May 02, 2008 05:35 pm
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In only a few short days, my time at Indiana State University as a student will end. Although my career as both a student and an athlete has been over for a few months now, I want to take time to express all of the gratitude I feel toward this community. I’m not sure how many of those I want to thank actually read this section of the newspaper, but I write with hope that a great number of you will see this.
I set foot on the campus of ISU nearly four years ago and began my career as a student and a member of the women’s basketball team. I knew support for the team was growing at that time due to the recent success that Coach Wiedie and his players had experienced. I never could have dreamed that the university and the community would embrace me with such open arms.
It started slowly. My freshman year I would take trips to Wal-Mart, and elementary school children, many of whom were likely members of the Sycamore Squad, would shyly approach me and ask if I was on the basketball team. During my sophomore year, people in the community were quick to offer congratulations concerning the success of the team. These random acts of thoughtfulness have only escalated over the past two years. Now, people that I’ve never met speak to me in restaurants, the grocery store, and even the laundromat, and they all offer caring words of praise.
I don’t know if sports teams are treated like this in other towns, but I feel blessed to have attended college in Terre Haute simply because of the warmth and kindheartedness that everyone in this wonderful community seems to possess.
I would now like to express my appreciation toward a few groups of people that have graciously supported both me and ISU women’s basketball alike. I first want to thank the Terre Haute community; as I stated, every time I go out, complete strangers congratulate the team on a job well done. This certainly does not go unnoticed.
A big thank you goes to the Big Blue Boosters! This group has not been around very long, but they do a great job backing the program and everyone associated with it. I have grown very close to many of the people in the Big Blue Boosters. In fact, I consider most of them to be part of my second, extended family. Words cannot express how gracious I am for everything you have done for me. You have made me feel welcome, loved, and, most importantly, you have shown your unconditional support for the team.
As I prepare to leave this town, this university, and this athletics program, I am overcome with both sadness and joy looking back at the amazing time I have had here. What truly brings tears to my eyes is the fact that I have to leave loads of magnificent people behind. Even though I will begin my time as a tiger at the University of Missouri this fall, I will always bleed blue! Thank you, and God bless!
Go Sycamores!
— Laura “Rudy” Rudolphi
Indiana State University
Terre Haute
Looking forward to another great year
It’s that time of year. Youth baseball and softball is in full swing! While the first games for us don’t start until May, this is a busy time for the board members, officers and parents that are involved in the planning and preparing that goes on before that first player hits the brick dust.
While I am going over my registrations, rosters, and “to do” lists, and planning for improvements that we would like to make to our park this year, I can’t help but think about all the things we accomplished last year. Even though I try to be very good about sending personal thank-you letters to everyone who helped us, I think it’s time that a public show of gratitude was made.
We started off the year with a much-needed donation of fencing from Double Bee Fence. Our outfield fence on the south diamond was getting to be in bad shape, so their donation came at just the right time. We should also thank BC Porter for delivering the fence and fence posts to the park for us.
The folks at Duke Energy were very kind to us last year too. Mike Wertz with Duke Energy gave us several bags of lime to use as field marker and a very nice first aid kit. Mike also helped arrange the donation of a large sea container, which we are now using for equipment storage and as a garage.
Again, this came at just the right time, as we were running out of room in our existing storage building. I especially want to thank Ignacio Cortez, a PCYRA board member and Duke employee, for working with Mr. Wertz on our behalf.
We also should thank Mr. Zack Pies at Gibault School. It came to our attention that the Dixie Bee ball field had lights that were no longer being used and that Gibault had obtained ownership of those lights.
After talking with Mr. Pies, Gibault generously gave us those lights and poles. Our program is growing by leaps and bounds and we desperately need to light our north diamond in order to accommodate all our new teams. Thank you, Gibault School and Mr. Pies, for helping us with this. One Source was a big help to us, too. They loaned us the equipment needed to take the lights down.
For several years we have been holding spring training for our kids either at Hoosier Prairie School or at the Fairbanks community center. We are very thankful for use of those gyms, but we really wanted a building of our own. So last fall, with the help of EBC Metal and Daviess County Metal and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, we were able to accomplish this goal. EBC metal and Daviess County Metal were both very generous in discounting the price of our building package so that we could afford to build.
Thanks to PCYRA board member Jesse Dycus for arranging this for us. We very likely could not have gotten the building up before winter without the help of a crew of inmates from the federal prison. Darryl Harris, a PCYRA board member and prison employee, supervised and worked with the inmates every weekend for about a month. Thank you, Darryl and thank you, Warden Veach.
We also could not have gotten the building up so quickly had it not been for the guys at Misco. They were very good to allow us to borrow a couple of pieces of equipment that we used to reach the high stuff and raise the trusses. Fred Wilson also loaned us a dozer to do the ground work. Thanks, Fred.
We are so fortunate to have a wonderful group of parents and volunteers who work hard to make the ball program at Prairie Creek a success each year. We could not continue on without our parents as willing volunteers. But even with so many willing people, we still could not pull it all together without the support of the many businesses that sponsor our teams and help out with the big projects like the ones I just mentioned.
We wish to thank Jim and Jan Smith of Prairie Creek Auctions for allowing us to use their auction barn every year for our fish fry and auction. Thank you, Jim, for being the best auctioneer ever. Our team sponsors last year were: First Prairie Creek Baptist Church, Caton Farms, Cherokee Development, Express Lending, Complete Kitchen & Bath, Family Chiropractic, Midwest RV & Van, Antique Dairy Queen, Burger-Chrysler Jeep Collision Center, Custom Built, Sycamore Chevrolet and Strain’s Trash Service.
There are also so many who have purchased booster banner and donated in other ways. I wish I could name all of you here, but I’m afraid this page isn’t big enough for that. Even if you didn’t see your name here, know that you are appreciated.
We thank you all so very much. So many wonderful things have been accomplished for the kids of Prairie Creek with your help. We’re looking forward to another terrific year of youth baseball and softball in Prairie Creek. Hopefully we will get the chance to work with some of you all again.
See you at the ballpark!
— Beth M. Eversole, president
Prairie Creek Youth Recreation Association
Bad effects of daylight time
For 80 years I thoroughly enjoyed the arrival of March. The small birds singing with the early and earlier rising of the sun, the chance to walk or run somewhere before motor traffic took over, it was a delight.
Now someone’s stupidity forces us to rise in December-like darkness between 7 and 8 a.m. and drive in dangerous fierce or pre-dawn as it were twilight traffic.
For those on the eastern edge of the time zone it’s not so bad. For those of us already 90 to 100 miles into central time to be pushed back two hours into Eastern Daylight Time is infuriating.
Children walk or wait for the bus in order to go to school in the dark. We are often hit by stormy evening weather. We are not saving electricity.
— Lou Petrulis
Terre Haute
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