Banner Graphic, Volume 22, Number 127, Greencastle, Putnam County, 31 January 1992 — Page 3

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Gov. Evan Bayh shoots over Rusty Elliott’s defense

Governor’s staff listens to public

By CHARITY SINGLETON Banner-Graphic Intern As Gov. and Mrs. Evan Bayh, along with the heads of many state agencies, met with community leaders and members throughout the day, a member of the governor’s staff held office hours at the GTE Community Room. Tom Jeffers, a special assistant for health and human services, kept office hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for community members to express their opinions and concerns to the governor via his staff. “WE THINK THIS is a really positive experience to give citizens an opportunity to express concerns to the governor and the state government,” Jeffers said. He added that concerns expressed at other Capital for a Day sites have been handled promptly. Most of the concerns deal with human service concerns, Jeffers said. The open office hours were scheduled through noon to accommodate as many citizens as pos-

: P.1.E.-Bayh

Purdue University graduate, that he ; was also reminded of another Daryl ; Thomas, an Indiana University graduate. THE GOVERNOR, who maintained a non-partisan status ' concerning the rival universities, • said that when IU defeated • Syracuse for the 1987 NCAA championship, a reporter asked IU ■ coach Bob Knight if he was proud of player Keith Smart, who had made the game-winning basket. - Knight responded, however, that - he was more proud of forward Daryl Thomas, who had passed the ball to Smart, giving him the chance to shoot the basket. “We’ve passed you the ball,”

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Commissioner of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles Gilbert L. Holmes (left) inspects the Greencastle License Branch Thursday morning as he toured Greencastle during the Capital for a Day program. Holmes was joined in his visit by

sible, especially those who could attend only during the lunch hour. JEFFERS SAID THE key to conducting open office hours, and really the key to the whole Capital for a Day program, is to encourage better communication among government leaders and citizens throughout the whole year. “It’s not just one day; hopefully it (the program) is enhancing communication, you come away with a name, face and phone number to contact with future concerns,” he said. At the concluding reception at the Walden Inn Thursday, Gov. Bayh said the gathering at Greencastle’s opening and closing ceremonies have been the largest of any of the eight Capital for a Day cities. “I WAS GLAD TO hear we had the biggest crowds,” Mayor Mike Harmless said, “but that kind of typifies the way Greencastle has done things the last six years or so.”

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Bayh told P.l.E.’s Thomas, “and you’ve run with it.” BAYH SAID THAT such community programs seem to be changing society’s attitude toward getting involved with the war on drugs. But he also pointed out that the state is building more prisons. That fact, Bayh said, can be blamed on narcotics offenses and violent crimes, most often related to narcotics offenses. And drug abuse is affecting not only the users, but also innocent bystanders, he pointed out. “Anytime I see an infant bom addicted to crack because the mother was addicted, I see we have far to go,” Bayh said.

(from second left) district manager Bob Lawson, branch manager Cindy Burnham, Karen Noel, Barbara Fine, Marsha Manion, Jerri Colvin and Jane Sibbitt. (Banner-Graphic photo by Lisa Meyer).

Governor scores points in capital visit

By ERIC BERNSEE Banner-Graphic Editor Gov. Evan Bayh may have Steve Alford hair but certainly doesn’t possess his shooting touch. That was the consensus among dozens of onlookers who watched the 35-year-old governor of the basketball craziest state cavort on the Lilly Center court Thursday afternoon in a recreational break amid the breakneck pace of Greencastle’s tenure as “Capital for a Day.” After 45 minutes of full-court basketball, Bayh not unlike Alford left the floor with nary a hair ruffled. His gold DePauw University physical education T-shirt was soaked with perspiration but it was the sweat of recreation, not the byproduct of consternation that goes with his Indianapolis duties. AND STATISTICALLY, it wasn’t anything that would waken the echoes of Alford of Indiana University fame. Paired with aide Les Miller, body guard David Verhonik, DePauw soccer coach Page Cotton and Greencastle Mayor Mike Harmless on a team the governor would later call “Air Harmless,” any semblance of shooting touch escaped the state’s chief executive. “But boy, did you get a load of that move to the bucket he put on?” Air Harmless himself beamed. “Get out of the way!” FOR THE RECORD, however, the governor was 2-for-ll from the floor as his team lost 10-9 (with scoring by the basket). He had one turnover, an assist and a rebound at each end of the floor. Yet one of his buckets was a legitimate threepointer as defenders like Bruce Stinebrickner and Rusty Elliott gave the governor more than his share of room in somewhat of a “box-and-none” defense. “All this running and no scoring,” the gover-

