January 2016 Boomer

BOOMER
www.boomermagonline.com
January 2016
DESHEE
FARM
Knox County New

Deal experiment
short-lived
NOT JUST
FOR THE
KITCHEN
Uncommon uses for

coconut oil
FLIGHT
ATTENDANTS
THEN AND NOW
Erica Cooper describes changes
in career
ELEMENTS
YOGA
STUDIO
Community-based facility
for whole family
EDUCATE AND EMPOWER
PACE CEO Bertha Proctor committed to community development

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C OME JU DGE
for Yourself.
GOLFERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD COME TO CHALLENGE THE JUDGE and the two other golf courses in Prattville at RTJ Capitol Hill. Bring your clubs
and come take on Judge hole number 1, voted the favorite hole on the Trail. Complete your day in luxury at the Marriott and enjoy dining, firepits and
guest rooms overlooking the Senator golf course. With the Marriotts 20,000 square feet of meeting space, 96 guest rooms and luxurious Presidential
Cottage combined with three world-class golf courses, business and pleasure can definitely interact in Prattville.
THE ROBERT TRENT JONES GOLF TRAIL AT CAPITOL HILL is home of the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic on the Senator Course
September 18 to 24, 2014. The Marriott Prattville is part of the Resort Collection on Alabamas Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
Visit www.rtjgolf.com or call 800.949.4444 to learn more.
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EDITORS DESK
an. 1 and the new year brings many of us the opportunity to start over.
We can resolve AGAIN to eat healthier, or maybe for some its to
finally stop smoking. Cigarettes are expensive, and their accompanying
health hazards make them a double whammy.
For me, this year, Id like to try to work on a regular exercise program.
When I get out and move routinely, I feel better
and have more energy to do the things that need
to be done. Losing a few pounds would be an
added bonus.
Maybe for you, its not about making healthy
choices, but to be more organized. I know I have
some closets and drawers that need attention.
I did some research and came up with even
more ideas that may be helpful as we get this
once-a-year chance to improve our situation. I
tried several of these in 2015, and have reaped
the benefits. But, as we march into 2016, there are still some I could
improve on:
1. Learn to be happy and content with what you have. Even the most
wealthy people on earth sometimes are not happy. JOY is a choice and
it comes from within.
2. Get eight hours of sleep minimum. With TVs in every room, and
gadgets on every corner, our minds are constantly barraged with the
latest trending video. Give it up for some quality sleep. It will feel so
much better not to be working from behind the 8 Ball the next day.
3. Spend more time with the people who matter. You dont have enough
extra time to waste it on toxic, two-faced, lethal people. Surround
yourself with those you care about and who care about you.
4. Reach out to a stranger occasionally. Smile at someone when they are
least expecting it, and pay it forward when the opportunity arises.
5. Let go of resentment and stop sulking. Such behavior is
counterproductive. If youve had a falling out with a relative or friend
who used to be close, find a way to bury the hatchet. Sadness and hurt
can linger for years, but the freedom in forgiveness can be life-changing.
6. Learn to cook. You can save money and get food just the way you want
it. With Pinterest and Food Network, there is no excuse. Just follow the
directions. But dont forget to clean up the kitchen.
7. And, while you are in the kitchen, de-clutter the cabinets and drawers.
If you havent used it or referenced it in the last year, find it a new home
at the thrift store.
8. Self-educate yourself and learn more about art, music and someone
elses culture. Others in the world sometimes do it very differently than
our Midwestern ways, and sometimes it IS better!
9. Become more social and that doesnt mean via more social media. In
fact, just the opposite. Put down your smart phone at dinner and have a
real conversation with your spouse or friends.
10. Spend less time watching television, and more time cuddling up with a
good book. Make it a goal to read at least a dozen books this year. You can
read while on the treadmill, or when falling off in that deep, restful sleep.
Good luck on all your life-changing choices!
And, dont forget to pick up Boomer magazine. Theres a good read
inside!
Happy, happy New Year to all our readers!
BOOMER
PUBLISHER
Ron Smith
(812) 698-8788
EXECUTIVE
EDITOR
Melody Brunson
(812) 698-1626
DESIGN EDITOR
Natalie Reidford
(812) 568-8991
ADVERTISING
SALES
Kim Schoelkopf
(812) 881-9286
Rick Zeller
(812) 254-0480, Ext. 111
Graphic Artist
Alice Schwartz
PHOTOGRAPHY
Matt Griffith, Joy Neighbors
and Bernie Schmitt
WRITERS
Todd Lancaster, Angie Mayfield,
Angie Moore, Joy Neighbors,
Bernie Schmitt, Rama Sobhani,
Kaila Stevens and Clifford York
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Boomer is published seven
times a year, serving the Knox
County area. The subscription
price of $25 per year can
be mailed to P.O. Box 471,
Washington, IN 47501.
4 January 2016 Boomer

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CONTENTS
4 Editors Desk
Whats on your resolution list?
By Melody Brunson
7 The Boomer 1040
Financial resolutions
By Angie Moore
8 Alice Production Set for
Memorial Day Weekend
Musical to commemorate Indiana
bicentennial
By Bernie Schmitt
10 Tackle Wardrobe Organization
Take advantage of cold weather to
organize indoors
Courtesy of MCC
12 Yeah, Im a Boomer, But ...
What the world really needs
By Bernie Schmitt
Page 18
January 2016 Vol. 8, Issue 3
26 Financial Wisdom
By Clifford York
28 Elements Yoga Studio
Low-impact exercise for the mind and

body
By Bernie Schmitt
32 The Converted Cynic
Boomers vs. boomerang kids
By Angie Mayfield
34 New Deal experiment in Knox
County
Farm cooperative had good intentions,
but did not last
By Bernie Schmitt
38 Boomer Connoisseur
Wine storage: The long and short of it
By Joy Neighbors
40 How to Shorten the Duration of
a Cold
Cut the misery
Courtesy of MCC
41 Decrease Mucus Production
and Subsequent Sore Throats
Foods and home remedies can help
Courtesy of MCC
42 What You Need to Know About
Winter Driving
Tips for snowy roads
Photo by Joy Neighbors
Page 28
Stay calm and open a Health Savings

Account
Courtesy of StatePoint
Photo by Bernie Schmitt
44 Resolve to Save for Travel in

2016
Consider these pointers for your budget
46 A Time Capsule in Photos
FSA photos provide local glimpse of the

1930s
By Bernie Schmitt
50 Boomer Fitness
Uncommon ways to use coconut oil
By Kaila Stevens
On the Cover: Dr. Bertha Proctor, CEO

of PACE.
Photo by Bernie Schmitt
13 Calendar
Bluegrass Jam, library events
14 Someone You Should Know

Erica Cooper, United Airlines flight
attendant
Page 46
By Rama Sobhani
18 Day Tripper
Dugger Coal Museum
By Joy Neighbors
20 The Sonic Boomer
A movie in a time long, long ago
By Todd Lancaster
21 Boomer Toys, Trappings and
Trivia
Darth Vader never met his voice
By Todd Lancaster
22 A Hand Up, Not a Handout
Bertha Proctor, CEO of PACE
By Bernie Schmitt
Photo from Library of Congress

p6ContentsJan16.indd 1
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THE BOOMER 1040
FINANCIAL RESOLUTIONS
By Angie Moore
s there a correlation between

physical fitness and financial
fitness? Both topics normally
rank high
as New
Years
resolutions
for most
Americans.
As it turns
out, managing your
health
and your
wealth can go hand-in-hand.
For boomers in retirement,
this can be the best of times.
Boomers are living longer,
decades beyond the 47-year
life expectancy 100 years ago.
Today, a 65-year-old can expect
to live another 20 years. Thats
great news time is on your
side, however, dont spend any
more time thinking about what
you can do just do it!
Getting your financial situa-
tion in order can be a stress-reliever, just like

eating healthier and staying in shape. Ive
included a few tips for you to improve both
aspects of your life.

orget quick-fixes, and think long-term.

F
Think about smaller improvements over
time and how youll get there.
Set a budget and a workout schedule to
make sure you achieve your long-term
goal.
Start at a comfortable pace you dont
have to run a marathon or pay off all
of your debt in 2016 (although both
would be really cool).
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable know that sticking to your
savings plan, and your exercise schedule
might be tough for awhile.
Measure your progress and push
yourself to improve give yourself a
goal to strive for.
Cheers to your health and your wealthHappy New Year 2016!

Angie Moore is a certified public accountant,
having been with Kemper CPA for 18 years.
She was graduated from the University of
Illinois. She and her husband have a son and a
daughter. They are avid Illini fans.
Boomer January 2016 7

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BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION IN VINCENNES
Alice production set for Memorial

Day Weekend
By Bernie Schmitt
ndianas first city will see

the world premiere of Alice of Old Vincennes: A
Musical, during the Memorial Day Weekend in 2016,
in celebration of Indianas
bicentennial.
Plans are moving forward for the
original musical production that will
highlight Vincennes and the Indiana
Territory as an important component of
early American history. The musical is

an adaptation of Maurice Thompsons
popular novel Alice of Old Vincennes,
which captivated readers when it was
published in 1900.
The musical will be presented at the
Red Skelton Performing Arts Center at
7:30 p.m. May 27 and 28, and 2 p.m.
May 29. It will also be presented at
7:30 p.m. June 3 and 4, and at 2 p.m.
June 5. The Center is located along Red
Skelton Boulevard on the campus of
Vincennes University.
Individual ticket prices will be
$25 and $20, with reduced rates for
groups. Ticket sales will be announced
early in 2016.
Fund-raising for the professional,
world-class production is ongoing.
Orchestration for the music written by
Jay Kerr, a Broadway composer, is under
way in New York. The lyrics were written by poet and lyricist Laurel Smith.
James Spurrier, retired Director of
Theatre at Vincennes University, wrote
the adaptation.
Adapting the Maurice Thompsons
classic novel Alice of Old Vincennes
for the stage, the musicals authors have
incorporated original songs to create
a unique interpretation of the famous
story.
The songs move the story ahead
and give us insight into the characters, said composer Kerr. Its a love
story that takes place with a war in the
background, where characters thrive and

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survive focused on a greater good, the

spirit that created America. It is entirely
fitting for Indianas Bicentennial.
Professional casting for the lead
roles of production, especially Alice,
will begin in February, when Spurrier
plans to attend the Midwest Theatre
Auditions in St. Louis. There will be
local auditions for some parts, mostly
the chorus, in late March or early April.
Dates and times of the auditions will be
announced later.
The story is set in 1778 and features
Alice, a young woman coming of age
on the American frontier during the
Revolutionary War.She is the frontier
Indiana heroine, a strong-willed, independent young woman whose love of
country, and for one of George Rogers
Clarks soldiers, is the focal point of this
historical romance.
The original novel was published
at the turn of the 20th Century, when
many Americans were nostalgic for
Americana, for glorious visions of
history and heroes. Alice seems to fit
the bill, especially for Indianas first city,
Vincennes.
Though the story is old, the adaptation is designed for modern audiences.
The new version of the story and its music are entirely new. The world premiere
of Alice of Old Vincennes: A Musical will be performed at the a theater
dedicated to famed American comedian
Red Skelton, who was born and reared
in Vincennes.
It is interesting that Red Skelton

brought so many fictional characters to
life in his comedy, said lyricist Smith,
who is a longtime educator and interim provost at VU. Alice is not one of
Skeltons creations, but she is certainly a
character who should come to life.
Thompsons novel about Alice
brought considerable attention to Vincennes when Indiana turned 100. Smith
is happy that Alice in a musical setting
will be around for the 200th celebration.
The original novel was

published at the turn of the
20th Century, when many
Americans were nostalgic
for Americana, for glorious
visions of history and heroes.
Alice seems to fit the bill,
especially for Indianas first
city, Vincennes.
man, dedicated to the American cause,

through wintry flood waters to surround
Fort Sackville on the Wabash River at
Vincennes, forcing the British to surrender, thus winning what was then the
West, for the fledgling United States.
Fund-raising for Alice of Old
Vincennes: A Musical, continues. Alice
of Old Vincennes, Inc., is a non-profit organization, and all donations are
tax deductible. The tiered structure of
fund-raising includes Platinum sponsors
($25,000+), Gold sponsors ($10,000+),
Silver sponsors ($5,000+), Bronze sponsors ($1,000+), and Patron sponsors
($500+).
All contributions are welcome.
Please send contributions to: ALICE,
c/o Jim Spurrier, 2202 E. Seminole
Drive, Vincennes, IN 47591.
For updates on Alice, visit www.
aliceofvincennes.com.
In addition to Alice, other characters influence the outcome of their

story from local townspeople to the
Indians and soldiers on both sides of the
American Revolution. It was in 1779
that Clark led a band of loyal frontiers-
BOOMER
MAGAZINE
...is looking for writers and/or photographers
Cover local events, write human interest features

and meet new people. Must have a strong grasp
of the English language. Pay is per published article
or photo. Send samples of your work to Melody
Brunson, P.O. Box 471, Washington, IN 47501 or
email her at dcboomermagazine@gmail.com.
Photographers must have own equipment.

