This page is for good news of any Liberty-Perry alumni, schools or the communities around them, from The Star Press or other news sources.  You can send us stuff, too!  Email to history@wapahanialumni.com.

Roberts 50th

Davis - Johnson

Reese 40th

Light the candles

Other info: She has been active in local home ec clubs, WCTU and is a member of Harris Chapel Church of the Nazarene.

Favorite pastimes: Quilting and gardening..

Occupation: Retired from J.C. Penney.

Family:  Children, Donald Odle, Selma, and Lorraine Reese, Albany; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Send birthday greetings to: 8900 S. County Road 560-E, Selma, Ind. 47383.

Ford - McGregor

INTRODUCING: Bud Richman's always loved horsing around

DALEVILLE -- It's not often you meet a man who maintains a horse-racing track on his property. Then again, it's not often you meet a man who ran his last horse race 10 years past retirement age, either.

"I've always been horse nuts," said Bud Richman, who is now 87, while not far away a sulky driver kicked up dust, steering one at racing speed on his half-mile oval. "I drove my last race at Hoosier Park over here when I was 75 years old. ... I've been down, tromped on, struck, bit, kicked."

As he spoke, he sat in an easy chair in the pristine house that recently replaced the one he lost in a fire last year, but sitting in easy chairs isn't something he has spent much time doing.

Growing up in Daleville, he had an active childhood. A picture of him as a baby, asleep on a mare's back, hinted at his equestrian leanings.

"I raced my first pony at the Muncie Fair when I was 6 years old," he recalled.

A Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, as a kid he played basketball and baseball, including pitching American Legion ball on one particularly notable occasion.

"My only claim to fame is, I beat (future Brooklyn Dodger star) Carl Erskine, one to nothing," Richman said, grinning.

Life was also full of work and fun for the senior class' salutatorian and president, who milked cows for his grocery-store owning Dad's dairy, plus labored with a "hay ring," pitch-forking the stuff into bundles known as "doodles," then hoisting them into farmers' mows for "a dollar a day and my dinner."

 His social life flourished, meanwhile. He and a date could ride a street car to Anderson, check out a nationally touring big band at the Palladium, then grab a burger at Hoosier Pete before heading home, all for the lordly sum of 75 cents.

"People don't realize how much of a change has taken place," he said.

Graduating in 1942, Richman was soon in the Army Air Force, flying some of the scariest attack missions imaginable, strafing Japanese air fields as a waist gunner in B-25Gs.

"I could look up and see the tops of the coconut trees," he said, recalling how his plane returned from his last mission with more than 300 holes in it.

 Home from the war, Richman worked for Bell Telephone before earning his degree in education at Ball State, rushing through in three years. Even then he kept up a frenetic pace of outside activities working as a bartender at Daleville's American Legion, of which he became the youngest state commander ever at 24, plus starting the Daleville Volunteer Fire Department as a Legion project.

Sportsman to the core

During the war years and post-war years, by the way, his athletic experiences piled up.

Playing for an Army team in Seattle, he was humbled by encountering the Harlem Globetrotters.

"I thought I knew a little bit about basketball, until I played them," he said, noting how one Globetrotter made 10 free throws in a row, from the opposite free-throw line. "It was the most phenomenal thing I ever saw in my life."

However, he excelled, too, in an industrial baseball league that paid $10 a game, and was about to have a tryout with the pre-major league California Angels when he snapped an elbow muscle on a hard pitch.

That ended that.

Beginning in the 1950s, his horse-racing career flourished, too, both as a sulky driver and breeder, owning 16 brood mares at the top of his operation, plus a Standard-bred stallion of great repute named King Omaha. Some afternoons after school, he'd load up two horses, drive to Chicago to race them, then drive back here by 5 a.m., throw on a suit and head to work.

As already noted, the father of four's racing passion didn't wane with age. After retiring, he spent seven years in Orlando, race-training colts, and after Hoosier Park opened, he was named to represent horsemen in dealings with the track.

Still, his love of horses notwithstanding, he looks back with particular fondness on his teaching career.

"I think the thing I liked the most, was the fact that I could help kids," Richman said, pondering his life and smiling at the memories. "Sometimes I get to thinking how, really, life's been good to me."

2010 Delaware County Athletics Hall of Fame inductees

John Bartle

John Bartle's basketball career began in junior high school in Selma. In 1963-64, Selma High School had an undefeated regular season before losing to Southside 58-55 in the Muncie Sectional. Bartle was a frequent starter on that undefeated team and during the 1964-65 season, he was one of Delaware County's leading scorers. 

