The Mail-Journal, Volume 8, Number 33, Milford, Kosciusko County, 15 September 1971 — Page 1

Milford Fall Festival — Wednesday Thru Saturday, Sept. 15-18

Phones: 658-4111 & 457-3666

VOLUME 8

Lake Tragedy Claims Life Os Two Youths

Double funeral services will be held in the First Baptist church at the corner of Indiana avenue and state road 119 in Goshen at 2 p.m Thursday for Larry Dale Sherman, 13. and Randy Neff, 13, who lost their lives in the waters of Waubee Lake Monday night. The boys, students at Milford junior high school and residents of the lake, had gone swimming after school with snorkel outfits. Their bodies were found under a pier at the Albert Hardy residence sometime after 4 p.m. County coroner Arthur Mosier set the time of death at. 3.50 with an autopsy Tuesday listing the cause of death as electrical shock. Extension cords had been run from house to a light on a post at the end of the pier. One area resident who assisted in taking the bodies from the water was reported to have been shocked when he took hold of the post. Persons at the scene reported seeing several small, dead fish in the area. State police and other investigating officers contend that in all probability the Neff boy swan to the end of the pier and either grabbed the post or bumped it. His head showed electrical burns on the right side. Sherman is thought to have gone to his aid and he too received the shock. No water was found in the lungs of either of the boys according to state trooper James Risner. Kandy Neff Randy Neff, 13. was the son of Richard and Linda (Fisher) Neff He was bom on June 4, 1958 and attended the Concord United Methodist church. He was an eighth grade student at the junior high school. Surviving are an older brother. Rick, at home; the maternal grandparents Mr and Mrs John S. Fisher of Syracuse; the maternal great-grandparents Mr and Mrs Guy Fisher of Milford; and the paternal grandparents Mr. and Mrs Lawrence F. Neff of Goshen. Burial will be in the Milford cemetery (Continued On Page 10)

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KINDER PRESENTS GIFTS — Phil Beer, right, representing Kinder Realty. Inc., presented two gifts to Milford residents at the Monday night meeting at the Milford Area Development Council as a result of a contest to provide a name of a new Kinder development at the northwest edge of 0 Milford and for naming addition streets. Receiving a new portable color television is Mrs. Robert W ise, center, who provided the name of Meadow* View Addition, and on the left is Mrs. Clarence Holderman with a transistor radio she received for naming one street Matthews Drive. Other winners, who were not present, were Mrs. Waller Miller and Mrs. J. Zimmerman, with a tie for the name Kinwood Drive, and Mrs. Forrest Ramser of Athens. Ga.. for her name of Lara Circle. 5 -

First Home Football Game Friday — Against Goshen Redskins

Newspaper Section Indiana State kibrary Indianapolis,

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Consolidation of THE MILFORD MAIL (Est. 1888) and THE SYRACUSE - WAWASEE JOURNAL (Est. 1907)

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LARRY SHERMAN

Arrests Made In Chain Beating Episode At 'Case

Five Goshen men plead not guilty on disorderly conduct charges when appearing in court last week at Warsaw. A sixth man. also from Goshen, will be tried in higher courts, following an alleged chain beating on Tuesday night of last week at the Warren Benson home on r 2 Syracuse. Local authorities were called at 10:20 p.m. when one Robert Leßoy Clark, 24. of Goshen, was said to have entered the home byforce and struck David E Kilian in the bedroom of the residence with a bicycle chain bearing nails Entrance was gained by forcing a garage door ajnd breaking a window measuring 18 x 30 and splitting the door jams when entering through the door of the house Damage also resulted in the. bedroom to the walls and a mirror and frame Among the more serious injuries sustained by Kilian were three cracked rite revealed by Xrays at Goshen hospital. Police reported that Kilian went to a physician's office for treatment and to the office of Justice of the Peace Christian Koher in Syracuse to file charges

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RANDY NEFF

against Clark, when a phone call came to the Syracuse pt»lice department that a car had again pulled into the drive at the Benson home with six persons in the auto. Time was 11:22 p.m. Local and county officers emerged on the scene and took into custody the six men, five of whom are Goshen brothers Two bicycle chains were found in the car. The men were Richard E. Clark, 21; Robert Leßoy Clark, 24; Ronny Lee Clark, 19; Steven Michael Clark, 18; Dale Forrest Clark, 22; and Dennis Lee Kilian, 27, a brother of the chain beating victim, who gives a Plymouth address. The six men were taken into custody, handcuffed and transported by three police cars to the county jail where they were charged and incarcerated. Investigation continues into the incident and assault and battery charges have been filed against Robert Clark. Earlier the same evening, Goshen police had received a call that Ronny Lee Clark had been beaten at the Oakndge cemetery at Goshen by four men and sustained rib injuries, however, no arrests were made at the time.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1971

