january 2016 boomer

8/20/2019 January 2016 Boomer

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BOOMER

EDUCATE AND EMPOWERPACE CEO Bertha Proctor committed to community development

NOT JUSTFOR THEKITCHENUncommon uses forcoconut oil

ELEMENT

YOGASTUDIOCommunity-based facili

for whole fami

DESHEE

FARMKnox County NewDeal experimentshort-lived

FLIGHT

ATTENDANTSTHEN AND NOW Erica Cooper describes changesin career

www.boomermagonline.com January 20


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September 18 to 24, 2014. The Marriott Prattville is part of the Resort Collection on Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

Visit www.rtjgolf.com or call 800.949.4444 to learn more.

» COME JUDGE for Yourself.


3/52


4/524 • January 2016 • Boomer

Jan. 1 and the new year brings many of us the opportunity to start over. We can resolve AGAIN to eat healthier, or maybe for some it’s tofinally stop smoking. Cigarettes are expensive, and their accompanying

health hazards make them a double whammy.For me, this year, I’d like to try to work on a regular exercise program.

When I get out and move routinely, I feel betterand have more energy to do the things that needto be done. Losing a few pounds would be anadded bonus.

Maybe for you, it’s not about making healthychoices, but to be more organized. I know I havesome closets and drawers that need attention.

I did some research and came up with evenmore ideas that may be helpful as we get thisonce-a-year chance to improve our situation. Itried several of these in 2015, and have reaped

the benefits. But, as we march into 2016, there are still some I couldimprove on:

1. Learn to be happy and content with what you have. Even the most wealthy people on earth sometimes are not happy. JOY is a choice andit comes from within.

2. Get eight hours of sleep … minimum. With Vs in every room, andgadgets on every corner, our minds are constantly barraged with thelatest trending video. Give it up for some quality sleep. It will feel somuch better not to be working from behind the 8 Ball the next day.

3. Spend more time with the people who matter. You don’t have enoughextra time to waste it on toxic, two-faced, lethal people. Surroundyourself with those you care about and who care about you.

4. Reach out to a stranger occasionally. Smile at someone when they areleast expecting it, and pay it forward when the opportunity arises.

5. Let go of resentment and stop sulking. Such behavior iscounterproductive. If you’ve had a falling out with a relative or friend

who used to be close, find a way to bury the hatchet. Sadness and hurtcan linger for years, but the freedom in forgiveness can be life-changing.

6. Learn to cook. You can save money and get food just the way you wantit. With Pinterest and Food Network, there is no excuse. Just follow thedirections. But don’t forget to clean up the kitchen.

7. And, while you are in the kitchen, de-clutter the cabinets and drawers.If you haven’t used it or referenced it in the last year, find it a new homeat the thrift store.

8. Self-educate yourself and learn more about art, music and someoneelse’s culture. Others in the world sometimes do it very differently thanour Midwestern ways, and sometimes it IS better!

9. Become more social — and that doesn’t mean via more social media. Infact, just the opposite. Put down your smart phone at dinner and have areal conversation with your spouse or friends.

10. Spend less time watching television, and more time cuddling up with a

good book. Make it a goal to read at least a dozen books this year. You canread while on the treadmill, or when falling off in that deep, restful sleep.

Good luck on all your life-changing choices! And, don’t forget to pick up Boomer magazine. Tere’s a good read

inside!Happy, happy New Year to all our readers!

E D I T O R ’ S D E S K

PUBLISHER

Ron Smith

(812) 698-8788

EXECUTIVE

EDITOR

Melody Brunson

(812) 698-1626

DESIGN EDITOR

Natalie Reidford

(812) 568-8991

ADVERTISING

SALES

Kim Schoelkopf

(812) 881-9286

Rick Zeller

(812) 254-0480, Ext. 111

Graphic Artist

Alice Schwartz

PHOTOGRAPHY

Matt Griffith, Joy Neighbors

and Bernie Schmitt

WRITERS

odd Lancaster, Angie Mayfiel

Angie Moore, Joy Neighbors,

Bernie Schmitt, Rama Sobhan

Kaila Stevens and Clifford Yor

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Boomer is published seven

times a year, serving the Knox

County area. Te subscription

price of $25 per year can

be mailed to P.O. Box 471,

Washington, IN 47501.

BOOMER


5/52



4 Editor’s DeskWhat’s on your resolution list?BY MELODY BRUNSON

7 The Boomer 1040Financial resolutionsBY ANGIE MOORE

8 Alice

Production Set forMemorial Day WeekendMusical to commemorate IndianabicentennialBY BERNIE SCHMITT

10 Tackle Wardrobe OrganizationTake advantage of cold weather toorganize indoorsCOURTESY OF MCC

12 Yeah, I’m a Boomer, But ...What the world really needsBY BERNIE SCHMITT

13 CalendarBluegrass Jam, library events

14 Someone You Should KnowErica Cooper, United Airlines fightattendantBY RAMA SOBHANI

18 Day TripperDugger Coal Museum

BY JOY NEIGHBORS

20The Sonic BoomerA movie in a time long, long ago

BY TODD LANCASTER

21 Boomer Toys, Trappings andTriviaDarth Vader never met his voiceBY TODD LANCASTER

22 ‘A Hand Up, Not a Handout’Bertha Proctor, CEO of PACEBY BERNIE SCHMITT

26 Financial WisdomStay calm and open a Health SavingsAccount

BY CLIFFORD YORK

28 Elements Yoga StudioLow-impact exercise for the mind andbody

BY BERNIE SCHMITT

32 The Converted CynicBoomers vs. boomerang kidsBY ANGIE MAYFIELD

34 New Deal experiment in KnoxCountyFarm cooperative had good intentions,but did not lastBY BERNIE SCHMITT

38 Boomer ConnoisseurWine storage: The long and short of it

BY JOY NEIGHBORS

40 How to Shorten the Duration ofa ColdCut the miseryCOURTESY OF MCC

41 Decrease Mucus Productionand Subsequent Sore ThroatsFoods and home remedies can helpCOURTESY OF MCC

42 What You Need to Know AboutWinter DrivingTips for snowy roadsCOURTESY OF STATEPOINT

44 Resolve to Save for Travel in2016Consider these pointers for your budgCOURTESY OF STATEPOINT

46 A Time Capsule in PhotosFSA photos provide local glimpse of t1930s

BY BERNIE SCHMITT

50 Boomer FitnessUncommon ways to use coconut oilBY KAILA STEVENS

ON THE COVER: Dr. Bertha Proctor, Cof PACE.

Photo by Bernie S

CONTENTS January 2016 • Vol. 8, Issu

Page 46

Photo from Library of Congress

Page 18

Photo by Joy Neighbors

Photo by Bernie Schmitt

Page 28


7/52Boomer • January 2016

By Angie Moore

Is there a correlation betweenphysical fitness and financialfitness? Both topics normally

rank highas New

Year’sresolutionsfor most

Americans. As it turnsout, man-aging yourhealthand your

wealth can go hand-in-hand.For boomers in retirement,

this can be the best of times.Boomers are living longer,

decades beyond the 47-yearlife expectancy 100 years ago.oday, a 65-year-old can expectto live another 20 years. Tat’sgreat news — time is on yourside, however, don’t spend anymore time thinking about whatyou can do — just do it!

Getting your financial situa-

T H E B O O M

E R 1 0 4 0

tion in order can be a stress-reliever, just likeeating healthier and staying in shape. I’veincluded a few tips for you to improve bothaspects of your life.

• Forget quick-fixes, and think long-term.Tink about smaller improvements overtime and how you’ll get there.

• Set a budget and a workout schedule tomake sure you achieve your long-termgoal.

• Start at a comfortable pace — you don’thave to run a marathon or pay off allof your debt in 2016 (although both

would be really cool).• Get comfortable with being uncom-

fortable – know that sticking to yoursavings plan, and your exercise schedulemight be tough for awhile.

• Measure your progress — and pushyourself to improve — give yourself a

goal to strive for.Cheers to your health and your wealth-

Happy New Year — 2016!

Angie Moore is a certified public accountant,having been with Kemper CPA for 18 years.She was graduated from the University ofIllinois. She and her husband have a son and adaughter. Tey are avid Illini fans.

FINANCIAL RESOLUTIONS



By Bernie Schmitt

Indiana’s rst city will seethe world premiere of “Al-ice of Old Vincennes: A

Musical,” during the Memo-

rial Day Weekend in 2016,

in celebration of Indiana’s

bicentennial.

Plans are moving forward for the

original musical production that willhighlight Vincennes and the Indiana

erritory as an important component of

early American history. Te musical is

an adaptation of Maurice Tompson’spopular novel “Alice of Old Vincennes,” which captivated readers when it waspublished in 1900.

Te musical will be presented at theRed Skelton Performing Arts Center at7:30 p.m. May 27 and 28, and 2 p.m.May 29. It will also be presented at7:30 p.m. June 3 and 4, and at 2 p.m.