12/22/15 1:52 PM
SERVING THE AREAS LEGAL

NEEDS FOR OVER 100 YEARS
TACKLE WARDROBE
ORGANIZATION
Take advantage
of cold weather to
organize indoors
Courtesy of MCC
PRACTICING IN THE
STATE & FEDERAL COURTS
OF INDIANA & ILLINOIS
MEDICAID/NURSING
HOME PLANNING
Is a loved one currently in a nursing
home and exhausting assets?
Is your spouse in a nursing home
but ineligible for Medicaid because
you and your spouse have too
many assets?
Do you know the rules for self pay,
Medicare, or Medicaid?
Time is important when dealing
with these issues.
We can help you understand these
complex rules and may be able to help
you or a loved one qualify for help. Call
882-8935 to schedule an appointment
with attorney Dan Siewers.
ooler weather keeps many

people indoors. Although this
may cause a bit of cabin fever,
time spent inside gives people a chance
to tackle some much-needed organization projects without the distractions of
outdoor activities.
One task to tackle as winter settles
in is sorting through wardrobes and
making room for new clothes, as extra
clothing can quickly take over a home.
In fact, according to the National Association of Professional Organizers, too
much clutter, general disorganization
and difficulty determining what to keep
and/or discard are the primary reasons
individuals reach out to professional
organizers. If clearing away closet clutter
is on the top of your winter to-do list,
consider the following tips.
Know what you have

Its easier to determine what you can
keep and what you can donate or discard when you have an idea of whats in
your closet. Take all of your clothes out
of closets and drawers and place them
on the bed or floor.
Clean the closets thoroughly

The closet organization company
Closets by Design suggests a yearly and
thorough cleaning of closets. This includes dusting shelving and vacuuming
the floor of the closet. You can do the
same with armoires and dresser drawers.
Take inventory of your

clothing
Create three main sorting piles.
Label one keep, another donate and
the third one sell. As you look at your
clothing, keep only those items that fit
you well and suit both your tastes and
your lifestyle. If a piece is high-quality
and worth the cost of repair, bring it
to a tailor or make the modifications
yourself. Let go of items you never wear
Unruly closets need periodic cleaning and sorting. The beginning of the new
year is as good a time as any to take on such organizational tasks.
DAN SIEWERS
812-882-8935
www.hartbell.com
513 Main Street Vincennes, IN

12/22/15 1:52 PM
or those you bought on a whim because

you wanted to try something trendy. In
addition, figure out which type of clothing best suits your lifestyle. If you have
10 pairs of yoga pants but never hit the
gym, you can thin out that collection.
ment period is over if items havent sold

so they dont end up back in your closet.
Immediately bag donation

items
Organize the clothing you keep by

color or style (i.e., casual, formal, exer-
Group remaining keep

clothes in the closet by
category
cise, etc.). Arrange the clothes in a way

that makes most sense to you.
Consider moving off-season

clothes
Sturdy storage containers and bags
can be used to keep off-season clothing
out of the closet until its needed. This
frees up more space.
Move items you will be donating

out of the room. Place them by the
front door and make a plan to drop
them off at a thrift store or in a nearby
clothing bin.
Dont overlook sales

opportunities
An easy way to make a little extra
money is to sell used belongings at consignment stores. Such stores are popular
in towns all across the country as more
people attempt to conserve and cut back
on their spending. Consignment shops
typically do most of the work, including
marketing the items, which can be less
hectic and safer than selling things on
your own. Only bring in items that are
clean and in good condition. Opt to
have clothing donated after the consign-

12/22/15 1:52 PM
YEAH, IM A BOOMER, BUT...
THIS IS WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW
By Bernie Schmitt
hat the world

needs now is love.
The opening lyrics to one of my favorite
Dionne
Warwick
recordings
has a message for
all of us as
we make
our way
into 2016.
We need Hal David and Burt
Bacharach, the songs creators,
more than ever.
What the world needs now, is
love, sweet love
Its the only thing theres just
too little of . . .
All one has to do is to turn
on the news, or maybe even
walk down the street, to know
that such words resonate in
such harrowing times. We have
forgotten that everything that
is good, kindness, generosity,
humility, peace, even smiles,
emanate from love.
What the world needs now is
love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for
everyone.
It sometimes seems as if the
deck is stacked against humanity, what with our inability to get
along after thousands of years
on this planet. Oh, when will
we ever learn?
Listen to the current crop of U.S.
presidential candidates. Read what folks
are saying on social media. Look at all the
trouble we seem to be having in this world.
Why cant we get along?
Lord, we dont need another mountain
There are mountains and hillsides
enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross
Enough to last till the end of time.
These days we have a lot of what
author Robert Fulghum says we dont need:
tourists who ride by in a bus clucking
their tongues.
There seem to be a lot of people who
complain about everything under the sun,
and a good many who like to tell others
what they ought to do or how they ought
to be, but they never offer to do anything
themselves. Its kind of like the apathetic
voter who complains the loudest.
The world as it is needs those who
will love it enough to change it, with what
they have, where they are, Fulghum says
in his 1991 book Uh-Oh.
What the world needs now, is love,
sweet love
Its the only thing theres just too little
of . . .
If we could erase the rampant animosity,
the self-absorbed my-way-or-the-highway
platitudes, and the hard-headed refusal to
acknowledge differences among us, we might
be able to solve the problems that plague us.
We might be able to feed the babies who
dont have enough to eat, shoe the children,
with no shoes on their feet, and feed the
people livin in the street.
What the world needs now is love,
sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone.
Such idealism is for fools, some say. But
such noble-mindedness presents us hope. If
we can dream of a better world, we can think
of ways to make it happen. We can talk to
one another if we just listen. We can curb our
fears by curing our ignorance. We can deliver
ourselves from evil by delivering our hearts to
one another.
Lord, we dont need another meadow
There are cornfields and wheat fields
enough to grow
There are sunbeams and moonbeams
enough to shine
Oh, listen Lord, if you want to know.
In 1837 the eminent writer Ralph
Waldo Emerson said that the mind of
this country, taught to aim at low objects,
eats upon itself. Such words are food for
thought these days, as too few consider the
seriousness of our countrys current angst
and our inability to work together for the
common good. Selfishness tends to trample
selflessness.
Perhaps lyricist Hal David had similar
thoughts as he walked along a New York
City street on his way to work with his
partner Burt Bacharach in 1965, when
they wrote this song.
What the world needs now is love, sweet
love
Its the only thing that theres just too
little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet
love . . .
We should play it over and over again.
A freelance writer and photographer, Bernie
Schmitt also is an assistant professor of English
at Vincennes University. He lives with his wife,
Nancy, and family in Vincennes.

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1
2
J
anuary
JAN. 1 THROUGH APRIL 16
Wii Wednesdays for Teens! - Knox County Public Library,
Vincennes, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Playing a variety of Wii games.
In case of date change for any upcoming programs, check in
closer to date by calling 812-886-4380 or by checking the Teen
Departments Facebook and Twitter pages or by checking the
Knox County Public Library webpage. http://kcpl.lib.in.us/
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
JAN. 1 THROUGH APRIL 16
On a weekly changing schedule for Tuesdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.,
teen patrons will be offered a movie night and a board/card
game night! One Tuesday evening will be dedicated to movies
and popcorn. The next evening will be all about board games!
Totally fun and laid back!
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
BEGINNING JAN. 6 THROUGH APRIL 16
Storytime, Knox County Public Library, Vincennes,
Youth Department, Tuesdays 7 p.m., with Linda
Swing for the Evening Stars program and Amy
Blake on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. for Morning Star.
These programs target pre-schoolers, but everyone is
welcome.
BEGINNING JAN. 9, FIRST SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH

Zippity Dance, Art, Stories, Songs and Arts & Crafts Family
Fun, Knox County Public Library, Vincennes, 2 p.m. to 2:30
p.m. The programs are open to families with children ages
pre-kindergarten through 12 years old. Have more Zippity
fun during Zippity Art, Stories, Songs and Arts and Crafts
with Miss Diana in the Youth Department.
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
BEGINNING JAN. 23
Offered on the third Saturday of every
month, children ages pre-kindergarten
through age 12 can take part in this
program and make art projects to take
home. For more information, call the
Library at 812-886-4380.
24 25 26 27 28 30 31
1
F e b2
r u a r y3 4 5 6
FEB. 10
PACE Open House,
noon to 2 p.m., 525 N.
Fourth St., Vincennes.
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
FEB. 14
6th Annual Old Post Bluegrass Jam, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Student Union, 1101 N.
Second St., on VU Campus. Groups performing on stage and area musicians are
invited to bring their acoustic instruments to jam with other musicians. Free admission
and free parking on Third Street behind the building. Food Court and Grinders
Coffee Shop will be open during the event. For more information, call the Visitors and
Tourism Bureau office at 812-886-0400.
FEB. 19-21
Rumors (Comedy) - Red Skelton Performing Arts
Center, VU Campus. Friday and Saturday shows
7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 adults,
$7 Seniors, $5 non-VU students. Free admission
for VU students with valid ID. Call 812-888-4039
for tickets and information.
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29
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SOMEONE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Erica Cooper, United Airlines flight attendant

By Rama Sobhani
rica Cooper, 40, has

been a flight attendant
for United Airlines since
2008. Her depiction of the
life of what used to be called a
stewardess is in complete contrast to what was said about
the profession 50 years ago.
Then, the guiding principleof airlines when selecting
stewardesses was appearance.
If a hair was out of place,
there were consequences and
women were shuffled out the
door after turning 26. Cooper
says now there is benefit to seniority and now that shes paid
her dues, the flying life is a
fulfilling one. She has a young
daughter with her fiance and
spends most of her free time
with her family, thats time
which she says comes easier
the longer one works as a
flight attendant.
next to nothing, if not free.

First, it was my love of flying, I love
traveling, I love being around people,
learning about different ethnicities and to
go visit places that a lot of people dont
get to do. Now, for me, with a family, I
like to go to work, if I have a nice little
layover, thats nice, its a me day. Our

time is our time on a layover. Sometimes
its a few hours, sometimes its a few days,
like on an international flight. I actually
go to Anchorage a lot. Its gorgeous and
nice ... its a 24-hour layover, so I go
downtown and Im learning all the cool
Setting own schedule

In the long run, Im
home more than someone
who works a 9-to-5 job,
because I can set my schedule
and those days Im off I have
quality time with my family.
I have the luxury of
making my own schedule, for
the most part. Because I have
a family, I work three or four
days on, then off for a week,
then another three or four
days. Its up to me how much
I want to work. It comes with
seniority. Once you get into it,
its hard to get out of. Its addicting to be able to travel and
go and be able to see things,
and, if you want, to go off and
take a trip. We get to travel for
United Airlines flight
attendent Erica Cooper of
Vincennes along with her
luggage prepares for another day in the sky.
Photos by Matt Griffith

p14-17SomeoneKnowJan16.indd 1
12/22/15 1:57 PM
spots to go to. Its a nice time for me.