Welsh To Be At Warsaw September 27 Former Governor Matthew E. Welsh, and Gordon St. Angelo, Democratic state chairman, will be two of the many prominent Democratic personalities attending the fund-raising chicken barbeque from 5-8 pm., Monday, Sept. 27, at the women's building located on the Kosciusko fairgrounds. Leonard Wendt, city Democratic chairman made the announcement today. “All candidates and precinct committeemen around the county will have tickets on sale" Wendt stated. Matthew Welsh was Governor of Indiana from 1961-1965 and later served as chairman of the National Governor’s Conference. Welsh is the only announced Democrat candidate for Governor. Milford Police Arrest Seven A total of seven persons have been arrested by Milford police chief Don Drake this month. Those arrested follow: Michael McDonald. 17, r 1 box 447, Nappanee, was arrested on September 2 for false registration. Also arrested on September 2 was Martin A. San Felippe, 26, 8 Meadow Lane, Carmel, for no operator’s license. Pleas H. Breaddus, 23, Goshen, was arrested on September 3 for failure to have car inspected. Bonnie L. Reeves, 20, 124 S. Bth Goshen, was arrested on September 3 for no operator's license Theft Fernando Garza, Milford; Manuel S. Diaz, 21, Milford; and Ignasio Ante lion, 27, South Bend, were arrested September 5 for theft Drake stated a car owned by Betty Hare and parked behind the Turf Bar was broken into around midnight. A tape player, bolder and 10 tapes were taken. Garza was taken into custody and admitted the theft. He implicated the others involved and showed officers Drake and Loren Melton where the items were hidden. The player and seven tapes were recovered. Later in the day Drake returned to the scene and found the holder and two more tapes.

Solicitation Underway For United Fund's *172,500 Goal

Ray W. Montieth, general chairman of the 1971 United Fund campaign for Kosciusko county, reports that volunteers in all have begun solicitation of their prospects toward the $172,500 goal. “AU division goals have been established, and our volunteers are now working toward their objectives." stated Montieth. Division goals are major industry and commerce, including employees. $121,268; business. $15,525; professional and individuals, $9,488; retail and service, $9,832; county, $9,832;

Move To Hire Hospital Administrator The board of directors of Kosciusko Community Hospital, Inc., voted last night to proceed toward the employment of a hospital administrator to oversee building and function of the proposed negw $6.5 hospital for Kosciusko county. A motion by Robert Maish that the board employ a professional executive search organization to screen possible administrator candidates was unanimously approved. Serving on a hospital administrator committee with Maish will be Dr. Wyman Wilson, Ralph Thornburg and Darrell Frantz. They are charged with the employment of an executive search organization. ‘Passed Last Hurdle* Tom Lemon reported to the group on the Wednesday, Sept. 15, meeting before the state board of health, at which a delay was asked by the&Samuel C. Murphy Foundation on the allocation of federal Hill-Burton funds. Lemon said the delay was denied, and gave back-ground information leading to the state board's decision. Lemon said, this, on the heels of the county Hospital Authority’s designating KCH as the participating hospital unit in Kosciusko county, meant had “passed its last hurdle.” KCH president Lawrence Castaldi told the KCH board it has the No. 1 priority in the state for Hill-Burton funds lith a firm promise of $300,000 to be used in building a new hospital. Castaldi also said the fivecounty Mental Health Clinic, of which he is a member, has until October 15 to file for funds to build a new mental health clinic, and that well before this time KCH should decide if and how it would like to tie in its new hospital with a five-county mental health clinic. Bruce Wright told the KCH board the public subscription goal of $1.5 million for the new hospital “ought to be an easy goal to reach.” He said the county has about 50,000 people, and the $1.5 million figure would mean about S3O per person or nearly $l2O pa* family over a three-year period. He advised KCH to plan to pay interest only on its revenue bonds for the first five-year period, then to begin to retire principal along with interest. Withdraw Bond Request KCH voted unanimously to formally withdraw its request for a $2 million general obligation bond from the county, which was approved on June 26, 1969 by a joint session of the board of county commissioners and county council. Council president Merlin Wertenberger was present at the meeting to witness the motion. ' It was noted that 13 cultivation meetings have been held over the county with five more scheduled.