Bartle has been a significant financial contributor to the Delaware County Old Timers Basketball Tournament, which began in 1988. He is also the tournament's all-time leading scorer and the Selma/Wapahani teams on which he participates have won 10 tournament titles.

Currently, Bartle is a developer and operator of senior living communities and has developed over 50 properties in eight states.

J.D. Craft

When J.D. Craft was born seven weeks early in June 1980, his stomach was not fully developed and he had severe club feet. Both of his feet were upside down and almost completely backwards, and doctors gave him little hope to ever walk properly. But even from the beginning, Craft proved to be a fighter.

After spending several years in and out of casts to help his club feet, Craft made significant progress and even began wrestling at 8 years old. He continued his wrestling career into high school for Central High School, where he posted a 121-26 record. He went on to wrestle briefly for Harper College in Palatine, Ill., before a foot injury brought him back to Muncie, where he attended Ivy Tech and Ball State.

Following his time in college, Craft began fighting in Mixed Martial Arts. To date, his professional  record is 3-0.

Stacey Herron-Pursley

A lifelong resident of Delaware County, Stacey Herron-Pursley is one of two people to ever graduate from Wapahani High School with 13 varsity letters. She was a key player on the Raiders' volleyball, basketball and track teams, and she was named all-conference for volleyball and basketball.

She was one of three Wapahani students to graduate in 1993 as valedictorian of her class with a 4.0 grade-point average. At 17, she turned down college scholarship offers for athletics and went to Ball State on a full Presidential Academic Scholarship. At the beginning of her sophomore year of college, she was in a severe car accident that would have ended her college athletics career if she was playing. She has permanent nerve damage to her upper and lower back and beat the odds of doctors advising her she would never play sports again.

Today, Herron-Pursley works at Ontario Systems LLC in Muncie, where she has worked for over 12 years. She is also the head coach of the Munciana Huskies.

Eric Jacobson

Eric Jacobson moved to Yorktown at age 10 and played baseball, basketball and football. As a sophomore in high school, he lettered and started at outside linebacker for the 1984 sectional champion football team.

In his senior year, Jacobson was named a team captain, Headhunter Award winner and first-team all-state. He was named a starter for the North team in the Indiana North-South Shrine Game.

Jacobson was awarded a full scholarship to Miami University to play college football. There, he was a three-year letterman and one-year starter at outside linebacker.

Jacobson has worked in the Human Resources field for Rockwell, Eaton and Pentair for more than 15 years.

Virginia Jay

Virginia Jay was born in July 1928 in Van Buren, Ind., and she graduated from the Van Buren school system in 1946. After two years at Huntington College, she transferred to Ball State Teachers College.

In 1950, she married Neal D. Jay, and the two had five children. She returned to teaching in 1962 at Selma High School, teaching physical education and general business. Jay coached Wapahani's first volleyball team in 1973, and she went on to help coach the school's first girls basketball team.

Greg Jones

Greg Jones attended Southside High School, where he was a three-year letterman in basketball.

In his senior year, Jones averaged 21.7 points per game and was named all-city, all-conference and All-American in 1976. He graduated with a 3.87 GPA and as a member of the National Honor Society.

Despite interest from several big name schools, Jones opted to remain in close to home and play for Taylor University. He was Taylor's leading scorer three years in a row and was named all-conference in each season.

Currently, Jones serves as Chief Operating Officer of ProTech Compliance, Inc. He has served as a mentor to several great basketball names in Delaware County, including Ray McCallum, Patrick Jackson, Billy Butts and Dee Erby.

Anne Koester

Anne Koester attended Burris in the late 1990s and was a member of the varsity volleyball team throughout her four years there. She was named to the All-East Central Indiana team her last three years at Burris. During her senior year, the Owls won their second straight Class 2A state title, and Koester was awarded the Mental Attitude Award at the state finals.

Koester accepted a full-ride athletic scholarship to the University of Illinois in 1999. After two years, she transferred to the University of Kentucky, where she was named to the Academic All-Southeastern Conference Team.

Dre' Knox

Dre' Knox was born and raised in Muncie and attended Central High School.

In 1991, he served as the football team's starting defensive back and quarterback. A year later, he was named Delaware County Player of the Year for football, first-team all-conference and all-state. In basketball, he was named first-team all city and area.

Knox went on to play football for Indiana State University, where he was named freshman of the year for the Gateway Conference. He was named to the academic all-conference team for three years. His senior year, he was named first-team all-conference, and he left with the second-most interceptions in school history.

