For my project, which focused on the Oscar Robertson-led Crispus Attucks basketball team of 1955, I was able to meet a number of very interesting people and see some cool primary documents relating to my topic. I was also able to read some interesting books as well as watch a movie that all pertained to my topic. Every step of this process was extremely informative and enjoyable. My favorite memory of the eight weeks was probably my trip to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, where I was fortunate enough to receive preferential treatment and even receive admittance into the back rooms into which the public is not allowed. I also learned a great deal about interacting with people. As an introvert, I was very nervous going into most of my interviews, but I would also say that these interviews were some of the most rewarding and interesting portions of the past eight weeks.

Ultimately, the most rewarding part of the Present Indiana Program for me has been the movie which I was able to create. It served as a final compilation and culmination of all my work, and through the involved process of making a movie I really began to take a great deal of ownership over the short film. In addition to learning indispensable digital movie-making skills, I also was finally able to appreciate the joy and pride that filmmakers have for their created works. While my movie was short and definitely not on a professional level, it still felt great to be able to take something tangible away from this eight weeks.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Present Indiana Program and would strongly recommend the program to other students who are looking for an independent research opportunity as an alternative to a boring summer job.

For the last 7 weeks we have been conducting interview, taking pictures, and gathering research and now our interviews are being chopped down into 20-second clips, the photos are being cropped to perfectly fit the screen, and the research is transforming into scripts and notes for us to use during our presentations. It is a very busy time, but the light at the end of the tunnel is becoming increasingly brighter and we all know that our hard work is starting to pay off.

My experience with the Present Indiana Project has been fantastic! 

I have learned a plethora of knowledge about my project and Indiana, but most importantly it has taught me invaluable information about my future career as an educator. After talking with more than 20 professionals in the field of education, I have seen what it takes to be an exceptional educator and administrator at some of the best secondary schools in the country.

As the last week of this project draws to a close, my friends and I continue to work endless hours in the Media Center polishing are projects while we prepare to begin making presentations next week. It has been a great time and I can’t wait to see how everything turns out!

In photos: Top right, Joel Bustamante, Lijie Ding, Alex Moseman, and Cody Stipes gather around Indians' mascot Rowdy for a photo. Lower left, beautiful Victory Field at night.

Mr. Robinson recalled with great joy his times at Attucks and his experiences with being around the basketball teams with Indiana basketball legends such as Willie Gardner and Hallie Bryant.  He explained to me the importance of Crispus Attucks high school to the black community of Indianapolis and also expressed his reverence for Mr. Ray Crowe, the late Crispus Attucks basketball coach who coached the team from 1950 until 1957.  

Mr. Robinson, who also managed Mr. Crowe's basketball teams when Mr. Robinson was in middle school and Mr. Crowe taught in middle school at School 17, said that Mr. Crowe was a true role model before that term was even coined.  Mr. Robinson also spoke with pride about later attending St. Joseph's college and hitching a ride home to see the Attucks' historic state championship game victory in 1955. 

On Thursday, I spoke with Mr. Sam Milton, a reserve on the 1955 and 1956 Crispus Attucks teams that won state championships.  Mr. Milton also had fond memories of Mr. Crowe and also recalled playing with a group of his peers that had great camaraderie and truly enjoyed playing basketball together.  

Mr. Milton, who grew up playing middle school basketball with Oscar Robertson, also vividly recalls a key jump shot that he hit at the end of the team's narrow 71-70 semi-state victory over Muncie Central.  In Mr. Milton's home, plaques from both of the state championship-winning teams' enshrinement into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame were proudly displayed.  

Both Mr. Milton and Mr. Robinson said they felt  basketball helped bring their generation together.  Although the older generations at the time had a great deal of racism, both men said that most high school players had a mutual respect for each other, regardless of race.  The two interviews went great, and the two gentlemen provided a great deal of insight into a time that was much different than today.

Wednesday night I was able to combine the two by shooting some photos for Seth Einterz '11 on the Monon Trail and get a little practice video taping.

Einterz, from Zionsville, is taking a look at Indiana rails to trails, greenways, and bike paths. They go by many titles but the benefits are many fold for Hoosiers.