When I first started I was on reserve,
so I got all the last minutes trips when
people cancelled. So I did all these cool
trips, like London, Madrid. Im glad
I was able to get to those places. Most
places, I just get on the plane, get people
there and Im lucky to see a sliver of the
beach from the plane.
In the early decades of passenger
flight, airlines stressed appearance and
service demeanor in the training of stewardesses. The training could not be more
different in modern times. Cooper said
the four and a half weeks of training she
went through focused almost exclusively
on safety that of the passengers and of
the flight crew.
Focus on safety
It used to be a lot of nurses, now a
lot of flight attendants have degrees, so
its not so much the service part of the
job that everyone thinks about, its more
focused on emergencies. Its mostly for
emergencies medical to evacuations.
We do CPR, first aid, a simulation on
fire safety and bomb threats, terrorism.
We just have certain procedures we have
to follow. I cant say too much about
Cooper says there is benefit to

seniority and now that shes
paid her dues, the flying life is
a fulfilling one.
it. We have recurrent training once a
year. We have an online course that we
have to do, as well as go in for a test as a
refresher.
Cooper talked a bit about what
kinds of things flight attendants are
trained to watch for among the passengers. Just anything thats abnormal, like
its summertime and someone is wrapped
in a trench coat, scarf and gloves. Behavior thats abnormal, from beginning
of the flight to the end. We watch all of
it; hopefully nothing evolves. You watch
more for their actions.
Difficult passengers
Unruly passengers, theyre few and
far between. Everybody has their stories
with it, but its few and far between
now. You get frustrated like anybody
else. We have to smile no matter what.
It is a service industry. But, yeah, we
get frustrated and we may not even be
getting paid during that time. We might

be sitting on the jet-way, sitting in the
plane with you, we may just be riding
along (not on duty).
You get crazies sometimes. One
woman claimed another had assaulted
her during a flight, to which the other responded, Well, you deserved it. Theres
a few drunk people, you know. I had a
guy who was trying to curl up in his seat
and had his feet up on the other passenger. I told him several times, Youve got
to sit up, man. Then a little later, Im
telling him again. The (other passenger)
rang his call button like three times.
Its a judgment call if a passenger is
too drunk to get on the plane. Its just
observation of their actions. If it becomes
too much of an issue, theyll be removed
from the flight. We have had them met
by police, too.
Just a thank you goes a really long
way. Over all, politeness, realizing that
we also have a job to do and were trying
to make sure you get out on time as
quickly and safely as possible, so listen to
what we ask of you. Were not doing it to
be mean, were just doing it because we
have to. Get off your phone while were
taxiing ... everybodys flown by

12/22/15 1:57 PM
Erica Cooper enjoys time with daughter Maya, age 3, as they spend time coloring. She keeps me busy when Im not
flying around the country, Cooper said.

12/22/15 1:57 PM
now, just follow the rules.

Turbulence never bothered me. Ive
actually flown with a few flight attendants starting out who werent fans of
turbulence and a few times, theyve
given it up, but you just have to deal
with it. Ive actually hit turbulence a
couple of times that gave me a good
scare, but fortunately nothing came of
it. Most of your emergencies, which I
think most people dont know, happen
on the ground. They happen while youre
taxiing, they dont happen in the air and
people think, Were on the ground,
were OK. If you watch, most of the
crashes happen there. Ive been through
bad turbulence and thats where seat belts
are important; pay attention to the safety
demonstration.
You have to look at when youre
up against turbulence, you never know
when thats going to hit, so certain times
during the flight, we have a briefing
when the captain tells us whats going on,
if theres weather anywhere, if we expect
to hit turbulence. If we know we have an
hour and a half before we hit turbulence,
we know we have to get up, we have to
bust it out in that hour and a half, get
the drinks out. Otherwise, itll be all the
call buttons going off.

Sarcastically: Coffee, thats my favorite thing during turbulence.
In the early decades of

passenger flight, airlines
stressed appearance and
service demeanor in the
training of stewardesses. The
training could not be more
different in modern times.
Cooper said the four and a
half weeks of training she
went through focused almost
exclusively on safety that
of the passengers and of the
flight crew.
Some changes have occurred during
her time as a flight attendant. Back in
the day it was great because all the crews
stayed together for the whole trip, so you
got to know people. Now, we dont stay

with the pilots anymore (after a layover).
So, we dont get to know them like we
used to. Thats what I liked about the
Anchorage trips, the crew stayed together, so well go out, have dinner, do things
together, rent a car, go drive around.
My first year, the crews stayed together
and those trips were great and Im glad I
got to be a part of that. Now Im lucky
to catch your name. I miss that aspect
because you build trust with each other.
Things are evolving, but at the same time
you just roll with the punches.
I find that people are fascinated by
what I do ... theyre fascinated by the idea
of you get to travel around and go where
you want. They think my job is a big
vacation. Sometimes it is, sometimes it
isnt. They are fascinated with being able
to travel, absolutely.
On whether she recommends being a
flight attendant as a career Absolutely.
The sooner you get in, the better,
because everything is seniority-based.
Thats rough at first, but as seniority
improves, you can get better trips.
Just relax and enjoy it. You get to see
the world; not everybody gets that
opportunity.
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DAY TRIPPER
Discovering Dugger Coal

By Joy Neighbors
Workin in the coal mine

Goin on down, down
Workin in a coal mine
Oops, about to slip down.
oomers will recognize

those lyrics, sung by Lee
Dorsey in 1966, and
more recently by Devo
in 1981. The
song attests
to the fact
that the life
of a miner
isnt easy.
Indiana has produced coal
for more than two centuries.
The majority of Hoosier coal
mines can be found on the
western side of the state, as far
north as Fountain County, and
south through Spencer County
with the heaviest concentrations of mines in Warrick,
Pike and Sullivan counties.
The majority of surface mines
(above ground) can be found in
Warrick and Spencer counties,
while underground mines are
more prevalent in Knox, Sullivan, Greene and Vigo counties.
At one time coal was the
largest industry in Sullivan
County. Dugger, Indiana, has
been home to Hoosier coal miners for more

than 135 years. Francis Dugger, his brother
William, and Henry Neal started the first
mine in town, known as the Old Dugger
Mine, in 1879.
One hundred years later, in 1979, two
local residents, Martha Marlow and Ruby
King, were instrumental in founding
the Dugger Coal Museum. The women
wanted people to know about the vast
coal mining history and traditions of the
region, so volunteers gathered artifacts,
photos and stories from local miners and
their families for display in the museum
The day I visited, museum board
secretary Mendy Smith gave me a tour. The
shotgun-style building is jam-packed with
interesting mining artifacts, photographs and

history from the days when coal was king.
Just about everyone had someone
in the family that worked at the mine in
those days, Smith said. Theyd start at 12
years old and spend their lives working in
the mines. It was just expected that if your
family worked in the mine, youd work
there too.
Besides mine operating equipment,
the museum has everyday items used by
miners like carbonic lamps, miner safety
kits, a vintage collection of miners hats
and trinkets carved from coal. A large wall
display conveys the heritage of the local
United Mine Workers Association, which
began in the county in 1890.
A photo of coal miners reminds visitors at Dugger Coal Museum that the life of
a miner isnt easy.
Photo courtesy of Dugger Coal Museum

p18-19DayTripperJan16.indd 1
12/22/15 1:58 PM
Carvings from coal line the shelves at the Dugger Coal Museum.
Unfortunately, with a job as dangerous as mining, sometimes there are
causalities. A section on regional mining
disasters is featured and includes the four
major disasters that occurred in this region
during the 20th Century.
The worst catastrophe happened at
the City Coal Mine near Sullivan on Feb.
20, 1925. A spark from an engine inside
the mine ignited coal dust and gas causing
a massive explosion that ripped through
the tunnels that morning. Officials
worked frantically through the day, with
some rescuers overcome by mine gases. By
late that night, it had been determined 51
men had lost their lives, almost half of the
day shifts workforce.
In January 1931, another explosion
rocked the Little Betty Mine near Dugger,
killing 28. Five years later, in July 1937,
another 20 miners died in an explosion at
the Baker Mine in Sullivan. The last major
regional mining disaster of the century
occurred on March 2, 1961, when 22
miners were killed in an explosion at the
Viking Mine in Terre Haute. Thanks to
better equipment and higher safety standards, mine explosions are now uncommon occurrences.
A great number of mines closed
during the latter half of the 20th Century,
but the coal mining tradition continues
in Sullivan County. Coal may no longer
be the largest employer in the county, but
many families still work in the mines. The
Bear Run Mine, located south of Dugger,
Dugger Coal Museum
8178 E. Main St.
Dugger, Indiana
(812) 798-6200
Open by appointment
is the largest surface coal mine east of the

Mississippi. Comprised of over 15,000
acres, the mine produces over 8 million
tons of coal annually. Bear Run is owned
and operated by Peabody Energy, one of
the largest energy companies in the world.
Most former mining lands have been
reclaimed in the area. East of Dugger is the
Redbird State Riding Area, located on what
was the former Redbird Mine. The operation
produced over 2 million tons of bituminous
coal from 1945 to its closing in 1950. The
RSRA maintains motorcycles and ATVs trails
for outdoor riding enthusiasts.
The Greene-Sullivan State Forest
is made up of over 3,000 acres of land
donated by coal companies in the 1930s.
Today, the forest has over 9,000 acres of
rolling woodlands and more than 120 lakes
stocked with bass, bluegill and sunfish.
Strip pits have been left open to collect rain, which in turn creates numerous
lakes throughout the county. The Department of Natural Resources stocks them
with fish for recreational sport enthusiasts.
The Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife Area is
one such site, located on 12,000 acres of
a reclaimed surface mine. There are 3,500
acres of wooded bottomland, with over
100 acres made up of strip pit lakes.
If you happen to be in Sullivan County
at the end of September or the first of October, check out the Dugger Coal Festival.
The weeklong event began in 1979 and now
includes live entertainment, special dinners,
a carnival, parade and cruise-in rallies.
The Dugger Coal Museum is open
every day during the annual festival from
9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Otherwise make an appointment on the Facebook page (Dugger
Coal Museum), or phone (812) 798-6200
to schedule a tour.

p18-19DayTripperJan16.indd 2
12/22/15 1:58 PM
THE SONIC BOOMER
A MOVIE IN A TIME LONG, LONG AGO

By Todd Lancaster
n what now seems like a

galaxy far, far away, in a time
long, long ago, a 13-year-old
boy sat in
a movie
theater in
Paramus,
New Jersey,
and had his
mind blow
one 70mm
frame at a
time.
Somewhere in early-June
1977, three friends and I
jumped out of a Pontiac
Grand Safari station wagon
for a Saturday matinee at the
Bergen Mall.
Our funky, bandannawearing, hippie middle-school
art teacher told the class that
we would get extra credit
if we went to see Star Wars
that weekend. She said it was
a visual masterpiece and
would help us understand
how art is incorporated into
to the real world. With that
as the primary excuse, and
the potential opportunity to
go to the baseball card store
at the mall, we loaded up on
the Clearasil, Aqua Velva and
Bubble Yum and jumped in
the wagon for the 3-mile, 30-minute trip

