POLIO STRIKES TWO AT SMITHVILLE

On April 8, 1948, the Bloomington (Indiana) World Telephone reported that Betty Kay Fox, the 8-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Forrest Fox, and Nancy Jo Axsom, the 2-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Axsom, had fallen victim to polio. Both families lived in Smithville and both children were taken to Riley Hospital.  Betty Kay was placed in an iron lung and was in critical condition.  Dr. George Mitchell is credited with having saved the girls’ lives with his rapid and accurate diagnosis.

Polio has been around since the late 1700s.   By the 20^th century  most cases occurred in children six months to four years of age.  In the 1950s, the peak age shifted from very young children to children aged five to nine.  By 1952, the incidence of polio in the U. S. reached epidemic levels, the worst in the nation’s history.  Nearly 58,000 cases were reported that year.  Some died, others were left with mild to disabling paralysis.  With the widespread use of polio vaccine in the mid-1950s’ the incidence of polio declined dramatically.

William H. Silvers a Veteran of the Korean War

William Hobart Silvers was born in Monroe County, Indiana, to William Hobart and Hazel (Loveless) Silvers. In 1948 he graduated from Smithville High School.  Not long afterward he married Carolyn Humphrey, a 1949 graduate of Smithville and the daughter of Curtis and Inez (Murphy) Humphrey.

In October 1952, William was sent to Korea to fight in the war. He was there for a year serving in the 35^th Tank Company where he earned a Combat Infantryman badge.  By the time he returned to the states in October 1953, he also held the UN and Korean Service Ribbons.

Carolyn died on July 24, 2003, leaving as her survivors two sons and one daughter: Dan and Scott of Bedford and Melanie of Bloomington.  She is buried in Clear Creek Cemetery.   Although Bill’s current location is not known, it is believed that he is yet living.

 

Smithville Graduates 1948

Smithville School’s very first year book was published in 1936.  After 1950, it was published annually, but until then there were several years in which no year book was published, notably during the war years.

 Although Smithville did have a year book in 1948, the names of graduates were also identified in the local newspaper.  This was typical in the day for all of the county’s high schools.

On page 1 of the Bloomington World Telephone published April 22, 1948, was a list of Smithville’s graduates along with information about the ceremony that was held in the high school gymnasium.  Principal Solon Long spoke during the commencement exercises.

Seniors receiving their diplomas were:  Betty Lou Young, Robert Cracraft, David Sherlock, Freda Blackwell, Doris Harrell, Gerald May, Betty Axsom, Robert Myers, Darlene Stewart, Junior Silvers, Arvetta Waldrip, Paul Thrasher, Louise Axsom, Phyllis Baugh, Clarence Butcher, Dale Deckard, Henrietta Hillenburg, Robert Freeman, Willard Carl Stewart and Sue Mitchell.

Frank Hill:

Frank Hill was born June 7, 1907, in Paynetown to Richard and Helen (Mobley) Hill. Together with his wife, Gwendolyn (Isom) Hill, he had at least two children: Delight and Orval. After completing high school, he attended college and completed a B. S. degree from Central Normal College, now known as Indiana State University. After completing his degree became a teacher at Smithville School where he was also the coach for a time.

As an adult, Frank was rather on the small side and wore glasses. One might not think of him as an exceptional coach, but in the 1944-45 academic year he proved that he had what it takes. In the previous year, led by a different coach, the basketball team won no games; in 1944-45, with Frank as coach, the Skibos had already won eight of twelve games and was considered one of the outstanding developments in southern Indiana basketball when Frank was inducted into the Navy.

After serving his country, Frank returned to the place of his birth and continued to teach and eventually became a principal. He was still living in Monroe County when Gwen died on July 25, 1993. Sometime afterward he located in Marion County, Indiana, where his daughter resided. She was by that time married to Paul Engleman.

Frank died on January 14, 2001, in Indianapolis. His remains were shipped to the Day Funeral Home in Bloomington, and they arranged for his burial in Valhalla Cemetery by the side of his wife.

Ralp B. Carter Wore Many Hats

Ralph B. Carter (February 8, 1876-November 9, 1918) was once among the prominent men of Smithville. His father, Wilford Carter, was a native of Jackson County who settled in Smithville soon after it was established and opened a grocery.

In 1895, when Wilford was 72 and Ralph was 20, Wilford died.  Ralph took over the store and began publishing a newspaper called the Name It and Take It.

Not long afterward, Ralph became interested in a newfangled thing called telephones. In addition to the printing press, he added a switchboard to the store but sold the building and its stock of groceries to Robert Taylor in 1900.  When the store was destroyed by arson in 1901, the switchboard was the only thing saved.  The loss of the printing press interrupted the availability of Smithville’s newspaper for a time.

