2019 Golden Hoosier Recipients
2019 Golden Hoosier photo gallery - click here.
Bob Bowman | New Castle (Henry County)
Nominated by Jenny Hamilton
In his many years of devoted volunteerism, Bob Bowman has worked to improve life for children in his community and in the world. As a lay leader in the United Methodist Church in the late 1980s, he co-founded Operation Classroom to bring educational opportunities to children in war-torn nations in West Africa. The thriving program now has support from churches throughout the U.S. At home, he’s deeply involved with the Salvation Army, the United Way and the Kiwanis Club, where he’s embraced the Kiwanis mission of improving the world by making lasting differences in the lives of children. Among his favorite volunteer roles is selling tickets to an annual pancake breakfast that raises money to buy new shoes for children in need. A friend describes the impact of his generosity this way: “A man of ideals and action, Bob has spent over three decades committed to extending Hoosier hospitality beyond borders, seas and nations.”
Nancy Conner | Columbus (Bartholomew County)
Nominated by Kashmira Mehta
Nancy Conner has been an active volunteer in her community, focused on helping those who face special challenges in life. In her work with such organizations as Meals on Wheels, the Orphan Grain Train, Just Friends Adult Day Services and Developmental Services, Inc., she offers friendship and support to the some of the most vulnerable members of her community. So it was no surprise to friends when she decided to trek to the “end of the Earth” to raise money for the Foundation for Youth, which provides educational and recreational activities to Columbus-area children. Earlier this year, Conner took an adventure trip to the southern tip of South America—kayaking, hiking and walking across glaciers—to raise money to finance scholarships. For a woman who organizes pickleball tournaments to benefit the foundation, the trip had an added benefit. As she says, “We want to get the message out that, no matter what age you are, exercising and being outdoors is very important to a good quality of life.”
Marilyn Edmonds | Windfall (Tipton County)
Nominated by Janell List
In the small Indiana city of Tipton, Marilyn Edmonds is doing volunteer work that has a global reach. As a devoted member of the Rock Prairie Baptist Church, she’s involved with multiple ministries. But she may be best known and appreciated for her work with Operation Christmas Child, a project of the Samaritan’s Purse humanitarian relief organization, which has delivered 157 million gift-filled shoeboxes to boys and girls around the world. Just in the past four years, Marilyn has been responsible for creating more than 500 boxes filled with gifts, school supplies, hygiene items and personal notes of love and prayers provided not just by her church’s members but neighboring congregations as well. To help support the project, Marilyn organizes rummage sales, collecting and sorting through heaps of donated items for treasures that can be sold to raise money needed to help fill the gift boxes. A volunteer who works closely with Marilyn commented that it would take 10 women to do what Marilyn does.
Merlin Foresman | Hebron (Porter County)
Nominated by Gerald Glatt
Known as the “go-to guy” when people are in need in his community, longtime Knights of Columbus member and volunteer Merlin Foresman has a knack for raising money for projects that serve some of the most vulnerable people in and around Porter County. His generosity of time and talent have benefitted a great number of good causes, including the Santa and his Elves program that provides Christmas gifts to families that otherwise would go without; and the “Tootsie Roll Drive” that raises funds to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He’s also turned his grant-writing skills to benefit a beloved bicycle-recycling project, which was started by a friend who’d met a homeless child who’d never owned a bike. The project, spearheaded by the Knights of Columbus Council 7473, has rebuilt hundreds of discarded bicycles to donate to families who can’t afford bikes for their children and for adults who need a bike to get to a job.
Nancy Griffin | Indianapolis (Marion County)
Nominated by Vaneta Becker
Longtime disability advocate Nancy Griffin has left an indelible mark on the disability-rights movement in Indiana and in doing so, has helped improve the quality of life for countless Hoosiers. In 2015, the Indiana General Assembly took notice of her work, honoring her for, among other things, her tireless efforts on behalf of Indiana senior citizens and their unique healthcare needs. Described as an effective lobbyist for constituents whom often have little voice, she’s been credited for preserving needed funding for home- and community-based, long-term care services. Her expertise is deep: Almost 30 years ago, she wrote the first Medicaid waiver application for Indiana to gain federal funding for community-based services, creating opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live much more independent lives. Nominated by State Sen. Vaneta Becker, Nancy is described as “unsung hero” for overcoming her own challenges. Says Becker: “Nancy has overcome barriers showing that being disabled does not take your voice away.”
