MAXWELL BRINGS SIGNIFICANT HONOR

This story originally appeared as a V-M Viewpoint in The Vidette-Messenger on March 12, 1970.

A 35-year-old Morgan Township resident has brought significant honor to local agriculture and to Porter County.

Phillip A. Maxwell, who lives on Indiana 49 a mile south of U. S. 30, has just been acclaimed as Indiana Jaycees’ 1970 Outstanding Young Farmer. The award stamped the former Morgan Township High School athlete as the best in the state among an imposing entry list of 17 other statewide Jaycee club preliminary winners.

As recipient of the Indiana Jaycees OYF award, Maxwell will now represent the state at a national contest in Belleville, Ill., April 5 through 8, a distinct honor for any young man.

Winner of the local Jaycees’ first OYF award earlier this year, the judges at that time demonstrated their choice of Maxwell was no accident. This young farmer “works at his trade.”

To be eligible as a nominee for local, state, and national competition, participants had to be between 21 and 35 years of age, and derive a minimum of two-thirds of their income from farming.

Judging was done on the basis of progress in agricultural careers, soil, and natural resources conservation, and civic and social contributions to community, state, and nation.

The Porter County entry filled all these requirements admirably.

(Phil) was born into a farming family and was reared on the homestead he now occupies. Not content with getting by with the practical aspects of farming he had learned throughout his boyhood, Maxwell went to Purdue University, where he obtained a BS degree in animal husbandry.

In the 10 years he has solely operated a farm, Maxwell has consistently tried new ways to increase his profits. This includes a switch from dry to liquid fertilizer, for corn and beans; planting corn on unplowed ground; use of chemicals; and narrow plantings.

And, this young man has a goal; to expand hog production by investing in new buildings and automation.

Maxwell, operator of 1,130 acres of land, of which 1,053 are tillable, says he is farming “because I believe I can contribute more to a rural community, and feel there is no better place to raise a family and live a wholesome family life.”

He is raising a family, Cheri, 10, Debra, 8, and Mark, eight months, with his wife, the former Jane Smoker, of the prominent Wanatah area farming family.

His farming innovations hav been definite contributions to Porter County’s rural community.

Winner of the first two plateaus in local and state competition, Maxwell now goes on to the national event and possibly more honors next month.

He will take with him the best wishes of Valparaiso, Porter County, and the entire state.

March 19, 1976: Tops In County’s Science Fair

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 19, 1976

Tops In County’s Science Fair

By RUTH ANN McWHORTER

MALDEN ー Students from five of the six townships in the county school system won first place awards at the County Elementary Science Fair held at Morgan Township School Thursday.

First place winners included, from kindergarten to sixth grade; Matthew Thomas, Morgan Township, whose exhibit proved that plants need light (the ones in the dark died); Timmy Albrecht, Kouts, whose exhibit by Dawn Radice and Christi Sowder, Boone Grove, whose exhibit also investigated the properties of air; Bruce Snow, Kouts, who investigated oldtime and modern cleansing agents; Barbara Nadolski, Washington Township, who found that a plant would grow better under a white light bulb than under a colored bulb; joint exhibit by Amy Ehrhardt and Kim Lyon, Union Center, who found that water is not the only substance that can be used to extinguish fires; and a joint exhibit by Julie Herma and Michelle Wallace, Kouts, with an exhibit on how genetics affects one’s ability to roll one’s tongue.

In the class projects, winner in the primary division was project of Union Center second grade class of Kathleen Glenn (blue room) which investigated “what is hibernating under the snow?” Winner is the intermediate division was Kouts sixth grade class taught by Lia Ann McCormick, whose class investigated whether there are differences in brands of gasoline.

The Kouts class, which includes 23 students, did a lot of research on oil and gas products prior to beginning their exhibit, reported science teacher Gerald Gearhart. The students learned that the more refined oil products are, the more they evaporate (as an example, asphalt, which is at the bottom of the refinement process, evaporates very little). As a consequence, the students believed that the beter gas, which is more refined, would evaporate faster.

For their experiment, the class divided regular grade gas into categories of expensive (more than 55.9 cents a gallon), medium (53.9 to 55.9 cents) and cheap (less than 53.9 cents a gallon).

