The Press-Dispatch
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Local ........ A1-10 Sports .........B1-6 Classifi eds .... B7-8 Church ........C1-3 School.........C4-5 East Gibson .... C5 Opinion .......D1-2 Home Life....D3-8 Obituaries....... D9 WHAT'S INSIDE: CONNECT WITH US: NetEdition ...pressdispatch.net/edition Facebook.....facebook.com/pressdispatch E-Mail .........news@pressdispatch.net Phone:.................. 812-354-8500 Fax: ...................... 812-354-2014 E-Mail . editor@pressdispatch.net NEWS TIPS: PIKE PUBLISHING $ 1 Five sections • Five inserts 44 pages Wednesday, May 24, 2017 Volume 148 Number 21 Phone (812) 354-8500 Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 (USPS 604-34012) Adriana Sheridan Valedictorian Stella D'Esposito Salutatorian Samuel Brandle Senior Address Pike Central to graduate Class of 2017 on Friday evening By Ed Cahill The day that Pike Central High School's Class of 2017 has waited for has finally arrived. Graduation Day. In a ceremony scheduled to be- gin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 26 in the school's gymnasium, a total of 137 students will receive their diplomas. This year's valedictorian is Adriana Sheridan. She is the daughter of Jack and Rebecca Sheridan, of Petersburg. During high school, Sheridan served as president for the Ger- man Club and treasurer for the Key Club. She also participat- ed in pep band, Books Between Bites, was a member of the Na- tional Honor Society, Orchestra Pit, the Teen Advisory Council, Graduation Committee and Con- cert Band, was captain of the Eng- lish Academic Team and served as Yearbook Editor, a Peer Facilita- tor and a Peer Tutor. She also was awarded the Na- tional World Language Award, the All-American Scholar At-Large Award, the Saint Maria Goretti Youth Distinction Award and the Well-Rounded Band Award. In ad- dition, she received a Gold Rating in Flute Ensemble and was named to the Distinguished Honor Roll. She plans to attend the Universi- ty of Evansville. This year's salutatorian is Stella D'Esposito, the daughter of Car- rie and Stephen D'Esposito, of Merom. During her high school years, D'Esposito was a member of the English Academic Team, the Na- tional Honor Society and the Ger- man Club. She was also selected as a Hoosier Girls' State delegate. She plans to attend Indiana Uni- versity. In addition, Sam Brandle will give the Senior Address. He is the son of John and Nancy Brandle, of Stendal. During high school, he participated in tennis for one year, soccer for three years, golf for two years, Business Professionals of America for two years, robotics team for one year, jazz band for three years and concert band for one year. Brandle also received the Most Improved Award in soccer during his sophomore year. During his junior year, he was a member of the Pike Central High School BPA Broadcast News Production Team that placed second in district com- petition. During his senior year, the Pike Central High School BPA Broadcast News Production Team placed first in both district and state competitions and trav- eled to Orlando, where it placed in the top 10 teams. Brandle plans to attend Vin- cennes University's Purdue En- gineering School, where he will study mechanical engineering and business. The graduation ceremony will begin with the processional to Pomp and Circumstance, per- formed by the Pike Central High School band. Principal Brian Hol- land will have a welcome, followed by a performance of the National Anthem by the Pike Central High School band. Assistant Principal Alicia Cor- nelius will lead the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Student Gov- ernment President Kaleb Mason will follow with an invocation. The Pike Central High School Swing Choir will perform For Good, after which Sheridan will give the Valedictorian Address. A fter the Pike Central High School band performs A Child- hood Remembered, D'Esposito will follow with the Salutatorian Address. The Pike Central High School Swing Choir will then perform Friends, before Brandle delivers the Senior Address. Holland will then present the Class of 2017 to Superintendent Suzanne Blake, who will – with assistance from Holland and Cor- nelius – present diplomas to each graduating seniors. Blake will then pronounce the seniors as graduates. This year's class flower is the Corn Flower, and the class colors are white and gold. The class motto is, "Together, we have experienced life. Sepa- rately, we will pursue our dreams. Forever, our memories will re- main." Senior class officers are: Syd- ney Brooks, president; Lani Dil- lard, vice-president; Kara Indorf, secretary; Bailey VanWinkle, treasurer; and Delia Krueger, historian. Senior class sponsors are Kyle Brames and Abigail Vinnedge. See SQUADS on page 5 By Andy Heuring Two firing squads and hon- or guard teams will be traveling throughout Pike County on Me- morial Day to 24 cemeteries and conducting graveside tributes to our nation's fallen veterans. The Petersburg Veterans of Foreign Wars will be going to 11 ceme- teries in the northern half of Pike County, while the Winslow Amer- ican Legion will be going to ceme- teries in the southern part of Pike County. Honors rendered at each ceme- tery will include a prayer, 21-gun salute and Taps being played. An extended program will be presented at 10 :45 a.m. at the Wal- nut Hills Cemetery in Petersburg. The featured speaker will be Free Methodist Church Pastor Mark Schlechty. VFW Commander Ray Stillwell encouraged area families to take a few moments and attend one of the ceremony or visit a grave site of a