Banner Graphic, Volume 16, Number 315, Greencastle, Putnam County, 15 August 1986 — Page 1

Banner Graphic Greencastle, Putnam County, Friday, August 15,1986 V 01.16 N 0.315 25 Cents

'Ma' Barker sees Baby Boom give birth to baby boom By ERIC BERNSEE Banner-Graphic Managing Editor Chances are, if you were bom at Putnam County Hospital sometime the past three decades, Mildred Barker has seen you in your birthday suit, slapped you on the rump and coaxed your mother into bringing you into this world. Ma Barker’s gang, you see, is no close circle of friends. The numbers are staggering. And the brood not only spans the old and new Putnam County Hospital, but more appropriately, perhaps, both the Baby Boom and the Baby Boomer’s baby boom. AS FORMER OBSTETRICS Department (O.B.) supervisor, Mrs. Barker was recently feted upon her retirement from fulltime duty at Putnam County Hospital. Friends, family and co-workers stopped by the ground-floor classroom at PCH to say hello or goodbye to what one young nurse referred as “the best they ever had up there (O.B.).” Since beginning her nursing career at St. Vincent Hospital in 1943-44, Mrs. Barker has been involved in more delivery-room dramas than the cast of “General Hospital.” Does she have any idea how many babies she’s helped headfirst into this world the last 40-plus years? “I wish I knew,” she smiles. “Thousands.” Thousands? “OH YES,” SHE ADDS quickly. “At St. Vincent’s in the ’4os, we were delivering 10-12 in eight hours. A good 500 or more per month. “Ah, the good old days,” she says with a relaxed sigh. “I remember one time we had four sets of twins in there at once.” Of course, that was a big-city hospital. Things at PCH have been a little different since Ma Barker arrived on a part-time basis in October 1962 and went to fulltime soon after Dr. Roger Roof (now at DePauw University) closed his Spencer practice in 1967. She detoured from her “first love,” obstetrics, in winning a promotion to PCH intensive care area supervisor in 1970. But within five years she was back among the babies, expectant mothers and pacing fathers. “WHEN I STARTED,” SHE recalled, “nobody could be in the delivery. Fathers never got to hold the babies. Nurses wore masks and babies were never allowed in a room with the parents.” The delivery room was a no-man’s land. The expectant father was left to ponder its mysteries, stereotypically pacing the maternity ward, chainsmoking cigarettes and hoping for the best. “That’s about the way it was,” agreed Mrs. Barker, who met husband of 39 years Stanley in Indianapolis just after World War 11. TOGETHER ON A FARM southwest of Cloverdale the past 25 years, they’ve raised each other’s spirits, every crop and animal imaginable and three childrenNancy Borders, Indianapolis, Nina Inabnit, Pittsboro, and Ronald Barker, Columbia, S.C. It was Stanley who closely followed the relationship of the phases of the moon and the birthing habits of his hogs. But it was Mildred who often espoused such logic in the maternity ward. Wait ’til tomorrow, she might tell a mother-to-be experiencing the first twinges of

Here's "Me" Barker's own gang of the babyboom generation. Posing with the retiring obstetrics nurse are (from left) grandson Mark, daughter Nancy Borders, Mrs. Barker, husband of 39 years Stanley and daughter Nina Inabnit. Son Ronalds, who now lives in South Carolina, was unable to attend.

Sleeping dog days don't lie

Partly cloudy overnight with a 40 per cent chance of thunderstorms and low around 70. Partly sunny, very warm and humid on Saturday. High Saturday near 90 with a 40 per cent chance of thunderstorms. Indiana Extended Outlook Partly cloudy and very warm Sunday with a chance of thunderstorms. Highs middle 80s to lower 90s with lows middle 60s to lower 70s. Fair and cooler Monday and Tuesday. Highs upper 70s to middle 80s and lows in the upper 50s and 60s.

