Banner Graphic, Volume 15, Number 262, Greencastle, Putnam County, 27 June 1985 — Page 1

A hospital gown top is more than a souvenir to 16-year-old Michael Burge of South Central High School, one of 40 athletes who received punting and place-kicking instruction from Nick Mourouzis and other coaches at DePauw University earlier in the week. Burge became the youngest heart transplant patient in the history of Methodist Hospital on March 9. He hopes to play football again for South Central High by taking up the art of kicking. Burge came to Greencastle at Mourouzis' invitation. (Banner-Graph-ic photo by Bob Frazier).

Campers take kicks to heart

By ERIC BERNSEE Banner-Graphic Managing Editor To say Nick Mourouzis has a soft spot for Michael Burge is an understatement. To say the DePauw University football coach has a soft spot in his heart for the 16-year-old is right on. The teen-ager was one of 40 boys from five states who finished up Mourouzis’ kicking camp this week. And although Burge couldn’t punt like DPU grad Dave Finzer of the Chicago Bears or kick placements like a European soccer star, Mourouzis knew he was somebody special. JUST 3»£ MONTHS AGO, Burge became the youngest recipient of a heart transplant ever at Methodist Hospital. Suffering from cardiomyopathy, a chronic deterioration of the heart, Michael received the heart of a 30-year-old Florida man on March 9. This past week he was kicking a football. And Mourouzis was both amazed and proud. The DePauw football coach, who himself spent last summer recovering from springtime heart bypass surgery, was drawn to Burge after learning that the Hanna, Ind., youngster was a varsity football player. “I had written Michael after he had his operation back on March 9,” Mourouzis said earlier this week. “I did it more or less to pep him up a little bit. “THEN, I READ THAT he was going to go back home and still try and play football, and that he was to try kicking because he couldn’t very well play any other position. That’s when I invited him down to our kicking camp.” Burge, a junior-to-be at South Central High School in LaPorte County, had never had any formal kicking training before spending part of the week in Greencastle. But the teen-ager is used to setbacks.

Humidity, humility Partly cloudy, warm and humid with a 30 per cent chance of evening thunderstorms. Low in the upper 60s to low 70s. A 40 per cent chance of thunderstorms on Friday. Humid Friday, with high in the upper 80s. By The Associated Press Saturday through Monday: Chance of thundershowers Saturday and partly cloudy Sunday and Monday. Lows from the middle 50s to the lower 60s with highs from the middle 70s to the lower 80s Saturday and Sunday. Lows mainly in the 60s with highs in the lower and middle 80s Monday. Abby ** Calendar A 5 Classifieds AIO.AH Comics A 7 Crossword A *® Heloise A 5 Horoscope AII Obituaries Al 2 People A 7 Sports A8.A9.A10 I*y A 6 llieaters Al 2

Banner Graphic Greencastle, Putnam County, Thursday, June 27,1985, Vol. 15 No. 262 25 Cents

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Doggedly destructive

By DAVID BARR Banner-Graphic Civic Affairs Editor Dogs and people got near-equal billing as their rights and responsibilities were examined during a Farm Bureausponsored dinner meeting Wednesday evening at Mathena Manor. The meeting was one in a series dealing with public affairs in relation to tax structures and concerned matters under the auspices of the Local Affairs Committee of the Farm Bureau. TAKING PART IN Wednesday night’s meeting was a panel composed of Mark Legan, Extension agent; Vemie Zeiner, Putnam County sanitarian; Judge Sally Gray of Putnam County Court and Putnam County Assessor Charlotte Gould. The overall emphasis was on animal welfare with its effect on the human element. Legan prefaced his remarks by noting the change in meaning of animal confinement over the years. At one time, livestock was confined to relatively small acreages and the waste problem was for the most part non-existent. It was a compatible neighborhood situation. The pattern changed when more city dwellers moved to urban areas and

Daze Work

Doctors had warned his family of his deteriorating heart. And when a transplant was agreed upon, finding a suitable donor was no trip to the nearest Hook’s. The heart donor had to be under 35 years of age and weigh only about 140 pounds and live within 1,500 miles of Methodist Hospital in order that the organ could be transplanted without risking tissue damage. Michael was eligible for weeks before the prayers of Frank and Avis Burge were answered. “We got lucky,” admitted his father, a man who had previously endured a five-bypass operation. BUT WHILE HIS PARENTS would have been relieved enough just to know their son’s health had been restored, the athlete inside Michael wanted a little more. He could have stood around in street clothes and just watched the others aim for the goalposts or punt skyward. But instead, he became an active participant, either listening to Mourouzis’ every word or trying his own foot at placements. “His attitude has been fantastic,” Mourouzis praised. “He even joked about different things. We took the rest of the group in swimming and he wanted to go too. So he said, ‘I Col. 3, back page, this section