June 5. Te Center is located along RedSkelton Boulevard on the campus ofVincennes University.

Individual ticket prices will be$25 and $20, with reduced rates forgroups. icket sales will be announced

early in 2016.Fund-raising for the professiona

world-class production is ongoing.Orchestration for the music written

Jay Kerr, a Broadway composer, is un way in New York. Te lyrics were wrten by poet and lyricist Laurel Smith

James Spurrier, retired Director ofTeatre at Vincennes University, wrothe adaptation.

Adapting the Maurice Tompsoclassic novel “Alice of Old Vincennefor the stage, the musical’s authors hincorporated original songs to createa unique interpretation of the famoustory.

“Te songs move the story aheadand give us insight into the charac-

ters,” said composer Kerr. “It’s a lovestory that takes place with a war in tbackground, where characters thrive

‘Alice’ production set for MemorialDay Weekend

BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION IN VINCENNE



BOOMERMAGAZINE

Cover local events, write human interest features

and meet new people. Must have a strong grasp

of the English language. Pay is per published article

or photo. Send samples of your work to Melody

Brunson, P.O. Box 471, Washington, IN 47501 or

email her at [email protected].

Photographers must have own equipment.

...is looking for writers and/or photographers

survive focused on a greater good, thespirit that created America. It is entirelyfitting for Indiana’s Bicentennial.”

Professional casting for the leadroles of production, especially “Alice,”will begin in February, when Spurrierplans to attend the Midwest TeatreAuditions in St. Louis. Tere will belocal auditions for some parts, mostlythe chorus, in late March or early April.

Dates and times of the auditions will beannounced later.

Te story is set in 1778 and featuresAlice, a young woman coming of ageon the American frontier during theRevolutionary War. She is the frontierIndiana heroine, a strong-willed, inde-pendent young woman whose love ofcountry, and for one of George RogersClark’s soldiers, is the focal point of thishistorical romance.

Te original novel was publishedat the turn of the 20th Century, whenmany Americans were nostalgic forAmericana, for glorious visions ofhistory and heroes. “Alice” seems to fitthe bill, especially for Indiana’s first city,Vincennes.

Tough the story is old, the adapta-tion is designed for modern audiences.Te new version of the story and its mu-sic are entirely new. Te world premiereof “Alice of Old Vincennes: A Musi-

cal” will be performed at the a theaterdedicated to famed American comedianRed Skelton, who was born and rearedin Vincennes.

“It is interesting that Red Skeltonbrought so many fictional characters tolife in his comedy,” said lyricist Smith,

who is a longtime educator and inter-im provost at VU. “Alice is not one ofSkelton’s creations, but she is certainly acharacter who should come to life.”

Tompson’s novel about Alicebrought considerable attention to Vin-cennes when Indiana turned 100. Smithis happy that “‘Alice’ in a musical setting

will be around for the 200th celebra-tion.”

In addition to Alice, other char-acters influence the outcome of theirstory — from local townspeople to the

Indians and soldiers on both sides of the American Revolution. It was in 1779that Clark led a band of loyal frontiers-

man, dedicated to the American cauthrough wintry flood waters to surroFort Sackville on the Wabash River aVincennes, forcing the British to surder, thus winning what was then “th

West,” for the fledgling United StateFund-raising for “Alice of Old

Vincennes: A Musical,” continues. Aof Old Vincennes, Inc., is a non-proit organization, and all donations are

tax deductible. Te tiered structure ofund-raising includes Platinum spon($25,000+), Gold sponsors ($10,000Silver sponsors ($5,000+), Bronze spsors ($1,000+), and Patron sponsors($500+).

All contributions are welcome.Please send contributions to: ALICEc/o Jim Spurrier, 2202 E. SeminoleDrive, Vincennes, IN 47591.

For updates on “Alice,” visit www.

aliceofvincennes.com.

Te original novel was

published at the turn of the

20th Century, when many

Americans were nostalgic

for Americana, for glorious

visions of history and heroes.

Alice seems to fit the bill,

especially for Indiana’s first

city, Vincennes.



PRACTICING IN THE

STATE & FEDERAL COURTS

OF INDIANA & ILLINOIS

SERVING THE AREA’S LEGAL

NEEDS FOR OVER 100 YEARS

DAN SIEWERS

MEDICAID/NURSING

HOME PLANNING

• Is a loved one currently in a nursing

home and exhausting assets?

• Is your spouse in a nursing home

but ineligible for Medicaid because

you and your spouse have too

many assets?

•Do you know the rules for self pay,

Medicare, or Medicaid?

•Time is important when dealing

with these issues.

We can help you understand thesecomplex rules and may be able to helpyou or a loved one qualify for help. Call882-8935 to schedule an appointmentwith attorney Dan Siewers.

812-882-8935

www.hartbell.com513 Main Street • Vincennes, IN

Courtesy of MCC

Cooler weather keeps manypeople indoors. Although thismay cause a bit of cabin fever,

time spent inside gives people a chanceto tackle some much-needed organiza-tion projects without the distractions ofoutdoor activities.

One task to tackle as winter settlesin is sorting through wardrobes andmaking room for new clothes, as extraclothing can quickly take over a home.In fact, according to the National Asso-ciation of Professional Organizers, toomuch clutter, general disorganizationand difficulty determining what to keepand/or discard are the primary reasonsindividuals reach out to professionalorganizers. If clearing away closet clutteris on the top of your winter to-do list,

consider the following tips.

Know what you haveIt’s easier to determine what you

keep and what you can donate or dicard when you have an idea of whatyour closet. ake all of your clothes of closets and drawers and place themon the bed or floor.

Clean the closets thoroughlTe closet organization company

Closets by Design suggests a yearly athorough cleaning of closets. Tis includes dusting shelving and vacuumthe floor of the closet. You can do th

same with armoires and dresser drawTake inventory of yourclothing

Create three main sorting piles.Label one “keep,” another “donate” the third one “sell.” As you look at yclothing, keep only those items that you well and suit both your tastes anyour lifestyle. If a piece is high-qualiand worth the cost of repair, bring itto a tailor or make the modification

yourself. Let go of items you never w

TACKLE WARDROBE

ORGANIZATIONTake advantageof cold weather toorganize indoors

Unruly closets need periodic cleaning and sorting. The beginning of the newyear is as good a time as any to take on such organizational tasks.



or those you bought on a whim becauseyou wanted to try something trendy. Inaddition, figure out which type of cloth-ing best suits your lifestyle. If you have10 pairs of yoga pants but never hit thegym, you can thin out that collection.

Immediately bag donationitems

Move items you will be donating

out of the room. Place them by thefront door and make a plan to dropthem off at a thrift store or in a nearbyclothing bin.

Don’t overlook salesopportunities

An easy way to make a little extramoney is to sell used belongings at con-signment stores. Such stores are popularin towns all across the country as morepeople attempt to conserve and cut back

on their spending. Consignment shopstypically do most of the work, includingmarketing the items, which can be lesshectic and safer than selling things onyour own. Only bring in items that areclean and in good condition. Opt tohave clothing donated after the consign-

ment period is over if items haven’t sold

so they don’t end up back in your closet.

Group remaining “keep”clothes in the closet bycategory

Organize the clothing you keep by

color or style (i.e., casual, formal, exer-

cise, etc.). Arrange the clothes in a wthat makes most sense to you.

Consider moving off-seasonclothes

Sturdy storage containers and bacan be used to keep off-season clothout of the closet until it’s needed. Tfrees up more space.



By Bernie Schmitt

What the worldneeds now is love.

Te open-ing lyrics to one of my favorite

Dionne Warwickrecordings

has a mes-sage forall of us as we makeour wayinto 2016.

We need Hal David and BurtBacharach, the song’s creators,more than ever.

What the world needs now, islove, sweet love

It’s the only thing there’s justtoo little of . . .

All one has to do is to turnon the news, or maybe even walk down the street, to knowthat such words resonate insuch harrowing times. We haveforgotten that everything thatis good, kindness, generosity,humility, peace, even smiles,emanate from love.

What the world needs now islove, sweet love

No, not just for some but foreveryone.

It sometimes seems as if thedeck is stacked against humani-ty, what with our inability to getalong after thousands of yearson this planet. Oh, when will

Y E A H , I ’ M A B O O M E R , B U T . . .

we ever learn?Listen to the current crop of U.S.

presidential candidates. Read what folksare saying on social media. Look at all thetrouble we seem to be having in this world. Why can’t we get along?

Lord, we don’t need another mountainTere are mountains and hillsides

enough to climbTere are oceans and rivers enough to cross Enough to last ‘till the end of time.Tese days we have a lot of what

author Robert Fulghum says we don’t need:“tourists who ride by in a bus cluckingtheir tongues.”

Tere seem to be a lot of people whocomplain about everything under the sun,and a good many who like to tell others what they ought to do or how they oughtto be, but they never offer to do anythingthemselves. It’s kind of like the apatheticvoter who complains the loudest.