(New York Metro traffic moves at a slightly
different pace).
I have to admit, 13 is a funny age; the
physical metamorphosis happens on a minute-by-minute basis to boys. So, we werent
sure if this movie painted us more as kids or
adults, and my expectations were guarded.
What would happen if someonecoolsaw us
at this movie?
We got popcorn and found seats
together inthe theater, which was filling up
quickly. This movie was starting to break
box office records and I distinctly remember
seeing pictures in the Daily News of people
lined up around the block in New York to get
tickets. There was a real buzz about it, but in
the days before social media, news was more
myth than mega-byte.
It took all of about 15 seconds for John
Williams iconic score, paired with the image
of those majestic opening words going across
the screen, to hook me. None of us left our
seats for two hours, and in the final moments
when Luke Skywalkers X-wing fighter pulled
up out of the Death Stars trench after depositing the fatal proton torpedo, hundreds of
people stood and cheered. Ive never seen that
before or since in a movie theater.
So there we were, knowing that life was
never going to be the same on earth (or the
forest moon of Endor for that matter) for
the four of us. So we did the only responsible
thing we could we sat through it again
and again. Needless to say, since none of us
brought any type of holographic communicator with us (and cellphones were still about a
quarter century into the future), my friends
parents were not pleased with our six-hour

disappearing act and let us know Darth
Vader and his storm troopers were about to
be the least of our worries.
Star Wars went on to become the biggest
thing on the planet later that year. By the time
The Empire Strikes Back came out in 1979,
I was late in high school, and Star Wars was
more about sheets on kids beds and lunch
boxes. In fact, when the first movie came out,
only Kenner was interested in being a part of
licensing team for Star Wars toys and they said
it helped save the company. Return of the Jedi
came out when I was in college, and I had
only a passing interest in seeing it. When the
three prequels finally came out, I thought they
were just horrible and it somehow tainted my
experience from 20 years before.
Its been almost 40 years since I sat in
that theater in New Jersey and a new Star
Wars has made its way into the new millennium. My kids are too old to care and no
matter what special effects director JJ Abrams
comes up with, it wont matter to them. They
have seen it all before.
Im not going to buy my tickets in advance. I wont be carrying a lightsaber, buying
awookie mask or even wearing a Darth is
My Daddy T-shirt.However, I might just
find a seat behind four junior high boys and
think back to that galaxy far, far away in
New Jersey when a movie and bucket of
popcorn could impact a life.
Todd said Star Wars reflects the changes in
peoples lives. He said he went from looking like
Luke Skywalker to Jabba the Hutt. Email him
at tlancaster@washtimesherald.com

p20SonicBoomerJan16.indd 1
12/18/15 6:44 PM
Boomer Toys, Trappings and Trivia

By Todd Lancaster
Who was never really a kid? The Karate Kid,
for one. Actor Ralph Macchio is now going
on 54 years old and was already 23 when
he first started to wax on, wax off. The
oldest Cosby kid never really had much of
a childhood. Actress Sabrina LeBeauf (who
played Sondra Huxtable) is not far from
60, as she was only 10 years younger than
Do remember that perky cheerleader who reminded us just how fine Mickey made her feel in the early
1980s? Well, did you also realize she also had a significant role as a New Orleans prostitute in the alt-class
Easy Rider? I suppose Oh Peter Fonda, you make
me feel so fine just didnt rhyme.
Phylicia Rashad, Bill Cosbys wife and her

mother on the show.
Did you know that James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader
and David Prowse, the actor who played Vader, have never met?
Prowse has complained publicly about George Lucas and has
since been banned from official Star Wars functions.

p21ToysTrappikngsJan16.indd 1
12/22/15 10:14 AM
Dr. Bertha
Proctor,
CEO of PACE:
a
HAND UP,
not a
HANDOUT
Dr. Bertha Proctor is the CEO of PACE Community Action Agency, first
established 50 years ago the Economic Opportunity Act, part of President
Lyndon B. Johnsons war on poverty in the mid-1960s. PACE helped 34,000
people in the past year.
Photos by Bernie Schmitt
By Bernie Schmitt
r. Bertha Proctors enthusiasm

for helping people is evident,
even as she admits there is no
way she can keep track of every single

thing involved in helping thousands of
people every year.
I have an excellent management
team, she says, smiling brightly. My role
is to keep my team well-oiled and working

well. It is an excellent team, they all do a
good job and they have fun doing it.
Proctor is the CEO of the PACE
Community Action Agency, a private
not-for-profit corporation committed to
community development and providing
services to low-income residents in Southwestern Indiana, according to its website.
PACE is the latest name for what
used to be called Wabash Valley Human
Services. It was established in the 1960s
as part of President Lyndon B. Johnsons
war on poverty, established with the
Economic Opportunity Act of 1964.
More than 34,000 people in Knox,
Daviess, Greene, and Sullivan and Vigo
counties, were served by PACE and its
programs last year.
Proctor came on board in 1997 as
a client services manager for the organizations energy assistance program.
Within three months she was promoted
to Director of Health and Community
Services, which then encompassed all programs except Head Start. She became the
organizations Executive Director in 2004.
With the addition of two profit-making
ventures, her title was changed to CEO.
Our mission is to improve the
community and were very serious about
it, Proctor said. The areas we serve are
low-income, so we have to improve the
income levels. We work to improve the
community inside out.
She makes it clear that PACE and its
programs and services are not welfare.
We are not a hand out, she said. We
are a hand up. We believe if we improve
people, we will improve the community.
PACE, which took on its current
name in 2007, celebrated its 50th year
in 2015. There are 12 different locations
in the areas it serves and 120 employees.
Much of what the organization does
involves education, and it is the aspect
Proctor most avidly promotes.
If there is a program that is not educating or helping to educate people, we
dont want those programs, Proctor said.
The list of programs and services
PACE offers are designed to help people
help themselves. Support is only temporary. With the right education it is hoped
that people who need help will soon become self-reliant. Such diverse programs
as nutrition, womens health, school
readiness, financial literacy, economic
opportunity, and energy efficiency are
designed to help and to teach. It offers
scholarships and internships. PACE can

p22-25BerthaProctor.indd 1
12/23/15 8:30 AM
help qualified individuals with small

business loans, too.
We educate, empower, and improve, the CEO said.
Proctor recently earned a doctorate
in educational leadership, a testament
to her continued interest and dedication
to educating her staff and others. She
believes in educating her staff, the people
PACE works with the community, and
other community action agencies.
We have a consulting arm in which
we offer training and consulting all over
the United States, she said. We train
others in human resources, leadership,
financial processes, managing teams, and
in managing change.
Proctors educational focus involves technology, too, and it is evident
throughout PACE offices that include
up-to-date computer software, a number
of big screen monitors, smart boards
in Head Start classrooms, a computer
training room, and a fulltime information technology professional who keeps
electronic technology running smoothly.
The PACE facilities at 525 Fourth
St. have had a makeover within the
past year, including the addition of an
elevator to allow for more accessibility,
and new doors and new security
One of the Head Start classrooms at PACE Community Action Agency in Vincennes. A federally-funded program, Head Start gives young children a start on
learning to better prepare them for elementary education.
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A plaque next to what used to be a phone booth (top photo), commemorates

PACEs 50th anniversary. The phone booth was modified to house a time capsule that cannot be opened until 2040. Bertha Proctor stands behind the new
front desk of PACEs Health Connection that opens this month.
measures are in place. The facilitys kitchen was remodeled this past summer and
received all new equipment.
In January, PACEs Health Connection, which provides reproductive health
services for men and women, will move
from Wabash Avenue into newly-remodeled space at the Fourth Street location.
To showcase these efforts, PACE will
have an open house on Wednesday, Feb.
10, from noon to 2 p.m.
One of Proctors most important
responsibilities is signing off on every
expenditure, a task she takes seriously.
PACE relies on state and federal money.
All of it comes in the forms of grants,
specific to individual programs. Head
Start, for instance, is all federally funded.
While the CEO must review how
every dollar is spent, she relies on her
management staff to help in obtaining
(writing) the grants and complying with
the necessary requirements. Every dollar
is used in the various ways the government requires.
We have a chief financial officer
who helps us maintain compliance,

Proctor said. It is a serious job. There
are state and federal reviewers here all the
time. We use technology to track everything and we do a good job of it.
We see PACE as a funnel for the
state and federal money we can bring
here to help others, she said. If it doesnt
come here, it will go to other places.
There have been challenges with
funding in the past, including staffing decreases when budget requests are not met.
The funding pendulum swings both ways,
Proctor said, depending on politicians and
what might be happening at any given
time. To offset times of reduced funding,
PACE developed a C-Corp. that includes
two for-profit businesses.
PACEs CAP Tech consulting and
computer training business and its Ventures
Cleaning were developed to provide added
revenue streams. The consulting work she
does, and for which CAP Tech is paid, for
instance, helps to offset her salary.
It is a pro-active plan, she said,
because we are vulnerable based on

12/23/15 8:31 AM
federal leadership.
PACE and its leadership are apolitical, she said, as board members who
govern the agency are from both political
parties. Politics isnt a problem because
she and others at PACE are invested in
the community in which they live, and
retaining that focus is important.
We want to be an excellent agency,
Proctor said. We want to be excellent for
our customers and good stewards of the
funds we get. We have an excellent board
to guide us (six members each from Knox,
Daviess, Greene, and Sullivan counties).
In her free time Proctor enjoys
traveling to visit family members in the
Washington, D.C. area with her husband,
Eugene, or to visit her children, two of
whom are now in the Atlanta area.
On Sundays she likes to watch NFL
football, but claims not to have a favorite
team.
I like whoever is playing that day,
she said.
Proctor has a penchant for world
travel, too, which she mostly enjoys with
her sister, Hazel. She visited Barcelona,
Spain last summer, and in recent years
has traveled to Istanbul, Budapest, and
Prague. Shes been to Dubai, Costa Rica,
and Chile. This summer she hopes to go
CEO Bertha Proctor, right, talks with her administrative assistant Lori Koby of
Vincennes. Proctor is proud of PACEs management team that works to provide
educational programs and services to thousands of low-income people to help
them become self-sufficient.
to New Zealand.
Thats just what I do, she said.
Here I work, then I travel. If I can do

that, Im happy.

12/23/15 8:31 AM
FINANCIAL WISDOM
Stay calm and open a

Health Savings Account
By Clifford York
ealthcare. Retirement. Those may

be two of the most
stressful words in the English
language today. Especially
when you include them both
in the
same sentence.
For
instance,
a married
couple
that saves
$326,000
has a 90 percent chance of
having enough money to pay
healthcare expenses in retirement. A single man would need
to save $116,000 for retirement
healthcare expenses, and a
single woman about $131,000
to have the same odds, according to the Employee Benefit
Research Institute (EBRI).
Health. Savings. Account.