Thomas Hirons | Indianapolis (Marion County)
Nominated by Connie Lawson
Thomas “Tom” Hirons opened his namesake communications agency after graduating from Indiana University in 1978. More than 40 years later, Hirons is one of Indiana’s leading advertising, public relations and digital marketing firms. But in those years, Hirons wasn’t just devoted to building up his company; he also volunteered countless hours building up his community, his beloved alma mater, and the Hoosier State. He’s served in important board and advisory roles with the Martin University, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, and the IU School of Informatics, to name a few organizations that have benefitted from his expertise. His talents, in the past couple of years, have helped the Macaw Recovery Project restore parrot populations to their historic range across Costa Rica and helped the historic St. Mary Church near downtown Indianapolis save its soaring steeples. His nominator, Secretary of State Connie Lawson, says, “Tom’s energy and resilience are contagious.”
Elsie Hofmann | Connersville (Fayette County)
Nominated by Erika Scott
Elsie Hofmann’s granddaughter Erika Scott had no problem making the case for why the Connersville woman was a worthy candidate for the Golden Hoosier Award, since, as Erika says, Elsie “exceeds the eligibility requirements.” Soon to turn 95, the lifelong Hoosier has been volunteering at the Fayette Regional Health System hospital for 42 years and still spends an average of four days a week helping to staff the hospital gift shop. “Employees, patients and visitors alike have been greeted and assisted by Elsie’s smiling face and kind words for as long as many can remember,” says Erika. Because of her long commitment to her community, Elsie was selected in 2016 to be a torch bearer, representing Fayette County, in the Indiana’s celebration of its bicentennial. “She’s as busy as always,” says Erika. “And she’s a great example of how an active, healthy lifestyle keeps you fit and young at heart.”
Ethylgene Josh | Vincennes (Knox County)
Nominated by Patty Dreiman
Award accepted by Joan Nash
Ethylgene Josh, known by her nickname of “Gene,” has earned a special place in hearts of the staff and fellow volunteers at the Knox County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. Her many years of service to the organization dedicated to tapping into the wisdom and experience of seniors to help solve community needs, has earned her a lifetime membership on the RSVP Advisory Council. She brings to the role deep experience working with inter-generational programs that benefit some of the youngest members of her beloved Vincennes community, including the Little Elves Workshops, Kids Read and Kids Hope—all programs focused on supporting early learners and their families. And visitors to the Good Samaritan Hospital gift shop know her from her 50-plus years of service there as a hospital auxiliary member. A friend calls her service inspiring, saying her dedication, concern for others, and her gift for inspiring others to volunteer makes her an excellent candidate for the Golden Hoosier Award.
Virginia “Jenny” Kirkham | Palmyra (Harrison County)
Nominated by Lucy Koesters
Long focused on making her rural community a welcoming place for citizens of all ages, Virginia “Jenny” Kirkham has taken on a wide range of volunteer roles, from coordinating an important hot-lunch program for senior citizens to serving as a tireless member of the local solid waste and recycling board. Her love for Palmyra has manifested itself in many ways, including playing an instrumental role in the success and continued growth of the Pal Wow Family Fun, an annual event that celebrates true Hoosier hospitality. Her wise counsel on the needs of the elderly and the disabled is also much appreciated by staff at a local senior-living facility, where she serves as an advisor. Friends say Jenny has contributed immeasurably to quality of life in her community for so many, with her endless gifts of hope and good cheer. Jenny, they say, is “100% committed to her community.”
Pat Koch | Santa Claus (Spencer County)
Nominated by Nell Hedge
Pat Koch may be best known for her years of tireless support for her family-owned theme park, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, in the little town of Santa Claus, Ind., where she was dubbed the “queen of clean” for her habit of picking up trash at the popular park. But friends also call her the “Chief Elf” of Santa’s Elves, a non-profit dedicated to answering letters addressed to Santa and sent to her small town from children all over the world. This letter-answering tradition first started in 1914 with community volunteers and has expanded to a global presence under Pat’s stewardship. The town receives 20,000 to 25,000 letters to Santa annually and it’s Koch who leads her team of all-ages volunteers toward a lofty goal: Making sure each child gets back a personalized letter from Santa. While her volunteerism has also benefitted the Sisters of St. Benedict, the local chambers of commerce and the Junior Achievement of Southwest Indiana, she’s best known for life’s work of keeping alive the spirit and joy of giving to others.