“Te world as it is needs those who will love it enough to change it, with whatthey have, where they are,” Fulghum saysin his 1991 book “Uh-Oh.”

What the world needs now, is love,sweet love

It’s the only thing there’s just too littleof . . .

If we could erase the rampant animosity,the self-absorbed my-way-or-the-highwayplatitudes, and the hard-headed refusal toacknowledge differences among us, we mightbe able to solve the problems that plague us.

We might be able to “feed the babies whodon’t have enough to eat, shoe the children, with no shoes on their feet, and feed thepeople livin’ in the street.”

What the world needs now is love,

sweet love No, not just for some but for everyonSuch idealism is for fools, some say. B

such noble-mindedness presents us hope we can dream of a better world, we can tof ways to make it happen. We can talk tone another if we just listen. We can curbfears by curing our ignorance. We can deourselves from evil by delivering our hearone another.

Lord, we don’t need another meadow

Tere are cornfields and wheat fieldsenough to grow

Tere are sunbeams and moonbeamsenough to shine

Oh, listen Lord, if you want to knowIn 1837 the eminent writer Ralph

Waldo Emerson said that “the mind ofthis country, taught to aim at low objeceats upon itself.” Such words are food fthought these days, as too few considerseriousness of our country’s current angand our inability to work together for tcommon good. Selfishness tends to tramselflessness.

Perhaps lyricist Hal David had simthoughts as he walked along a New YoCity street on his way to work with hispartner Burt Bacharach in 1965, whenthey wrote this song.

What the world needs now is love, swlove

It’s the only thing that there’s just toolittle of

What the world needs now is love, swlove . . .

We should play it over and over aga A freelance writer and photographer, BernieSchmitt also is an assistant professor of Engliat Vincennes University. He lives with his wNancy, and family in Vincennes.

THIS IS WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW


13/52Boomer • January 2016 •

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January

February

JAN. 1 THROUGH APRIL 16

“Wii Wednesdays” for Teens! - Knox County Public Library,Vincennes, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Playing a variety of Wii games.In case of date change for any upcoming programs, check incloser to date by calling 812-886-4380 or by checking the TeenDepartment’s Facebook and Twitter pages or by checking the

Knox County Public Library webpage. http://kcpl.lib.in.us/

JAN. 1 THROUGH APRIL 16

On a weekly changing schedule for Tuesdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.,teen patrons will be offered a movie night and a board/cardgame night! One Tuesday evening will be dedicated to moviesand popcorn. The next evening will be all about board games!Totally fun and laid back!

BEGINNING JAN. 9, FIRST SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH

“Zippity Dance, Art, Stories, Songs and Arts & Crafts” FamilyFun, Knox County Public Library, Vincennes, 2 p.m. to 2:30p.m. The programs are open to families with children agespre-kindergarten through 12 years old. Have more “Zippityfun” during “Zippity Art, Stories, Songs and Arts and Crafts”with Miss Diana in the Youth Department.

BEGINNING JAN. 6 THROUGH APRIL 16

“Storytime,” Knox County Public Library, Vincennes,Youth Department, Tuesdays 7 p.m., with LindaSwing for the “Evening Stars” program and AmyBlake on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. for “Morning Star.”These programs target pre-schoolers, but everyone iswelcome.

BEGINNING JAN. 23

Offered on the third Saturday of everymonth, children ages pre-kindergartenthrough age 12 can take part in thisprogram and make art projects to takehome. For more information, call theLibrary at 812-886-4380.

FEB. 10PACE Open House,noon to 2 p.m., 525 N.Fourth St., Vincennes.

FEB. 19-21

“Rumors” (Comedy) - Red Skelton Performing ArtsCenter, VU Campus. Friday and Saturday shows7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 adults,$7 Seniors, $5 non-VU students. Free admissionfor VU students with valid ID. Call 812-888-4039for tickets and information.

FEB. 14

6th Annual “Old Post Bluegrass Jam,” 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Student Union, 1101 N.Second St., on VU Campus. Groups performing on stage and area musicians areinvited to bring their acoustic instruments to jam with other musicians. Free admissionand free parking on Third Street behind the building. Food Court and Grinder’sCoffee Shop will be open during the event. For more information, call the Visitors andTourism Bureau ofce at 812-886-0400.



next to nothing, if not free.First, it was my love of flying, I love

traveling, I love being around people,learning about different ethnicities and togo visit places that a lot of people don’tget to do. Now, for me, with a family, Ilike to go to work, if I have a nice little

layover, that’s nice, it’s a “me” day. Outime is our time on a layover. Sometiit’s a few hours, sometimes it’s a few dlike on an international flight. I actuago to Anchorage a lot. It’s gorgeous anice ... it’s a 24-hour layover, so I godowntown and I’m learning all the co

By Rama Sobhani

Erica Cooper, 40, hasbeen a flight attendantfor United Airlines since2008. Her depiction of thelife of what used to be called a

stewardess is in complete con-trast to what was said aboutthe profession 50 years ago.

Ten, the guiding princi-pleof airlines when selectingstewardesses was appearance.If a hair was out of place,there were consequences and women were shuffled out thedoor after turning 26. Coopersays now there is benefit to se-niority and now that she’s paid

her dues, the flying life is afulfilling one. She has a youngdaughter with her fiancée andspends most of her free time with her family, that’s time which she says comes easierthe longer one works as aflight attendant.

Setting own schedule“In the long run, I’m

home more than someone who works a 9-to-5 job,

because I can set my scheduleand those days I’m off I havequality time with my family.”

I have the luxury ofmaking my own schedule, forthe most part. Because I havea family, I work three or fourdays on, then off for a week,then another three or fourdays. It’s up to me how muchI want to work. It comes withseniority. Once you get into it,

it’s hard to get out of. It’s ad-dicting to be able to travel andgo and be able to see things,and, if you want, to go off andtake a trip. We get to travel for

S O M E O N E Y O U S H O U L D K N O WErica Cooper, United Airlines flight attendan

United Airlines ightattendent Erica Cooper ofVincennes along with herluggage prepares for anoth-er day in the sky.

Photos by Matt Griffith



spots to go to. It’s a nice time for me. When I first started I was on reserve,

so I got all the last minutes trips whenpeople cancelled. So I did all these cooltrips, like London, Madrid. I’m gladI was able to get to those places. Mostplaces, I just get on the plane, get peoplethere and I’m lucky to see a sliver of thebeach from the plane.

In the early decades of passenger

flight, airlines stressed appearance andservice demeanor in the training of stew-ardesses. Te training could not be moredifferent in modern times. Cooper saidthe four and a half weeks of training shewent through focused almost exclusivelyon safety — that of the passengers and ofthe flight crew.

Focus on safetyIt used to be a lot of nurses, now a

lot of flight attendants have degrees, so

it’s not so much the service part of theob that everyone thinks about, it’s morefocused on emergencies. It’s mostly foremergencies — medical to evacuations.We do CPR, first aid, a simulation onfire safety and bomb threats, terrorism.We just have certain procedures we haveto follow. I can’t say too much about

it. We have recurrent training once ayear. We have an online course that wehave to do, as well as go in for a test as arefresher.

Cooper talked a bit about whatkinds of things flight attendants aretrained to watch for among the passen-gers. “Just anything that’s abnormal, likeit’s summertime and someone is wrappedin a trench coat, scarf and gloves. Be-havior that’s abnormal, from beginningof the flight to the end. We watch all ofit; hopefully nothing evolves. You watchmore for their actions.

Difcult passengersUnruly passengers, they’re few andfar between. Everybody has their stories with it, but it’s few and far betweennow. You get frustrated like anybodyelse. We have to smile no matter what.It is a service industry. But, yeah, weget frustrated and we may not even be

getting paid during that time. We mbe sitting on the jet-way, sitting in thplane with you, we may just be ridinalong (not on duty).

You get crazies sometimes. One woman claimed another had assaulteher during a flight, to which the othesponded, “Well, you deserved it.” Tea few drunk people, you know. I had guy who was trying to curl up in his s

and had his feet up on the other passger. I told him several times, “You’ve to sit up, man.” Ten a little later, I’mtelling him again. Te (other passengrang his call button like three times.

It’s a judgment call if a passenger too drunk to get on the plane. It’s jusobservation of their actions. If it becotoo much of an issue, they’ll be remofrom the flight. We have had them mby police, too.

Just a “thank you” goes a really lo

way. Over all, politeness, realizing tha we also have a job to do and we’re tryto make sure you get out on time asquickly and safely as possible, so liste what we ask of you. We’re not doing be mean, we’re just doing it because whave to. Get off your phone while wetaxiing ... everybody’s flown by

Cooper says there is benefit to

seniority and now that she’s

paid her dues, the flying life is

a fulfilling one.

Ø



Erica Cooper enjoys time with daughter Maya, age 3, as they spend time coloring. “She keeps me busy when I’m notying around the country,” Cooper said.



