Liberty-Perry (aka Wapahani) Alumni Association

Wapahani - Center - Selma

Art Haney's Bluebird Flyer--Remembered

Here's another issue of the original Bluebird Flyer, from May, 2003.  These are from Art's files of his e-newsletter mailed out to his SHS 1953 classmates as they were anticipating their 50th class reunion in 2003.  As friends and family learned of his newsy correspondence pertaining to Selma, Indiana and Selma High School, they asked to be placed on the email list, as well.   Art wrote his monthly newsletter until June, 2009, when he asked me to continue.

Bluebird Flyer Remembered, May, 2003

Just to let you know I will not be changing the photos on the web site this month due to lack of time.  My Mother, Thelma, suffered a stroke April 22nd but did enjoy celebrating her 90th birthday in the hospital last Friday the 25th.  She is now going through rehab and doing well regaining movement of her arm and leg as well as improvement in speech and memory.  Our biggest problem is convincing her of her major improvement due to her impatience and expectations for a more rapid recovery.
 
Some may not have heard yet, but Marge Denton was involved in a terrible automobile accident while traveling to Michigan to see her son Larry.  Her vehicle rolled four times as I understand it, but fortunately she had her seat belts secured and escaped with several bumps and bruises and a broken collarbone.  She is home recovering now and is supposed to be able to get her arm free of the sling in about another week.  She said she is sore in spots she didn’t know she had but is so grateful to be alive.  I know we all wish her a speedy recovery.  I have received an interesting writing from Wanda (Griffey) Reddick about the great times she had at the Selma Rink, and others have written about Cox’s Drive Inn and the other photos.  I always enjoy reading them and will share them with you now.  In response to the old gym, later used as a skating rink. It was built on the East Side of Pittenger Road, at the west edge of the old school play ground. It was heated by two large furnaces and dressing rooms under the bleachers. I attended many ball games there. It was used for social functions for the school and many plays put on by the Speech Classes.  The school was terribly crowded when I was in Junior High and High School. The seats were joined together in twos and the aisles narrowed. Each person had a seat mate. The annex was completed enough that the class of 1925 held their commencement in the new gym. Our class started our Senior year in the new annex. We really felt liberated. Of course we held our festivities in the new gym that year- 1925-1926..   Note= I am the Mother of Dick Murphy- class of 1951 and Joe Murphy- class of 1952. I graduated in 1926, my five siblings also graduated from Selma High. Mark Bullock- 1909, Ruth Swander-1910, Margaret Austin- 1915 and Paul Bullock 1921. Our home known as "Murphy Radiator" was located west of Selma on 32. Shop operated for 35 years
 
Mary Ellen Bullock Murphy Cromer.
 

Art; Nice to read the Bluebird news. My father talked of playing basketball in the Selma Rink. Some of the old yearbooks might tell more. My sister Becky received the newsletter from Ruth Elwell and forwarded it to me. Patti and I enjoyed all the updates.
Thanks Patti & Tom (White) Williams
 

Hi,
 
Looking at the pictures:
 
The kindergarten class were members of the class of 1970 from Wapahani High School. I had (may still have) the same picture with the names on the back. My son, Doug Black and my niece Jan (Briggs) Knote are in the picture.
 
Also the picture of the building on the corner of Old 32 and Albany Street was built in 1948 by my parents, Ed and Pauline Cox. It was Cox's Drive In.
 
I think the other kindergarten picture was taken at the depot that is being renovated for the Cardinal Greenway. It is the same class as the other picture. They were going on a train ride somewhere. I was teaching and was not there, but my son Doug was.
Martha (Cox) Black
 
I can help with the pictures. In the train station picture, I am in the dead center facing forward. To my right is Tommy Handley. His mother is behind me. I think that I recognize some of the others, but not sure.  I actually have the graduation picture somewhere with everyone identified.
(My mother is obsessive and had saved it. She gave it to me last year when  he moved). I recognize are Danny Vester, front row fourth from right. Alan Dudley, front row right. Joetta Burd, back row, second from right. I think that I recognize several others, but am not sure. If I can find the picture, I will send the info on.  The building is the old Cox Drive Inn, run by my grandparents. I have no memories from the 50's, but plenty from the 60's.
Doug Black

