Hoosier

On June 2 of the year I turned 10, we left our first home. It was the house my great-grandfather had built. My dad's commute was horrendous. It took him anywhere from 15-20 minutes to get to work. So we moved.

Our new place was more do-able. Five minutes. In traffic. But we were still in the "country."

I believe I inherited my aversion to covenants and homeowners' associations from my father. He bought well. Our fencerow to the south was the city boundary. On our side of the fence you could do cool stuff like burn trash, have cows and sheep, and drink well water. If you stepped south across the fence, you were standing in the largest town in Daviess County, Indiana. Washington. County seat. Population: 12,000.

If you need me this weekend, that's where you'll find me. I will be somewhere near the dessert table of the 86th Houts-Barber family reunion, which is being held on my parents' property. I have not lived there since 1978, but it's still home to me in many ways.

A part of that home-ness is Hoosier pride. In case you're wondering what charms Indiana might hold, you should know that plenty of famous people have called Indiana home.

Be Saved & B-Ball

Evangelist Billy Sunday moved his home base to Winona Lake in Northern Indiana. At the southern end of the state, a gangly youth named Larry Bird played high school basketball. He went on to play college ball at Indiana State University, but then he moved to Boston.

A Prez, a Poet, Better Living through Chemicals, and I'd Like that in Large Bills

We claim not only natives, but people who have achieved a more permanent residency. President Benjamin Harrison (b. North Bend, OH), Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley, Colonel Eli Lilly (b. Baltimore, MD), and capital emancipator John Dillinger are contributing to soil enrichment in Indianapolis's Crown Hill Cemetery.

From the Front

Before there was CNN in a hotel in Baghdad, there were other, more adventurous war correspondents. Ernie Pyle, whose goal was to report on the real story of life on the front lines of war, was from Indiana.

Where's the Horse?

A couple of brothers in South Bend owned and operated a blacksmith shop. They made wagons for the U.S. Army. Entry-level management books talk about trying to create better buggy whips while your market moves on. Clement and Henry Studebaker successfully negotiated the paradigm shift from horses pulling in front of the wheels to horses' asses pulling into traffic from behind the wheel.

I Fight Authority, then Eat Lasagna

Rock musician John Mellencamp hails from Seymour, Indiana. It might be fun to go and see if they have little pink houses. Garfield the Cat's creator, Jim Davis, was born in Fairmount. If Garfield seems like a rebel without a cause, it could be because actor James Dean came from the same town.

Go West!

Abraham Lincoln moved to southern Indiana as a child and stayed until age 21. He moved west to begin his career in law. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael--better known as the Jackson 5--moved west from Gary, Indiana to launch their careers. There have been some interesting moments with the law there, too.

... and Out of This World

Avery Brooks, who played Captain Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, got his terrestrial beginnings in Evansville, Indiana.


The list goes on far longer than most are willing to read. What follows is by no means comprehensive, but peruse away and use your favorite browser to delve for more information. If you want to know, "Dave, who in the hell is ________?" I won't think less of you and I'll even do a little sleuthing on your behalf. Just leave a comment below.

More People Fortunate Enough to Be Born in Indiana

Anne Baxter (Michigan City)
Arija Bareikis (Bloomington)
Bill Gaither (Alexandria
Bill Blass (Ft. Wayne)
Bob Griese (Evansville)
Booth Tarkington (Indianapolis)
Carole Lombard (Ft. Wayne)
Cole Porter (Peru)
David Anspaugh (Decatur)
David Letterman (Indianapolis)
David Wolf (Indianapolis)
Elwood Haynes (Portland)
Eugene Debs (Terre Haute)
Evan Bayh (Shirkieville)
Florence Henderson (Dale)
Gus Grissom (Mitchell)
Hoagy Carmichael (Bloomington)
James N. Muir (Indianapolis)
Jane Pauley (Indianapolis)
Janet Flanner (Indianapolis)
Janet Jackson (Gary)
Jessamyn West (Vernon)
Jimmy Hoffa (Brazil)
John Wooden (Hall)
Joshua Bell (Bloomington)
Kurt Vonnegut (Indianapolis)
Janet Jackson (Gary)
Little Turtle (Whitley County)
Marshall "Major" Taylor (Indianapolis)
Max Ehrmann (Terre Haute)
Phil Harris (Linton)
Red Skelton (Vincennes)
Robert Indiana (New Castle)
Ryan White (Kokomo)
Scatman Crothers (Terre Haute)
Shelley Long (Fort Wayne)
Steve Burton (Indianapolis)
Steve McQueen (Beech Grove)
Axl Rose (Lafayette)
Steve Wariner (Noblesville)
Theodore Dreiser (Terre Haute)
Thomas Marshall (North Manchester)
Vivica Fox (South Bend)
Wes Montgomery (Indianapolis)
Wendell Wilkie (Elwood)
Will Geer (Frankfort)
Wilbur Wright (Millville)

The folks above may not live in Indiana today (if they live at all). But they are from here. And the moonlight's still fair tonight along the Wabash and you might catch a glimpse of something through the sycamores while your allergies are acting up. And pretty soon I'll be back home again. In Indiana.