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now, just follow the rules.urbulence never bothered me. I’ve

actually flown with a few flight atten-dants starting out who weren’t fans ofturbulence and a few times, they’vegiven it up, but you just have to dealwith it. I’ve actually hit turbulence acouple of times that gave me a goodscare, but fortunately nothing came ofit. Most of your emergencies, which I

think most people don’t know, happenon the ground. Tey happen while you’retaxiing, they don’t happen in the air andpeople think, “We’re on the ground,we’re OK.” If you watch, most of thecrashes happen there. I’ve been throughbad turbulence and that’s where seat beltsare important; pay attention to the safetydemonstration.

You have to look at when you’reup against turbulence, you never knowwhen that’s going to hit, so certain times

during the flight, we have a briefingwhen the captain tells us what’s going on,if there’s weather anywhere, if we expectto hit turbulence. If we know we have anhour and a half before we hit turbulence,we know we have to get up, we have tobust it out in that hour and a half, getthe drinks out. Otherwise, it’ll be all the

call buttons going off.Sarcastically: Coffee, that’s my favor-

ite thing during turbulence.

Some changes have occurred duringher time as a flight attendant. “Back inthe day it was great because all the crewsstayed together for the whole trip, so you

got to know people. Now, we don’t st with the pilots anymore (after a layovSo, we don’t get to know them like wused to. Tat’s what I liked about the Anchorage trips, the crew stayed togeer, so we’ll go out, have dinner, do thtogether, rent a car, go drive around.My first year, the crews stayed togethand those trips were great and I’m glagot to be a part of that. Now I’m luck

to catch your name. I miss that aspecbecause you build trust with each othTings are evolving, but at the same tyou just roll with the punches.

I find that people are fascinated b what I do ... they’re fascinated by theof you get to travel around and go whyou want. Tey think my job is a bigvacation. Sometimes it is, sometimes isn’t. Tey are fascinated with being ato travel, absolutely.

On whether she recommends bei

flight attendant as a career — AbsoluTe sooner you get in, the better

because everything is seniority-based.Tat’s rough at first, but as seniorityimproves, you can get better trips. Just relax and enjoy it. You get to seethe world; not everybody gets thatopportunity.

In the early decades of

passenger flight, airlines

stressed appearance and

service demeanor in the

training of stewardesses. The

training could not be more

different in modern times.

Cooper said the four and a

half weeks of training she

went through focused almost

exclusively on safety — that

of the passengers and of the

flight crew.



By Joy Neighbors

“Workin’ in the coal mineGoin’ on down, downWorkin’ in a coal mineOops, about to slip down.”

Boomers will recognizethose lyrics, sung by LeeDorsey in 1966, and

more recent-ly by Devoin 1981. Tesong atteststo the factthat the lifeof a minerisn’t easy.

Indiana has produced coal

for more than two centuries.Te majority of Hoosier coalmines can be found on the western side of the state, as farnorth as Fountain County, andsouth through Spencer County with the heaviest concentra-tions of mines in Warrick,Pike and Sullivan counties.Te majority of surface mines(above ground) can be found in Warrick and Spencer counties, while underground mines are

more prevalent in Knox, Sulli-van, Greene and Vigo counties.

At one time coal was thelargest industry in SullivanCounty. Dugger, Indiana, has

been home to Hoosier coal miners for morethan 135 years. Francis Dugger, his brother William, and Henry Neal started the firstmine in town, known as the Old DuggerMine, in 1879.

One hundred years later, in 1979, twolocal residents, Martha Marlow and Ruby

King, were instrumental in foundingthe Dugger Coal Museum. Te women wanted people to know about the vastcoal mining history and traditions of theregion, so volunteers gathered artifacts,photos and stories from local miners andtheir families for display in the museum

Te day I visited, museum boardsecretary Mendy Smith gave me a tour. Teshotgun-style building is jam-packed with

interesting mining artifacts, photographs history from the days when “coal was kin

“Just about everyone had someonin the family that worked at the mine those days,” Smith said. “Tey’d start ayears old and spend their lives workingthe mines. It was just expected that if y

family worked in the mine, you’d workthere too.”

Besides mine operating equipmenthe museum has everyday items used bminers like carbonic lamps, miner safekits, a vintage collection of miner’s hatand trinkets carved from coal. A large display conveys the heritage of the locUnited Mine Workers Association, whbegan in the county in 1890.

D A Y

T R I P P E R

A photo of coal miners reminds visitors at Dugger Coal Museum that the lifea miner isn’t easy.

Photo courtesy of Dugger Coal M

Discovering Dugger Coal



Unfortunately, with a job as dan-gerous as mining, sometimes there arecausalities. A section on regional miningdisasters is featured and includes the fourmajor disasters that occurred in this region

during the 20th Century.Te worst catastrophe happened atthe City Coal Mine near Sullivan on Feb.20, 1925. A spark from an engine insidethe mine ignited coal dust and gas causinga massive explosion that ripped throughthe tunnels that morning. Officialsworked frantically through the day, withsome rescuers overcome by mine gases. Bylate that night, it had been determined 51men had lost their lives, almost half of theday shift’s workforce.

In January 1931, another explosion

rocked the Little Betty Mine near Dugger,killing 28. Five years later, in July 1937,another 20 miners died in an explosion atthe Baker Mine in Sullivan. Te last majorregional mining disaster of the centuryoccurred on March 2, 1961, when 22miners were killed in an explosion at theViking Mine in erre Haute. Tanks tobetter equipment and higher safety stan-dards, mine explosions are now uncom-mon occurrences.

A great number of mines closedduring the latter half of the 20th Century,but the coal mining tradition continuesin Sullivan County. Coal may no longerbe the largest employer in the county, butmany families still work in the mines. TeBear Run Mine, located south of Dugger,

is the largest surface coal mine east of theMississippi. Comprised of over 15,000acres, the mine produces over 8 milliontons of coal annually. Bear Run is ownedand operated by Peabody Energy, one of

the largest energy companies in the world.Most former mining lands have beenreclaimed in the area. East of Dugger is theRedbird State Riding Area, located on what was the former Redbird Mine. Te operationproduced over 2 million tons of bituminouscoal from 1945 to its closing in 1950. TeRSRA maintains motorcycles and AVs trailsfor outdoor riding enthusiasts.

Te Greene-Sullivan State Forestis made up of over 3,000 acres of landdonated by coal companies in the 1930s.oday, the forest has over 9,000 acres of

rolling woodlands and more than 120 lakesstocked with bass, bluegill and sunfish.

Strip pits have been left open to col-lect rain, which in turn creates numerouslakes throughout the county. Te Depart-ment of Natural Resources stocks them with fish for recreational sport enthusiasts.Te Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife Area isone such site, located on 12,000 acres ofa reclaimed surface mine. Tere are 3,500acres of wooded bottomland, with over100 acres made up of strip pit lakes.

If you happen to be in Sullivan Countyat the end of September or the first of Oc-tober, check out the Dugger Coal Festival.Te weeklong event began in 1979 and nowincludes live entertainment, special dinners,a carnival, parade and cruise-in rallies.

Te Dugger Coal Museum is openevery day during the annual festival from9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Otherwise make an ap-pointment on the Facebook page (DuggerCoal Museum), or phone (812) 798-6200to schedule a tour.

Dugger Coal Museum

8178 E. Main St.

Dugger, Indiana

(812) 798-6200

Open by appointment

Carvings from coal line the shelves at the Dugger Coal Museum.Photo by Joy Neighbors



By odd Lancaster

In what now seems like a

galaxy far, far away, in a time

long, long ago, a 13-year-old

boy sat in

a movie

theater inParamus,

New Jersey,

and had his

mind blow

one 70mm

frame at a

time.

Somewhere in early-June

1977, three friends and I

jumped out of a Pontiac

Grand Safari station wagon

for a Saturday matinee at the

Bergen Mall.Our funky, bandanna-

wearing, hippie middle-school

art teacher told the class that

we would get extra credit

if we went to see Star Wars

that weekend. She said it was

a “visual masterpiece” and

would help us understand

how art is incorporated into

to the “real world.” With that

as the primary excuse, and

the potential opportunity togo to the baseball card store

at the mall, we loaded up on

the Clearasil, Aqua Velva and

Bubble Yum and jumped in

T H E

S O N I C B O O M E R

the wagon for the 3-mile, 30-minute trip(New York Metro traffic moves at a slightlydifferent pace).

I have to admit, 13 is a funny age; thephysical metamorphosis happens on a min-ute-by-minute basis to boys. So, we weren’tsure if this movie painted us more as kids oradults, and my expectations were guarded.

What would happen if someone cool saw usat this movie?

We got popcorn and found seatstogether in the theater, which was filling upquickly. Tis movie was starting to breakbox office records and I distinctly rememberseeing pictures in the Daily News of peoplelined up around the block in New York to gettickets. Tere was a real buzz about it, but inthe days before social media, news was moremyth than mega-byte.