Fillmore

“I want you to know how the governor and I care very much for you and how proud we are of you for the education you get here and the teachers you have,” Mrs. Bayh told about 150 students. She then asked the children if they liked to read and went on to explain the importance of reading. “What can you do on a cloudy day? What can you do in a car by yourself?” Mrs. Bayh asked. “Reading is the most essential thing you can do.” And after asking the children about their favorite books, she presented a Dr. Seuss book, “Oh The Places You Will Go,” to Mrs. Headley to be placed in the school library. “READING IS LIKE eating pizza,” Mrs. Bayh told the students. “The pizza makes your body healthy while reading makes your mind healthy.” Originally, she planned to read a book, “The Wednesday Suprise” to the group but elected to visit the students in their classrooms and talk one on one. Seated in their desks, the children frequently questioned how old she was, if she had children and where she was from. Other students asked about her favorite subjects in school and favorite books. BUT UPON ASKING one group of first-grade students what they wanted to be when they grew up, Jenniffer Murray said she wanted to be just like her. Mrs. Bayh asked if she also wanted to grow up and marry a governor, to which Jennifer responded positively. The first lady then said she would try to set her up with the governor’s 10year old brother. After visiting each class, Mrs. Bayh asked for a group hug before leaving for the next class. That request was excitedly returned by the students, including overexhuberant second-graders who were so excited, they tackled the Mrs. Bayh while trying to hug her. BUT NOT EVEN a footballstyle tackle slowed her down as she contiued talking warmly with students in each classroom. “It’s important to let them know that people in (elected) offices are just like them,” Mrs. Bayh told the Banner-Graphic. “And it’s important to tell them how proud we are

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nor said, charging toward the basket to clunk a layup off the bottom of the rim. Running, of course, is Bayh’s thing, both recreationally and politically (as in re-election bid and frequent mention as a rising star in the national Democrat galaxy). The governor should have known it would be “one of those days” when his first practice shot was an airball. Onlookers, thankfully, held back any sign-songish taunts of “air-ball, air-ball.” HIS FIRST REAL SHOT drew iron over Stinebrickner, an admirable defender who once held the pre-Patrick Ewing era field goal percentage mark at Georgetown University and was second in the country in 1968 to Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Jabbar) and has Washington Post clippings to prove it. “He told me the only time he plays basketball is on occasions like this,” Stinebrickner said later. “He really kept up,” teammate Cotton praised. After fighting for an offensive rebound amid defenders Vic DeCarlo, Monty Montgomery and

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After answering questions from Fillmore Elementary School students about her favorite book, subject in school and animal, First Lady Susan Bayh required a group hug from each class of students. Students from Tammy

of them.” After meeting with the students, Mrs. Bayh talked with several teachers and was visibly shocked at one teacher’s comments that instructors have to buy many supplies themselves. “MY HUSBAND would like to do more now but because of the recession he can’t,” she said. “But when times go up, know that education will be his number one priority.” Mrs. Bayh’s Fillmore stop was one of about 400 visits that she has made to Indiana schools while serving as the first lady. “I have such a great respect for you. You do not have an easy job and when you have irate parents, you should tell them that they should have to leach a class just once to see what you deal with,” she said. “When the legislators talk about cutting funding from schools, I think that they should have to go into a classroom and teach and see

