Banner Graphic, Volume 16, Number 124, Greencastle, Putnam County, 8 January 1986 — Page 1

Night of the comet.. Halley’s viewing brings hundreds to McKim Observatory Tuesday

By ERIC BERNSEE Banner-Graphic Managing Editor Three-year-old Nathan Brooks accompanied his daddy to McKim Observatory Tuedsay night to get his first look at Halley’s Comet. The young son of Prof. Howard Brooks of the DePauw University Physics Department not only didn’t get a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse of the comet first spotted by Edmond Halley in 1682, but he never saw his father again until Wednesday morning. “My son was just beside himself,” Prof. Brooks told the Banner-Graphic Wednesday. “At 20 minutes ’til 7 I went up to open the shutter and set up the telescope

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Who is that masked man? It's just a construction worker (right) at the site of the new First Assembly of God church off U.S. 231 on Westlane Road in Greencastle facing temperatures in the teens Tuesday as he and fellow workers labor against the elements. The chur-

Putnam Patter When knowledge stalls at tip of tongue

By DAVID BARR Banner-Graphic Civic Affairs Editor The human brain is said to be a complicated computer-like storehouse where every word or deed, action or inaction are, in theory, neatly filed for instant recall. There seems to be some conflict of understanding, however, between the outer shell that houses this accumulated knowledge and the inner workings that don’t always cooperate with the outside. FOR THOSE WHO ARE old and others who fear they are headed too fast that way there is at times a malfunction when the right answers are at the tip of the tongue but defy all attempts to proceed further. Some have charitably observed that Father Time is responsible for these short circuits of memory. There is such an overload over the years and what is important and what is not becomes

Big 4-0 due Clear and not so cold overnight with low around 15. Sunny and warmer on Thursday with high in the upper 30s to around 40. Indiana Extended Forecast A chance of flurries in the north on Friday. Otherwise variable cloudiness with lows in the upper teens and 20s and highs in the 30s to low 40s. Partly cloudy Saturday and Sunday. Lows from 10 to 20 on Saturday. Highs in upper 20s and 30s. Warmer on Sunday. Abby Bl Calendar B 2 Classifieds B 5 Comics A 5 Crossword B 5 Farm A 4 Heloise B 6 Horoscope B 5 Obituaries AS People A 5 Sports A6.A7 TV A 5

Banner Graphic Greencastle, Putnam County, Wednesday, January 8,1986 V 01.16 N 0.124 25 Cents

and never got back downstairs. “IT WAS JUST A ZOO, just unreal,” Brooks said of the mob scene at the historic observatory on the city’s northeastside. He estimates that more than 250 people actually got a glimpse of the comet through the McKim telescope trained on southwestern skies. But it is impossible to count those who waited briefly and left or those who only got close enough to observe the masses before departing. “We had 203 sign the (guest) book,” Brooks said. “But the book didn’t get to everybody, we know that. I’d say in excess of 250 actually saw it. But that’s so conservative people will say ‘he doesn’t know

hopelessly scrambled. Someone scientifically inclined could make a mint if he could inyent some sort of mental wastebasket into which the trivial could be pitched and set out for the trash man. MAYBE THIS WOULD make it easier, or even possible, to remember names that have been a part of our lexicon for years and years but when needed they let us down in embarrassment. For some unexplainable reason, our eyes seem to remain more functional than our inner thinking apparatus causing some to boast they never forget a face but putting the right name with it is something which takes time-time which they may not have during a brief meeting with someone whose name should have been as familiar as their own. For those of us who get crowded into