After shooting a few photos along the trail in Broad Ripple, I turned the video camera on Seth and asked him to talk about his project. So, we now have our first-ever video blog entry. Look for more in coming weeks.

Here is Seth talking about Indiana trails.

My day started with an interview with Marla Fredrich, the Exports Sales Manager of Escalade. We talked at a Ping-Pong table (which is one of Escalade’s best selling products) about the history and current overview of Escalade’s export business.

Even though with a history of more than 80 years, Escalade did not start exporting until the last 20 years with their first deal being selling archery to Canada. The business enjoyed a huge increase ever since. As a company of less than 500 staff, Escalade now sells its products to over 75 countries! (Imagine that!) Canada, unsurprisingly, is their largest market followed by Mexico and Central Europe.

Ms. Fredrich showed a lot of passion about her job. She told me about all kinds of interesting stories and challenges during the exporting process: how they try to make their playground facilities to meet different safety standards, how their products once got stuck in at the Russian custom, how they helped a businessman in Azerbaijan grow his business.

Fredrich enjoyed working with people from different cultures and backgrounds and developing personal relationships with them. She said, in some parts of the world (actually almost everywhere outside U.S.), you cannot just sit down to talk about the price and quantity, you need to be partener’s friend to do business with him/her. What is more, Fredrich believed doing exports help the company think more open-mindedly about the global market. Even though it is now relatively costly and inefficient compared with domestic market, exporting is definitely worth the time and energy, considering the potential future market and the contribution of exports to the company in cultural aspects.

After meeting with Fredrich, I went around their manufacturing base and took some shots. Unfortunately, most of their manufacturing moved to Mexico, and to make things worse, the factory takes Fridays off. Though not able to talk to some workers there, I was still looked around the empty factory and took some amazing pictures.

Our trip ends with a late lunch at Cheeseburgers in Paradise and another three-hour drive back to Crawfordsville. I had a lot of beneficial information about my project on Indiana Exports and cannot wait to visit more places.

The day started off with me sitting with some of the other Indy Star photographers as I waited for Matt to get back from an early assignment that he had gone on before I had got to the newspaper. As I sat there I got to talk to some of the other photographers about what they were doing. 

I learned some new easy tricks that they use to help make their pictures better in a matter of minutes. When Matt came into the office the first things that struck me was how personable he was, almost immediately I felt comfortable around him. I guess that could be a useful quality in someone who goes around putting a camera in peoples face.

The assignment that he was working on for the day was shooting a lady shopping for groceries for a story about the rising price of food. Matt had the amazing ability to see and anticipate every angle and scene of whatever environment we were in. Even in a place as ordinary as to local Kroger’s, Matt found a way to take shots of his subject in an interesting way that told the story of the article.

On the way back to the paper some storm clouds began to appear, and Matt and I both couldn’t pass up the opportunity to stop and take some pictures as the storm rolled on overhead. This was probably one of the most surreal moment of the day. There I was on the street corner taking pictures of storm clouds along side one of the best photographers in the country.

When we got back to the paper I talked to Matt about how to be a better photographer. He told me “just be sincere, people can tell when we're lying to them.” Nothing hammered that point home more than Matt’s actions throughout the day. I can’t wait to go back to The Star and meet with some of the other photographers and I am certainly excited to shoot more areas and events.

Paws, Inc. is a multi-level office where Davis runs his incredible cartoon empire;merchandising, promotional images, film, licensing, and the daily strip included.

As I waited for my meeting with Ms. Kim Campbell, Public Relations Director of the company, I ventured around the front office and was completely amazed at the plethora of Garfield paraphernalia. The staff welcomed me, and was very helpful in locating interesting pictures and Garfield-related items. Every wall is lined with interesting facts and history about the company; from its inception to the recent launch of the educational website Professor Garfield. Even the coffee tables have Garfield and Odie’s images engraved into the base.
When I was able to speak with Ms. Campbell, we were taken to the atrium-the center of the building complete with giant trees, picnic tables, and a kitchen. According to Ms. Campbell, the building also houses a fitness center, for those employees looking to get a quick workout during lunch.