loved one. "It is a way to show gratitude to the ones who paid the ultimate price for our freedom." He also reminded people to low- er their flags to half staff on Me- morial Day. He said grave site flags are available prior to Memorial Day services at VFW Post 3587 on Main St. Petersburg. "Individu- als and organizations can pick up flags for placement on veterans' graves." A cemetery custodian can draw the proper number of flags for each use. If veterans are buried in a family or no-custodian cemetery, then an individual is in- vited to draw flags for this use. It is requested that custodians and individuals retrieve the flags af- ter Memorial Day and save them for future sue. The annual Memorial Day pa- rade in Winslow is set for 1 p.m., with line-up beginning at noon at the Winslow Elementary School. The parade will proceed on Por- ter St. from the elementary school to Main St., turn south and go to Union St. and then go east to Oak Hills Cemetery. David Gayhart said there will be a ceremony with a speaker at the cemetery follow- ing the parade. He invited all vet- Honor guard schedule set See VET on page 6 An open house for a draft of Pike County's Master Strategic Plan for a 3,500 -acre area along I-69 is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 25 in the Pike County Courthouse auditorium. Ashley Willis, executive di- rector of the Pike County Eco- nomic Development Corporation said, "This is a great opportunity for the public to engage and offer their thoughts for the new gate- way of Pike County." She said it will be an open house setting, "So come and go as time permits. Everyone is welcome to attend and share your feedback. I'm looking forward to great atten- dance and ideas." She emphasized this is a draft, not a completed plan. The Pike EDC hired Rundell, Ernstberger Associates of India- napolis, Midwestern Engineers, Inc. of Loogootee and AECOM to develop the plan. Willis said the plan will set up a prioritization for retail, commer- cial, residential and light indus- trial uses in the 3,500 -acre area. "Once it is finalized, we will have a strong implementation plan. We are currently working with AE- COM on our target markets, tak- ing into account not only our inter- state but our electric, water and rail access." I-69 industrial park master plan open house is Thursday See FISH HUT on page 2 By Andy Heuring An early Saturday morning fire damaged the Fish Hut restaurant in Winslow, causing it to close. A fire broke out in the pizza kitchen area of the Winslow estab- lishment, setting off an alarm at 4:22 a.m. Owner Joe Henson said the pizza kitchen area was added on to the back of the building. "When we arrived, the back part was fully engulfed," said Win- slow Fire Chief Jason Bottoms. Fire crews were able to limit the fire damage to the added on portion of the building. Howev- er, Bottoms said there was sig- nificant smoke and heat damage throughout the building. Winslow was assisted by the Pa- toka Fire Department in fighting the blaze. Henson said Monday they are Saturday fire closes Winslow Fish Hut By Andy Heuring Petersburg native Jim Free- land grew up next to what is now Illinois St. "I grew up lit- erally on the wrong side of the tracks," chuckles Free- land, who is now 70, and has been retired from the Indiana Department of Transporta- tion for the last 12 years. But he really grew up in the Ar- my. Freeland's father, Earnest, was disabled due to the loss of his leg and later suffered a stroke that affected his other side. "We were really poor," said Freeland. His mother developed Leukemia. His sis- ter was killed in a traffic ac- cident. Freeland said she had been on a date to a movie in Jasper and a strong storm blew up. Her date crashed into a ditch filled with water and she drowned. "I was the only one left and it was impossible to get a job at 16," said Freeland. So he lied about his age and signed up for the Army. He learned a quick lesson about life and reality. "They (Army) had this thing they called the buddy program. If you went in to- gether, you could go through basic training together," said Freeland. It didn't really work out that way. "I passed all my tests and my friend didn't." Freeland said he saw his friend in the hallway af- ter their tests and said, "Hey, we are going to be going to boot camp together." Then he found out his friend didn't pass some of the tests. "The next thing I knew, I was on my way to Fort Knox for basic training." A fter boot camp, he was sent to Ft. Ord in California. A place he nev- er dreamed of seeing when he was a pre-teen living on the wrong side of the tracks in Petersburg. It was a big ad- justment. "I was 16 years old and never really been away from home before. My goodness I had never been away from my mother for crying out loud," said Freeland about the tough adjustment to the Army life- style at the age of 16. When he was sent to Cal- ifornia, he flew out of Lou- isville on a DC-3 prop air- plane. As the plane bounced and rolled its way to Chica- go, Freeland contemplated his mortality. "I thought, oh my God." The flight from Chi- cago to Los Angeles was on a more modern jet and it was much better. He began Ad- Freeland earned Purple Heart, served in Army and Navy PIKE CENTRAL CENTRAL C L A SS O F In Loving Page D-10 INSIDE THIS EDITION! Memory Jim Freeland of rural Petersburg holds mini versions of the various medals he earned dur- ing his 11 or so years in the Army and Navy. He received a Purple Heart, Good Conduct Med- al, Army of Occupation Medal, National Defense Medal, Vietnam Service and Humanitarian Service Medal.