Those three words can
help reduce the stress of
retirement healthcare expenses.
A Health Savings Account,
or HSA, is a tax-advantaged
account that can be opened
by anyone who is enrolled
in a high deductible health
plan (with a deductible of at
least $1,300 for individuals or
$2,600 for families for 2015).
Typically, HSAs offer three
significant tax benefits:
1. Tax-free withdrawals. If
you use HSA savings to
pay qualified medical
expenses, the withdrawals
are income tax free.
2. Pre-tax (or tax-deductible)
contributions. Contributions to HSAs are federally
tax-deductible up to certain limits. For 2015, the
limits are $3,350 for a single person

and $6,650 for a family. If youre age
55 or older, then you can save an additional $1,000 a year in the account.
3. Tax-deferred growth. Any interest
earned in an HSA grows tax-deferred.
Generally, HSA contributions go into
an account at a bank, credit union, or
other financial institution that is an
HAS-approved custodian. However,
those savings can also be invested.
Its not a Flexible Savings Account

HSAs have been around for a decade,
but relatively few Americans understand
how they work. In fact, many confuse
them with Flexible Savings Accounts
(FSAs). While there are some similarities
between the two accounts both allow
pre-tax contributions and both can be
used to pay qualified medical expenses
there are significant differences.
For example, you set up and own an
HSA. Any money left in the account at
the end of the year, remains in the account
to be used in the future. There is no use it
or lose it provision. In contrast, your employer sets up and owns an FSA. If money
is left in the account at the end of the year,
it is forfeited to the employer.
Pay qualified medical expenses

Money set aside in HSAs can be used
to pay health insurance deductibles, as
well as qualified medical expenses, health
insurance premiums (if youre receiving
unemployment benefits), and long-term
care premiums. However, its not always
easy to know what qualifies and what
doesnt. The New York Times explained:
Under a change enacted with the
Affordable Care Act, most over-the-counter drugs, like common allergy medications
or pain relievers, are HSA-eligible only if
you get a prescription for them from your
doctor. On the other hand, items like
sunscreen and contact lens solution are eligible for purchase without a prescription with your HSA funds.
When funds are used for non-qualified expenses, the withdrawal is taxed as
ordinary income and, if the account hold-
er is younger than age 65, a 20 percent

penalty tax is owed.
Retirement income
The best incentive for saving as much
as possible in an HSA is this: if you reach
age 65, and have savings in your account,
the money can be used for living expenses, as well as qualified medical expenses.
Withdrawals that are used to supplement
income may be taxed as ordinary income.
Its possible to accumulate quite a significant amount of savings in an HSA because
any earnings grow tax-deferred, just like earnings in a 401(k) plan. According to EBRI:
A person contributing for 40 years to
an HSA could save up to $360,000 if the
rate of return was 2.5 percent, $600,000 if
the rate of return was 5 percent, and nearly
$1.1 million if the rate of return was 7.5
percent, and if there were no withdrawals.
Unfortunately, few accountholders
are taking advantage of HSAs tax-deferred
growth potential. At the end of 2014, there
were about 13.8 million HSA accounts
in the United States. The accounts held
about $24 billion, but just a fraction of that
amount ($3.2 billion) was invested.
Make the most of your HSA

Clearly, HSAs offer some attractive
benefits for Americans with high-deductible insurance plans. In addition to
offering a triple tax-advantage and helping
Americans pay current and future medical
expenses, these accounts can be used to
supplement retirement income.
If you have an HSA and the funds are
invested in a low interest rate account, like
a checking or savings account, you can transfer the funds to a different HSA provider.
Learning all the benefits and seeing the
numerous advantages of an HSA should
tell you one thing: making the most of this
savings plan may position you well for many
of lifes short-term and long-term events.
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or
recommendations for any individual.
This material was prepared by Peak Advisor Alliance. Peak
Advisor Alliance is not affiliated with the named broker/dealer.
Clifford York is an Associate Wealth Advisor for Carson

Wealth Vincennes and brings two decades of financial
services experience to the firm. Clifford resides in
Vincennes with his wife, Angie, and their three children.
His hobbies include golf, working out, coaching his childrens various youth sports teams and he has a passion
for deer hunting. One can contact Clifford at cyork@
carsonwealth.com.

p26FinWisdomYorkJan16.indd 1
12/20/15 10:00 PM
BOOMER
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016
DQ Something Different
103 N 6th St. Vincennes
8128824925
p27NightLifeJan16.indd 1
12/17/15 8:31 AM
ELEMENTS YOGA STUDIO

Low-impact
exercise for the
mind and body
By Bernie Schmitt
odies wrapped in colorful cloth

hang suspended from the ceiling
as a soothing voice instructs the
mummified-looking figures to exhale
slowly and to release all negative energy.
Lights are low as the suspended bodies move slowly to adjust their positions,
per the calming voice of the instructor.
As minutes slowly pass, the participants
become engaged in more challenging
body movements, focusing, stretching,
and enhancing body strength, flexibility
and mental health.

This is aerial yoga, one of several classes offered by a new fitness and
wellness studio in downtown Vincennes,
in newly remodeled space on the second floor of the old 2nd National Bank
building at Second and Main streets.
The instructor is Amber Gerkin,
co-owner of Elements, with Steve Miller of
Pioneer Oil, who owns the 4 N. Second St.
building where the studio is located. The
two met during a Knox County Development Corp. meeting. Both have an interest
exercise and in exposing the community to
family-oriented physical activity.
This is my attempt to combat a lifetime allergy to exercise, quipped Miller,
whose focus is on pilates, a low-impact
exercise method that focuses on strength,
flexibility, and balance, especially leg and
thigh muscles.
This is a community-based facility
for the whole family, he said. Its a very
wholesome activity. We wanted to bring
that kind of activity downtown.
Moreover, Miller is pleased that an
old building in the heart of the city has
been turned into a functional facility to
which people can have access. He has
been an advocate for saving and using
the classic structures that make up downtown Vincennes.
This is a fantastic setting, he said.
We have transformed space not utilized
and that needed rehabilitation and now
we have a facility people can enjoy. This
is another example of how we can re-purpose a historical building in downtown
Vincennes, and bring vibrant and meaningful activities to the community.
Participants hang suspended during an aerial yoga class at Elements, a community-based fitness and yoga studio in
downtown Vincennes.
Photos by Bernie Schmitt

p28-31YogaStudio.indd 1
12/22/15 2:01 PM
Classes for all ages

Elements offers several classes in
yoga, pilates, and personal training for
people of all ages. The studio opened
Oct. 23 and several people have attended, or are currently involved in, a variety
of class sessions. The studio isnt a workout gym, but it does include a handful
of rowing machines, free-weights, and
other materials used for low-impact and
stretching exercises.
Terri Goodwin and her co-workers at
Burkhart Insurance signed up for aerial
yoga soon after Elements opened.
I guess it was curiosity, she said. It
was something new and adventurous to
do.
Goodwins co-worker Brianne Marsee agreed. Its an individual challenge,
she said. Its something Ive never had
experience in and its never really been
offered around here.
The kind of exercise on which one
might focus depends on ones goals, Gerkin said. All of the programs are low or
non-impact types of exercise. One could
get considerable aerobic exercise from a
rowing class, without the impact to the
knees that jogging or running sometimes
causes.
One could do cross training or
find one thing that is the sole source of

exercise, she said. Unless someone has
a specific goal, a basic yoga class could
fulfill all of ones exercise needs.
Gerkin has been an exercise instructor for a number of years in Vincennes,
and has a bachelors degree in exercise
science from the University of Southern
Indiana. Shes also earned a degree as a
physical therapist assistant from Vincennes University, as a number of her clients have had physical issues and needed
rehabilitation.
Gerkin and her staff, instructors
Susan Leonard, Kylee Ashley, Shelly McCrary, and Kristen want to focus on developing healthy exercise habits. Ashley
instructs the childrens classes, including
yoga for teens and yoga for athletes.
I got into yoga in 2010 when I was
getting ready to run a half-marathon,
Ashley said. Ive been doing it ever since
and I love it.
Gerkin and her staff are working
to involve local high schools and their
athletic programs. There will be a special
fund-raising class on Jan. 23 to
Amber Gerkin is co-owner and

manager of Elements, a new fitness
studio located at Second and Main
streets in Vincennes.

12/22/15 2:01 PM
Terri Goodwin, Brianne Marsee, and Hope Mikiska participate in an aerial yoga class at Elements, at left. Instructor
Amber Gerkin helps a participant, at right.
benefit the South Knox soccer program.
More classes will be added in January,
too, expanding Elements offerings.
Susan Leonard has been a fitness
instructor for 25 years. She said the new
downtown studio has a great atmosphere
and she likes that the classes are smaller
and more intimate. She teaches rowing,
pilates, yoga, ballet, and barre fit.
Its a lot of fun and high energy
at all levels, she said. The movements
are quick and energized. There is some
cardio workout, but its toning, strength
and flexibility.
In addition to aerial yoga, there is
candlelight yoga, where one can escape

from the stress of the day by focusing
on postures that promote relaxation and
restoration. Or, one can detox with hot
yoga, in which postures are practiced in a
95-degree room.
There are yoga classes for young
athletes and for young children. There
are row fusion classes that burn calories
and sculpt muscles. There is a cardio
kick class that implements boxing and
kickboxing techniques.
Elements also has and offers a
suspension training system, a method
invented by U.S. Navy Seals. Shelly Mc-
Crary says it is available from beginners

to those more advanced. It works on the
strength and flexibility of the entire body,
particular ones core mid-section. It helps
to keep the body balanced.
We believe we have something for
everyone, Gerkin said. We believe we
should encourage them to have exercise
and healthy habits now. My mother was
a big influence on me with exercise. We
did all kinds of things, and used to go
bike riding a lot.
Miller said Elements is fortunate to
have some with Gerkins education and
experience in various disciplines of exer-
Are you looking for a change?

See whats happening at
Good Samaritan Hospital.
www.gshvin.org
812-885-3373

12/22/15 2:01 PM
Instructor Shelly McCrary demonstrates a suspension training system invented by U.S. Navy Seals at Elements, at left. Only a
participants hand can be seen during the opening phase of instruction during an aerial yoga class at Elements, at right.
cise in charge of the studio.
She has excellent colleagues as
instructors, he said. They are instrumental in being able to deliver excellent
programs for our community. Im really
pleased with their quality and their
character.
Gerkin said such exercise can help

to decrease stress, in addition to keeping one physically fit and healthy. She
is encouraging the community to give
exercise programs at Elements a try, even
though many are busy with their busy,
multi-tasking lives.
Taking time out is hard, she said.

But if you dont take care of yourself,
you cant take care of anyone else.
For more information about Elements
call 812-881-9400 or log on to www.
elements2wellness.com.

12/22/15 2:01 PM
THE CONVERTED CYNIC
BOOMERS VS. BOOMERANG KIDS

By Angie Mayfield
hile many of
my friends are
suffering from
empty nest blues, I keep
pushing my fledglings out of
the house only to have them
flap back
in with
droopy,
outstretched
wings at
the first
sign of
storms or
drought. Recently, my oldest
son moved back home after
a bitter breakup. I felt sorry
for him and babied him for a
few weeks until he regained
his bearings. However, it
didnt take long to realize my grocery

bill, loads of laundry and trash had
doubled.
At least the older boys work and
dont mooch us for money, but I now
spend more time cooking, cleaning, and
serving than June Cleaver. The Brady
Bunch keeps growing with no Alice in
sight.
Sharing a house with four boys (five
counting my husband) is like throwing
a finicky cat in with a cage of chimpanzees. I walk into the kitchen each
morning to open cabinets and bread
sacks, empty cereal boxes and milk jugs
and a sink full of dirty dishes. The boys
argue, wrestle, eat, fart, make messes,
and repeat, and I referee, lecture, and
follow them around shaking my head
and cleaning up the debris.
For Christmas, I threatened to buy
them boxing gloves and first months
rent on an apartment. My husband once
told me about a co-worker whose son
meets him at the door in the evening
with a Xanax and a whiskey and Coke. I
thought, Oh my God. Thats horrible.
Now Im thinking, Yep, I understand.
Not only are the boys hard on the
house, my wallet, and each other, but
they are also tough on a Baby Boomer
mom who is already insecure about my
age. Are you okay, Mom? You look
really pale and sick today? or I hope
youre not in the early stages of Alzheimers, or the worst one Dang,
Mom, youre gaining a little weight,
arent you? I wonder how boys can be
so polite in public, yet find it so easy
to hurt their parents feelings.
Yesterday, I wore one of those
popular scarfs around my neck for the
first time. I walked into the kitchen and
my youngest said, I dont think youre
wearing that right, Mom. Thats not
how my teacher wears hers. Then
my middle son said, I thought
only really old people wore those
to keep from catching cold and
dying. My oldest put the icing
on the cake. You do realize its
green, dont you? It doesnt match
the rest of your outfit. Did you think it
was gray?
Thank you, View staff! Yes, my
sense of style and vision are poor. So
nice of you to remind me I am not
nor ever will be a fashion diva.
My husbands compliments make
up for our sons insensitivity. Dougs a
good sport who repays the boys jabs
about being old with not-so-subtle hints
about moving out and jokes about their
lack of good decision-making skills.
He leaves grocery lists on their steering
wheels and sends texts such as Dont
come home yet. Were naked just to
Doug and I fantasize about