After nearly 40 years on job. Ruby retiring from Prevo post

By DAVID BARR Banner-Graphic Civic Affairs Editor After a work career of 40 years, Ruby Blue McCullough plans to take things easy and do some of the things she hasn’t had time to do. This relaxed schedule became possible last Friday afternoon as she retired from Greencastle’s Prevo Store where she had been a saleslady since 1948. DURING THE LATTER PART of last week, Ruby sensed that something was going on that she wasn’t in on. On last Thursday night she found out. The Prevo crew surprised her with a retirement dinner. A Jefferson Township native, Ruby was graduated from Belle Union High School in 1929. Shortly thereafter, she was married to Danny McCullough, who passed away a few years ago. World War II came along, and Danny went into the military service and wasn’t discharged until 1945. While waiting for his return, Ruby became a working girl, not at

how to count either.’” DePauw officials believe that because of the availability of McKim Observatory and Brooks’ monthly open houses, a larger percentage of Putnam County residents will see Halley’s Comet through a telescope this year than in any other county in the country. LIKE THE NEXT OPEN house scheduled for Jan. 16, the hours Tuesday were to be 7:30-10 p.m But by 7 p.m. people were lining up outside. “One young couple with a baby got there before 7 and we told them it was still too bright out, ‘Go get a cup of coffee and come back at B.’ I’m not sure they got to see it, I hope they did.”

ch, which features two geodesic domes separated by an entry foyer, will have sanctuary-seating for 500. First Assembly of God, presently located at 106 S. Spring St., broke ground on its new facilities June 30. (BannerGraphic photos by Jeff Siner).

these embarrassing situations, the inability to recall any name at all, there are stalling tactics which may disguise our ignorance, at least for the time being. IF THE BRAIN HAS stopped on dead center, don’t panic. Avoid the name crisis and let your conversation cover up the fact that you are groping for recognition, and if you grope long enough, it will comeeventually. Around midnight of the same day, or the one after, the hidden name will flash on your mental screen. But now you may have another memory crisis-you’ve forgotten the face that should go with it and you are back where you started. Such problems don’t necessarily mean that you are losing your marbles-they just need to be rearranged. And don’t get the idea you are alone in the difficulty. YOUR CONFIDENCE IN yourself will

Prevo’s but the location had something in common. AT THAT TIME, THE Greencastle Kroger store operated out of what is now the west wing of the Prevo Store. Ruby was hired by Raymond Riley, manager for the chain, and after a short session of produce school began working in that department locally. Three years later when Danny returned, she quit her job for a few years before becoming a part of the Prevo sales staff. Prevo veteran Bob Matthews didn’t hire Ruby McCullough, however, he had a part in it. He recommended her to his superior, Edgar Prevo, and has never had reason to regret his part in hiring a conscientious, hard-working and dependable employee. AFTER AN EARNED REST, will Ruby look for a part time job? “No way,” she said. Immediate plans call for sleeping late every morning, and then will come some travel and other activities of her liking.

Brooks had 100 maps printed up with Halley’s Comet viewing hints. Those were gone halfway through the open house. “I don’t know what to make of it,” Brooks laughed, recalling that the best previous McKim open house totaled 80 visitors the day after a Banner-Graphic feature on the professor and McKim. THE OBSERVATORY CURATOR hopes those who braved the cold and saw nothing weren’t offended by the restrictive confines of McKim. “I guess we can try for better crowd control next time,” he said, thinking ahead to a week from Thursday. “Maybe we can keep an orderly line and run’em outside.” All Brooks’ helpers, along with his wife

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be restored when you attend one ot these functions when everyone wears a name tag telling who he is in big black letters. Then take note of those who will wring your hand like a long lost brother and while sneaking a glance at your name tag they will say something like “you haven’t changed a bit and I would have known you anywhere. ” Even without the name tags, there is some merit in spreading it a little thick by greeting everyone, strangers included, like long lost relatives. SUCH ACTION MAY GET you off the hook and put the worry in their court. You may have ruined their day as they try in vain to fit your face with a name they can’t remember. When worrisome mothers ease their “baby birds” out of the nest to kindergarten, for example, they sometimes