Ginger Lingenfelter

Ginger Lingenfelter was born and raised in Selma and attended Wapahani High School.

She became the first athlete in school history to receive 13 varsity letters, playing volleyball, basketball, softball and running track for one season. She was an all-county and all-conference athlete her junior and senior years in both volleyball and basketball, and she was an all-state athlete her senior year in volleyball.

Lingenfelter received a full-ride athletic scholarship to play volleyball for the University of Cincinnati and helped turn the team from 12-21 her freshman year to 28-7 her junior year. She ranks fifth in school history with 148 digs, and now coaches the Wapahani volleyball team.

Mike Lingenfelter

Mike Lingenfelter was born and raised in Lexington, Ky. and went on to play volleyball for the University of Cincinnati as a scholarship athlete in 1980.

In 1980-81 and 81-82, he was named to the all-conference team. In 1982, he made the U.S. Olympic Festival team. The 1982 season turned out to be Lingenfelter's last at Cincinnati, as the program was dropped the next year.

Following his stint in college, he moved to Delaware County and became athletic director, physical education teacher and head volleyball coach at Wapahani High School. Along with his high school coaching, he also has been deeply involved in the Munciana Volleyball program. He has been co-director and head coach of the 18-1 Samurai squad the last seven years.

Kristopher Luce

Kris Luce has spent the majority of his life in and around Delaware County. He attended Perry Elementary, Selma Elementary, Selma Middle School and Wapahani High School.

Kris was a four-year starter in baseball and a three-year starter in basketball for the Raiders varsity teams. During his baseball career, Kris batted a school-record .416, hit 20 home runs, 32 doubles and had 102 RBIs. He also holds school pitching records in innings pitched (269) and is third in wins (31), earned run average (1.97) and strikeouts (257). He was voted all-conference for four straight years and All-Delaware County for three years.

In basketball, Kris averaged 14.2 points per game for his career, including 17.7 points in his senior season. He was voted all-conference three times and all-county twice.

Following high school, Kris received an athletic scholarship to play baseball at Purdue University, cracking the school record books in several categories. He then played five seasons for the Portland Rockets, a semi-pro baseball team from Jay County. Kris, who lives in Muncie, also has enjoyed being an IHSAA baseball official since 2003.

Ann MacMillan

Ann MacMillan grew up in Daleville and attended Daleville Elementary and Daleville Junior High School before transferring to Burris for her freshman year of high school in 1994, where she played on the volleyball team. In a single-class era, Burris won state championships during her freshman and senior years.

During her varsity career, she was a three-time all-area selection, three-time all-conference pick, four-time Mid-Eastern Conference champions and a two-time all-state pick.

She also played basketball for Burris, where she scored more than 1,000 career points and helped lead the Owls to their first-ever girls basketball sectional victory in her senior year.

MacMillan received an athletic scholarship for volleyball at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte in 1998 and was a two-year starter. In 2000, she transferred to the University of New Orleans. She made the Sunbelt Conference Academic Honor Roll in 2000 and 2001 and made the all-conference team in 2001.

Gerry Moore

Gerry Moore moved to Muncie from Louisville, Ky., in 1992 and attended Southside High School from 1992-96.

During his years at Southside, Moore earned nine varsity letters -- four in track, three in basketball and two in football. He is in the athletic hall of fame at Southside. As a track athlete, he garnered six Olympic Conference titles and won the sectional title in the long jump. During his senior year, he was ranked No. 1 in the state in the long jump and went undefeated during the regular season. He also went undefeated during the regular season in the 200 and 400 races.

Moore earned a track scholarship to Miami University, where he competed in the 400, the 1,600 relay, the long jump and the triple jump. Moore placed sixth in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump at the Mid-American Conference Championship.

In 2008, Moore and his family moved back to Muncie, where he assumed the role of assistant principal at Southside.

Mike Paluch

Mike Paluch was born in Chicago and moved to Indiana in 1950, enrolling at Yorktown High School. While a student at Yorktown, he earned two letters in basketball and four letters in baseball.

In his senior year, he was a member of the Delaware County champion baseball and basketball teams. In baseball he was undefeated, 4-0, as a pitcher on the 9-0 championship team. Upon graduation from high school, Paluch was awarded a Storer Scholarship and attended Purdue and Ball State.