the day when we can travel where
we want whenever we want without
worry about parties, higher
insurance premiums, or finding
one of the boys tied and duct
taped to the top of his brother's
vehicle.
aggravate them. When we are stressed
and need an occasional circus-free
evening, he sends the text Hurry home.
Were mowing the yard, weedeating,
and chopping wood. They usually find
somewhere else to be.
Consistently, my second son arrived
late at night with a group of X-box
friends, so Doug retaliated, stood at the
kitchen counter as they came up the
stairs, wrapped in only a small towel, and proceeded to make himself a
sandwich and pretend to talk to himself.
Shortly afterward, they found an excuse
to leave. He was so proud of his Terry
Bradshaw moves.
Occasionally, we find opportunities
for playful revenge to compensate our
stress and sacrifice. When promoted

p32-33ConvCynicJan16.indd 1
12/22/15 2:02 PM
een
om
ost
the
to supervisor at Perdue recently, my

second oldest son Josey bought a new
white SUV. His brothers teased him
horribly. Doug and I were proud he had
outgrown the Mustang and 4-wheel
drive phase. However, later that night,
we couldnt resist placing a car seat in
the back with a doll in it and pasting a
Soccer Mom bumper sticker on his
bread. We could travel where we want

whenever we want without worry about
parties, higher insurance premiums, or
finding one of the boys tied and duct
taped to the top of his brothers vehicle.
We could even walk around the
house in our underwear, wearing only
mismatched, poorly arranged scarves.
Id settle for drinking coffee in peace
T he boys argue, wrestle, eat, fart, make messes, and repeat, and I
referee, lecture, and follow them around shaking my head and cleaning
up the debris.
back window. We considered it payback
for Joseys constant threats to have us
committed or placed in urban nursing homes. Living with a house full of
pranksters is fun but exhausting.
Most people dread the empty nest.
Maybe we will too someday, but I admit
that we are looking forward to some
alone time. Perhaps its because we had
kids later in life, but Doug and I fantasize about the day when we can go two
days without running out of milk and
and not eating breakfast standing up.

Ah, those will be the days whether at
home in Indiana, a cabin in Montana,
or a nursing home if our boys have their
way. Hey, if they cook, clean, and offer a
class on how to wear scarves Im in!
Angie J. Mayfield is an associate
professor of English at Vincennes University Jasper campus and the author of
Love, Loss, & Lunacy in a Small Town.
She can be contacted at profmayfield@
yahoo.com

p32-33ConvCynicJan16.indd 2
12/22/15 2:02 PM
IN D I A N A BICE NT E NNIAL 1 8 1 6 - 2 0 1 6
The country needs and, unless I mistake its temper, the country demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it: If it fails, admit it frankly and try
another. But above all, try something.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a speech to Oglethorpe University, May 22, 1932.
A farmer at the former Deshee Farm Inc. cultivating corn, taken by Arthur Rothstein in 1938. Deshee Farm Inc. was a
cooperative farming experiment created by the federal government in response to the Great Depression.
New Deal experiment in

Knox County
Farm cooperative had good intentions, but did not last

By Bernie Schmitt
n the midst of Americas worst economic nightmare, the Great Depression of the 1930s, Knox County was
home to one of several federal government experiments designed to help
low-income and destitute farmers.
Located in southern Knox County,
the Deshee Unit of Wabash Farms was
a large, full-scale farming cooperative
whose members made decisions, but who
were nonetheless under the jurisdiction

of the federal government. It was for a
short time a successful enterprise, howev-
Photos from Library of Congress
er, it was also the target of criticism and

throughout its short history was plagued
by a high turnover in membership.
Much of the farm cooperative was
located on flat, flood-plain land between
the Wabash and White rivers, about 12
miles south of Vincennes. A part of it
existed where the present-day Schenk
Farms is situated.
There were about 2,770 acres on
six tracts of land. There were 42 dwellings, nine barns, three machine sheds,
and ten poultry houses, according to an
article by J. Rebecca Thompson, in the
December 1995 edition of the Indiana
Magazine of History. The land itself was
purchased by the federal government
specifically for one of the experimental
programs espoused by Rex Tugwell,
the administrator of the Resettlement

p34-37DesheeFarm.indd 1
12/22/15 2:04 PM
Administration, and as part

of President Franklin D.
Roosevelts New Deal.
The countrys worst-ever
economic disaster helped create a climate for such experimentation, as most American citizens were longing
for leadership, change, and
almost anything that might
help solve the nations crisis.
But the window of political
and public opinion was brief;
after the farm cooperative
began in 1938, criticism of it
was nearly immediate: It was
often referred to by locals as
Little Russia.
The Deshee Farm project
illustrates how Franklin
Roosevelt embarked on social
experimentation to combat the
hardship affecting American
farmers during the Great Depression, said Brian Spangle,
historical collections administrator at the Knox County
Public Library. It was especially important as a means of
addressing rural poverty.
The farm, Deshee
Farm, Inc., was one of 17

throughout the nation.
While cooperation among
farmers was not new (farmers had informal and formal
arrangements ranging from
threshing circles, regional
purchasing and marketing
cooperatives in the 1920s),
but cooperative production
had never been practiced.
Projects such as Deshee
Farm were very unpopular in
some quarters because they
went against the traditional
way of thinking, Spangle said.
Some saw cooperative farms
as socialistic or communistic.
Roosevelts Resettlement
Administration, and its successor, the Farm Security Administration, were created because
benefits provided to farmers
by the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA)
were not equal in distribution
and by 1935 the overall plan
did not seem to be working,
especially for the poorest of
farmers: sharecroppers, tenants
and farm laborers.
Farmers at Deshee Farm planting tomatoes in May of

1938. Farm workers clocked in and out at the farm,
and were paid for their time based on the overall
profits of the farm.
Leave a Legacy today...

For your children
For your grandchildren
For your community
For all of those you love.
Contact the Knox County Community
Foundation today to learn more about
how you can leave a legacy.
The Knox County Community Foundation.

For Good. Forever. For Knox County.
20 N. 3rd St., Suite 301 Vincennes www.knoxcountyfoundation.org Ph: 812-886-0093 Fax: 812-886-0133
12/22/15 2:04 PM
Rothstein photographed a woman feeding chickens (above) and a boy with a

cultivator (below) in field at Deshee Farm in 1938. The pictures housed in the
Library of Congress contain sparse information and no names are attached with
the pictures.
Roosevelts men, the well-educated
social scientists who made up the socalled brain trust, believed that rural
poverty at least some of it was the

result of a misuse of agricultural land.
This was especially evident with the Dust
Bowl counties of the Great Plains, where
years of plowing up the prairie topsoil
were blown away when heat, drought,
and wind ravaged the land.
So, the government decided to re-
settle some farmers to more productive

land. The Decatur Homesteads in Adams
County, Indiana, were developed to
provide adequate housing for workers in
small industrial cities, and to help keep
urban residents off of the federal relief.
At the Deshee Farm south of Vincennes,
some residents from the hill country of
Martin County were re-located to more
productive land in Knox County.
According to Thompsons article
Deshee Farm: A New Deal Experiment with Cooperative Farming, the
government had four objectives in this
enterprise: To purchase agricultural
land not suitable for cultivation; to find
suitable use for that land; to move the
people living on sub-marginal farms to
land suitable for farming; and to provide
the resettled families with loans and the
supervision necessary to enable them to
make a reasonable living.
With this, New Dealers also believed
that such a farming community would
help rehabilitate and educate in an
environment where hard work and cooperation would lead to economic success.
The government provided educational
opportunities through Purdue Universitys
Extension Service to help develop better
farming practices and skills in budgeting,
food preservation, and home health. All of
this was to help the poorest farmers achieve
an adequate standard of living, and that

12/22/15 2:04 PM
such educational efforts would

one day lead cooperative farm
clients to self-sufficiency and
their own farms.
The farm raised hogs,
cattle, and poultry. Alfalfa,
wheat, soybeans, and corn
were raised, as well as tomatoes, potatoes, watermelons,
and cantaloupe. The produce
was sold to local canning facilities, and feed crops helped
to support the livestock. Each
family home had a garden to
raise vegetables for personal consumption. Farmers
clocked in daily for work and
were paid a wage according
to the farms overall success.
For a time the farm was
successful, though tenant
turnover plagued the cooperative farm after the first
couple of years. The government wanted the farm to
have the maximum number
of tenants. This became a
problem when there was not
enough work for new clients,
and existing farmers did not
want the farms profits spread
out further, thus limiting

their own incomes.
The experiment was not
destined to last. By the time
the country was well-involved in World War II, some
members of Congress began
to question the cooperative, as
well as other New Deal programs some deemed less than
American. The FSA and its
programs began to fade, and in
the spring of 1943, flooding of
the Wabash and White rivers
decimated Deshee Farm.
Beginning in August
of 1944, auctions were held
to liquidate the equipment,
livestock, and land that made
Deshee Farm, according to
Spangle, who wrote a short
column based on newspapers stories of the time. In
late 1944, Charles Schenk
purchased much of the land,
barns and houses that was
Deshee Farm. He later sold 10
of the houses on the land he
bought for around $750 each.
Some of the remaining
tenants of the farm took
Wabash Farms included a smaller part-time farming unit at

Loogootee, where this family was photographed by Arthur
Rothstein during his trip to southwest Indiana in 1938.
advantage when the government allowed them to
purchase land for their own
farms. Some of the names included Floyd Stephens, Lloyd
Witsman, Edgar Fellows,
Lloyd D. Lucas, Virgil Carter
and James Fox.
The sale of the property
by the government put the

Knox County land back
into private ownership, and
Deshee Farm, Inc., was
destined to become only a
memory of how the American
government, during its most
severe economic crisis, tried to
use its power to help the poor.

12/22/15 2:04 PM
BOOMER CONNOISSEUR
Wine storage: The long and short of it

By Joy Neighbors
Long-term storage
ith
January
come thoughts of
clearing out the
Most less expensive wines

may be kept for up to two
years, many up to five years,
and some for as long as 10
years. If youre storing wines
for 10 years or longer, you
are considered a serious wine
collector. (And by this time,
you should have your own
wine cellar with temperature
controls.)
so that the bottles lie down

with the necks tilted down a
bit more; this is to keep the
corks wet. (A wet cork stays
sealed in the bottle. A dried
out cork allows air in, which
oxidizes the wine.)
Chillin out
Wine refrigerators can
be a great investment for the

white wine lover. These units
come equipped with built-in
wine racks to keep your wines
at the perfect temperature for
serving: 59 65 Fahrenheit
for dry whites, ros and blush.
For champagne and sparkling
wines, serving temp is 43
47 Fahrenheit.
Underground
Wine cellars and caves are
current trends in new homes.
Rack em up
clutter and getting
organized. Its also
the perfect time
for wine lovers
to consider some
long-term and
interim ideas for
keeping that vino
in optimum shape.
For the typical
wine drinker, there
are a few tricks
of the trade to
keeping your wines
at their best and
ready to drink.
There are hundreds

of styles of wine racks out
there; metal, wooden, plastic,
in-counter, above-counter,
on the counter. The choice is
yours. Consider how many
bottles you will be storing,
what kind of wines you have
(Reds, whites, desserts, Ports
and Sherries all require different storage designs.) and how
long you want to store them
a couple of months, a couple
of years, or longer.
Wine racks are made
Wine racks are designed to keep the bottle necks

tilted lower than the bottom of the bottle. This
keeps the corks wet to maintain the seal.

