. He knew that his life would be music, and to this day, hasn’t held a “real job” outside of his music.

“It’s the kind of music I grew up listening to,” said Duke. “That’s what I grew up playing and that’s what I dedicated my life to without even thinking about it.”

by Shaun Tilghman

Joel Harman, D.C., recently took the reins at Manchester Family Chiropractic, located at 110 N. Walnut St., following the retirement of former owner Dr. David Rodriguez. Dr. Harman practices the same techniques as his predecessor, but he also incorporates a more multidisciplinary approach when it comes to patient care.

Although he grew up in a family where visits to the chiropractor were the norm, and he himself relied on a chiropractor’s services multiple times, Dr. Harman didn’t have an interest in a career in chiropractics until high school.

“My chiropractor back home was very sports oriented, and he was even the team physician for a lot of sports teams in the area,” Harman said. “During my junior year of basketball I suffered a very severe ankle injury. I did the rehab with my physical therapist for 6-8 weeks and at that time it was feeling okay and I could stand on it, but as far as mobility it was very limited. My chiropractor then asked me to let him adjust my ankle.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

In mid-November, John Boardman was mowing his lawn when he noticed a visitor near his home. The visitor was about 35 pounds, tan in color, and what John believed to be a cocker spaniel. John’s cousin, who lives on Shady Lane Drive, had seen the visitor before, but was never able to get very close. The little guy stuck around, often hanging out near the crest of a hill at the edge of the Boardman property.

“I called the animal shelter after a few days,” said John. They had gotten calls about this dog, but they couldn’t get close enough to catch it after trying several times. The dog was scared of everything and everybody, and he never got within 100 feet of a person.”

Animals roaming around the south side of town was not unusual according to John, who recounted multiple run-ins with stray cats, for which he keeps a cage in the basement. Something about this little dog, however, stuck with John and his wife Marilyn. They could tell he was wearing a collar, and they knew someone must be wondering where their pet was.

Charley Creek Inn will play host to The Trifecta on Saturday, Jan. 25. The Trifecta is an evening of shopping, wine and chocolate tasting.
The Trifecta will be held in the Big Four Ballroom from 5—8 p.m.

Midwest blues legend Duke Tumatoe, an early member of REO Speedwagon, kicks off the 2014 Thursday Night Blues: Live At The Eagles Theatre series when the Avon resident takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, for the first in a three-show series at the historic Wabash theatre. The Blues series is welcomed by Mi Tunes 101.9 and 105.9 The Bash, and sponsored by the Noisemaker Music Store and Rhoads Window Shop.

The L.I.F.E. Center of Wabash County will be holding their annual Rally for Life on Sunday, Jan. 19 at the Wabash Middle School auditorium. The program will begin at 2 p.m., followed by the walk to Falls Cemetery in commemoration of Roe vs. Wade. At the cemetery, ralliers will remember the children that have been lost to abortion, miscarriage or any other types of illness. The public is welcome to join this event.

Recently, the L.I.F.E. Center has welcomed a new member, Penny. Penny’s main job is to help the center raise the funds needed for a new facility. The center has run out of space in their current location. They are currently working out of one room for their consultations and ultra sounds. They are hoping to find a place that allows them enough room to multiple consultations and have a room for ultrasounds and also to house their Earn While You Learn program.