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Bingham honored with Golden Hoosier Award
INDIANAPOLIS — On Friday, the State of Indiana took notice of something the people of Greencastle have known for years — Jinsie Bingham is a tireless champion for her community.
Bingham was among the 22 seniors to receive the Golden Hoosier Award during a Friday-morning ceremony at the Indiana Statehouse emceed by Yonda Snyder, director of Indiana Family & Social Services Administration (FSSA) Division of Aging.
“It has been an honor to serve and the people I’ve met have greatly enriched my life,” Bingham said. “I have been so blessed to have so many opportunities to do so many things.”
Nominated by Area 7 Agency on Aging Director Gloria Wetnight, Bingham was honored for her “exhaustive resume of volunteer service that spans decades.”
Her service includes volunteerism at dozens of organizations including Greencastle City Council, Greencastle Chamber of Commerce and the West Central Indiana Economic Development District’s Board of Directors.
The goal of her service has been to build a strong, vibrant community.
Bingham broke ground by becoming the first woman in Indiana to own and operate a commercial radio station. Renamed as WJNZ during Bingham’s tenure, the station lives on today as 94.3 WREB.
“It was nice to introduce myself as WJNZ again,” she said.
Additionally, Bingham was happy to receive the award the same day as fellow broadcaster William Willis of West Baden Springs.
The founder of WFLQ in French Lick, Willis was associated with Bingham long before Friday’s award ceremony.
“We, coincidentally, served on the board of the Indiana Broadcasters Association at the same time,” Bingham said.
She was, of course, the first woman to serve on the board.
Bingham received the Citizen of the Year award from the Chamber of Commerce in 1994 in recognition of her passion and dedication to the community.
In 1995, she was also awarded a Sagamore of the Wabash, the state’s highest honor at the time, by Gov. Evan Bayh.
“We were looking around trying to figure out if I was the only Sagamore and ‘Golden Girl’ in the bunch,” Bingham said.
When Wetnight spoke to Bingham about the nomination, she believed it was for a regional award, making it that much more of a shock when she got a call from Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch’s office.
“I was floored. I was absolutely swept away,” Bingham said. “I had absolutely no idea that it was a statewide recognition and that I would be one of only 22 people.”
The caller from the lieutenant governor also offered a tour of the Statehouse, but that wasn’t necessary for Bingham, who explained that she was a secretary at the Statehouse back when Birch Bayh was speaker of the Indiana House in the 1950s.
The Golden Hoosier Award, which began in 2008, annually honors Hoosier senior citizens for their lifetime of service and commitment to their communities. The award is considered one of the highest honors given by the State of Indiana to senior citizens.
“Today’s event recognized 22 senior Hoosiers whose tireless work has such a great impact on local communities. They are each examples of what a difference individuals can make when they give back, no matter how old you are,” Crouch said. “Each of today’s award winners should be an inspiration to us all.”
Eligibility criteria for the Golden Hoosier Award includes being a current Indiana resident age 65 or older and a volunteer in the community for at least the past three years.
Other recipients of this year’s award included: Mary Adams of Hobart, Roseann Cogdill of Vincennes, Janet Compton of Flatrock, Susan Cox of Muncie, Bob Dwenger of Rushville, Paul Filter of Dillsboro, Nola Gartin of Petersburg, Judy Harrell of Wheatland, Jackson Higgins of Mount Vernon, Larry Isch of Decatur, Cathy Kuenzli of Kokomo, Mary Lackore of Middlebury, Barbara Maxwell of Jeffersonville, Gladys Muhammad of South Bend, Donna Schroeder of Glenwood, Kanwal Prakash Singh of Indianapolis, Dorothy Sisson of Brownsburg, Dana Snider of Middlebury, Ramona Wilkinson of Rushville and Dorothy Wiekamp of Mishawaka.