p38-39BoomerConnJan16.indd 1
12/23/15 8:36 AM
A walk-in room that is kept cool, quiet, dark and dry is the perfect
spot for aging red and white wines. The ideal temperature for longterm storage ranges between 50 and 55 F with 70 percent humidity
being optimal. If youre a serious collector, invest in a climate control
unit that measures temperature and humidity. Fluctuations in temperature can ruin a wine; too high of humidity can encourage molds
to begin to grow; too dry and the cork can shrink and let air into the
wine, which will oxidize it.
Red wines that cellar well include robust, dry reds like Cabernet
Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Syrah, Bordeaux; all wines
with heavy tannins.
Short-term preservation
If you find yourself with a half bottle of wine left over, you have
a few options.
Put a cork in it
Keeping a partially drank bottle for the next day? For whites,
simply re-cork the bottle and place it in the fridge. For red wines,
store the bottle upright in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.
Either way, youll have another two to five days to drink that wine.
Pump it
Vacuum pumps are specially made to remove the air from the
bottle. With this option, you pump out the excess air and insert a
special rubber cork to maintain freshness.
Its a gas
Inert gas, sprayed into the bottle, will act as a blanket over the
wine and prevent oxidation from occurring. This is one of the methods commercial wineries use to preserve wine.
Red wines that dont cellar long-term include Pinot Noir, Merlot
and Grenache; basically any wine labeled as light and fruity.
For white and fruit wines, its normally suggested to store them
no more than two to three years. These are wines that do not improve
with age, so buy them now and enjoy.
If youre a serious collector, invest in a climate

control unit that measures temperature and humidity.
Fluctuations in temperature can ruin a wine.
Wine storage doesnt have to cost a lot of money, or take up a lot
of space. There may be room in your basement, or a spare closet that
might be adequate for short-term storage two years or less.
If wine has become a passion instead of a hobby, go for a wine
fridge, or a basement wine cellar. Just remember to keep your longterm wines labeled with the purchase date and drink by date for
maximum enjoyment.
Now youre set to begin that yearly January clutter clearing, just
be sure to take some time for a glass of vino you can always
finish it later.
Joy Neighbors, from eastern Illinois, knows the wine industry well.
She writes a weekly wine blog, has judged national wine competitions,
and speaks nationally and internationally. Follow her blog at http://
joysjoyofwine.blogspot.com.

p38-39BoomerConnJan16.indd 2
12/23/15 8:36 AM
How to shorten the duration of a cold

Courtesy of MCC
ew things can be as uncomfortable

as the common cold. In their book
Common Cold, authors Olaf Weber
and Ronald Eccles say the common
cold has been around since the ancient
times. More than 200 virus strains can
contribute to colds, but the rhinovirus
is the most common. Colds produce a
bevy of symptoms, including runny nose,
congestion and sore throat, so it should
come as no surprise that sufferers want to
find relief fast.
Colds typically last for a week or
more. While theres no cure for the common cold, according to The Mayo Clinic, there are some remedies that can help
cold sufferers feel better more quickly.
Rest: One of the best things to
do when you have a cold is to get
adequate rest. Your bodys immune
system is working overtime to
combat the cold virus, and restricting activity can help it direct efforts
where theyre needed most. Keep
away from strenuous activities, and
spend more time relaxing or sleeping
to let your body do its job.
Hydration: Consuming plenty of
clear fluids can reduce congestion
and ensure that you do not get dehydrated. Plus, warm beverages can be
soothing to an irritated throat. Avoid
coffee, caffeinated sodas and alcohol,
which can exacerbate dehydration.
Saline rinses: Intra-nasal saline
sprays, neti pots and similar products can help loosen mucus that is
clogging the nose and sinus cavities,
allowing it to flow out. This makes
blowing your nose more effective
and may help prevent post-nasal
drip. Avoid prolonged use of medicated decongestant sprays. They
may work well, but they can cause
rebound congestion thats worse than
the original stuffiness.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C will not pre-
vent colds, but it could help in other

ways. Taking vitamin C before the
onset of cold symptoms may shorten
the duration of symptoms. Vitamin
C also may provide benefits for
people at high risk of colds due to
frequent exposure, offers The Mayo
Clinic.
Soup and tea: Soup is an easy-todigest meal that provides many of
the necessary remedies for a cold,
including warm broth to hydrate
and soothe, antioxidant-rich vegetables and protein to help fuel the
bodys recovery process. In 2000, Dr.
Stephen Rennard of the Nebraska
Medical Center in Omaha actually tested if chicken soup clinically
makes people with colds feel better.
He found that chicken soup inhibited neutrophils, immune cells that
cause congestion. Decaffeinated tea
also may help you stay hydrated and
relieve many cold symptoms.
Reinfection: Use cleaning products
that are effective at killing viruses
around the house to prevent reinfection and cold relapses. Also, avoid
touching your nose, eyes and mouth
between hand-washings to keep
germs at bay.
Colds can be a nuisance. Most
medicines will help relieve symptoms but
cannot make colds go away faster. Natural remedies can help the bodys immune
system work at its best and lessen the
severity of a cold.

p40-41ShortenCold.indd 1
12/21/15 11:06 AM
Decrease mucus production

and subsequent sore throats
Courtesy of MCC
hen allergies, colds or the flu strike, the resulting symptoms

can be unpleasant. Watery eyes, sneezing, aches, pains, and
lethargy are common. Two additional symptoms common to respiratory illnesses include excess mucus production and sore throat.
Mucus is a vital component of bodily health. The American
Academy of Otolaryngology says glands in the nose and throat
continually produce thin mucus to moisten and clean respiratory
passageways. This mucus traps foreign matter and can help combat infection. When viruses or bacteria irritate parts of the nose
and throat, excess mucus may be produced as the immune system
attempts to retaliate. This mucus may thicken and become more
acidic. Extra mucus can produce its own side effects, including
further irritation. According to New York-Presbyterian Hospital,
in many cases, excess mucus production can lead to post-nasal drip
and subsequent sore throats.
People often mistake post-nasal drip and related sore throat as
separate medical conditions. But each can be traced to whichever
illness or irritant (such as dry air or chemical exposure) is triggering
the bodys mucus response. Reducing the amount of mucus pooling
in the back of the throat can help a person feel better more quickly
and can be used in conjunction with medical advice.
Limit foods that may increase mucus production. Dairy
products, wheat, soy, bananas, sugar, and preservatives may
contribute to mucus production, according to The University
of Maryland Medical Center.
Drink peppermint or regular mint tea. The natural menthol
in these herbs can help thin mucus and loosen it up for more
productive coughs.
Increase consumption of mucus-fighting foods and beverages.
Mustard, lemon, garlic, and anti-inflammatory oils found in
many nuts may help reduce swelling in the throat and nose and
tame mucus production.
Drink plenty of fluids. Clear fluids, such as water, tea and
broth, can also thin out mucus, making it flow more easily
down the throat.
Rely on salt solutions. Simple nasal saline rinses or gargling
with salt water can alleviate irritation and help reduce some
of the mucus, too. Remember to use cooled-down boiled tap
water or distilled, sterile water for nasal rinses to prevent the
chance of water contamination, which can lead to serious
illness.
Consider medication. When natural remedies are exhausted,
prescription or over-the counter products may provide relief.
Decongestants can dry up nasal secretions, while antibiotics
may be needed if an infection is bacterial in nature.
Adams-Meyer, INC.
701 Old Wheatland Rd
Vincennes, IN
812-882-3910
Always consult with a doctor to get an accurate diagnosis of

mucus issues and sore throat causes. He or she may suggest one of
the tips above or a combination of therapies.

p40-41ShortenCold.indd 2
12/21/15 11:06 AM
What you need to know about
Winter Driving
inter can be
an especially
perilous time
to be on the roads. Snow, ice,
fog and longer nights present
challenges to drivers that can
lead to crashes.
People do less driving
in winter, yet we have more
crashes per mile driven. Some
10,780 people were killed in
car crashes between December and March in 2013
fully one-third of the total
for each year. Non-fatal collisions also occur with greater
frequency in winter months.
You may be an ace behind the wheel when the sun
is shining and roads are dry,
but driving in winter weather can be a different story.
Drivers need to recalibrate

and adjust their driving for
winter road conditions.
Travel can be treacherous when roadway surfaces
are compromised during
winter storms, says Deborah A.P. Hersman, president
and CEO of the National
Safety Council (NSC). The
good news is that in-vehicle
technologies can help drivers
by providing advance warnings and preventing loss of
control.
NSC and the University
of Iowa recently partnered
to launch a campaign called
MyCarDoesWhat, to educate
drivers about vehicle safety
technologies designed to
prevent crashes. The MyCarDoesWhat campaign offers
three major pieces of advice
for driving in wintry conditions:

Slow down. This is the
golden rule of winter
driving. Drivers frequently underestimate
how long it takes to
brake and how difficult
it can be to steer on
slippery roads.
Do not use cruise control
when driving on slippery
surfaces.. It will diminish
your control over the car
and reduce your reaction
time in the event of a
skid.
Bridges and overpasses
freeze before roadways,
so be alert in cold weather when approaching a
bridge.
While a careful and skill-
With the right knowledge and skills, you can make your winter journeys safer.
Photo Mario Beauregard - Fotolia.com
ful driver is always a vehicles

best safety feature, many
safety technologies can help
prevent or reduce the severity
of winter-related crashes.
They include:
Anti-lock braking systems (ABS) help drivers
maintain control by
preventing wheels from
locking up. Your ABS
works differentlythan
traditional brakes, and
requires you to drive
differently too. It delivers
and releases precise
braking pressure to each
wheel as needed, so you
shouldnt pump the
brakes when you have
ABS. Just hold them
down firmly and look
and steer in the direction
you want to go. They
may buzz and vibrate
when the ABS has activated.
Traction control helps
you accelerate without
spinning out on slippery
surfaces.
With electronic stability control, your cars
computer helps sense
when you may be losing
control around a corner
or curve and can stabilize
your car if it begins to
veer off your intended
path.

p42-45TravelStuff.indd 1
12/22/15 1:05 PM
Adaptive headlights adjust to changing roadway

conditions such as curves to provide optimum
illumination along the roadway during the long winter nights and periods of low daytime visibility.
You may be an ace behind the

wheel when the sun is shining and
roads are dry, but driving in winter
weather can be a different story.
Driving in snow and ice requires much more focus
on the conditions and an ability to adapt to an ever-changing, slippery environment, says Daniel McGehee, director of the Transportation and Vehicle Safety
Program at the University of Iowa.
Research shows that most consumers are unsure
about how some potentially life-saving vehicle safety
technologies work. To get better acquainted with your
cars features and learn important winter driving skills,
visit MyCarDoesWhat.org on Twitter and Facebook for
videos and tools.
Photo courtesy of MCC
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812-291-0670
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12/22/15 1:05 PM
Resolve to save for
Travel in 2016
Budget your time
f your budget didnt allow you to take

the vacation you wanted in 2015,
dont let the same reason hinder your
wanderlust in 2016. A few resolutions,
made around the New Year, can help you
reach your vacation goal.
Here are a few quick tips to consider:
Before making any travel plans,

check your jobs vacation policy so you
can budget your days off from work
accordingly. If you dont get paid time off
from work, the pay cut is also an important item to consider in your financial
budget.
Contribute to a vacation
savings account
Temporarily skip extras
Big travel purchases, like airfare

and hotel accommodations, are hefty
withdrawals if you dont set aside money
specifically for a vacation. Earmark a
portion of each paycheck to send straight
to a dedicated vacation savings account.
Once its there, dont touch it until its
time to pay for your trip.
Which of your daily expenses are

necessary and which are optional? Consider packing your lunch for a month or
using the company coffeemaker instead
of indulging in a daily latte at the caf
around the block. At the end of the
month, calculate the savings and pay
yourself by directing this money to your
vacation fund.
Create a budget
Consider coupons
A budget is the only way to track

your spending and ensure you have more
coming in than going out.
Vacation packages found on daily

deal sites can be just the ticket you need
to get the vacation you want for less.
You dont need to defer your vacation again this year. A few tips can keep you
on track for a memorable vacation.
Photo Dangubic - Fotolia.com