After my extensive interview, Ms. Campbell treated us with a tour of the facility. First, we were taken to “The Showroom,” the top of the building outfitted with every bit of Garfield merchandise imaginable. Big cats, little cats, Oreo boxes, movie posters-everything a diehard fan could ever dream for lay in this magical room. The end of the giant room held awards, notably his four Emmy’s and National Cartoonist Society honors. Other images included various other prominent cartoonists honoring Garfield, such as Mort Walker’s “Beetle Bailey” and Mike Peters’ “Mother Goose and Grimm.”

With that room finished, we proceeded to the artist studio, where Mr. Davis’ art department creates various images for the public. Mr. Davis himself keeps a separate office away from the busy room in order to maintain focus on the strip and other projects. 

In this room, several drawing boards lay prominently; each artist has a distinct area in which they work. After this room, the tour was over, and I was given a copy of “Garfield at 25: In Dog Years I’d Be Dead,” which chronicles the life story of Mr. Davis and Garfield. Ms. Campbell was also kind enough to give me a small movie poster from the recent live-action film.

With so much happening at this place, it’s hard to imagine that it all started with a simple cat drawing and ballooned into such an incredible empire. The best part is the upcoming interview I have with one of the employed artists, in which I’ll get a more in-depth look into how the images are created. Easily an amazing day, and a great benefit to my project.

This year Cannelton High School graduated only 15 kids. It is one of the very few towns across the state of Indiana that has managed to escape consolidation through the years, and its basketball gymnasiums have always been at the center of the community. 

I say gymnasiums because in the late 90s Cannelton built a new varsity basketball facility, but the town’s original gym, built in the mid-1920s, is still standing. The old gymnasium is bursting with character. It can be found in the center of town, upstairs, in a building that once also housed the firehouse, police station, and town hall. If that does not speak to the importance of high school basketball in the Cannelton community, then nothing could. 

Even still, the new gymnasium might be more central to the community than the old gym ever was. It was funded mainly by a grant from the state that requires it to be available to the community for use at virtually all times. It is open for the townspeople every day and essentially free to rent out, requiring just a refundable 50 dollar deposit, which has made it very popular within the community. It is used for everything from banquets to birthday parties to church lock-ins.

The 7,000 seat gymnasium in Huntingburg is not used for nearly as many things as the gym in Cannelton, but the pride of the town has in its gymnasium and tradition is what makes it special. While in Huntingburg, I had the pleasure of speaking with Gene Morgan, who played for the Huntingburg Hunters, now the Southridge Raiders, in the early 1950s. He compared the gymnasium and its fans to the Indianapolis 500, describing it as the “greatest spectacle in high school basketball.” His sense of pride is evidenced in the community playing a major role in funding the original construction of the gymnasium and a recent 250,000 dollar renovation. Most of the money for both was raised from local businesses and citizens.

Overall the trip to southern Indiana was a big success. I was able to see a whole new side to Indiana high school basketball and its historic gymnasiums. Towns like Cannelton and Huntingburg are what really separate Indiana from the rest of the country in terms of high school basketball mystique.

In photos: Top right, the huge Huntingburg gym was busy even on a June day. Lower left, the historic Cannelton gymnasium.

There were bus loads of fourth graders visiting the old capital at the same time. The tour guide told me that they get over 11 thousand students a year coming to the state government building and tours. I took photos and some establishing shots with the video camera with plenty of background activity, as the fourth graders were running around everywhere and the roads around the sites were busy for such a small town. 

I only had to walk about two blocks to find the Constitution Elm. The Constitution Elm provided shade for the 43 delegates who drafted Indiana’s first constitution in 1816 and died from Dutch elm disease in 1945; today the trunk of the once mighty elm is encased in a stone memorial. I took in the atmosphere of the town and got a feel for the symbols behind the history of Corydon and Indiana.    

In Photos: Top right, the first State Capitol Building. Lower left, Huston at the site of the Elm.

My day began at the South Bend Regional Museum of Art.  The SBRMA is housed inside the Century Center located on the St. Joseph River. During this visit I interviewed the Curator of Collections Kim Hoffmann and viewed their permanent collect. The South Bend Regional Museum of Art is best known for their historical Indiana art, including artworks from Brown County artists, Midwest regional artists, and American artists with a connection to Indiana. Ms. Hoffmann “Considers the collection to belong to the community” because of the number of gifted artworks to the collection from the community.