It took all of about 15 seconds for John Williams’ iconic score, paired with the imageof those majestic opening words going acrossthe screen, to hook me. None of us left ourseats for two hours, and in the final moments when Luke Skywalker’s X-wing fighter pulledup out of the Death Star’s trench after depos-iting the fatal proton torpedo, hundreds ofpeople stood and cheered. I’ve never seen thatbefore or since in a movie theater.

So there we were, knowing that life wasnever going to be the same on earth (or theforest moon of Endor for that matter) forthe four of us. So we did the only responsible

thing we could — we sat through it again —and again. Needless to say, since none of usbrought any type of holographic communica-tor with us (and cellphones were still about aquarter century into the future), my friends’

parents were not pleased with our six-hou

disappearing act and let us know DarthVader and his storm troopers were about

be the least of our worries.Star Wars went on to become the bigg

thing on the planet later that year. By the Te Empire Strikes Back came out in 1979I was late in high school, and Star Wars wa

more about sheets on kids’ beds and lunchboxes. In fact, when the first movie came

only Kenner was interested in being a partlicensing team for Star Wars toys and they

it helped save the company. Return of the Jcame out when I was in college, and I had

only a passing interest in seeing it. When three prequels finally came out, I thought

were just horrible and it somehow tainted

experience from 20 years before.It’s been almost 40 years since I sat i

that theater in New Jersey and a new Sta

Wars has made its way into the new millenium. My kids are too old to care and nomatter what special effects director JJ Ab

comes up with, it won’t matter to them. Thave seen it all before.

I’m not going to buy my tickets in avance. I won’t be carrying a lightsaber, bu

a wookie mask or even wearing a “Darth

My Daddy” -shirt. However, I might jufind a seat behind four junior high boys a

think back to that galaxy far, far away —New Jersey when a movie and bucket of

popcorn could impact a life.

odd said Star Wars reflects the changes in

people’s lives. He said he went from lookingLuke Skywalker to Jabba the Hutt. Email h

at [email protected]

A MOVIE IN A TIME LONG, LONG AGO


21/52



By Bernie Schmitt

Dr. Bertha Proctor’s enthusiasmfor helping people is evident,even as she admits there is no way she can keep track of every singlething involved in helping thousands ofpeople every year.

“I have an excellent managementteam,” she says, smiling brightly. “My role

is to keep my team well-oiled and wor well. It is an excellent team, they all dogood job and they have fun doing it.”

Proctor is the CEO of the PACECommunity Action Agency, a “privatenot-for-profit corporation committed community development and providinservices to low-income residents in Sou western Indiana,” according to its web

PACE is the latest name for whatused to be called Wabash Valley HumServices. It was established in the 196as part of President Lyndon B. Johnso“war on poverty,” established with theEconomic Opportunity Act of 1964.More than 34,000 people in Knox,Daviess, Greene, and Sullivan and Vicounties, were served by PACE and itprograms last year.

Proctor came on board in 1997 asa client services manager for the orga-nization’s energy assistance program. Within three months she was promote

to Director of Health and CommunityServices, which then encompassed all pgrams except Head Start. She became organization’s Executive Director in 20 With the addition of two profit-makinventures, her title was changed to CEO

“Our mission is to improve thecommunity and we’re very serious abit,” Proctor said. “Te areas we serve alow-income, so we have to improve thincome levels. We work to improve thcommunity inside out.”

She makes it clear that PACE and

programs and services are not welfare“We are not a hand out,” she said. are a hand up. We believe if we improvpeople, we will improve the community

PACE, which took on its currentname in 2007, celebrated its 50th yeain 2015. Tere are 12 different locatiin the areas it serves and 120 employeMuch of what the organization doesinvolves education, and it is the aspecProctor most avidly promotes.

“If there is a program that is not ucating or helping to educate people,

don’t want those programs,” Proctor sTe list of programs and servicesPACE offers are designed to help peohelp themselves. Support is only temprary. With the right education it is hothat people who need help will soon bcome self-reliant. Such diverse prograas nutrition, women’s health, schoolreadiness, financial literacy, economicopportunity, and energy efficiency aredesigned to help and to teach. It offerscholarships and internships. PACE c

‘HAND UP,a

not a

‘HANDOUT’Dr. Bertha Proctor is the CEO of PACE Community Action Agency, rstestablished 50 years ago the Economic Opportunity Act, part of PresidentLyndon B. Johnson’s war on poverty in the mid-1960s. PACE helped 34,000people in the past year.

Photos by Bernie Schmitt

Dr. Bertha

Proctor,

CEO of PACE:



help qualified individuals with smallbusiness loans, too.

“We educate, empower, and im-prove,” the CEO said.

Proctor recently earned a doctoratein educational leadership, a testamentto her continued interest and dedicationto educating her staff and others. Shebelieves in educating her staff, the peoplePACE works with the community, and

other community action agencies.“We have a consulting arm in whichwe offer training and consulting all overthe United States,” she said. “We trainothers in human resources, leadership,financial processes, managing teams, andin managing change.”

Proctor’s educational focus in-volves technology, too, and it is evidentthroughout PACE offices that includeup-to-date computer software, a numberof big screen monitors, smart boardsin Head Start classrooms, a computer

training room, and a fulltime informa-tion technology professional who keepselectronic technology running smoothly.

Te PACE facilities at 525 FourthSt. have had a makeover within thepast year, including the addition of anelevator to allow for more accessibility,and new doors and new security

One of the Head Start classrooms at PACE Community Action Agency in Vincennes. A federally-funded program, Head Start gives young children a start learning to better prepare them for elementary education.

ØØØ

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measures are in place. Te facility’s kitch-en was remodeled this past summer and

received all new equipment. In January, PACE’s Health Connec-

tion, which provides reproductive healthservices for men and women, will movefrom Wabash Avenue into newly-remod-eled space at the Fourth Street location.o showcase these efforts, PACE willhave an open house on Wednesday, Feb.10, from noon to 2 p.m.

One of Proctor’s most importantresponsibilities is signing off on everyexpenditure, a task she takes seriously.

PACE relies on state and federal money. All of it comes in the forms of grants,specific to individual programs. HeadStart, for instance, is all federally funded.

While the CEO must review howevery dollar is spent, she relies on hermanagement staff to help in obtaining(writing) the grants and complying withthe necessary requirements. Every dollaris used in the various ways the govern-ment requires.

“We have a chief financial officer

who helps us maintain compliance,”Proctor said. “It is a serious job. Ter

are state and federal reviewers here alltime. We use technology to track evething and we do a good job of it.

“We see PACE as a funnel for thestate and federal money we can bringhere to help others,” she said. “If it docome here, it will go to other places.”

Tere have been challenges withfunding in the past, including staffingcreases when budget requests are not mTe funding pendulum swings both wProctor said, depending on politicians

what might be happening at any giventime. o offset times of reduced fundiPACE developed a C-Corp. that inclutwo for-profit businesses.

PACE’s CAP ech consulting andcomputer training business and its VenCleaning were developed to provide adrevenue streams. Te consulting work sdoes, and for which CAP ech is paid, instance, helps to offset her salary.

“It is a pro-active plan,” she said,“because we are vulnerable based on

A plaque next to what used to be a phone booth (top photo), commemoratePACE’s 50th anniversary. The phone booth was modied to house a time capsule that cannot be opened until 2040. Bertha Proctor stands behind the newfront desk of PACE’s Health Connection that opens this month.



federal leadership.”PACE and its leadership are apo-

litical, she said, as board members whogovern the agency are from both politicalparties. Politics isn’t a problem becauseshe and others at PACE are invested inthe community in which they live, andretaining that focus is important.

“We want to be an excellent agency,”Proctor said. “We want to be excellent for

our customers and good stewards of thefunds we get. We have an excellent boardto guide us (six members each from Knox,Daviess, Greene, and Sullivan counties).”

In her free time Proctor enjoystraveling to visit family members in theWashington, D.C. area with her husband,Eugene, or to visit her children, two ofwhom are now in the Atlanta area.

On Sundays she likes to watch NFLfootball, but claims not to have a favoriteteam.

“I like whoever is playing that day,”

she said.Proctor has a penchant for world

travel, too, which she mostly enjoys withher sister, Hazel. She visited Barcelona,Spain last summer, and in recent yearshas traveled to Istanbul, Budapest, andPrague. She’s been to Dubai, Costa Rica,and Chile. Tis summer she hopes to go

to New Zealand.“Tat’s just what I do,” she said.

“Here I work, then I travel. If I can dthat, I’m happy.”

CEO Bertha Proctor, right, talks with her administrative assistant Lori Koby oVincennes. Proctor is proud of PACE’s management team that works to proveducational programs and services to thousands of low-income people to hethem become self-sufcient.



By Clifford York

Healthcare. Retire-ment. Tose maybe two of the most

stressful words in the Englishlanguage today. Especially when you include them both

in thesame sen-tence.