12/22/15 1:05 PM
Other travel sites often offer special rates if you bundle purchases.
Investigate these options before resigning yourself to an expensive a
la carte plan.
Be on time
A missed flight or train could cost you a pretty penny you did
not account for when drawing up your vacation budget.
Drivers who travel between the United States

and Canada or plan on renting a car for an international business trip or vacation should understand that driving rules vary from country to
country. One noticeable difference is the side of
the road vehicles travel on, as well as the measurement system used for calculating speed and
distance. Although speedometers will often feature both mph (miles per hour) and kmh (kilometers per hour), it helps to have a rough idea of
the conversion between the two speed measurements. Every mile per hour in speed translates
to roughly 1.7 kilometers per hour. Therefore, if
the posted speed limit is 55 mph in the United
States, expect to travel at 88.5 kph in Canada.
Always heed speed limit postings and regularly check your vehicles speedometer to ensure
you are driving at or below the legal limit. Traffic
offenses that might be tolerated in one country
may not be tolerated across the border, so always
obey the local laws when behind the wheel.
Courtesy of MCC

12/22/15 1:05 PM
I ND I A N A BICE NT E NNIAL 1 8 1 6 - 2 0 1 6
A Time Capsule
In Photos
Photo of retail establishments in downtown Vincennes taken by FSA photographer Arthur Rothstein in June of 1938. This
is the area between First and Second streets, known today at Patrick Henry Drive.
Photos from Library of Congress
FSA photos provide local glimpse of the 1930s

By Bernie Schmitt
he 1930s was a desperate time for many in the United

States, but it also
led to a remarkable
collection of photographs
that documented people
and places in those years.
The collection of
pictures now located in the
Library of Congress are not
only a visual representation
of the Great Depression,
but a glimpse into Americas
past, a look at how different
the country was in the first
half of the 20th Century. It
is a cultural feast.
I became enamored
with the Farm Security AdJOHN VACHON
ministration photographs
when exposed to their riches as a student at Indiana University,

Bloomington, 35 years ago. Dr. I Wilmer Counts, affectionately
known as Will, taught many of us about those pictures and
the photographers who
made them. Counts was our
photojournalism professor
and used the FSA collection
to demonstrate outstanding
documentary photography.
It was a profound lesson.
Some of Americas most
renowned photographers
either got their start, or
achieved notoriety through
their work for the federal
government. The work
was part of the Historical
Section of the Resettlement
Administration, a branch of
federal bureaucracy that atARTHUR ROTHSTEIN
tempted to record in a num-

p46-49FSAPhotos.indd 1
12/22/15 2:09 PM
ber of ways, several of President Franklin

D. Roosevelts New Deal programs.
Rexford G. Tugwell, administrator of
the Resettlement Administration (which
became the FSA), hired Roy Stryker, an
economics professor at Columbia University, to direct the Historical Section.
Stryker was not a photographer, but he
recognized the power of good photography and as a social scientist developed
a team of photographers who gave him
everything he asked for and more.
In the 1972 volume of FSA pictures,
In This Proud Land, Stryker wrote that
the gifted men and women of the
Historical Section produced 270,000
pictures, and said that it is perhaps the
greatest ever assembled in the history of
America.
I had no idea what would happen,
Stryker wrote. I expected competence. I
did not expect to be shocked at what began to come across my desk ... every day
was for me an education and a revelation.
Several photographers visited Indiana, and two, John Vachon and Arthur
Rothstein, made pictures in Vincennes
and in the southern part of the county
where the Deshee Unit of Wabash Farms,
an experimental farming cooperative, was
located. In the late 1980s, Robert L. Reid
This picture of young people reading the Sunday comics in Gregg Park in Vincennes was taken by John Vachon in July of 1941.
of Evansville published a collection of
the Indiana photos in Back Home Again:
Indiana in the Farm Security Administration Photographs, 1935-1943.
The Old State Bank, State Historic
Site, was the site of an FSA exhibit in
August of 1988. Some of Knox County
pictures were in the exhibit, but there are
several more on the Library of Congress
web site.
Norbert Brown of Vincennes has
been collecting old photographs from

the Vincennes and surrounding areas for
years. Readers can see his photo collection
on his "Vincennes Remember When"
Facebook page. He appreciates the FSA
photos and that one can tell a lot about
people and situations from them.
You can tell a lot from their faces,
their eyes, and hands, Brown said. Of
course different people look for different
things. What makes a photo fan-
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12/22/15 2:09 PM
In 1938, Arthur Rothstein photographed what locals called the fresh air hotel,
steel framework that stood for more than 10 years at Fourth and Main streets in
Vincennes. Work began in 1929 on what was to be the George Rogers Clark
Hotel, but the Depression halted the project. Today, Pioneer Oil Co. has its
headquarters at that corner.
tastic? What do we take today that others
100 years from now will look at and say,
Wow, thats fantastic.
Arthur Rothstein was the first photographer hired by Stryker, first to set-up
and operate a darkroom. But within a
couple of months, Rothstein was traversing America with camera equipment.
Reid writes in Back Home Again that
as native from New York City, Rothstein
brought a freshness of vision to his pictures of rural life.
Rothstein later joined Look Magazine
and later Parade Magazine where he had
a distinguished career as a photojournalist and editor. His most famous FSA
photo was of a father and his two sons
making their way back to a shack in the
middle of a dust storm in Oklahoma.
Rothstein died in 1985.
John Vachon worked his way up
within the Historical Section from mes-
senger, to junior file clerk, to occasional

photographer. He became a fulltime
photographer for the agency in 1940,
thanks to encouragement by Stryker and
some of the other FSA photographers.
His other Indiana work includes Martin,
Daviess, and Marion counties.
Dorothea Lange, another FSA
photographer whose iconic image of the
migrant mother is emblematic of the Depression, said Vachons work had a quality of sensitivity. She said sometimes
it gets to the place where it hurts a little.
John can do that. Vachon later worked
for the Office of War Information, the
Standard Oil photography project, and
then Look Magazine. He died in 1975.
It is remarkable that something
like the cooperative farming enterprise
occurred in Knox County, and wonderful that such well-revered photographers
came here to photograph what was

12/22/15 2:09 PM
happening. Without their work, there

would be no proof of the Deshee Units
existence, or of the steel girders at Fourth
and Main in Vincennes that locals
referred to as the fresh air hotel. (The
girders were supposed to be for a George
Rogers Clark Hotel but money ran
out and the girders stood until the steel
was removed for the war effort in the
early 1940s.)
What information is available for
the pictures comes from the sparse
caption information the photographers
themselves attached to them. There are
some photos that have no information.
The images, however, tend to speak for
themselves.
In 1939, Vachon wrote what it
meant to be an FSA photographer:
To photograph any American people, phenomenon, or locality, the FSA
photographer should have a thorough
knowledge of his subject, both information acquired beforehand, and knowledge gained through actual contact. Then
he must have feeling. Despite the fact
that he is going to use an impersonal
instrument to record what he sees he
must be intelligent enough to place what
he sees in true perspective in the American scene, to feel the humor, the pity, the
Vachon photographed a couple on their Vincennes front porch during a Sunday

afternoon in July, 1941. Readers are encouraged to contact Boomer Magazine
if they know the identity of persons in FSA photos. The captions provided by
photographers did not identify the people.
beauty of the situation he photographs.
And lastly, the photographer must have a
compelling desire to record what he sees
and feels. He will want to freeze instantaneously the reality before him that it may
be seen and felt by others.

Images of the Farm Security Administration
and much more can be found on the Library
of Congress web site at www.loc.gov.

12/22/15 2:10 PM
BOOMER FITNESS
UNCOMMON WAYS TO
USE COCONUT OIL
By Kaila Stevens
ecently I had friends

over for dinner and like
any good host, I opened
every room up to my guests.
During the visit, a friend used
my restroom where I so happened to
leave my
coconut
oil out
on the
counter.
Afterward, she
proceeded to
question why I had coconut
oil in my bathroom. I told her
coconut oil has replaced the
expensive anti-aging cream I
use nightly to moisturize my
skin.
Researchers show using
coconut oil can reduce wrinkles and used has an eye cream
can minimize the appearance
of wrinkles and keep skin
looking smooth. Coconut oil
also encourages the production of collagen. Collagen is
linked to the elasticity of the
skin. The more elastic your
skin has, the more youthful
your appearance.
After this, she wanted to know
more about coconut oil and all the uses
it holds. A common misconception is
that cooking oil is only good for cooking. But it can be used in almost every
aspect of your life. From cooking to
cleaning to beauty, coconut oil deserves
a place on everyones shelves.
What is coconut oil exactly? Coconut oil is one of the unique foods that
can actually be characterized as a superfood. Containing a distinctive combination of fatty acids, it has exclusive
medicinal properties. When digested,
coconut oil is effective at killing harmful
pathogens including bacteria, viruses and
fungi.
So for the past couple of weeks she
and I have been trading coconut oil uses
back and forth. This article is a collection
of just a few examples and things we
have tried.
Next time you get a small wound
or scrape, grab some coconut oil and
smear it on the cut and surrounding
skin. The oil will form a protective
layer against dust or bacteria. And it
doesnt sting!
Adding a spoonful of coconut oil
to your morning smoothie or coffee can
give you a natural energy boost without
extra stored fat. Coconut oil contains
medium chain triglycerides, and these
unique fats provide energy instead of
being stored by the body. And if coconut isnt your favorite taste, a smoothie
is a great way to mask the taste.
Do you drink hot tea when a cold
or flu rears its ugly head? I do. Adding
a tablespoon into hot tea helps speed
recovery. Coconut oil is high in lauric
acid and is thought to dissolve thelipid
coating around some viruses and make
them more susceptible to attack by the
immune system.
Coconut oil contains

medium chain triglycerides,
and these unique fats
provide energy instead of
being stored by the body.
With its variety of beneficial properties, coconut oil is often considered
a natural antibiotic and is an especially
effective treatment for sinus infections.
Rub coconut oil on the inside of your
nose to help alleviate allergy symptoms.
These are just a few examples of the
amazing properties of coconut oil. Coconut oil is a natural Mr. Fix It. If you have
any other uses of coconut oil I would
love to hear them. Email me at kaila.
stevens@goshennews.com.
Kaila Stevens is a health and wellness
columnist. A four-time NCCAA AllAmerican, she was team captain for the
Bethel College womens track team.

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January 2016 Boomer

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BOOMER

Knox County New

Uncommon uses for

EDUCATE AND EMPOWER

PACE CEO Bertha Proctor committed to community development

4 January 2016 Boomer

Whats on your resolution list?

January 2016 Vol. 8, Issue 3

Low-impact exercise for the mind and

Wine storage: The long and short of it

Photo by Joy Neighbors

Stay calm and open a Health Savings

Photo by Bernie Schmitt

44 Resolve to Save for Travel in

46 A Time Capsule in Photos

FSA photos provide local glimpse of the

Uncommon ways to use coconut oil

On the Cover: Dr. Bertha Proctor, CEO

Photo by Bernie Schmitt

Bluegrass Jam, library events

14 Someone You Should Know

Dugger Coal Museum

A movie in a time long, long ago

Photo from Library of Congress

6 January 2016 Boomer

THE BOOMER 1040

s there a correlation between

tion in order can be a stress-reliever, just like

orget quick-fixes, and think long-term.

Cheers to your health and your wealthHappy New Year 2016!

Boomer January 2016 7

BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION IN VINCENNES

Alice production set for Memorial

ndianas first city will see

early American history. The musical is

8 January 2016 Boomer

survive focused on a greater good, the

It is interesting that Red Skelton

The original novel was

man, dedicated to the American cause,

In addition to Alice, other characters influence the outcome of their

...is looking for writers and/or photographers

Cover local events, write human interest features

Boomer January 2016 9

SERVING THE AREAS LEGAL

ooler weather keeps many

Know what you have

Clean the closets thoroughly

Take inventory of your

10 January 2016 Boomer

or those you bought on a whim because

ment period is over if items havent sold

Immediately bag donation

Organize the clothing you keep by

Group remaining keep

cise, etc.). Arrange the clothes in a way

Consider moving off-season

Move items you will be donating

Dont overlook sales

Boomer January 2016 11

YEAH, IM A BOOMER, BUT...

THIS IS WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW

hat the world