1. and public and institutional 1 employees. $6,555. He added, “early reports in--1 dicate that supporters of this i year's United Fund understand e and appreciate the vital services performed by our county's 15 > United agencies. Their ‘fair i share' pledges to the campaign r also show that many realize that the increased goal reflects the . upgraded and expanded services . to aU residents of Kosciusko J county." - AU division except the county I division wiU be making reports ;y‘ this week. The reports are ex-

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THE ‘ACTION COMMITTEE’ — The Syracuse committee formed to get the Syracuse Community Development Corporation off the ground is shown here with a publicly displayed “thermometer” showing the $40,000 goal they hope to reach in an effort to rebuild the burned out Pickwick Block, and with other community development plans. From left are John R. Walker, committee chairman Robert L. Jones, pointing to their goal of $40,000, Jerry Ganshorn, Tom Tuttle and Doug Pilcher. The committee already has over $15,000 in their fund. Walker said a public meeting will be held at 7:3S p.m. Tuesday. Sept. 28. in the bank’s board room to make public plans of the group and to elect officers to the corporation.

Taxpayers Question Lakeland Board On School Expenditures

Several Lakeland taxpayers were in attendance at Tuesdaynight ’s board meeting and voiced questions and opinions on educational costs in the Lakeland Community School Corporation. Bill Beemer reported on cost per student figures comparing Lakeland’s SB4B per student with $645 per student in Warsaw, $516 in Whitko and $476.50 in Tippecanoe Valley. He stated he realized the later corporation was operating out of older buildings and would therefore be lower. Board members stated Whitko has just begun to operate out of its new building and has not yet applied the higher operational and additional staff costs. Warsaw's rate is reported to be lower because of the high cumulative building fund they have carried for years and the fact their new high school was approximately 70 per cent paid for at the time of its completion because of this fund. Superintendent Don H. Arnold stated state aid must be taken into consideration as well as the fact some school corporations do not have a debt service account and can put their “flat grant" into their general fund.

pected to be modest with a good increase projected for next week. “Thursday. Sept. 30. is our target date for reaching our goal,” concluded Montieth. “We have a difficult task ahead in the next three weeks, but I am confident that our volunteers will act immediately to gain the commitment of their prospects to the support of our county’s 15 valuable service and social agencies.'’ Kissing is one college sport that doesn’t require a lot of equipment and a million-dollar coach.

In a comparison of general fund costs for Warsaw and Lakeland it was found Warsaw’s cost per student is SBO7 while Lakeland’s is slightly higher at SB4O. Another reason given for the higher costs of Lakeland is the httsing factor. It was noted 2,3000 of Lakeland's 3,000 plus students are transported City schools, like Warsaw, do not have this high a percentage Beemer stated in conclusion his committee was working on additional figures but they are not ready to release them yet. Bill Brammer asked several questions of the board. He also quoted figures of other school corporations in the county and asked why Lakeland's was the highest He was told the Lakeland schools receive less state aid because of the high assessed valuations than other corporations do. Brammer asked Dr. Robert Craig if he thought the 20 cent cut in the cumulative building fund hurt. The doctor said he believed that it was good to have money when running a business to save and draw interest on rather than to have to borrow money then pay interest on it. Board members said the net difference in the 20 cent cut was a loss of SB,OOO per year. He questioned the percentages of interest paid on (1) the Wawasee high school mortgage (2) the bond issue and (3) the holding company. Board members stated they were approximately 4.2, 5 and 6.25 respectively. Brammer voiced several questions on the holding company including whether or not the project could be refinanced at a lower rate of interest with another company. Attorney Robert Reed said no refinancing could be done for 10 years without penalty of pre-payment. This could be costly. Other questions voiced by Brammer were also answered. Tom Tuttle asked what a “wealth factor” is since it is often

NUMBER 33

referred to by board members and the superintendent. He was told it arrived at by taldng the ADA (average daily attendance) and dividing it into the assessed valuation. Questions were also voiced by those present as to residents of Turkey Creek township are paying for higher assessed valuations than the taxpayers of other township in the corporation. Attorney Reed sajd the state tax board has a formula that should equalize the taxes. He continued the school corporation has no control over this. Other Business Approval was given for a certificate of payment to be forwarded to Lakeland School Construction Company, Inc. for $29.950.74 to Brown and Brown Contractors, Inc., for work completed at Wawasee high school. Because of the price freeze charges for the 10 session adult non-credit education courses in sewing and machine, tools and welding will remain at $lO this fall An increase to sl2 had been suggested. The vocational advisory committee requested the board consider the appointment of one member to the committee. After discussions the board decided to tell the committee it would be glad to a committee member report at board meetings but would not appoint a representative to said committee. A policy was adopted on locker inspections. Bill Little will represent the board at the state School Board Association meeting at French Lick in October. School Buses Business manager, Marion Lantz reported on the defensive driving course given to the corporations bus drivers. Os the corporation s 30 regular drivers 28 finished the course — one had surgery and another bad a death in the family. Seven (Continued On Page 10)