Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 6 February 2003 — Page 17

The Muncie Times, February 6, 2003, page 17

MLK ESSAYS

building a new school in Muncie - Northside High School (now known as Northside Middle School.)

2) Did you make any big changes in Civil Rights? “I helped break the ‘color - line’ on the Muncie Fire Department, so that African Americans would be hired by the fire department.” 3) Have any changes that you helped make in Civil Rights made African-American families’ lives better? “After helping to change the hiring practices of the Muncie Fire Department, I helped support the legislation that created the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, so he could be honored as a great African American. I have learned through talking with Mr. Goodall just what amazing things one can accomplish in one’s lifetime, and how much one person can affect the lives of others! The way Mr. Goodall has chosen to live hh life should be an inspiration to all people who set goals in their life. How is it possible to succeed and carry out these goals? Mr. Goodall has shown us that you can use peaceful resourcefulness to make our community a better place to work and

to live! I personally hope to make a difference, in my lifetime, that would help others succeed in carrying out their goals. I will use Mr. Hurley Goodall as one of my leading role models.

Hurley Goodall

Hurley Goodall and the Civil Rights Act By Kayla Holt 6th Grade Wilson Middle School The Civil Rights Act was the law that banned people from doing bad acts towards people because of their color, race, religion, or gender. This act started in 1866 and is still going on to this day. It also protects the rights of freedom to seek employment, vote, use hotels, parks and other public places. This act forbids discrimination by any program who receives money from the federal government. Also the act lets the government be able to sue any school who chooses not to

desegregate. The law took a 75 day debate in the senate. Civil Rights is something that has been an important law from many decades. During the time of the Civil War, thirty to forty “black only” communities existed in Indiana. There were an estimated three million blacks who lived in Indiana in the years before and while the Civil War was going on. There were also more than 186,000 blacks who served in the Union army in the Civil War. Hurley Goodall, a retired Indiana State Representative from Delaware County has done a great deal of research involving the Civil War. Mr. Goodall’s study and his writings have helped the Civil Rights Movement not just in Indiana, but in our nation as well. Hurley Goodall received the money to do his studying from a grant given to residents living in Indiana who wanted to study the Underground Railroad. 13,000 dollars was given in grant money from the Indian Freedom trails Organization. (IFTO). The IFTO has, worked hard to study how blacks traveled through the State of Indiana while the Civil War was going on. Grown men would stuff themselves into compartments the size of

a steamer trunk to travel miles away from home to freedom. This freedom for slaves was known as the Underground Railroad. Slaves would be helped by whites who were against slavery by putting slaves in storage boxes built underneath wagon seats. Other slaves would travel by walking at night using the streams and stars as a guide. All of the slaves were afraid of being caught, beaten and in some cases - killed. Mr. Goodall found that many of the relatives of slaves passed these stories along in their family histories. Mr. Goodall read many of these reports and stories about the slaves and their families. While Mr. Goodall was looking at the old records, he was surprised to read the names of James and Belle Kelley. They were listed as slaves who had been rescued to freedom by the Underground Railroad. Mr. Goodall remembered that Mrs. Kelley had been his Sunday School teacher when he was a young boy. It made him realize how close he had been to slavery. Realizing this and other things he had learned while studying about slavery made him appreciated his freedom even more. It also made him want to work hard for the Civil Rights Act.

Mr. Goodall spent more than 200 hours writing this book. In his book, he reminds other people of the need to understand why slavery happened and to make sure it does not happen again.

Hurley Goodall By Kyla McKillip 4th Grade Claypool Elementary Mr. Swallow December 11, 2002 Hurley Goodall was born in Muncie on May 23, 1927 to Hurley Charles and Dorene Mukes Goodall. Hurley was the second of three sons. His father died in 1930, and his mother had few job skills. Hurley graduated from Muncie Central High School in 1945, and joined the U.S. Army. Hurley served the U.S. Army until 1947. In 1948, he married Fredine Wynn and they had two sons. Hurley Jr. and Fred. After leaving the Army, he worked at Muncie Malleable Foundry Company. He left the Foundry Company in 1958 to join the Fire Department until he retired in 1978. He was one of two African Americans selected to serve on the Fire Department. He was the first African American to serve on the Muncie Community Schools Board of Education. He worked as an Administrative Assistants cont... on next page