The Press-Dispatch
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CARTER CELEBRATES 90TH BIRTHDAY WITH CARD SHOWER A card shower is being planned for Martha Carter in celebration of her 90th birthday on November 23. Cards may be sent to: 1119 Vincennes Ave, Petersburg, IN 47567. DILLON CELEBRATES 80TH BIRTHDAY WITH CARD SHOWER A card shower is planned for Jackson A. Dillon, who will turn 80 years old on No- vember 24. Card may be sent to: 709 S. CR 75 W., Peters- burg, IN 47567 or you may call 812-766 -2163. ERWIN CELEBRATES 90TH BIRTHDAY WITH CARD SHOWER A card shower is be- ing planned in celebra- tion of Charlotte Erwin's 90th birthday on Novem- ber 26. Cards may be sent to: P.O. Box 306, Winslow, IN 47598. Birthdays Charlotte Erwin Pike County Library awarded funding for boosting vaccine confidence Pike County Public Li- brary received a Communi- ties for Immunity award in support of the work to pro- mote vaccine confidence in Pike County. As trusted com- munity partners, museums and libraries play a critical role in building vaccine con- fidence and fighting the pan- demic. The $10,000 award will support the purchase of a HealthBot to be housed at the Petersburg Branch of the Pike County Public Library. This HealthBot will allow for walk-in screenings for blood pressure, body weight and BMI, and have informa- tion concerning vaccines and other health-related material in this newly created "Health Spot" at the PCPL. "More than ever, accurate information regarding vac- cines and other health in- formation empowers com- munities to make informed choices. I believe that this opportunity will assist with efforts to save lives by stop- ping the spread of coronavi- rus through education and encouraging those most hes- itant to receive the vaccine to look to the Pike County Pub- lic Library for trusted health information," said Stephanie Rawlins, PCPL director. Communities for Immuni- ty provides funding awards and support to museums and libraries engaging their com- munities to boost COVID-19 vaccine confidence. The ini- tiative is made possible with support from the U.S. Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Institute of Museum and Li- brary Services (IML S) and is led by the Association of Science and Technology Centers and the American Alliance of Museums. By Alex Mahrenholz 4-H Youth Development/ Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator Purdue Extension- Pike County The majority of U.S. cows calve in the spring, but mar- ket trends may make fall calves even more desirable. Supply and demands tells us that when supply is higher, the demand is typically low- er. For herds that sell their calves at or near their wean- ing age, fall calving can have a noticeable pricing advan- tage for those farmers and ranchers. Fall calving allows the cow to enter the season in a higher body condition due to summer grazing without a nursing calf on her side along with the idea that cool-sea- son grasses flourish in the autumn season, giving the cow the opportunity to con- tinue grazing and maintain her body condition through- out lactation. The late gesta- tion stages occurring in the warmer summer months have also been shown to be helpful to fall-calving herds because higher tempera- tures can impact uterine blood flow in cattle and thus affect a calf's birth weight. Spring weather can be in- consistent and difficult for newborn calves to thrive in. In the fall, weather patterns are typically less erratic than in the spring and can pro- vide a more optimal environ- ment with cooler tempera- tures for calves and grazing mothers. Also due to weath- er patterns and the great deal of tasks that are associated with farming in the spring months, labor may be more available to monitor cows and heifers in the fall months. Overall, calving assistance rates have been studied to be lower in fall-calving heif- ers which may be explained by lower calf birthweights in late gestation during sum- mer months than those in the colder winter months. There are multiple factors and circumstances to con- sider when selecting calving seasons. Selecting the right combination of components will vary from farm to farm. Reach out to your Pike Coun- ty Purdue Extension Office at 812-354-6838 ext. 284, for a variety of resources that may help in making these decisions for your operation. PC students perform in All-Region Honor Band Several students from Pike Central attended the All-Region Honor Band last weekend. They met with stu- dents from 13 schools across Southwest Indiana at South Knox High School. The group performed music from all around the world, including the world premier of "Los Cuatro Vientos," written specifically for the honor band. Gracelyn Miller was a featured soloist in one of the pieces played during the weekend. Pike Central participants were, front row (l to r): Brayden Miller, Riley Bolin, Elle Readle, Lindsey Woods and Gracelyn Miller; back row: Nolan Bailey, Baylie Rainey, Ayden Young, Danyella Pride and Justus Edrington. Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner Sponsored by Petersburg First United Methodist Outreach Monday, Nov. 22 from 4 to 8 p.m. Mi Patio Restaurant – 211 E. Main St., Petersburg Come enjoy a delicious homemade holiday dinner together. Everyone welcome! Any questions, call 812-319-2647 or 812-582-1734 Mi Patio is hosting a The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, November 17, 2021 A-7 CHESSER Continued from page 1 Purdue Extension news Fall or spring calving was on patrol, "it was just an uneasy feeling." He explained that Bad Hersfeld, even though it was on the West Germany side, was still most- ly communists. "They had a population of 7,000 people, but 6,000 of them were registered communists." He said the West German forces had a large German Shepherd police dog named Kruschev. He said it startled him one time when he came up and sniffed his neck. "They told me, 'it wont bother you, but it will tear up an East Ger- man.'" He said he had a scary ex- perience when a man from the other side of the border approached him and wouldn't stop