Robert Lacer | Newburgh (Warrick County)
Nominated by Ron Bacon
Though retired as a school principal, Robert Lacer remains devoted to the children of Warrick County, often focusing his efforts on those most in need. Described as an empathetic and compassionate man by friends and former students, Robert has taken lead volunteer roles in organizations—including the Warrick County Community Foundation, the Warrick Education Center and Studio Bee—to help students make the most of their educational opportunities. Recently, he’s played a key leadership role with the Friends of Warrick County CASA (the Court Appointed Special Advocate program) to recruit, train and support fellow volunteers to represent neglected and abused children in the court system. His fund-raising efforts for the organization have led to an expansion of the CASA office to serve the community in new ways. He’s also mentored a young person with special needs for the past 16 years. Says an admirer: “If every community had a Mr. Lacer, the quality of life would be immeasurably improved.”
William Lewellen | Richmond (Wayne County)
Nominated by Jenny Hamilton
Though officially retired from his role as pastor of the Temple of God Church in Richmond, William Lewellen never stopped serving his congregation and his community. He continues to volunteer his time at the church to offer the same support and services he did while he was employed, officiating at funerals and weddings and regular Sunday services. His most noted service may be the work he does feeding body and soul through providing educational and recreational activities to Columbus-area children. Lewellen oversees the church’s food pantry, opened in 1992 to give people hope as well as ease their hunger. He’s also well-known for the years spent as a volunteer chaplain at the local hospital, offering comfort to the ill and dying—and their worried and grieving families. As a friend says of Lewellen: “His desire to provide peace, guidance and a gentle touch to the abused, forgotten, ill, dying or forlorn has been a 30-year testament toward the meaning of Indiana grace.”
Stanley Madison | Lyles Station (Gibson County)
Nominated by Eric Heidenreich
Stanley Madison is a visionary leader of a devoted group of volunteers who’ve invested much of their time, talent and treasure into saving and restoring Lyles Station, the only historic rural black settlement still standing in Indiana. Madison, founder and chairman of the Lyles Station Historic Preservation Committee, is a fifth-generation Lyles Station farmer. He, along with other remaining Lyles Station residents, have dedicated themselves to preserving the legacy of the freed Tennessee slaves who founded the Gibson County farming settlement in 1849. Their extraordinary efforts in enlisting local, state and federal support led to the restoration of the historic Lyles Station schoolhouse, which now operates as a museum and heritage learning center that tells the story of rural African-American life in the 19th and 20th century. Today, the school’s living-history classroom gives students the opportunity to experience a day in the life of schoolchildren in the early 1900s.
Sister Jane Michele McClure | Evansville (Vanderburgh County)
Nominated by Bob Jones
Admirers of Sister Jane Michelle McClure know her as the “face of Habitat” for her many successful years as the major gifts officer for Habitat for Humanity of Evansville. Described by friends as a relentless, passionate, compelling fundraiser for a housing program for struggling families, she was instrumental in her local Habitat’s effort to build a record 500 homes—a goal reached by few other affiliates. But it’s her added volunteer work as an optimistic advocate for social justice, interfaith cooperation and the environment that has also earned her the nickname of “Energizer bunny.” This year, the Benedictine sister is celebrating her Jubilee year—50 years in religious life—with continued commitment to putting God’s love into action. A practitioner of power yoga in her spare time, McClure was inspired to her vocation by a holy card she was given when she was young, which read: “Live your life for something that will outlast it.”
Bertie McKenna | Connersville (Fayette County)
Nominated by Tara Madden
Dedicated volunteer Bertie McKenna is deeply involved with the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life events in Fayette County, helping to raise money to fight cancer through research and education. A cancer survivor herself, she’s been involved with the Relay experience since it first came to her home community 20 years ago. Now she’s the well-known co-chair of the annual event that’s come to be known now as the Fayette County Way to Cure. A fearless fundraiser for such a good cause, she’s taken on the role of contacting businesses, community leaders and local philanthropists to ask for the financial support needed to make the event a success. She’s become known as the “voice of the Relay,” says an admirer—so well known that when she makes a call to a potential donor, she can barely get through her pitch before they cut her off. People on the receiving end of her calls know her voice, and they’ve developed such a trust in her that their question to her is, “How much should I give?”