In the fall of 1959, Paluch was hired as a teacher and coach at Storer Junior High in Muncie, where he worked for the next 11 years. When Northside High School opened in 1970, he was hired as a teacher and coach. He coached golf, basketball and baseball. He went on to serve as Activities Coordinator at Northside for six years and began umpiring high school baseball in Central Indiana.

Richard Rees

Richard Rees has lived in Delaware County for most of his life after attending Albany High School. There, he lettered four years in baseball, one year in junior varsity basketball, three years in varsity basketball and one year in cross country, which was only offered his senior year. His senior season, he was named honorable mention on the sectional basketball team. As a a baseball player, he batted .412 in his senior year. He pitched two back-to-back no hitters in three days and never lost a game as a pitcher during his senior year.

After graduation, he attended Ball State for a year before transferring to William Penn College in Oskaloosa, Iowa to play basketball. He lettered three years in both basketball and baseball at William Penn.

In the spring of 1967, Rees was named head baseball coach at Selma High School. The next year, Selma and Center consolidated and became Wapahani High School. Rees became the freshman basketball coach, head baseball coach and cross country coach. He coached varsity baseball for the next 11 years.

In 1984, he coached at Delta Middle School, assisting with girls basketball for three years. He then became assistant girls varsity coach at Delta High School when his daughter began school there.

Compiled by Jesse Temple

Lingenfelters enter Hall of Fame together

When Lingenfelter discovered his wife received the same congratulatory letter for her selection into the Hall of Fame, he immediately advised her to call her parents and soak up every minute of the conversation he missed out on.

"I remember the first thing I said to Ginge, was to call her parents, because the first thing I wanted to do was call my mom, right away," Mike says. "I knew she would be out-of-her-mind proud of me. That was the first person I wanted to call. I told Ginge, 'Call your mom, because it's important.'"

For Mike and Ginger (Jordan) Lingenfelter, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame together is apropos. After all, for the past 17 years their lives have been intertwined together around sports. Their favorite sport, volleyball, brought the two together in 1993 at the University of Cincinnati and they have proven inseparable since.

Before he emerged into an outstanding volleyball coach, Mike excelled as an athlete. He played basketball, volleyball and ran track throughout grade school. He chose volleyball out of those three in pursuit of his Olympic dream.

"At that time, it was either Cincinnati, Ball State or the West Coast," Mike says. "Ball State had a renowned program. Don (Shondell) was a great recruiter. When he started talking to me about coming, he really convinced me this was the place to be, and then the program sold itself. At that time, it was one of the top five or six programs in the country."

Mike played with the same passion he now coaches. His intensity on the court resonates from all of his knock-down, drag-out battles in the backyard with his brothers. He is the third of five boys, all of whom played college sports.

"I probably coach volleyball more like a football coach," Mike says.

Ginger showcased exceptional athletic talent as a youth. She won county championships in volleyball and basketball in each of her three years at Selma Middle School, and she played for Steve Shondell on the 1989 national champion Munciana Volleyball Club 14-under team.

Mike coached Cincinnati to a 43-23 record in the 1986 and 1987 seasons. He then posted a 56-24 record in two seasons (1989-90) at Memphis State.

Upon his return to Cincinnati, Mike revamped the roster bringing in nine freshman. Ginger proved to be one of the best as she notched conference all-newcomer team honors. The Bearcats won only 12 matches in 1993, but rebounded to win 46 matches over the next two seasons before Mike and Ginger departed to start a family. Ginger played only three seasons, yet ranks fifth in school records with 148 aces.

The couple married and moved to her hometown of Selma where they now live and raise three children -- 12-year-old Kiley and 4-year-old twins Kody and Kory.

The Lingenfelters found an outlet in Delaware County for their volleyball passion through coaching at Munciana and Wapahani High School.

Mike coached Wapahani to the 2002 Class A state championship and he cemented his place on the Mount Rushmore of Delaware County volleyball coaches last spring when his Munciana 18-1 Samurai won the AAU and Junior Volleyball Directors Association national championships. Mike joined Kenna (Knapp) Jones, Wes Lyon, Dave Shondell and Steve Shondell as the only area head coaches to win a prep state championship and a national club title.

Mike co-directs the club with Lyon and spends up to 60 hours a week at the Munciana Facility. His passion for volleyball at age 48, matches, and perhaps surpasses, what it was when he played as a teenager.

"I think for Mike, volleyball coaching really drives him," Ginger says. "It's his one true love. Me, I love volleyball. I'll never lose my love for volleyball, but my priorities have changed a little bit. Sometimes I think God, I've got to go to practice, then I have to go home and get the kids, get them showered and get them to bed.