Man's best friend can be one of farmer's worst enemies

animals moved into smaller confinement units. Here the smell, noise and rodents have swelled into a neighborhood problem. LEGAN REFERRED TO various legislation from the Stream Pollution Board in relation to run-off from farm chemicals or animal waste, and it is expected that this control will be beefed up in the near future. A similar forecast was voiced by Zeiner as he spoke on the effect on public health, stating that the problem could become more critical as populations become more congested. Concerning farm-related pollution in streams and water supplies, Zeiner said that the pressing question is how much of this run-off is carried over into the human food chain. Zeiner foresees more Stream Pollution and Environmental Protection Agency controls to be instituted in the not-too distant future. Third panelist Judge Gray stressed the liability of animal owners for damages which result when such animals are not properly controlled. A DOG MAY BE MAN’S best friend, she said, but this doesn’t give blanket approval

Guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter by Haltom

By BARBARACARHART Banner-Graphic Staff Writer Seventeen-year-old Terry A. Haltom Wednesday afternoon pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter involving the operation of a motor vehicle (a class D felony) during a hearing in Putnam Circuit Court. Haltom, 713 Castleton Drive, Greencastle, has previously admitted being at the wheel of the 1978 Chevrolet truck which struck and killed Gina Dawn Sutherlin, 17, Greencastle, in an April 12 accident on East Washington Street between McDonald’s Restaurant and the high school. THE COURT ACCEPTED a plea agreement between the state and defense counsel Stephen S. Pierson which included the dismissal of the original charge of reckless homicide (class Cfelony). Special Judge Mary Lee Comer of the Hendricks Superior Court I, who assumed jurisdiction over the case from special judge Ernest Yelton of the Clay Circuit Court, read the defendant his rights and indicated that the class D felony carries a maximum penalty of four years imprisonment. A sentencing hearing in the case is set for 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1 in Putnam Circuit Court. As part of the plea agreement,

Quarter-of-a-million bond for rape suspect

By BARBARA CARHART Banner-Graphic Staff Writer A preliminary plea of not guilty was entered and bond of $250,000 cash was set Wednesday afternoon for Gary A. Stwalley, 25, Route 1, Box 392, Cloverdale, during an initial hearing in Putnam Circuit Court. STWALLEY IS CHARGED wit the June 24 rape of a 12-year-old Putnamville girl and the burglary of her parents’ U.S. 40 home. In addition, the state has filed a third count-child molesting while armed with a deadly weapon (class A felony). Putnam Circuit Court Judge William C. Vaughn 111 appointed Stephen S. Pierson as Stwalley’s pauper counsel and set an omnibus hearing date for Aug. 21.

Epilepsy Services seeking Putnam support group

Indiana Epilepsy Services area consultant Sandy McDaniel is seeking persons in the Putnam County area who would like to start a support/awareness group. “I AM SURE THAT there are persons in the Putnam County area who would like to attend such meetings, but it is difficult for them to get to Vigo County where there is a support group,” she said. There have been groups, such as the Vigo County one, started recently in the Parke/Vermillion county areas, and also another one for those from the Sullivan/Owen/Greene county areas.

for the animal to wander at large. It becomes the owner’s responsibiltiy for damage which may result. Although a dog is wearing a tag indicating its owner has paid the necessary fee, this is not license to wander scot-free, the panelist said. There is, however, some recourse, she said. If an untagged dog causes damage, the liability of its owner is substantially increased over what it would have been for a tagged animal. A NUMBER OF FACTORS determine the liability of a dog owner, Gray said. Liability exists when the owner knowingly allows a potentially-dangerous animal to wander at large. The statute determining dog liability is extended to include harboring as well as ownership. There are defenses built into the law which provides owner some protection when circumstances beyond the control of a prudent person exists. Putnam County Assessor Gould said that dog tax money goes to township trustees who have an obligation to collect it. Any excess of this amount over S3OO must be turned over to the state. IF, HOWEVER, DOG damage in the

You'd better be sober... PUTNAMVILLE-Indiana State Police at Putnamville will be setting up a sobriety checkpoint at an undisclosed location in Putnam County this weekend, Sgt. George Schneider has announced. Vehicles will be stopped and drivers tested on the scene to determine whether they have been drinking. The sobriety testing is another element of the crackdown on drunken driving implemented by the State Police.

both the state and counsel agreed that any sentence of imprisonment the court chooses to impose will be suspended and that “both sides are free to make argument to the court on the issue of whether or not the court should elect to treat the class D felony as a class A misdemeanor.” THE COURT IS NOT, however, bound to accept the agreement between the attorneys.