coming towards him, even though he was ordering him to stop. "I didn't shoot him. But it was close. I was scared to death. I didn't know what to do. He said something in German and then turned around and walked away." He said often he would be on patrols out in the field and they would come across German children. "They would asked for cigarettes." I didn't have any cigarettes, but I would offer them chocolate. They wouldn't take it. They said, 'We have better chocolate than you do. We need cigarettes.'" Chesser said it was much dif- ferent than when he was in the southwest and would run across Indian children. "They were thrilled to get anything we would give them." While Chesser was still in the United States, on Labor Day 1964, his father had a se- rious stroke. Chesser got a phone call telling him about his father. He talked to his commander about it and was told, "I'll see what I can do." His command- er then called the Red Cross. A colonel heard him talking and asked him about the sit- uation. "He said, 'How much money do you have.'" Chesser said he had just got paid and had sent his money back to his parents. "I said I have $5." The Red Cross then se- cured him a flight back to the Midwest and he made it to Chicago, but found out there weren't any flights to Evans- ville until the next day. So he caught a bus to Princeton. When he got to Princeton, he went to Potter and Brumfield when his brother was working and asked him if he could bor- row his car. "He told me 'go ahead, it's your car.'" So he drove to the hospital, visited with his parents and then went back to California. And weeks later, he was sent to Germany. A neighbor, Ray Haggard, (who later became sheriff of Pike County), talked to him and told Chesser he needed to request an early discharge so he could help his parents. The stroke had disabled his father and he was not able to work, and his mother was having to take care of his father. Chess- er said his father was getting $ 30 a week, but that ran out in December. "He filed for dis- ability and Social Security, but didn't get it until August." Chesser was still sent to Europe. In March, he was no- tified he was getting an ear- ly discharge. "I got out about five months early." He was sent home and once he was there, he applied for several jobs. He went to Jasper, and the same day was hired and tarted working at Jasper Rub- ber. But when he got home that night, he received notice he had a job offer from Whirl- pool. "It paid a lot more than Jasper Rubber." So he went to that job the next day. He ended up selling his motorcycle for $400 to pay off his father's hospital bill and helped his parents. A tragic death at a Prince- ton race track ended his mo- torcycle racing career. He said there was a young kid who was a really hot rider. Chesser was there and met his parents be- fore the race. The kid had a wreck and jumped up imme- diately after the crash, trying to get going again, and was hit and killed by another racer. "I just thought if something happened to me, it would kill my mother and father." He was a member of the Ar- my Reserves and while doing a stint at Camp Chaffee in Ar- kansas, helping train new sol- diers, he ran across an old friend. "When I first walked in, I saw this guy down at the end of the row grinning at me. He said 'you're right, Chess- er.'" While talking with his old friend, Chesser learned just how fortunate he had been going to Germany. He said the Strike Force unit was as- signed to Vietnam to do seek and destroy missions. Chess- er said the 900 guys who were part of the Strike Force in Cal- ifornia, who didn't go to Ger- many, were sent to Vietnam. His friend told him out of the 900 guys from that force, he thought he was the only one that didn't get hit. "I would have been in Viet- nam, if I hadn't went to Ger- many. I would have been one of the guys out front, crawling around to see where the ene- my was." Chesser said his tour of du- ty was good. He got to travel around the country and see Europe. "I went to Disney in California, and saw the Gar- den of the Gods and moun- tains, and the deserts in the southwest. I always had good duty. "I feel like God had blessed me in a lot of ways. I may be the dumbest guy in the coun- try, but I sure have had a good time." When he returned to Indi- ana, he started dating his fu- ture wife, Joan. He said they had dated once before he was drafted and she had written him a couple of letters. Once he got back, they started dat- ing and eventually got mar- ried. "I always joked, she was the only one left when I got back." Joan died in 2009. "I know a lot of people have paid a high price for me to be able to sit and talk to you. I have had a wonderful life," said Chesser. Bill Chesser Todd Hoffman charged with battery, neglect By James Capozella Todd Thomas Hoffman, 37, of 2248 N. Mechanics Rd., Ot- well, was arrested by Indiana State Trooper Tanner Hurley on November 10 for domestic battery on a person less than 14 years old and also neglect of a dependent. Trooper Hur- ley was assisting Department of Child Services (DCS) in an investigation that began at a school after a state investi- gator was called by a school official to look into reported bruises and a large bite mark on a juvenile. An interview by Trooper Hurley with Todd Hoffman revealed that Hoffman and the juvenile were wrestling and that they were punching one another. However, Hoff- man denied biting the juve- nile and blamed it on the dog. Trooper Hurley reported that the dog was a 10 -pound lap dog and that the bite mark on the juvenile's arm was ap- proximately three times wider than the dog's mouth and not a shape that is common with a dog bite. The juvenile told the DCS investigator that the mark on his arm was from his dad bit- ing him and the bruise on his chest was from his dad as well, according to the report. Trooper Hurley placed Hoff- man into handcuffs, having to use two pair due to Hoffman's size, and then transported him to the Pike County Sher- iff's Officer without incident. net edition PressDispatch.net/Subscribe It's the paper. Just digital.