"But it's just a release. That's the two hours of the day I can just really enjoy myself with the kids out there. That's the fun thing about coaching Kiley. She may drive me absolutely crazy on the court half the time, but I'm spending that time with her."

Both the Lingenfelters flash megawatt smiles when the conversation switches to their children. Kiley plays multiple sports -- highlighted by volleyball, of course -- and the 4-year-old twin boys undoubtedly inherited the same blessed athletic genes. Toss the boys any ball and they play for hours.

For Mike and Ginger, sports promise to remain a staple of their lives through coaching or cheering on their three children as they set out to pave their own paths in the athletic arena.

 Light The Candles

Name: Lois Vardaman, Muncie.

Birthday: 100 years old March 7.

Celebration: Open house for family and friends, 2-4 p.m. March 7, Christ United Methodist Church, Selma. The family requests that gifts be omitted, please.

Occupation: Farmed with late husband, Dallas, in Randolph and Delaware counties before moving to Selma in 1954. Retired from Selma Post Office after 17 1/2 years as a substitute carrier and postal clerk.

Other info: Member of Christ UMC, Selma Women's Club and is a 68-year member of former Modern Farm Wives Extension Club. She is an active member of RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program), crocheting newborn baby caps for Ball Memorial Hospital.

Family: Husband of 59 years, the late Dallas Vardaman. Children, the late Beverly Redman; James (wife: Janet), Selma; three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren.

Selma shows what's 'truly important' at Christmas time

MUNCIE -- An idea to create a winter wonderland for a student writing activity snowballed into a community-wide Christmas celebration.

"I think the community of Selma is a diamond in the rough," Selma Elementary Principal Joel Mahaffey said. "I don't think people realize what a great community it is."

Selma Community Christmas Night will have plenty of holiday activities for families. The event, which is free, will offer s'mores and other food, activities like cookie decorating and nail painting, and a bake sale with goods donated by community members and local businesses. Some booths, such as photographs with Santa Claus, will have a small fee. Money raised will be donated to the school, Adrienne Mahaffey said.

Residents of the town of Selma have come out in full force. Besides organizations such as the Lions Club and American Legion, teachers, business owners, parents and students have banded together to create a spectacular event. Students will sing Christmas carols, band members will perform and milk jugs are being donated to make luminarias. To keep costs down, people are using 40-percent-off coupons to buy decorative lights from Hobby Lobby to donate, and those who can't buy lights are donating old sets.

Selma P.E. teacher covers all the bases

Still, she knew as a middle school student that she wanted to teach.

So she found her ideal classroom: The gym.

And now the Indiana Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance has named her the state's middle school teacher of the year.

But there's no hint of superiority as her students hit the court inside Selma Middle School. She's excited to teach students more than just how to shoot a basket. She wants them to connect the dots among what they eat, how much they exercise and how they feel.

"I wanted to get kids active, to try to make a difference," Brant said. "My goal for them is to get them to do activities they can do for the rest of their lives."

At the start of class, students lie on the ground in silence to gauge their resting heart rate. During Tuesday's fitness class, the students advanced from light jogs around the court to push ups, crunches and jumping jacks. Students already know they have a target heart rate, and if they exceed a certain range, their monitor starts beeping.

"That was hard," said student Wes Royse.

Now in her 16th year of teaching -- the first nine at Blue River Valley and the last seven at Selma Middle School -- Brant is accustomed to creating new things in her classroom. This is the only school in the state to earn the STARS accreditation, a national evaluation program. And her advanced fitness class is also one-of-a-kind. 

Students not only track their heart rates, but they also maintain an activity log.

She knows students aren't as active today as they were when she was a student in Liberty-Perry Schools. So she's eager to try anything to get them excited.

"I have two boys. I fight against the same things," Brant said. "People have to start realizing if we don't do something we're going to hurt our kids.

Lawson 70th

Friends & Neighbors

AIR FORCE RESERVE AIRMAN Aaron Wilson recently graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.

Lackey 50th

Hughes - Whitmire

Angela Hughes and Matthew Whitmire were married July 18, 2009, during an evening ceremony at the home of the groom's mother and stepfather in Selma.  Angela is the daughter of Pat Hughes, Muncie, and Al Hughes, Sr., Parker City.  Matt is the son of Diana and Kevin Bennett, Selma, and Billy and Terry Whitmire, Muncie.  Bridesmaids were Lacy McCarthy, Sarah Buckles, Katie Mee,r and Amanda Adkins.  Maid of Honor was Mariah Groves.  Groomsmen were Shawn McCarthy, DavirGroves, Jason Meer, and Josh Meer.  Best Man was Mike Burkes. The couple honeymooned in Las Vegas.  They live in Muncie.