Noting that the defendant is charged with two A felonies and one B felony, the court indicated the maximum prison term for an A felony is 50 years and the maximum sentence for a B felony is 20 years. STWALLEY WAS ARRESTED Tuesday evening by Det. Sgt. Jack Hanlon of the Indiana State Police after the victim had positively identified him in a mug book. The defendant’s red Chevy Luv truck, court documents indicate, was seen leaving the victim’s residence at 8:30 a.m. Monday. Allegedly armed with a knife, Stwalley reportedly entered the home, ordered the victim into her bedroom, undressed her and forced her to have sexual intercourse.

Since it is difficult for those wishing to attend to get to the other locations, an attempt to start such a group in Putnam County is needed. This will provide those citizens who have epilepsy, their families and friends, and any other interested person the opportunity to learn and understand more about epilepsy. Meetings are designed to provide information and education to the population regarding the facts about epilepsy. Epilepsy affects more Americans than cancer, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Col. 4, back page, this section

trustee’s township should exceed the specified S3OO, state money will be returned to take care of the overage. The state’s return is made in July so some with claims filed earlier in the year may have to wait for their money. Using 1984 as an example, the assessor said that trustees of Putnam County had collected $3,100 from dog tags, while in the same period claims for damage amounted to $2,900. The S2OO excess was filed with the, state where it may be used in other areas where the relationship of damage to funds is less favorable. Presiding at the Wednesday night meeting were William Rowings, Putnam Farm Bureau president, and Noble C. Fry, Local Affairs chairman for the Farm Bureau and coordinator of the meeting. Moderator of the panel was Bill Howard of Indiana Farm Bureau Inc. In attendance were other Farm Bureau district and area officials. INVITED GUESTS INCLUDED Putnam County elected officials who were given county government statistical reports which are prepared annually by the state organization.

Judge Yelton assumed jurisdiction over the case from Putnam Circuit Court Judge William C. Vaughn 111 after Vaughn excused himself from the case citing the court’s relationship with the Putnam County Court bailiff Carol Tucker, the victim’s mother. The Clay Circuit Court judge presided over the waiver hearing, after which he decided to waive Haltom to adult court. In his decision, Judge Yelton said it was in the best interests of the defendants to stay within the juvenile system but that it was “not in the best interests of the community for him to so remain. ” While Miss Sutherlin and a female friend were walking back to Greencastle High School on their lunch hour, Haltom allegedly swerved his truck into the direction of the pedestrians in an attempt to scare them. Miss Sutherlin was subsequently struck and died a few hours later of massive internal injuries at Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis, where she was taken via Lifeline helicopter after the 11 a.m. accident. THE INCIDENT HAS HAD ramifications within the Greencastle School System as well, as the school board recently voted to close the campus, commencing with the start of the 1985-86 school year.

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KELLY GIBSON Fair Queen hopeful

Kids are in Kelly's future By BARBARA CARHART Banner-Graphic Staff Writer With five brothers and sisters in the nest, Kelly Lynn Gibson, 19, daughter of Darryl and Sharon Gibson, Greencastle, has plenty of experience dealing with children. That suits her just fine because the candidate for the title of Putnam County Fair Queen plans to make children a part of her future. “I would like to someday have my own day care center,” Miss Gibson explained, “and I plan on taking evening courses in the fall in that area.” BUT FIRST, THERE’S the Putnam County Fair Queen Contest July 27 and the matter of competing amongst 21 area girls for the crown. “I thought it would be fun to meet new people,” Miss Gibson related, explaining she was looking forward to the weekly preparation classes. The 1984 Greencastle High School graduate is a full-time receptionist for HBG Insurance and is active as a nursery Sunday school teacher and young adult representative for the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. She lists drawing and children as her main interests. “I just love to babysit and be with children,” she explained. WHILE IN HIGH school, she was active in Junior Achievement, served as a Blazer and was a member of the Art Club, Drama Club, Spanish Club and Pep Club. “I think I received the mo6t out of being a Blazer,” Miss Gibson offered. “We hosted conferences and showed freshmen around the school.” All the candidates will be doing much more than walking as they perform the Hawaiian dance routine during the contest. “I JUST HOPE," Miss Gibson laughed, “that I’m one of the ones in the back.”