 One significant piece of art in the collection is Daniel Garber’s The Lumberville Bridge. Daniel Garber was born in North Mancester, Indiana and is nationally known for his Pennsylvania landscape paintings.  He also has artworks featured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.  

Another piece of interest is Mark di Suvero’s Keepers of the Fire. This abstract sculpture standing in the St. Joseph River can be viewed out of the dynamic windows within the gallery or anywhere along the stretch of river outside of the Century Center. 

My day of South Bend art museums ended on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, just behind the football stadium, at the Snite Museum of Art. Here I met with Director Charles Loving. Mr. Loving explained that their museum initially tried to offer the same ‘all-encompassing’ art experience that the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, and Cleveland Museum of Art offer to the community. However, after he became director, their focus changed to concentrate on areas in art history that their collection excels in.  Some areas of excellence include their Pre-Columbian collection, which is said to be the best in the county; 19^th century European photograph collection; Old Master Drawings and Paintings; and George Rickey and Ivan Meštrović sculpture collection. This wide variety of art is a great complement to the regional historic art of the SBRMA. 

With a focus on whole body learning, the Culver Academies educate students for tomorrow. The Culver Academies prepare students for college and their lives after school. As John Buxton, Head of Schools, says, “Culver provides arguably the best whole person education school in the country and is one of the only schools nationwide to offer an intentional and differentiated leadership program for its young women and young men.”

With a long and storied tradition the Culver Academies has become a leader in education. The Culver Military Academy was founded in 1894 by Henry Harrison Culver who believed in transforming young boys into men fit for the citizenship of tomorrow. Seventy-seven years later, in 1971, the Culver Girls Academy was founded for the purpose of “encouraging women to attain the highest degree of self-development. I believe Kathy Lintner, Dean of Faculty, said it best when she said, “To be honest, it is the most unique school I know of in America.”

From the moment I stepped out of my car I could tell that Culver was a special place. With an absolutely gorgeous campus, immaculate facilities, and a world-class staff and faculty, it is no surprise that Culver is known throughout the world for its education. Culver continues to grow with the help and support of its generous Alumni, which includes George Steinbrenner, Champ Car driver Mario Dominquez, and Alberto Bailleres.

Mitchell, IN, a small town that could almost be forgotten if not for its local hero, the astronaut Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, revealed to me a treasure chest of material for Present Indiana.

From Grissom's boyhood home undergoing restoration on the street that now bears his name, to the limestone memorial resembling the Gemini 3 capsule's Titan rocket booster, to a portrait of Grissom adorning a wall inside the Mitchell Public Library, Mitchell is a town that exudes the essence of Grissom and his dream to conquer space.

In addition to these landmarks, Alex Moseman and I visited the Gus Grissom Memorial located in Spring Mill State Park, just a few miles east of Mitchell. Here you can see the famous Gemini 3 capsule, the first two man spacecraft (piloted by Grissom and his good friend John W. Young) and also the first spacecraft to change its orbit in outer space. Also, the spacesuit Grissom wore for the Gemini program was on display, as well as many other items. 

Photographing the Gemini 3 capsule, nicknamed by Grissom, "Molly Brown," Alex and I were stunned to be within such close range of such an historical artifact. Touching the cold steel of Molly Brown that once brushed the vast reaches of space, I was instilled with a deep sense of pride that a man from my own Lawrence County became an American hero and a pioneer of the final frontier, paving the way for other great astronauts to conquer space.

And I certainly can't forget to mention the other two astronauts from my county, Ken Bowersox and Charles Walker, who are heroes to the people of this county and an inspiration for all of us Southerin Hoosiers with grand aspirations. 

Bowersox was the first American to be brought home from space on a Russian vehicle, and Walker was the first recognized payload specialist astronaut; both these men are proud to be from Lawrence County and to follow in the footsteps of Grissom, their hero.

