Stories from Sunday, May 18, 2014

By ERIC BERNSEE Editor DePauw University commencement speaker Kal Penn, with experience at White Castle and the White House on his resume, told the Class of 2014 Sunday morning to stop worrying so much about fame and fortune and being an immediate success...

John Wilson, 57, of Clayton, passed away on Saturday, May 17, 2014. He was born Nov. 2, 1956 at Indianapolis. He was an electrician for Rolls Royce for 19 years and Peerless Pump Co. for 18 years. He is survived by his wife, Linda (Fite) Wilson; son Ryan E. ...

Charles D. Higgins, 74, of Cloverdale, passed away Saturday May 17, 2014 at his residence beside his family. He was born Aug. 2, 1939 in Putnam County. He was the son of Charles D. Higgins and Goldia M. (Morrison) Higgins. Charles married Barbara Sue Higgins on Aug. 29, 1959, and she survives...

Nancy Ellen McBride, 75, of Greencastle, passed away on Friday, May 16, 2014. She was born on March 21, 1939 in Putnam County to Fred Hanks and Zella Masten Hanks. Nancy was a graduate of Bainbridge High School. She retired in 2002 from the Putnam County Treasurer's Office, where she had worked for more than 25 years, including serving two terms as Putnam County treasurer...

In honor of Memorial Day, Furniture AwareHouse in Greencastle will be giving away 250 long-stem roses to anyone wanting to place them on the grave of a veteran. If they don't have a deceased family member who is a veteran, they can still take a free flower and decorate the grave of any veteran to honor them...

Marshall W. Reavis, founder and chief executive officer of SVM LP and a 1984 graduate of DePauw University, has been elected to serve as chairman of his alma mater's Board of Trustees. Reavis, a DePauw trustee since 2005, succeeds Sarah Reese Wallace, a 1976 graduate, who has chaired the board since 2010...

The Putnam County Public Library, 103 E. Poplar St., Greencastle, will present a puppet show version of "Beauty and the Beast" on Thursday, May 22. Stevens Puppets will be in the Kiwanis Room at PCPL for a special performance of the classic "Beauty and the Beast," beginning at 4 p.m...

It's time to dust off those shoes, lace them up and step outside. We're a few short weeks away from the inaugural C.A.R.R. 5K run in Greencastle. That stands for the Camo America Rainbow Run. On Saturday, June 14, friends and family will celebrate the life of Andrew Keith Carr the best way they know how, by running, walking, trotting or strutting 3.1 miles while dressed to impress...

PUTNAMVILLE -- A hearty group of fans and drivers were on hand at Lincoln Park Speedway Saturday night despite the chilly weather. Those in attendance were treated to some excellent racing as Seth Parker won an instant classic sprint car feature over Carson Short...

After the North Putnam Cougars and Cloverdale Clovers' softball teams won their opening round games it was time for them to come together and face off for county bragging rights. For Cloverdale, it was a focus of holding on to those rights because they won this tournament last year...

The hard part of Greencastle's Putnam County Tournament title victory on Saturday was simply getting to the championship game itself. The Tiger Cubs, coming off of two straight wins, recovered after a near-meltdown to knock off Cloverdale in the opening game 4-2 before smashing South Putnam for the ninth straight time 15-5 in five innings...

One couldn't ask for better weather during the Putnam County Law Enforcement Memorial 5K Run/Walk on Saturday morning. Nearly 90 people took part in the second annual race, hosted by the Putnam County FOP, at the DePauw Nature Park. Kathryn Dresbach (front, left) and Lee Akers both started off and finished the race in first. All proceeds from the race will be donated to the Indiana Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors...

That unmistakable aroma of the legendary Legionburger and the sizzle of onions and hamburger on the steamy grill lured dozens of drivers to the Greencastle American Legion Post Saturday. Kicking off the 50th anniversary year of the Legionburger, a Putnam County institution, the post staged a drive-through event under its building canopy at the Legion on Indianapolis Road in Greencastle...

On June 28, the Putnam County Master Gardeners will hold their third annual Garden Tour. The event hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is a "rain-or-shine" event. This year's tour includes seven beautiful gardens. There is plenty of variety in this year's garden tour stops. From both ends of the county, north to south and several places in between visitors are sure to find something that catches their eye...