Daze Work

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Index Abby A 3 Calendar A 3 Church A 4 Classifieds AB.A9 Comics A 5 Crossword A 8 Heloise A 3 Horoscope A 9 Obituaries AlO People A 5 Sports A6.A7 TV B Section Theaters AlO

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Putnam County Hospital Executive Director John Fajt presents Mildred Barker with a momento of her longtime service in the Obstetrics Department of the local hospital. (Ban-ner-Graphic photo by Eric Bernsee).

labor pains, Stanley says the signs are right then. And more often than not, baby, Stanley-and Mildred-were right on schedule. Babies were her most important product, Mrs. Barker said, looking back on a five-decade career. “I LOVE ALL OF MEDICINE,” she said, “but there isn’t anything greater than love and delivery. You’ve got a real end product when you’re done.” Looking back on a career that started with a S9O-a---month wage as night supervisor on a 12-hour shift in which she even ran the switchboard, Mrs. Barker says she’d “do it all over again. ” Although her eyes sparkle at the mention of her seven grandchildren, she admits no one birth stands out among the thousands she’s been a part of. “I take them all individually and each one is rewarding in itself,” she says philosophically. “The new baby’s cry is rewarding. I guess that’s why I like 0.8. ” AN 0.8. NURSE AT PCH, she explained, is in charge of mother-to-be, mother and baby, “from the minute the lady enters the labor room. ” 0.8. nurses, she said, are completely responsible for all activity that takes place in the hospital unit, from birthing preparation to advising the new mother on care and feeding. “It really makes it nice that way,” she said. With 0.8. training at Chicago Laying-In (University of Chicago hospital), graduate training in Portland, Maine, and a three-year stint teaching 08/GYN to student nurses in Indianapolis, it’s hard to tell where she might have picked up the “Ma Barker” nickname. But with a gentle touch that belies her strong will, Mrs. Barker amazingly enough has not always been “Ma” to patients and staff. “DR. (GREG) LARKIN TAGGED me with that,” she smiles with an I’ll-get-him-yet curling of her lower lip. But the Maine native is now officially retired, free to roam the Barkers’ 120 acres in rural Cloverdale and travel west with husband Stanley. In the interim, she will continue to meet on occasion with other PCH retirees and remember all those smiling unions of parent and child she’s witnessed. That is, until January, when she’ll begin filling in at the hospital on a part-time basis as needed. AND THERE’S LITTLE doubt she’ll be pulling parttime duty in 0.8. Ma Barker smiled...no, beamed. “I sure hope so.”

Fair judging grows on horticulture expert

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) For horticulture judge Cliff Barbour, the 1986 Indiana State Fair is over. It ended with the watermelon competition, and Barbour, who sampled the contestants, seemed to be the winner. Barbour sniffed every muskmelon, eyed every okra and tasted many of the watermelons Hoosier growers hauled to the fairgrounds this week. The task was completed Thursday afternoon after three days of judging. Barbour, who heads the science department at Pike High School in Indianapolis, prowled the long rows

Roachdale renovation alternatives narrowed

ROACHDALE-Plan C, one of four altered alternatives on renovation of Roachdale School, is the choice most suited to present and future needs, board members informally agreed Thursday night. The four plans-ranging in construction cost from $611,460 to $678,020-were presented by Ron Fisher of Schmidt Associates. At the board’s July 24 meeting, Fisher was instructed to refine two of the proposals and return with additional information and floor-plan designs. IN DOING SO THURSDAY night, the architect offered the following alternatives: Plan B-New construction of 7,021 square feet. Features include increasing the cafeteria size and recovering some space around the stage for another classroom. Five classrooms and a small resource area are included. Cost: $630,290. Plan 81-New construction of 6,496 square feet, again increasing cafeteria size and building a stairway at the stage area to get to upper rooms in the gym. Four classrooms and a small resource area are included. Cost: $678,020. Plan C-New construction of 8,828 square feet, designed as almost a separate wing on the existing Roachdale building. Seven classrooms and a set of restrooms would be in the

North Central accreditation a key priority at Cloverdale

By LARRY GIBBS Banner-Graphic Publisher When it came time for Stephen Dickerson to make a career decision, an intense love for the outdoors gave way to a newly discovered love for the classroom. The 34-year-old Dickerson, a New Castle native who is beginning his first year as principal of Cloverdale Junior-Senior High School, credits family members with influencing the change in career plans. “While I was in college, I planned to be an environmentalist,” explained Dickerson, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in earth science and natural resources from Ball State University. “SEVERAL PEOPLE IN my family who have close ties to education said to me, ‘Why not get your teaching license too?’ During my student teaching to earn that license I realized how much I enjoyed it. I realized that the classroom is where I should be. ” But the outdoors remains an important part of Dickerson’s life. He and his wife, Laurie, and Auburn native who also graduated from Ball State, enjoy camping, biking and cross-country skiing. “One reason we are glad to be at Cloverdale is the outdoor recreational opportunities that are nearby,” Dickerson said, adding that he and his wife plan to spend part of the weekend at Lieber State Park with their three children, Shea, 4, Emily, 3, and Joshua, who’s now a month old. THE FAMILY HASN’T found a home to buy in Cloverdale yet, but has rented a house in Greencastie. They’ve relocated from Henry County, where Dickerson served the last three years as principal of Tri High School.