During Greg Slisz and my time at the Hall, we did not encounter a single person that was not eager to help us in any way possible. The experience began with the museum's curator, Roger Dickinson, showing us everything there was to see including the artifacts in the back rooms that regular patrons probably don't even know about. We were even able to experience some of the fun things that can be done at the Hall of Fame. We were each able to hit the winning shot in the state championship game and see if we could block Oscar Robertson’s jump shot. 

Then Mr. Dickinson told us a number of really interesting anecdotes about Indiana high school basketball history. For example, he told us that there used to be a rule in Indiana that coaches could not get up from their chairs and showed us an old chair with a seat belt on it to keep the coach sitting. Mr. Dickinson’s wealth of knowledge and the incredible things he was able to show us made our trip to the hall a really cool experience.

However, it was not all just about fun. We were also able to use the Hall's library, which provided a plethora of images and documents to help us with our research. There was a folder full of information about every school in the state, every state tournament, and every player that had been inducted into the Hall of Fame. And when we were about to leave we met a very interesting man who was able to provide us with a great deal more interesting information about Indiana high school basketball. All in all, our trip to the Indiana High School Basketball Hall of Fame was a big success. It was helpful to our research and a lot of fun.

Upon arriving at the Hoops Hall, we were cordially greeted by the museum’s curator, Mr. Roger Dickinson, who showed us around the museum and even allowed us access to the back rooms that contain memorabilia that are not in exhibits and are closed to the public. In these back rooms, we found treasures such as an Oscar Robertson Milwaukee Bucks jersey as well as a pair of Lawrence North star Eric Montross’s shorts (which looked like they would have barely fit the 7-footer). 

Mr. Dickinson also showed me a display case that featured the Crispus Attucks high school teams of the 1950s, especially the State Championship-winning teams from 1955 and 1956. The display contained photos, a short video, newspaper clippings, and even bronzed shoes from the players on the 1955 team. We also viewed an extensive display on Oscar Robertson, a 1956 Crispus Attucks graduate and undoubtedly the greatest high school basketball player in Indiana history. 

The display included memorabilia from Robertson’s career, as well as a bronze statue of the famous cager, who averaged a triple-double over his first five seasons in the NBA. After viewing these exhibits, Mr. Dickinson led us upstairs to the Hall’s library, which is filled with newspaper clippings and articles on every team and state tournament in the history of Indiana high school basketball. 

I found a great deal of interesting information and old newspaper clippings on the Attucks teams from 1955 and 1956. Later on in the afternoon, I also got an opportunity to interview Mr. Dickinson, who played high school ball at Frankfort in the mid-fifties and fondly recalled Attucks’s great championship runs. 

The Hall of Fame provided a great day full of research, learning, and fun, especially for an avid basketball fan such as myself. Whether enjoying the Hall’s interactive John Wooden exhibit, sinking the “game-winning” shot in the shooting exhibit, or even searching for photos of Wabash alumni such as Josh Estelle or Antoine Carpenter, the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame provided a fun and informative experience for all three of us.

Photos by PIP Intern Alex Moseman '11

I arrived somewhat early so that I would have a chance to explore the city to familiarize myself with the city. Just by walking down East Main Street I could see the exquisite history captured on the edifices on the buildings. After my wanderings throughout the city I met with Mrs. Hardy to discuss the historical beginnings of the Starr Piano factory and Gennett Records. Throughout the interview we discussed some of the famed musicians that recorded in that very location including – Hoagy Carmichael, Bix Beiderbecke, Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton and countless others.

After conversing about the remnants of the actual buildings, Mrs. Hardy decided to lead me down to the section of town known as “the Gorge.” After a few minor complications I managed to find my way to the location of historic Gennett Records. Here I was confronted with an astounding sight to be sure. Mrs. Hardy arranged a meeting with a member from the board of trustees to answer some of the questions that she did not know. He was more than helpful in explaining the early beginnings of the factory. I was provided with a wealth of information from both parties and not have the joyous obligation to sift through it all and decide what information is significant and what is not.

Although the buildings do not seem like much, the history behind them speaks for itself. Here at this very location, Jazz was born. There was an aura of creativity surrounding this place; a place where in the 1920’s people of all different hues were able to create captivating works of art, seen nowhere else in the nation. It was truly an honor and privilege to be able to experience this place first-hand.