Light the candles

Name: Margaret A. Miller, Muncie.

Celebration: A celebration with family and friends is planned.

Favorite pastimes: Spending time with family, social luncheons and events with friends, being involved in church functions.

Secret to longevity: Staying active, exercising and eating healthy.

Occupation: Retired in 1996 from Muncie Community Schools in the food service director's office.

Family: Daughters, Jennie Cook, New Castle; Kim (Danny) Vester, Selma; four grandchildren. A brother, Fred Bicknell, is deceased.

Memberships: Selma United Methodist Church, Muncie Central Alumni (Class of 1952), Retired Food Service Employees.

Send information about 75 or older birthdays to Light the Candles, c/o Renee Jennings, P.O. Box 2408, Muncie, Ind. 47307-0408 or e-mail reneej@muncie.gannett.com. Deadline for information is 5 p.m. Tuesday.

 Paul 64th

Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Paul of Muncie will observe their 64th Wedding Anniversary during a private dinner party with their family and friends on Wednesday,July 29th. Mr. and Mrs. Paul were married July 29, 1945 in Muncie by Rev. Jesse Baker. Mrs. Paul is the former Myrtle Mae Alexander.

Reynolds - Tunnell

Christy Reynolds and Andrew Tunnell would like to announce their engagement. The couple will be wed on August 29, 2009, in the Minnetrista Cultural Center Rose Garden, with a reception to follow at Horizon Convention Center.
Christy is the daughter of James R. and Janet K. Reynolds of Albany. Christy is a 1998 graduate of Delta High School, Valencia College in 2002, and Florida State University in 2004. Christy was born and reared in the Muncie area and attended collge in Florida after working at Walt Disney World. She is currently a Registered Dietitian and the Director of Dietectics at Ball Memorial Hospital.
Andrew is the son of Ruben W. and Sharon S. Tunnell of Selma. Andrew is a 1991 graduate of Wapahani High School and attended Ball State University. As the son of a Navy Chaplain, Andrew spent time on military bases across the country. Andrew’s most recent experiences are in restaurant and food service management, where he specializes in fine dining and wine. Andrew has a passion for music and is an avid record collector. Andrew proposed to Christy on a beautiful moonlit night in downtown Indianapolis during a horse drawn carriage ride.

Paul 64th

 Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Paul of Muncie will observe their 64th Wedding
They are the parents of Larry Lee Paul, wife Kathy of Louisville, KY and Steve Charles Paul, wife Carol of Muncie. They have three grandsons, Bruce B. Paul, wife Amy, of Louisville, KY, Charles K. Paul, wife Amber of Muncie and Seth M. Paul, girlfriend Megan
Russell of Indianapolis. They have two great-grandchildren, Alexander and Emily Paul.
Mrs. Paul was born in Grant County and moved to Muncie as a teenager. A 1941 graduate of Muncie Central, she worked at Ball Stores for 22 years, retiring in 1986. She is past president of City Sisters Extension Homemakers and a member of Mary Martha Circle of Gethsemane Church.
Mr. Paul is a Henry County native, and a 1942 graduate of Center High School. A Navy veteran of World War II, he is retired from the Muncie Police Dept. after 31 years. He also worked at Sears for 33 years. He is a member of Whitney Lodge 229 and Fraternal Order of Police. Both are members of Gethsemane United Methodist Church. Anniversary during a private dinner party with their family and friends on Wednesday,July 29th. Mr. and Mrs. Paul were married July 29, 1945 in Muncie by Rev. Jesse Baker. Mrs. Paul is the former Myrtle Mae Alexander.

Now playing: Daily community sports news

VOLLEYBALL

Anthony Franklin and Brian Winchester have been named the new volleyball co-head coaches at Union High School. Franklin graduated from Wapahani and was a state finalist all four years in volleyball. Winchester graduated from New Castle High School and played four years of volleyball at Ball State. He is currently playing semipro volleyball with USAV Division 1.

School notes

 SELMA -- Brandon A. Morvilius is the first recipient of the Owen D. Suits Memorial Scholarship, given by the Wapahani Alumni Association.

 Morvilius is the son of Bruce and Shonda Morvilius and plans to attend Ball State University to study elementary education or special education. The scholarship is in memory of Liberty-Perry elementary teacher Owen Suits.