Hi, Art:
Finally getting time to respond to your discussion of the skating  rink. If it weren't for that old rink, I would have had no social life at all. Let's face it - there just wasn't much else to do in Selma for kids. There were school activities, limited as they were, and the rink.  I loved to skate! Actually, my uncle, Ralph Griffey operated the rink  in the Muncie Armory for years. All my uncles skated on the Muncie Roller Hockey team and I skated there from the age of five or so. I can remember going there when I was very young. So young, in fact that when
my brother and I would get sleepy, they made beds for us in upside-down skate boxes and put us behind the counter of the skate booth (where people came to get skates, sodas, candy, etc). Also, my grandfather, James L. Griffey, operated skating rinks during the summer months in several community buildings in nearby towns. Some of those were in Losantville, Markleville, and Lapel, to name three. The one in Lapel was upstairs! Bet it was noisy on the first story of that building!
But I seldom missed a Saturday night at the Selma Rink. Vernie did it right! He would announce the "Couples Only" and lower the lights so as to lend a little mood. Remember the trio ". . . . .two boys and a girl, two girls and a boy or three girls . . . ." Vernie was wise in not allowing three boys, as they would probably get rough and tear the place apart. Remember, in the summer he used to open those big double doors at the north end for ventilation? The last skate of the evening was always a waltz. The two best male skaters were Gene Duke and Bobby Sellers. I used to pray that Bobby would ask me to skate the last waltz because he really was a pro. He
even had lights mounted onto the bottoms of his skates and looked really cool with the lights down low. Bobby knew just how to lead his skating partner in the waltz, turning and dipping in a very professional way.  It made you feel very important to waltz with either Gene or Bobby. Of course, a few of us had detachable skates, which made us feel just a
little special. Roller skating doesn't seem to be very important to young people today. I recently had the opportunity to try a pair of in-line roller blades and let me tell you, they are NOTHING like regular roller skates f our day! But, I'd like to see someone try to spin or do an arabesque on a pair of those things!  Those skating rink days were good times. But so were most of the days of our childhood, right? Thanks for conjuring up all those fond memories, Art.
Wanda (Griffey) Reddick
 
No doubt about it. I believe your photo of the building on the corner is Cox's Drive-Inn and was built circa 1947, give or take a year or so. I remember when it was being constructed that Earl Snider, basketball coach at SHS, was on the roof laying shingles. "Readie" (sp) Cox built the drive-in but have no memory as to what was on the corner before.
Across the street to the east was Jones' garage and to the north, across the highway, the Bluebird Inn. During the war and while a major renovation of SHS was underway, there was no cafeteria. Students either sacked their lunches or would to the Bluebird Inn or to Ella Cook's place downtown for lunches or, if really brave, to Brad Skinner's combination shoe repair and grill. For 20 cents, the Bluebird Inn offered two hamburgers, a bowl of chili, and a soft drink. Ella's specialty was hot dogs while Skinner's specialty was hamburgers cooked in a skillet where the grease was never changed.
In 1950, an independent basketball league was formed and consisted of about a dozen teams from Delaware County and the surrounding area. I played on the team sponsored by Cox's Drive-Inn. Other members of the team were all older and some of those playing included my brother Don, Bob Boggs and, I believe, Gene Sheward.
The drive-in always closed at 11:00 PM and since I played for Cox's, would always try to make a point to stop in at closing time. "Readie" would always treat me (I was cheap even then) with left-over french-fries, hamburgers, and pie.
Along about this time, "Readie" ran for Delaware County Sheriff but was "defeated" when several voting machines in the Liberty and Center Townships "failed." "Readie" was devastated about this and I learned very early in life that politics is not played by the rules of gentlemen -- and probably never was or ever will be.
I don't remember when "Readie" passed away, but it was probably in the mid-fifties or later. The drive-in never prospered after that and later closed after noon lunches. Gene Cross was a fixture there also as well as at the skating rink.
I bet your readers won't remember one of the first "car-hops" at Cox's? I will not keep you in suspense any longer! It was none other than Donn Williamson ('50)!
In looking back over the years, I can't help but think our generation has lived in the "best of times."
Keep up the good work.
Bob Shumaker “49”
 
Cox's Drive Inn. I worked there in 1957 for 50 cents an hour.
 
I see Joyce Shaw 2nd from left in the back row of picture with children and Mrs. Shady is 2nd from the right and the Dunwiddie girl is next to Mrs. Shady.
 
My Dad Earl Russell graduated from Selma in 1927 and he told about the basketball games in the Skating rink. He also said that his manual training class did the cement work in the shower rooms when the build the big gym.
 
Your Flyer was very interesting. Thank you.
 
Janet (Russell) Cullers (’58)
 
 
Art Haney
Parker City, IN

Selma Bluebirds Flyer

           If you would like to respond to the information from the above original May, 2003 issue of Art Haney's Bluebird Flyer, please send your comments or photos to SelmaBluebirds@wapahanialumni.com.  Other alumni news, obituaries, and reunion info will be welcome, as well.  For snail mail send to Selma Bluebirds Flyer, P. O. Box 45, Selma, IN  47383. 

    Your responses to Art's original Flyers may become a part of the new Selma Bluebirds Flyer, that will go out on the first of each month.   Responses will be posted to this website only if requested by a contributor. 

    I hope you've enjoyed reading the above original Bluebird Flyer, which was published monthly from Sept., 2002 until June, 2009. The new version of the Flyer,  the Selma Bluebirds Flyer  is written by me and will go out on the first of each month by email only.  To be added to, or removed from, the Selma Bluebirds Flyer e-mail list, send your request to SelmaBluebirds@wapahanialumni.com. 

Donna Staggs, Selma, Indiana 

Thanks for reading the April, 2003 issue of   Art Haney's Bluebird Flyer Remembered

Check back on April 1, for his next original issue from June, 2003.

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