They found that, on the average, the expensive gas evaporated faster, and was thus better refined and more combustible, and also gave better mileage in their lawnmower. Gearhard said the class worked on the project for more than a month.

Award for the outstanding class project went to the Union Center sixth grade class of Robert J. Bobos, which found that charcoal produced the most ash, of about 33 substances burned by the class.

Outstanding individual exhibits were by Boone Grove students Karin Herrick and Vincent Regan. First grader Karin investigated how the spinning of a top is influenced by different factors (attachment of paper clips, pastings protruding slips of paper to the top, and by spinning it on a rough surface ー sandpaper). Vincent explained in an elaborate exhibit why fuses are important.

Second place ribbons at the fair were awarded to Mark Sinar, Boone Grove, first grade; Matt Maxwell, Boone Grove, second grade; Arthur Womack, Union Center, third grade; and Brad Wandrey and Greg Yergler, Kouts, sixth grade.

Class projects receiving second place were second grade Kouts class of Janet Robertson and fourth grade Union Center class of Marilyn Dodrill.

Third place awards went to Jennifer Herma, Kouts, first grade; Jan Herma; Kouts, second grade; Mary Jo Knoblock, Boone Grove, third grade; Kathleen Fitzgerald, Boone Grove, fourth grade; and Vincent Lazar, Boone Grove, sixth grade.

Third place class exhibits were both from Kouts ー second grade taught by Sue Ann Pickard and fifth grade taught by Gloria Nightingale.

Project of Union Center sixth grade class taught by Robert J. Bobos was judged outstanding class project at Porter County Schools Elementary Science Fair held at Morgan Township School Thursday. Luann Jipping (left) and Allan Jones (right) accepted plaque for their class. Trash can incinerator in foreground of photo is part of class exhibit, in which various materials were burned to determine which created the greatest amount of ash. Purple ribbons for outstanding individual student projects at fair were awarded to (sitting) Karin Herrick, first grade, and Vincent Regan, fifth grade, both of Boone Grove School.

March 6, 1976: Mechanical Revolution Alters Country Way Of Life More Machinery, Increased Yields Cut Farm Numbers

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 6, 1976.

Mechanical Revolution Alters Country Way Of Life

More Machinery, Increased Yields Cut Farm Numbers

By JACK AYLESWORTH

THE LAST CENTURY has seen far greater change in American agriculture than all of the previous centuries combined. We have seen the transformation from muscle powerーboth animal and humanーto motor power. As a direct result of this shift, U.S. farmers have increased their productivity to a point never before reached.

In Colonial times almost everyone was a farmer by necessity, since a farmer produced little more than enough to feed himself and his family. By 1950, one farmer produced enough food and fiber for himself and 15 other people. By 1976, his productivity had increased to a point where he produced enough for 51 people.

As farm worker productivity increased, the number of farmers decreased. In 1920 Porter County had 1,791 farms. In 1973, there were only 661 farms.

THE REFINEMENT of the internal combustion engine made its application for farm power more useful. Whereas the first common gasoline (or kerosene) tractor pulled two 14-inch plows at about three miles an hour, the large 1976 models can pull 10 16-inch plows at six miles an hour. This is a tenfold increase in the amount of production from the operator.

Even greater increase has been made in harvesting. When corn was harvested by hand, it took a man with better than average ability to harvest 100 bushels of corn per day. With today’s large combine, one man can harvest 9,000 to 10,000 bushels in one day. This is a hundredfold increase.

The changes in farming from muscle power have altered life on the farm in many ways. No longer is it necessary for neighbors to join with each other to go from farm to farm threshing wheat and oats, shredding corn, filling silos, sawing wood for winter fuel, butchering hogs and cattle for meat, and raising barns. Each farm is more nearly self-sufficient with regard to labor.

IN THE EARLY 1900s, livestock, dairy products, and grain were the major items of farm output in Porter County. In 1976, farmers in this area raise mostly corn and soybeans.

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, electric power lines spread along almost every county road in Porter County, bringing modern conveniences to both the farmer and his wife. More replacement for muscle power.

The Federal Rural Electrification Administration permitted groups of farmers to farm cooperatives to build lines and bring electricity to isolated areas where public utilities did not find it economically feasible to provide service. The REA provided low interest loans for construction and cooperatives purchased their electricity from public utilities. Electricity was a major factor in enabling farmers to shell, dry, and store corn in large quantities.