Forinstance,a marriedcouplethat saves$326,000

has a 90 percent chance ofhaving enough money to payhealthcare expenses in retire-ment. A single man would needto save $116,000 for retirementhealthcare expenses, and asingle woman about $131,000to have the same odds, accord-ing to the Employee BenefitResearch Institute (EBRI).

Health. Savings. Account.

Tose three words can

help reduce the stress ofretirement healthcare expenses.

A Health Savings Account,or HSA, is a tax-advantagedaccount that can be openedby anyone who is enrolledin a high deductible healthplan (with a deductible of atleast $1,300 for individuals or$2,600 for families for 2015).ypically, HSAs offer threesignificant tax benefits:

1. ax-free withdrawals. Ifyou use HSA savings topay qualified medicalexpenses, the withdrawalsare income tax free.

2. Pre-tax (or tax-deductible)contributions. Contribu-tions to HSAs are federallytax-deductible up to cer-tain limits. For 2015, the

F I N

A N C I A L W

I S D O M

limits are $3,350 for a single personand $6,650 for a family. If you’re age55 or older, then you can save an ad-ditional $1,000 a year in the account.

3. ax-deferred growth. Any interest

earned in an HSA grows tax-deferred.Generally, HSA contributions go intoan account at a bank, credit union, orother financial institution that is anHAS-approved custodian. However,those savings can also be invested.

It’s not a Flexible Savings Account

HSAs have been around for a decade,but relatively few Americans understandhow they work. In fact, many confusethem with Flexible Savings Accounts

(FSAs). While there are some similaritiesbetween the two accounts — both allowpre-tax contributions and both can beused to pay qualified medical expenses —there are significant differences.

For example, you set up and own anHSA. Any money left in the account atthe end of the year, remains in the accountto be used in the future. Tere is no “use itor lose it” provision. In contrast, your em-ployer sets up and owns an FSA. If moneyis left in the account at the end of the year,

it is forfeited to the employer.

Pay qualied medical expenses

Money set aside in HSAs can be usedto pay health insurance deductibles, as

well as qualified medical expenses, healthinsurance premiums (if you’re receivingunemployment benefits), and long-termcare premiums. However, it’s not alwayseasy to know what qualifies and whatdoesn’t. Te New York imes explained:

“Under a change enacted with the

Affordable Care Act, most over-the-count-er drugs, like common allergy medicationsor pain relievers, are HSA-eligible only ifyou get a prescription for them from yourdoctor. On the other hand, items likesunscreen and contact lens solution are eli-gible for purchase — without a prescrip-tion — with your HSA funds.”

When funds are used for non-quali-fied expenses, the withdrawal is taxed asordinary income and, if the account hold-

er is younger than age 65, a 20 percenpenalty tax is owed.

Retirement income

Te best incentive for saving as mas possible in an HSA is this: if you reaage 65, and have savings in your accouthe money can be used for living expenes, as well as qualified medical expense

Withdrawals that are used to supplem

income may be taxed as ordinary incoIt’s possible to accumulate quite a sigicant amount of savings in an HSA becauany earnings grow tax-deferred, just like eings in a 401(k) plan. According to EBRI

“A person contributing for 40 yearan HSA could save up to $360,000 if trate of return was 2.5 percent, $600,00the rate of return was 5 percent, and ne$1.1 million if the rate of return was 7.percent, and if there were no withdrawa

Unfortunately, few accountholders

are taking advantage of HSAs’ tax-defergrowth potential. At the end of 2014, t

were about 13.8 million HSA accountsin the United States. Te accounts heldabout $24 billion, but just a fraction ofamount ($3.2 billion) was invested.

Make the most of your HSA

Clearly, HSAs offer some attractivbenefits for Americans with high-de-ductible insurance plans. In addition toffering a triple tax-advantage and hel

Americans pay current and future medexpenses, these accounts can be used tsupplement retirement income.

If you have an HSA and the funds ainvested in a low interest rate account, lia checking or savings account, you can tfer the funds to a different HSA provider

Learning all the benefits and seeing numerous advantages of an HSA shouldtell you one thing: making the most of tsavings plan may position you well for mof life’s short-term and long-term events

Te opinions voiced in this material are for general infotion only and are not intended to provide specific advicerecommendations for any individual.

Tis material was prepared by Peak Advisor Alliance. Pe Advisor Alliance is not affiliated with the named broker/

Clifford York is an Associate Wealth Advisor for CaWealth – Vincennes and brings two decades of finaservices experience to the firm. Clifford resides inVincennes with his wife, Angie, and their three chiHis hobbies include golf, working out, coaching hisdren’s various youth sports teams and he has a passi for deer hunting. One can contact Clifford at cyorkcarsonwealth.com.

Stay calm and open aHealth Savings Account


27/52

BOOMER

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

103 N 6th St. Vincennes812•882•4925

DQ Something Different


28/52



Classes for all agesElements offers several classes in

yoga, pilates, and personal training forpeople of all ages. Te studio openedOct. 23 and several people have attend-ed, or are currently involved in, a varietyof class sessions. Te studio isn’t a work-out gym, but it does include a handfulof rowing machines, free-weights, andother materials used for low-impact and

stretching exercises.erri Goodwin and her co-workers at

Burkhart Insurance signed up for aerialyoga soon after Elements opened.

“I guess it was curiosity,” she said. “Itwas something new and adventurous todo.”

Goodwin’s co-worker Brianne Mar-see agreed. “It’s an individual challenge,”she said. “It’s something I’ve never hadexperience in and it’s never really beenoffered around here.”

Te kind of exercise on which one

might focus depends on one’s goals, Ger-kin said. All of the programs are low ornon-impact types of exercise. One couldget considerable aerobic exercise from arowing class, without the impact to theknees that jogging or running sometimescauses.

“One could do cross training or

find one thing that is the sole source ofexercise,” she said. “Unless someone hasa specific goal, a basic yoga class couldfulfill all of one’s exercise needs.”

Gerkin has been an exercise instruc-tor for a number of years in Vincennes,and has a bachelor’s degree in exercisescience from the University of SouthernIndiana. She’s also earned a degree as aphysical therapist assistant from Vin-cennes University, as a number of her cli-ents have had physical issues and neededrehabilitation.

Gerkin and her staff, instructorsSusan Leonard, Kylee Ashley, Shelly Mc-Crary, and Kristen want to focus on de-veloping healthy exercise habits. Ashleyinstructs the children’s classes, includingyoga for teens and yoga for athletes.

“I got into yoga in 2010 when I wasgetting ready to run a half-marathon,” Ashley said. “I’ve been doing it ever sinceand I love it.”

Gerkin and her staff are workingto involve local high schools and theirathletic programs. Tere will be a specialfund-raising class on Jan. 23 to

Amber Gerkin is co-owner andmanager of Elements, a new tnessstudio located at Second and Mainstreets in Vincennes.

ØØØ



benefit the South Knox soccer program.More classes will be added in January,too, expanding Elements’ offerings.

Susan Leonard has been a fitnessinstructor for 25 years. She said the newdowntown studio has a great atmosphereand she likes that the classes are smallerand more intimate. She teaches rowing,pilates, yoga, ballet, and barre fit.

“It’s a lot of fun and high energy

at all levels,” she said. “Te movementsare quick and energized. Tere is somecardio workout, but it’s toning, strengthand flexibility.”

In addition to aerial yoga, there is

candlelight yoga, where one can escapefrom the stress of the day by focusingon postures that promote relaxation andrestoration. Or, one can “detox” with hotyoga, in which postures are practiced in a95-degree room.

Tere are yoga classes for youngathletes and for young children. Tereare row fusion classes that burn caloriesand sculpt muscles. Tere is a cardio

kick class that implements boxing andkickboxing techniques.Elements also has and offers a

suspension training system, a methodinvented by U.S. Navy Seals. Shelly Mc-

Crary says it is available from beginneto those more advanced. It works on strength and flexibility of the entire bparticular one’s core mid-section. It hto keep the body balanced.

“We believe we have something feveryone,” Gerkin said. “We believe wshould encourage them to have exercand healthy habits now. My mother wa big influence on me with exercise. W

did all kinds of things, and used to gobike riding a lot.”Miller said Elements is fortunate

have some with Gerkin’s education anexperience in various disciplines of ex

Terri Goodwin, Brianne Marsee, and Hope Mikiska participate in an aerial yoga class at Elements, at left. InstructorAmber Gerkin helps a participant, at right.



cise in charge of the studio.“She has excellent colleagues as

instructors,” he said. “Tey are instru-mental in being able to deliver excellentprograms for our community. I’m reallypleased with their quality and theircharacter.”

Gerkin said such exercise can helpto decrease stress, in addition to keep-ing one physically fit and healthy. Sheis encouraging the community to giveexercise programs at Elements a try, eventhough many are busy with their busy,multi-tasking lives.

“aking time out is hard,” she sai

“But if you don’t take care of yourself

you can’t take care of anyone else.”