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Retiring Prevo'e employee Ruby McCullough (center) is flanked by new owner Joyce Hanlon and former owner and present assistant manager Bob Matthews. The

and son, were trapped downstairs while he froze in the unheated telescope tower for 3Mi hours, “sitting and pointing.” Through it all, however, humble Howard never lost his sense of humor. “We thought about building a slide and pushing them out from the top,” he joked about departing viewers. “I said I ought to call the fire marshal, that would have cleared out the crowd real quick, although I’m not sure he could have got in here.” AS VIEWING TIME dwindled with the comet sinking lower and lower, Brooks said several persons left because they wouldn’t be able to see Halley’s. However, the heartv souls who remained got a glimCol. 4, back page, this section

conceal names and addresses in the young one’s jacket, just in case. It might be well for those of us who were pushed out of the “nest” many years ago to do likewise. A name printed on or sewed to an inner garment might save the day • As I began this dissertation on memory problems which plague older people, I had in mind to close with sage and helpful observations but right now you will read this piece in the paper before I think of them-if I ever do. SOME MAY THINK IT strange that those of us who may not remember what we had for breakfast can recall in explicit detail what happened 50 or 60 years ago. The answer to this is rather simple. It’s safe and easy to fill in the blanks since those of a younger generation have no way to judge the veracity of our remembrances.

longtime Prevo's clerk is retiring after 40 years at the downtown store. (Banner-Graphic photo by Bob Frazier).

HERE'S WHAT YOU MISSED Time-lapse shot of comet

Extending Extension praises Farm editor says service invaluable By David barr Banner-Graphic Civic Affairs Editor Farming without the Extension Service is unthinkable and its agricultural advisory capacity is too important to be eliminated. Those observations were made by Paul Queck, editor of Indiana Prairie Farmer, who was guest speaker Tuesday evening at the annual meeting of the Putnam County Extension Council in the DePauw Union. QUECK’S REMARKS CENTERED around impending budget cuts which would, he said, have an adverse effect on the Extension Service through what he termed the “what-ifs” that may develop through pending farm legislation. Noting that these limitations have already moved closer home, he said that Purdue’s budget action will eliminate 59 positions in Indiana, one of them slated for Putnam County. With agriculture going through extreme difficulties more funding for Extension services may rest in greater part on state and local levels, Queck said. Looking toward the future, the speaker centered his remarks on large and small farms. Currently, 48 per cent of the latter depend on off-farm income jobs to supplement income. IN SPITE OF FARM CRISIS situations, Queck introduced a note of optimism with prospects of a brighter future for coming generations of farmers. Chairing the Tuesday night meeting was Larry Gottschalk, president of Putnam County Extension Council, who complimented Betty Sendmeyer, Extension Home Economist; Darrell Thomas, Extension Youth Agent, and Mark Legan, Extension Agricultural Agent. They presented detailed reports of their activities of the past year and goals for 1986. “Home Economics Extension has as its mission the improvement of the quality of life for individuals and families through enhancement of the economic and social well-being. It seeks to achieve these goals through education,” Mrs. Sendmeyer said. Her thrust for the coming six months includes: Economic Stability ; physical wellbeing; and emotional and psychological well-being through a series of programs directed toward families. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE 34 Home Ec Extension Clubs comprised of 470 members. Highlights of the 4-H club year have been the establishment of a scholarship fund for selected club achievers and the high rate of retention of club members from the previous year, Thomas reported. “Putnam County youths involved in the 4-H program numbered 669,” Thomas said. “Among upcoming programs are those related to camping and judging along with traditional activities.” "An effective Extension program relies on the involvement and input of many people,” Legan said. “It is through the efforts of individuals, organizations and agencies that the local ag program has been given direction. “AS AGRICULTURE CONTINUES to have grave economic problems, producers must continue to place greater emphasis on improved effective and financial skills. Through educational programs and consultations, we try to fullfill these needs. “As we continue through these tough times, producers need to know that the Col. 1, back page, this section