NO STORY OF AGRICULTURAL progress is complete without credit being given to the role played by the land grant colleges such as Purdue University. In 1862, under Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, grants of public land were made to finance construction of agricultural and engineering collegesーone in every state. Most of the grants were for western land and the property was sold to gain funds for colleges in other states. These schools not only educated engineers, farmers, and farm leaders, but they also performed research on all phases of agriculture.

The County Agricultural Agent serves as a vital link connecting the research being done at Purdue with the practical application on the commercial farm. He advises farmers to test their soil and use proper amounts of plant food, to use improved tillage practices, to use new varieties of crops and livestock, and to form their own organizations such as the Farm Bureau and cooperatives.

One of the most important products of education and research at the land grant colleges was the development of hybrid corn. This probably doubled the corn production in the U.S. and it is proving to be a valuable export. One of the pioneers in the production of hybrid seed corn was Porter County's own George Chester who applied Purdue research at the commercial level and who produced and sold hybrid corn for many years under the name of Chester Hybrids.

Emil Kuehl was photographed before 1920 using horse-drawn corn planter on his Morgan Township farm. Photo loaned by Vernon Dinse.

March 3, 1956: Relief Seen Necessary For Muddy South Sagers Road; Carrying Heavy Load Since State Highway 49 Is Closed

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 3, 1956.

Relief Seen Necessary For Muddy South Sagers Road; Carrying Heavy Load Since State Highway 49 Is Closed

By ROLLIE BERNHART

A slithering, splashing muddy ride over a two-mile span of South Sagers Road in Center and Morgan townships, Friday afternoon, convinced south Porter County Commissioner C. A. Carpenter that immediate corrective action should be taken before the roadbed is completely undermined.

Carpenter made the test ride with a complainant, Wilbur Finn, a resident along the road, and a V-M reporter-photographer.

Carpenter’s conclusions were summed up in his statement following the test run, “It is almost as bad as it was in the old horse and buggy days.”

Finn, a resident in the section for the past two years, complained to Carpenter that inadequate grading and lack of gravel had resulted in a gradual undermining of the roadbed.

In not less than six spots along the approximately two-mile span tested, the road was veritably a quagmire with little or no gravel to be seen.

Carpenter also observed that the original ditches had long been filled with loose gravel, dirt and weeds, providing little or no drainage during rain, snow and thaw. In one spot near the Gatewood farm, a slight downgrade was almost a washout.

Traffic Increases

Both Finn and Carpenter were of the opinion that additional heavy traffic, shunted on south county roads through the recent closing of Indiana 49, has contributed greatly to the condition of the road.

Carpenter said he also felt that with the eventual closing of Indiana 8 for widening purposes, south county roads will suffer still more as the spring thaws come.

In this respect, Carpenter said he would confer with the county commissioners and Mox Ruge, county attorney, Monday, concerning the possibility of procuring some aid from the State Highway commission in lieu of damage caused to county roads because of the current widening programs on the two highways.

Carpenter stated that he will present the issues involved on the road’s condition to the other members of the board at its regular monthly session Monday. A trip along the muddy strip for the board and road supervisor Anton Jensen is also to be proposed.

Just Like Horse and Buggy Days

“IT’S ALMOST AS BAD as in the horse and buggy days” is what C.A. Carpenter, right, south county commissioner, told Wilbure Finn, left, a resident along the old Valpo-Kouts (now Sagers) road, who points to one of the badly undermined spots near his home.

March 2, 1946: Homecoming Staged For Morgan GI’s

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 2, 1946.

Homecoming Staged For Morgan GI’s

By DORATHEA KUEL

MALDENーA gay night of musical entertainment and dancing was spent Tuesday night at the local school as the Morgan Township Farm Bureau welcomed home the servicemen of this community. Two hundred and seventy-five members and guests turned out for the organization’s biggest social evening of the season.

Prior to the dancing, vocal and instrumental selections were presented by talent from this community and from elsewhere in the community.