Wapahani scholarship

SELMA -- Natalie Dudley is the 2009 recipient of the Wapahani Alumni Scholarship, awarded by the Wapahani Alumni Association.

MARRIAGE LICENSE APPLICATIONS

Phillips - Harris

           Samantha Phillips and Philip Harris are happy to announce their wedding on August 15, 2009 at the Minnetrista Center in Muncie.  Samantha is the daughter of Ed and Cathy Phillips.  She graduated from Wapahani High School, and is a 2008 graduate from Ivy Tech with a degree in Radiologic Technoloty.

      Philip is the son of Carolyn and Sam Harris.  He attended Wapahani High School as well, and his is attending Ivy Tech to obtain a degree in Biotechnology.

     The happy couple lives in Selma.

School Notes

Grace Maring Scholarships

SELMA -- Kaitlin L. Roscoe and Bryce Cook are the 2009 recipients of the Grace Maring Scholarships awarded by the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County.

Roscoe plans to study veterinary technology at Purdue University. She is the daughter of Rick and Pam Roscoe.

Oxley 50th

Ball State draft pick, Wapahani graduate signs with Red Sox

Former Ball State and Wapahani player Jeremy Hazelbaker has played professional baseball in the Boston Red Sox organization for less than a week, and he's already received a promotion.

Hazelba-ker played three games in Lowell, Mass., near Boston. The Red Sox placed Hazelbaker there while he finalized terms of his signing bonus and took his physical. That allowed him to see live game action since he hadn't played since Ball State's season ended in May.

"When he agreed to terms (on June 19), part of it was with the understanding that he would play in Greenville, which is a great assignment for him," Ball State coach Greg Beals said. "That's basically a year ahead of most guys who come out in the draft the first year."

Hazelbaker was selected in the fourth round of last month's major league baseball first-year player draft. The Web site soxprospects.com reported Hazelbaker received a signing bonus of $191,700 from the Red Sox. As a first-year minor-league player, he'll receive a monthly salary of about $900 with Greenville.

Hazelbaker, who was playing Thursday night and unavailable for comment, got his first professional hit with Lowell. It was his only hit in eight at-bats with the team. In his debut with Greenville on Tuesday, the Mid-American Conference's batting leader in 2009 (.429) batted 1-for-5.

"The thing he needs to do more than anything is get acclimated to the different atmosphere of professional ball," Beals said. "Too many guys make the mistake that once they get drafted and signed, they think they've 'done it.' He knows his next mission is to play in the major leagues, and he's going to start working toward that this summer."

Working hard is something that Hazelbaker's high school coach, Brian Dudley, has seen from his former player for a long time.

"He'll work on the things they want him to work on," Dudley said. "He's always been a hard worker who tries to work on his weaknesses. Hopefully he'll continue to improve and work his way up the ladder."

Hazelbaker is the second player coached by Dudley at Wapahani to play professional baseball. Shortstop Doug Bolton played for the Richmond Roosters in the independent Frontier League in the 1990s.

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Contact sports writer Doug Zaleski at 213-5813.

School Notes

Couch scholarship

SELMA -- Brittany Snyder, a 2009 graduate of Wapahani High School, was awarded the Alyssa Anne Couch Scholarship.

She was chosen for her academic, leadership and volunteering. Snyder plans to attend Ball State University and study nursing.The scholarship is awarded annually in memory of Alyssa Couch, a Wapahani graduate and Ball State student who died in an automobile accident in 2006.

(Historian Note:   Brittany was an applicant for the Wapahani Alumni Association Alumni Scholarship.  She received an Individual One-Year Membership in recognition of her outstanding high school career.)

Stinefield runs way to AOY in boys track and field

"You've got to experience that," Stinefield said. "Being in a giant pack and coming out on top is what it's all about."

His showing at the state finals proved to be a cruel conclusion to an otherwise brilliant four-year run at Wapahani. Stinefield won the 1,600 at county, sectional and regional and in the process secured The Star Press AOY in boys track and field for a third time (2006, 2008 and 2009).

Stinefield said all of his other victories this season lost some of their glimmer when he fell short at state finals. He finished fourth at the 2008 state finals and expected to be in contention to win the title this spring.

"It was mediocre," Stinefield said of his season. "We had our sights set on state pretty hard."

The Wapahani senior stayed within striking distance of the leaders before the kick to his foot threw him off balance. Stinefield admits he still wonders what if.

