This week in Indiana’s history …
1904 – Phil Harris was born in Linton in Greene County. He went on to a long career in show business as an actor, comedian, musician, and songwriter. He had his own orchestra and was a familiar voice on radio. A regular on the popular Jack Benny program, he hosted his own show with his wife, actress and singer Alice Faye. A star of many movies, he also did voice acting for several Walt Disney animated films. He was the voice of Baloo in The Jungle Book, Thomas O’Malley in The Aristocats, and Little John in Robin Hood.
1921 – Indiana Governor Warren McCray called a halt to workmen who were applying several coats of paint to the old quartered-oak doors on the outside entrances to the Statehouse. The job had progressed so far that most of the doors were covered with several coats of flat paint. Secretary of State Ed Jackson and Auditor William G. Oliver were among other officials calling the project a “desecration.” State custodian Roy Couch was assigned the task of removing the paint and restoring the doors to their original splendor.
1950 – The United States entered the Korean War. During the three-year conflict, over 33,000 American soldiers were killed, including over 900 from Indiana. The names of the fallen Indiana soldiers are listed on the Korean War Memorial located on the American Legion Mall in Indianapolis.
1972 – FBI agents, along with hundreds of state and local officers, searched a wide area around Peru, Ind., for a skyjacker who had parachuted from an American Airlines jet with over $500,000 in ransom money. State police helicopters scoured the region looking for the man who might have survived the drop of more than 5,000 feet. Three days later, a farmer found the money sack in a farm field outside Peru. A fingerprint led authorities to 28-year-old Martin J. McNally in Detroit. He was sent to a federal prison in Illinois.
1985 – President Ronald Reagan had lunch at Mac’s Family Restaurant in Mooresville. He sampled their well-known peach cobbler as he spoke to members of the local Chamber of Commerce. He traveled on to the Convention Center in Indianapolis where he addressed the national meeting of the United States Jaycees. Talking about his plan to change the outdated tax system, he took note of the nearby Speedway, saying, “America, start your engines.”
2002 – Indiana First Lady Judy O’Bannon helped dedicate the historical marker at Lyles Station, an early African American community in Gibson County. At its peak in the late 19th century, the town had over 50 homes, a post office, a railroad station, two general stores, and a school. The school has been restored and now serves as a museum and cultural center.