For more information about Elements

call 812-881-9400 or log on to www.

elements2wellness.com.

nstructor Shelly McCrary demonstrates a suspension training system invented by U.S. Navy Seals at Elements, at left. Onparticipant’s hand can be seen during the opening phase of instruction during an aerial yoga class at Elements, at right.



By Angie Mayfield

While many ofmy friends aresuffering from

empty nest blues, I keeppushing my fledglings out of

the house only to have themflap backin withdroopy,out-stretched wings atthe firstsign ofstorms or

drought. Recently, my oldestson moved back home after

a bitter breakup. I felt sorryfor him and babied him for afew weeks until he regainedhis bearings. However, it

didn’t take long to realize my grocerybill, loads of laundry and trash haddoubled.

At least the older boys work anddon’t mooch us for money, but I nowspend more time cooking, cleaning, andserving than June Cleaver. Te BradyBunch keeps growing with no Alice insight.

Sharing a house with four boys (fivecounting my husband) is like throwinga finicky cat in with a cage of chim-panzees. I walk into the kitchen eachmorning to open cabinets and breadsacks, empty cereal boxes and milk jugsand a sink full of dirty dishes. Te boysargue, wrestle, eat, fart, make messes,and repeat, and I referee, lecture, and

follow them around shaking my headand cleaning up the debris.For Christmas, I threatened to buy

them boxing gloves and first month’srent on an apartment. My husband oncetold me about a co-worker whose sonmeets him at the door in the evening with a Xanax and a whiskey and Coke. Ithought, “Oh my God. Tat’s horrible.”Now I’m thinking, “Yep, I understand.”

Not only are the boys hard on thehouse, my wallet, and each other, but

they are also tough on a Baby Boomermom who is already insecure about myage. “Are you okay, Mom? You lookreally pale and sick today?” or “I hopeyou’re not in the early stages of Alz-heimer’s,” or the worst one — “Dang,Mom, you’re gaining a little weight,aren’t you?” I wonder how boys can beso polite in public, yet find it so easyto hurt their parents’ feelings.

Yesterday, I wore one of thosepopular scarfs around my neck for the

first time. I walked into the kitchen andmy youngest said, “I don’t think you’re

wearing that right, Mom. Tat’s nothow my teacher wears hers.” Ten

my middle son said, “I thoughtonly really old people wore thoseto keep from catching cold anddying.” My oldest put the icingon the cake. “You do realize it’s

green, don’t you? It doesn’t matchthe rest of your outfit. Did you think it

was gray?”“Tank you, View staff! Yes, my

sense of style and vision are poor. Sonice of you to remind me I am not —nor ever will be — a fashion diva.”

My husband’s compliments makup for our sons’ insensitivity. Doug’sgood sport who repays the boys’ jabsabout being old with not-so-subtle habout moving out and jokes about thlack of good decision-making skills.He leaves grocery lists on their steeri wheels and sends texts such as “Doncome home yet. We’re naked” just to

aggravate them. When we are stresseand need an occasional circus-freeevening, he sends the text “Hurry ho We’re mowing the yard, weedeating,and chopping wood.” Tey usually fisomewhere else to be.

Consistently, my second son arrlate at night with a group of X-box

friends, so Doug retaliated, stood at kitchen counter as they came up thestairs, wrapped in only a small tow-el, and proceeded to make himself asandwich and pretend to talk to himShortly afterward, they found an excto leave. He was so proud of his errBradshaw moves.

Occasionally, we find opportunifor playful revenge to compensate oustress and sacrifice. When promoted

T H E C O N V E R T E D C Y N I CBOOMERS VS. BOOMERANG KID

Doug and I fantasize ab

the day when we can travel whwe want whenever we want withworry about parties, higinsurance premiums, or findone of the boys tied and d

taped to the top of his brothvehicle.



to supervisor at Perdue recently, mysecond oldest son Josey bought a newwhite SUV. His brothers teased himhorribly. Doug and I were proud he hadoutgrown the Mustang and 4-wheeldrive phase. However, later that night,we couldn’t resist placing a car seat inthe back with a doll in it and pasting a“Soccer Mom” bumper sticker on his

back window. We considered it paybackfor Josey’s constant threats to have us

committed or placed in urban nurs-ing homes. Living with a house full ofpranksters is fun but exhausting.

Most people dread the empty nest.Maybe we will too someday, but I admitthat we are looking forward to somealone time. Perhaps it’s because we hadkids later in life, but Doug and I fanta-size about the day when we can go twodays without running out of milk and

bread. We could travel where we want whenever we want without worry aboutparties, higher insurance premiums, orfinding one of the boys tied and ducttaped to the top of his brother’s vehicle.

We could even walk around thehouse in our underwear, wearing onlymismatched, poorly arranged scarves.I’d settle for drinking coffee in peace

and not eating breakfast standing up. Ah, those will be the days — whether at

home in Indiana, a cabin in Montana,or a nursing home if our boys have their way. Hey, if they cook, clean, and offer aclass on how to wear scarves — I’m in!

Angie J. Mayfield is an associate professor of English at Vincennes Univer-sity — Jasper campus and the author ofLove, Loss, & Lunacy in a Small own.She can be contacted at profmayfield@ yahoo.com

T he boys argue, wrestle, eat, fart, make messe s, and repeat, and Ireferee, lec ture, and follow them around shaking my head and cleaningup the debris.



By Bernie Schmitt

In the midst of America’s worst eco-nomic nightmare, the Great Depres-sion of the 1930s, Knox County washome to one of several federal govern-ment “experiments” designed to helplow-income and destitute farmers.

Located in southern Knox County,the Deshee Unit of Wabash Farms wasa large, full-scale farming cooperativewhose members made decisions, but who

were nonetheless under the jurisdiction

of the federal government. It was for ashort time a successful enterprise, howev-

er, it was also the target of criticism athroughout its short history was plaguby a high turnover in membership.

Much of the farm cooperative walocated on flat, flood-plain land betwthe Wabash and White rivers, about miles south of Vincennes. A part of itexisted where the present-day SchenkFarms is situated.

Tere were about 2,770 acres onsix tracts of land. Tere were “42 dweings, nine barns, three machine shedsand ten poultry houses,” according toarticle by J. Rebecca Tompson, in thDecember 1995 edition of the IndianMagazine of History. Te land itself wpurchased by the federal governmentspecifically for one of the experimentprograms espoused by Rex ugwell,the administrator of the Resettlemen

Farm cooperative had good intentions, but did not last

INDIANA BICENENNIAL 1816-2016

“T nr eed n, uns I misak i empe, nr mand b, ersisen - erimenai. I i mm ens ak met n r i: If i il, dmi i frankl n r

nte. Bu b , r metin.”

— Fankli D. Rosevl, i peec Otp Univrsi, M 22, 1932.

New Deal experiment inKnox County

A farmer at the former Deshee Farm Inc. cultivating corn, taken by Arthur Rothstein in 1938. Deshee Farm Inc. was acooperative farming experiment created by the federal government in response to the Great Depression.

Photos from Library of C



Leave a Legacy today... For your children

For your grandchildren

For your community

For all of those you love.

Contact the Knox County CommunityFoundation today to learn more about

how you can leave a legacy. The Knox County Community FoundationFor Good. Forever. For Knox County.

20 N. 3rd St., Suite 301 • Vincennes • www.knoxcountyfoundation.org • Ph: 812-886-0093 • Fax: 812-886-0133

Administration, and as partof President Franklin D.Roosevelt’s New Deal.

Te country’s worst-evereconomic disaster helped cre-ate a climate for such exper-imentation, as most Amer-ican citizens were longingfor leadership, change, andalmost anything that might

help solve the nation’s crisis.But the window of politicaland public opinion was brief;after the farm cooperativebegan in 1938, criticism of itwas nearly immediate: It wasoften referred to by locals as“Little Russia.”

“Te Deshee Farm projectillustrates how FranklinRoosevelt embarked on socialexperimentation to combat thehardship affecting American

farmers during the Great De-pression,” said Brian Spangle,historical collections admin-istrator at the Knox CountyPublic Library. “It was espe-cially important as a means ofaddressing rural poverty.”

Te farm, Deshee

Farm, Inc., was one of 17throughout the nation. While cooperation amongfarmers was not new (farm-ers had informal and formalarrangements ranging fromthreshing circles, regionalpurchasing and marketingcooperatives in the 1920s),but cooperative production

had never been practiced.“Projects such as DesheeFarm were very unpopular insome quarters because they went against the traditional way of thinking,” Spangle said.“Some saw cooperative farmsas socialistic or communistic.”

Roosevelt’s Resettlement Administration, and its succes-sor, the Farm Security Admin-istration, were created becausebenefits provided to farmers

by the Agricultural Adjust-ment Administration (AAA) were not equal in distributionand by 1935 the overall plandid not seem to be working,especially for the poorest offarmers: sharecroppers, tenantsand farm laborers. ØØØ

Farmers at Deshee Farm planting tomatoes in May of1938. Farm workers clocked in and out at the farm,and were paid for their time based on the overallprots of the farm.