of watermelons Thursday morning, thumping each one dutifully, then pulling the ripest prospects to the side. He tackled the light greens first, examining all two dozen before selecting four finalists. Barbour then whipped out a butcher knife, split the four down the center and cut a 1-inch sliver from the center to taste. Taste, Barbour said as he nibbled at a contestant, is what determines which melon gets the prized blue ribbon. If two melons compare in sweetness, the next rules of thumping are color, size and uniformity. “That one on the end isn’t as sweet,” Barbour muttered. “And it

east-side addition. Cost: $664,560. Plan Cl-New construction of 8,148 square feet as a redesigning of Plan C with six classrooms and a set of restrooms. Cost: $611,460. ALL FOUR PROPOSALS, according to Supt. Dr. Thomas Rohr, . include some renovation of the kitchen area and costs of connecting to the existing building and other expenses. The reason the board has opted for Plan C, Dr. Rohr noted, is that it involves “much more square footage for the dollars involved. ” “Another advantage,” he said, “is that the work can be done (in a separate wing) while school is in session without disruption of normal activities.” THE END RESULT OF Thursday’s discussion with Fisher is that he will return again with more specific and larger, more detailed drawings of Plan C. He will also refine his cost estimates to be more specific. The board also reviewed other costs involved in the Roachdale renovation, a project with a maximum expenditure set at $1 million. As detailed by Dr. Rohr, those other costs include: -A new domestic water system with all new bathrooms and plumbing, $112,960.

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STEPHEN DICKERSON: New Cloverdale principal

“It (the rented house) is not the ideal situation,” he said, “but we wanted to be close by before the start of the school year. It makes the job a lot more enjoyable when I have my family with me.” During an interview in his office Thursday, Dickerson said one of his immediate priorities will be Cloverdale’s application to join the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges, a two-year effort that the Cloverdale School Board sanctioned last February. “MEMBERSHIP IN North Central is a very prestigious and meaningful thing. The teachers want it, the school board wants it and the

was stringy. Seemed kind of old.” The judging took 10 minutes and Barbour, with no juice running down his chin, declared a melon from Sullivan as the best light green in the state. Barbour says taste is the main criteria only in the watermelon contest. Other produce is judged by size, color and shape. “The melons are the only things you taste. If you bit into one of those hot peppers, you wouldn’t be able to taste a thing after that,” he said. Barbour, who’s been judging vegetable contests around the state for several years, knows his stuff. This is the second year he’s judged

-New electric power system, including new service to the building, new wiring to all classrooms, panel switchgear and additional classroom receptacles, $55,000. -LIFE-SAFETY EQUIPMENT, such as a fire alarm and smoke-heat detection equipment and emergency lighting, $19,000. -A public address system for the whole school, including the new addition, $7,500. -New lighting of the kitchen and cafeteria, as required by the State Board of Health, SIO,OOO. Total additional renovation costs are $204,460, Rohr said, according to the architects’ preliminary cost figures. IN CONNECTION WITH the Roachdale renovation, the board voted Thursday night to approve a resolution for $240,000 as an additional appropriation from the Cumulative Bidding Fund. Also approved was a resolution granting approval for the steps necessary involving issuing general obligation bonds on the project at a maximum of $495,000. Dr. Rohr said a tax hearing on the CBF funds will be set by the State Tax Commission at a later date. IN OTHER BUSINESS Thursday night, the North Putnam Board: Col. 3, back page, this section

community wants it. And everyone is willing to put forth the work that it will take to earn it,” said Dickerson, who helped earn a North Central affiliation while at Tri High School. Participation in the North Central association is voluntary. As Supt. Robert Leturgez explained to the school board last winter, membership means that a school meets academic and other standards that exceed those required by the state. Cloverdale already has a first-class state classification. Attaining the North Central accreditation will require a two-year process. Col. 4, back page, this section

at the State Fair. “I always wanted to do this,” he said. “We exhibited out here when I was a kid and it’s neat to come back on the other side.” Most of the vegetables are laid out on tables for fairgoers to admire. A large, walk-in cooler is used to store pawpaws, persimmons, muskmelons and grapes. One of Barbour’s assistants, Shelby County agriculture agent A.S. Vasano, said produce entries are down because of the hot, dry conditions this summer and the cold snap in the spring. Still, the horticulture building overflows with prize winners.