"I was feeling really good at state. Honestly, I think I could've given the winners a run for their money," Stinefield said.

Future plans: Stinefield accepted a half scholarship to run at Indiana State. He strained his Achilles tendon at the state finals and is still in recovery mode as he prepares to train with Indiana State in August.

Ball State's Hazelbaker picked by Boston Red Sox in fourth round

So Beals and Hazelbaker arrived at the same conclusion after the 2008 season. Hazelbaker, who had played an infield position ever since he took up baseball as a youth, would move to the outfield for his junior season in 2009.

The results were dramatic. The Wapahani graduate found a fresh outlook to the game from his new position in center field and parlayed it into an opportunity for a professional career with his favorite baseball team.

Hazelbaker was selected in the fourth round of major league baseball's first-year player draft Wednesday by the Boston Red Sox. He was the 138th player picked.

The Red Sox called Hazelbaker's agent, Joe Bick, during the round to see how eager Hazelbaker was to join their organization. Bick called his client, and Hazelbaker said he would welcome a shot with the Red Sox.

"Six picks later Boston's name came up, and we sat there watching the computer screen and listening," Hazelbaker said. "When the name 'Hazelbaker' showed up on the screen, that's when it really sunk in."

A year ago, such an opportunity might have looked like a long shot. Hazelbaker made several errors from his position at second base, and the miscues caused mental anguish that contributed to an unimpressive .244 batting average.

"It became apparent second base was not the best place for him," Beals said.

Hazelbaker moved to center field when he played for Licking County in the Great Lakes Summer League after Ball State's season ended. When he came back to Ball State last fall, Beals saw a different player.

"We could see he definitely took to it," Beals said.

Hazelbaker's performance soared this spring. He led the Mid-American Conference in batting at .429 (23 points higher than the next-best hitter and fifth best in school history), on-base percentage (.550), runs (77), walks (48) and triples (8). He was third in stolen bases with 29.

Ball State's Jeremy Hazelbaker drafted by Boston Red Sox

“This has always been something that was in the back of my head,” Hazelbaker said of his longtime goal to become a pro baseball player. “It was something off in the future, and ultimately was a goal I had to work toward. For a small kid coming from a small town, it wasn’t something that seemed realistic.”

But it became reality after Hazelbaker experienced a breakthrough season for the Cardinals this spring.

He won the MAC batting championship by 23 points over the runner-up while earning first-team all-conference honors. His .429 average was fifth best in Ball State history.

Mahnensmith - Pease

Nicholas Pease and Caroline Mahnensmith would like to announce their engagement.
Nicholas is the son of Suzanne Pease and Alan Pease, both of Muncie. He is a 2002 graduate of Wapahani High School, is attending Anderson University and is in the Army Reserves.
Caroline is the daughter of Jerri and Ted Mahnensmith of Syracuse, IN. She is a 2003 graduate of Wawasee High School and a graduate of Anderson University. She is currently teaching 2nd grade in Noblesville.
The couple plan to marry August 1, 2009 at North Webster Church of God.

By LONA O'CONNOR

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, May 22, 2009

Robert and Jana Adams of Selma, proudly announce the engagement of their daughter, Erin, to Joseph Willard, son of William and the late Edna Mae Willard, Greenwood, Indiana.  Erin is a 1991 graduate of Wapahani High School and a graduate of Ball State University. She is an Associate Information Consultant at Eli Lilly, Indianapolis. Joseph is a 1989 graduate of Decatur Central High School and is currently attending Ivy Tech. He is a Chemical Dispensing Technician at Eli Lilly, Indianapolis.The couple plans to marry on June 6, 2009 at Shawnee Heights Baptist Church, with a reception following at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts, Muncie.

Smith 50th

2009 Delaware County Athletics Hall of Fame inductees, Part II

INDOT OKs funds to demolish bridge

The Star Press • May 8, 2009

SELMA — Delaware County has received $864,320 to demolish a 1920s timber bridge that carries County Road 419-E over the Cardinal Greenway and to construct an at-grade crossing at the intersection.  The bridge is narrow, it has an inadequate railing, emergency vehicles can't cross it, it has poor sight distance, and it has a five-ton load limit, said Angie Moyer, project director for the county.

State-caliber prep baseball teams square off today

By THOMAS ST. MYER • tstmyer@muncie.gannett.com 

The Star Press of Muncie, Indiana:  Go to http://www.thestarpress.com/

Selma, IN  A Small Community, But Big In Heart!:   Go to:  http://www.selmaindiana.shutterfly.com/