Mary Ann, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gust Steinke, played as accordion solos, “Pennsylvania Polka” and “Notre Dame Victory March.” A fourth grade quartette composed of Edris Anderson, Beverly Owen, Linda Williamson and Donna Jean Hofferth, sang as a solo, “It Might As Well Be Spring.”

Fourth Graders Shine

Cuter than words can express was the presentation by the fourth grader’s tonnette trio of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” “There’s Music in the Air” and “Whispering Hope.”

From outside of Morgan township came Lois Ref, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Glenn A. Reif, of Washington township, to play on her accordion and sing, “Some Sunday Morning,” “Cowboy Sweetheart,” “Five Feet Two, Eyes of Blue,: and she very graciously encored with “No Can Do.”

Eugene and Norma Newcomb, of Liberty township, appeared as a saxophone-guitar duo, and played such popular songs as “I Can’t Begin To Tell You,” “There’s a New Moon over My Shoulder,” “Waiting for the Tain to Come in” and “Temptation,” with Eugene singing the choruses.

Display Talent

Miss Mary Ann Heinold, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Heinold of Kouts, favored with piano and vocal solos, “Give Me the Simple Life” “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” and “Dark Town Strutters Ball.” The Misses Betty Jane Weddle, and Elinor and Mary Homfeld of Boone Grove, displayed their talent by singing “Lullaby of the Bells” and “Who?” they were accompanied by Mrs. Gertrude Herren at the piano.

George Grundell’s orchestra provided the music for round and square dancing. Callers were Alford Bos and Ben Reder.

At a late hour ice cream and cake were served by a committee consisting of Mrs. William Finney and Mrs. Delberty Hofferth.

Short Business Meeting

President Vernon Dinse presided at the short business meeting which preceded the entertainment.

The March entertainment committee consists of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Park, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Blum, Mr. and Mrs. Everett Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Garriott, Mr. and Mrs. Alford Bos, Mr. and Mrs. Essel Whittledge, Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Birky, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Sims and the McNeff brothers.

Lunch at the March session will be served by Mrs. Roy Purdy, Mrs. Gust Steinke and Mrs. Edward Wittner.

Dec. 9, 1970: Break School Windows - Vandals Smash 350-400 Panes

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on December 9, 1970.

Break School Windows

Vandals Smash 350-400 Panes

Between 350 and 400 windows and glass door panels at six schools and a gymnasium in Porter County were broken early this morning by vandals, who also struck two business firms where six windows were smashed. One school cancelled classes today.

A white compact car, possibly a Ford, was being sought by police who said a vehicle of that description with three persons was observed driving away from the scene of one vandalism.

Schools sustaining damage and the number of windows or door panels broken include Washington Township, 115; Jackson, 95; Kouts, 86; Morgan, 46; Liberty, 17; Westchester Junior High School, 7. Two glass door panels and a window were broken at Chesterton High School’s Goldsborough gymnasium.

Business firms sustaining damage by vandals are Don’s Sinclair Station, U.S. 6 and Meridian and Brown Tire Co., Inc., Indiana 49.

The vandalism in most cases occurred between 4:45 and 7 a.m., Sheriff’s Detective George Earley said. Deputies regularly patrol the schools and when Jackson and Liberty were checked at 4:45 a.m. everything was in order.

All classes in schools are in session with the exception of Morgan Township School.

There was no estimate of damage, but costs of replacing windows and other school equipment will probably mount to the thousands of dollars.

Vandals used rocks, pipes, teeter-totters, and portions of cement blocks, to cause the damage.

Band equipment at Morgan and Washington schools was damaged by items which were thrown or pushed through windows.

Majority of damage at the schools occurred on the first level, Earley said, and vandals kept away from the fronts of the buildings to avoid detection.

Rocks found at the scenes indicated that vandals picked them up elsewhere than on school grounds.

Washington School, where the largest number of windows were broken, is not covered by vandalism insurance. Most of the county schools do not have vandalism insurance and the cost of repair will have to come from the schools’ budgets.

Damage At Washington

All windows in overhead door in shop area at Washington Township School were broken today by vandals. Removing glass (top photo) is Glenn Brown, who along with other Washington students assisted in clean-up so classes could be held. Principal James Dold holds 3-pound which was thrown with such force it traveled 30 feet, broke exterior overhead light fixture and smashed through inner office glass panel.