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Daze Work

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what it is really like.” BEFORE HER departure, she was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Cummings and other Fillmore memorabilia by sixthgrader Tiffany Holmes. “She picked a good school to visit,” sixth-grader Josh Goodpastcr said. Prior to visiting Fillmore, Mrs. Bayh lunched with 14 Greencastle businesswomen at the Greencastle boutique and restaurant Almost Home. WHILE FEASTING on a chicken and broccoli casserole and mud pie for dessert, she talked with Judith Berry, Gwen Bottoms, Anne Clark, Kim Clark, Betsy Doan, Terry Hall, Susie Harmless, Linda Huber, Joy Marley, Christy Moses, Ellen Sedlack, Claudia Williams, Patti Harmless and Lisa Larkin. Recalling her days of working her way through school as a waitress, Mrs. Bayh also attempted to clean off the table.

January 31,1992 THE BANNERGRAPHIC

the venerable Clyde Spencer, Gov. Bayh slid outside to shoot short with Dr. Elliott playing eyeball-to-eyeball defense. THE GOVERNOR GRABBED his first rebound on the defensive end, only to have it unceremoniously slapped away by Montgomery. Good thing Monty knows a good insurance man. The governor got another chance to score on a feed from Harmless but the shot rolled off the rim into Spencer’s waiting grasp. Finally, again firing over the good eye doctor, the governor connected from 10 feet as cheers filled the Lilly Center air for the first time. Visions of Alford may have danced in his head, however, as the next time down the floor, Bayh pulled up and launched an airball over Stinebrickner. HE MADE UP FOR IT moments later, however, with his second and last bucket of the workout, knocking down a shot from three-point range. It wasn’t enough, however, as Spencer ended the game with a jumper from the top of the key. That brought a new five to challenge “Air Harmless” as Gobin Minister Ned Steele, Greencastle Christian Pastor Mark Miller, former DePauw standout Troy Greenlee and gym rats Chuck Schroeder and Charlie Grannon took the court. Maybe the governor’s team didn’t have a prayer up against Miller and Steele anyway, but time ran out with the closing reception ahead. THE GOVERNOR HAD a hug for wife Susan minutes later as they were reunited for “Capital for a Day” closing ceremonies at the Walden Inn. “I barely survived,” he smiled in exaggeration. “We were really huffing and puffing.” True. But still without a hair out of place.

Brother’s first-grade class excitedly respond to her demand for a group hug as Principal Dan Puckett and Greencastle First Lady Susie Harmless look on. (Banner-Graphic photo by Angie Howland).

PUTNAM COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOKMOBILE ROUTES Monday, Feb. 3 Reelsville Elementary, 1:30-2:15 p.m.; Little Lambs Day Care, 2:20-3 p.m.; Reelsville Store, 3:10-3:30 p.m.; Manhattan, 3:35 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4 Russellville Elementary School, 9:15-9:30 a.m.; Heritage Lake, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Van Bibber Store, 1-1:45 p.m.; Greencastle Nursing Home, 2 p.m.; Asbury Towers, 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5 Children’s Center, 9:15 a.m.; Anna Street, 9:45 a.m.; Stardust Hills, 10-10:30 a.m.; Cloverdale Senior Center, 10:35 a.m.; Cloverdale Health Care, 10:45 a.m.; Cloverdale Community Building, 11 a.m.-noon; Central Elementary, 12:30-1:45 p.m.

At the library

Indiana First Lady Susan Bayh (right) took time out of her busy schedule while touring the Greencastle Capital to lunch with 14 local businesswomen at the Almost Home boutique and restaurant. Here, she chats with City Clerk-Treasurer Judith Berry. Before leaving to visit Tzouanakis Elementary, Mrs. Bayh attempted to help clean up the dishes, reflecting on years of working as a waitress to put herself through college. (Ban-ner-Graphic photo by Angie Howland).

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