Roosevelt’s men, the well-educatedsocial scientists who made up the so-called “brain trust,” believed that rural

poverty — at least some of it — was theresult of a misuse of agricultural land.Tis was especially evident with the DustBowl counties of the Great Plains, whereyears of plowing up the prairie topsoil were blown away when heat, drought,and wind ravaged the land.

So, the government decided to “re-

settle” some farmers to more productland. Te Decatur Homesteads in AdCounty, Indiana, were developed toprovide adequate housing for workersmall industrial cities, and to help keeurban residents off of the federal relie At the Deshee Farm south of Vincennsome residents from the “hill countryMartin County were re-located to “m

productive” land in Knox County. According to Tompson’s article“Deshee Farm: A New Deal Experi-ment with Cooperative Farming,” thegovernment had four objectives in thenterprise: “o purchase agriculturalland not suitable for cultivation; to fisuitable use for that land; to move thpeople living on sub-marginal farms tland suitable for farming; and to provthe resettled families with loans and tsupervision necessary to enable them make a reasonable living.”

With this, New Dealers also believthat such a farming community wouldhelp “rehabilitate” and “educate” in anenvironment where hard work and cooeration would lead to economic successTe government provided educationalopportunities through Purdue UniversiExtension Service to help develop bettefarming practices and skills in budgetinfood preservation, and home health. Althis was to help the poorest farmers achan adequate standard of living, and tha

Rothstein photographed a woman feeding chickens (above) and a boy with a

cultivator (below) in eld at Deshee Farm in 1938. The pictures housed in thLibrary of Congress contain sparse information and no names are attached wthe pictures.



such educational efforts wouldone day lead cooperative farmclients to self-sufficiency andtheir own farms.

Te farm raised hogs,cattle, and poultry. Alfalfa,wheat, soybeans, and cornwere raised, as well as toma-toes, potatoes, watermelons,and cantaloupe. Te produce

was sold to local canning fa-cilities, and feed crops helpedto support the livestock. Eachfamily home had a garden toraise vegetables for person-al consumption. Farmersclocked in daily for work andwere paid a wage accordingto the farm’s overall success.

For a time the farm wassuccessful, though tenantturnover plagued the coop-erative farm after the first

couple of years. Te govern-ment wanted the farm tohave the maximum numberof tenants. Tis became aproblem when there was notenough work for new clients,and existing farmers did notwant the farm’s profits spread

out further, thus limitingtheir own incomes.

Te experiment was notdestined to last. By the timethe country was well-in-volved in World War II, somemembers of Congress beganto question the cooperative, as well as other New Deal pro-grams some deemed less than

American. Te FSA and itsprograms began to fade, and inthe spring of 1943, flooding ofthe Wabash and White riversdecimated Deshee Farm.

Beginning in Augustof 1944, auctions were heldto liquidate the equipment,livestock, and land that madeDeshee Farm, according toSpangle, who wrote a shortcolumn based on newspa-pers stories of the time. In

late 1944, Charles Schenkpurchased much of the land,barns and houses that wasDeshee Farm. He later sold 10of the houses on the land hebought for around $750 each.

Some of the remainingtenants of the farm took

advantage when the gov-

ernment allowed them topurchase land for their ownfarms. Some of the names in-cluded Floyd Stephens, Lloyd Witsman, Edgar Fellows,Lloyd D. Lucas, Virgil Carterand James Fox.

Te sale of the property

by the government put th

Knox County land backinto private ownership, anDeshee Farm, Inc., wasdestined to become only amemory of how the Amergovernment, during its mosevere economic crisis, trieuse its power to help the p

Wabash Farms included a smaller part-time farming unitLoogootee, where this family was photographed by ArthRothstein during his trip to southwest Indiana in 1938.



By Joy Neighbors

With Jan-uarycome thoughts of

clearing out the

clutter and gettingorganized. It’s alsothe perfect timefor wine lovers

to consider somelong-term andinterim ideas forkeeping that vinoin optimum shape.

For the typical wine drinker, thereare a few tricksof the trade tokeeping your winesat their best andready to drink.

Long-term storageMost less expensive wines

may be kept for up to twoyears, many up to five years,and some for as long as 10

years. If you’re storing winesfor 10 years or longer, youare considered a serious winecollector. (And by this time,you should have your own wine cellar with temperaturecontrols.)

Rack ’em upTere are hundreds

of styles of wine racks outthere; metal, wooden, plastic,in-counter, above-counter,

on the counter. Te choice isyours. Consider how manybottles you will be storing, what kind of wines you have(Reds, whites, desserts, Portsand Sherries all require differ-ent storage designs.) and howlong you want to store them –a couple of months, a coupleof years, or longer.

Wine racks are made

so that the bottles lie down with the necks tilted down abit more; this is to keep thecorks wet. (A wet cork stayssealed in the bottle. A driedout cork allows air in, which

oxidizes the wine.)

Chillin’ out Wine refrigerators can

be a great investment for t white wine lover. Tese uncome equipped with built wine racks to keep your wat the perfect temperatureserving: 59 – 65º Fahrenhfor dry whites, rosé and blFor champagne and spark wines, serving temp is 43 47º Fahrenheit.

Underground Wine cellars and cave

current trends in new hom

B O O M E R C O N N O I S S E U RWine storage: The long and short of it

Wine racks are designed to keep the bottle neckstilted lower than the bottom of the bottle. Thiskeeps the corks wet to maintain the seal.

Photo by Joy Neighbors



A walk-in room that is kept cool, quiet, dark and dry is the perfectspot for aging red and white wines. Te ideal temperature for long-term storage ranges between 50 and 55º F with 70 percent humiditybeing optimal. If you’re a serious collector, invest in a climate controlunit that measures temperature and humidity. Fluctuations in tem-perature can ruin a wine; too high of humidity can encourage moldsto begin to grow; too dry and the cork can shrink and let air into thewine, which will oxidize it.

Red wines that cellar well include robust, dry reds like CabernetSauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Syrah, Bordeaux; all wines

with heavy tannins.

Short-term preservationIf you find yourself with a half bottle of wine left over, you have

a few options.

Put a cork in itKeeping a partially drank bottle for the next day? For whites,

simply re-cork the bottle and place it in the fridge. For red wines,store the bottle upright in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.Either way, you’ll have another two to five days to drink that wine.

Pump it

Vacuum pumps are specially made to remove the air from thebottle. With this option, you pump out the excess air and insert aspecial rubber cork to maintain freshness.

It’s a gasInert gas, sprayed into the bottle, will act as a blanket over the

wine and prevent oxidation from occurring. Tis is one of the meth-ods commercial wineries use to preserve wine.

Red wines that don’t cellar long-term include Pinot Noir, Merlotand Grenache; basically any wine labeled as “light and fruity.”

For white and fruit wines, it’s normally suggested to store themno more than two to three years. Tese are wines that do not improve

with age, so buy them now and enjoy.

Wine storage doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, or take up a lotof space. Tere may be room in your basement, or a spare closet thatmight be adequate for short-term storage — two years or less.

If wine has become a passion instead of a hobby, go for a winefridge, or a basement wine cellar. Just remember to keep your long-term wines labeled with the “purchase” date and “drink by” date formaximum enjoyment.

Now you’re set to begin that yearly January clutter clearing, justbe sure to take some time for a glass of vino –— you can alwaysfinish it later.

Joy Neighbors, from eastern Illinois, knows the wine industry well.She writes a weekly wine blog, has judged national wine competitions,and speaks nationally and internationally. Follow her blog at http:// joysjoyofwine.blogspot.com.

If you’re a serious collector, invest in a climate

control unit that measures temperature and humidity.

Fluctuations in temperature can ruin a wine.



Courtesy of MCC

Few things can be as uncomfortableas the common cold. In their bookCommon Cold , authors Olaf Weber

and Ronald Eccles say the commoncold has been around since the ancient

times. More than 200 virus strains cancontribute to colds, but the rhinovirusis the most common. Colds produce abevy of symptoms, including runny nose,congestion and sore throat, so it shouldcome as no surprise that sufferers want tofind relief fast.

Colds typically last for a week ormore. While there’s no cure for the com-mon cold, according to Te Mayo Clin-ic, there are some remedies that can helpcold sufferers feel better more quickly.

• Rest: One of the best things todo when you have a cold is to getadequate rest. Your body’s immunesystem is working overtime tocombat the cold virus, and restrict-ing activity can help it direct efforts where they’re needed most. Keepaway from strenuous activities, andspend more time relaxing or sleepingto let your body do its job.

• Hydration: Consuming plenty ofclear fluids can reduce congestionand ensure that you do not get dehy-

drated. Plus, warm beverages can besoothing to an irritated throat. Avoidcoffee, caffeinated sodas and alcohol, which can exacerbate dehydration.

• Saline rinses: Intra-nasal saline

sprays, net

january 2016 boomer

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