In 1904, Ralph married Alma Ross, the daughter of Wilson Ross who, like Ralph’s father, was a Smithville merchant. By that time Ralph was in charge of Monroe County’s telephone lines that encompassed the entire south portion of the county.

A few years later, in 1908, Ralph once again began publishing a Smithville newspaper renamed the Smithville News. But telephones and newspapers weren’t Ralph’s only area of interest.  He “built a pike,” played the clarinet in Smithville’s band, and in 1913 with the assistance of Homer Eads and Silas Siscoe he repaired the leaky dome of the nearly new courthouse.  He was also considered the “high chief operator” of the town clock until his death and afterwards it was noted that the clock no longer kept good time.

A decade later, when Ralph was the “principal owner of the Citizens Telephone Company in Ellettsville, he moved his family, which included his wife and four children, to Bloomington. That same year, at the age of 42, he was required to register for the draft of WWI.  That was in September.  A short time later, in November, he fell ill with the flu and died.

His wife never remarried. She raised the four Carter children as a single parent and died in 1937.  Both Ralph and Alma are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.

SMITHVILLE SKIBOWS 1944-45

Not long after Smithville’s 2016 high school class reunion, Gene Paul Morgan, class of 1957, donated several cabinet photos of various Smithville students and a large group photo of the 1944-45 basketball team to the Red Men Museum and History Center.  The museum was delighted to receive the team pictures because there was no yearbook published in 1944-45 due to the ongoing war.

Rosemary (Hill) Wisley, class of 1951, was able to identify all but one of the players.  They are noted below:

• Front Row:  Gene Pennington; Ralph Nellinger; John Brinegar; Lew Hill; Roger Kelly
• Middle Row:  Solon Long, principal; Calvin Inman; Boyd Owings; unknown; Oral Wisley; Clyde Hale; Mr. Hudson, coach
• Back Row:  Paul Fiddler; Jim Brinegar; Bill Philpot; Ancil Chasteen; Gerald May; Woodrow Hueston

If you have pictures of Smithville people or places and would like to make them available to the museum, we would be delighted to have them.  Make sure, however, that all photographs are properly identified. Likewise, if you have any Smithville artifacts, please consider the museum as a final destination.

The museum and history center is open the first Monday of every month from noon to 4 PM and the second Saturday of every month from 10 AM to 2 PM.  We would love to have you visit us.

Smithville Class of ’66 Holds 50-Year Reunion

On Friday evening, June 24, the Smithville High School graduating class of 1966 met in the community room at Red Men Hall Museum and History Center for their 50^th class reunion.  There were 39 seniors in that class and five have passed into the great beyond:  Robert Cazee, Kathy Gilliatt, Bob Lemmons, Joan (Mosier) Myers and John Perry.

The remaining members of the class were:  Linda (Bartlett) Bradlyn, Dan Blackwell,  Dan Blake, Don Cain, Don Crum, Don Fowler, Robert Heichelbach, Roger Hillenburg, Betty Jacobs, Darlene Cracraft, Teresa (Johnston) Swafford, Della (Krebbs) Rushton, Roger Krebbs, Bonnie (Fish) Davis, Ruth Ann (Kinser) Vaught, Michael Kirkman, Robert Litherland, Dwight Lucas, Toni Matacale, Phillip and Sharon McGlothlin, Joan (Mosier) Myers, Ralph Osborne, Richard Richardson, Dan Robertson, Gordon Southern, Susan (Sowders) Bland, Gary Sowders, Fred Stillions, Don Sylvester, Linda (Thrasher) Harper, Roger Todd, John Watson and Ernest Wilkerson.

Of those yet living, 19 class members with their spouses gathered to reminisce about old times and renew acquaintances.  Ricki and Ernie Wilkerson hosted the event and provided many trays of delicious finger foods.  Ricki took pictures and played a DVD of the class reunion made about 15 years ago on the Hall’s new large screen TV.  It was amazing to see how we have changed.

Many of the alumni enjoyed a visit upstairs at the museum and history center and a number of the alumni made donations of artifacts including:  Bob Heichelbach, a photo of the graduating class in their caps and gowns; Sharon McGlothlin, her senior cords and a class sweater; and Ernie Wilkerson, a framed photo of the class trip to Washington, D. C.  These items have since been accessioned and are now on display.

On Saturday night, the following evening, the class of ’66 was honored at the school’s alumni banquet.  The attendance was just a little under 200, and the old school gym was beautifully decorated for the occasion.