Elizabeth Mitchell | Bloomington (Monroe County)
Nominated by Lucy Schaich
Historian and documentarian Elizabeth Mitchell has long been a valuable member of Monroe County History Center, in her efforts to celebrate the unacknowledged contributions of African-Americans in her beloved Bloomington. But her determination to re-tell the forgotten stories of once-thriving African-American communities in Indiana has led to the restoration of an important church landmark in historic West Baden and broadened the understanding of the unheralded service workers—the nannies, bellmen, maids, porters and waiters—that provided the labor needed to make the early 20th century West Baden Springs Hotel a lavish, world-known resort. Mitchell, leading a small army of volunteers, has dedicated countless hours to saving the First Baptist Church, once one of Indiana’s most-endangered historic places. As Mitchell says, it’s not just about preserving a church, it’s about preserving the legacy of the people that made that town.
Cherie Rump | Dillsboro (Dearborn County)
Nominated by Susan Greco
Cherie Rump’s decades of volunteerism started in her teens, when she volunteered as a candy striper at the local hospital. Her assignment was simple: preparing food for hospital visitors. But it started a lifetime of service benefitting a multitude of organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, ARC of Dearborn County and the Dillsboro Park Advisory Board. A retired librarian, she’s brought her love of learning to many projects, including a years-long effort to raise money to open a public library in her small town. Her advocacy for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities benefitted not just them, but brought understanding to their peers of what it’s like to be differently abled. Her endless energy in recent years has turned the Dillsboro Heritage Festival from what was to be a one-time, one-day event into an annual weekend celebration of the history of her beloved community. Writes a friend, “She tackles any job that is put before her and completes the work with excellence and humility.”
Bernice Stacey | New Castle (Henry County)
Nominated by Vanessa Convard-Brinkley and Kimberly Bridges
Devoted volunteer Bernice Stacey has a visible impact on her community, most notably as a champion of the historic Guyer Opera House. In encouraging others by example to invest their time, talent and treasure in the project, she’s helped save the only remaining gaslight-era theater in Henry County. From coordinating cleaning of the building to choreography of productions held there, her “can-do” attitude is described by a friend as follows: “If it needs to be done, she will find a way.” An avid gardener in public spaces, she’s also lent her skills to causes that serve children, veterans and cancer survivors. The retired special education teacher who taught in a juvenile correctional facility may be most admired, though, for her encouraging attitude that has inspired young people in her community to succeed beyond their dreams. As one young friend related, Bernice convinced her she could excel in college despite doubts. “I am just one of the many people that she has volunteered her time and energy on,” says that friend.
Phyllis Stewart | Vincennes (Knox County)
Nominated by Patty Dreiman
Phyllis Stewart is long retired from teaching, but she’s never stopped helping young people grow and learn. A devoted volunteer with the Knox County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, Phyllis has invested thousands of hours into the well-being of Knox County children, working on projects ranging from vision-screening to kindergarten-preparedness. For many years, she’s taken part in the award-winning Generations’ Disability Awareness program, in which schoolchildren learn first-hand what it’s like to live with a disability. Vincennes has benefitted in many other ways from her love for her community. Among them: she’s taken an active role in the Christmas Tree Angel program that provides much-appreciated gifts for the homebound; she volunteers at the Vincennes University Red Skelton Performing Arts Center; and she helps staff the Knox County Reality Store, which helps middle-school students learn how to navigate difficult decisions that will impact the rest of their lives. Says a friend: “She makes such an impact in the Knox County community donating her time and talents.”
Inez Voyles | Corydon (Harrison County)
Nominated by Angel Frizzell
Corydon native Inez Voyles has put in many volunteer hours in her community, enhancing and supporting the work done by Main Street Corydon, Harrison County Arts, Habitat for Humanity and Harrison County Community Services. Her willingness to do whatever is needed, from raising funds to sweeping floors to marketing events, has endeared her to community leaders who praise her dedication and contagious laughter. She’s especially appreciated for the many hours she invested in helping to save The Artisan Center, a gallery that provides exhibit space for local artists, which had been in peril of closing. As a welcoming ambassador for the historic town, she played a key role in hosting international music ensembles invited to the community through the Arts Midwest World Fest. The retired nursing home administrator is described by a friend as “a true example of Indiana hospitality at its best.”
David White | Bloomington (Monroe County)
Nominated by Lucy Schaich
Longtime Indiana University biology professor David White decided before he retired 19 years ago to make his volunteerism impactful, telling friends he’d decided that vulnerable people’s voices should be heard, including by those in the agencies created to help them. It’s been a guiding principle since he’s volunteered his time and talent working to help lift people out of poverty, homelessness and the despair of incarceration. Editor and publisher of the Safety-Net free community services newspaper, which connects people with resources to people in need, White’s volunteerism has also benefitted the South Central Community Action Program, the Community Kitchen, Harmony School, the Shalom Center, the Interfaith Winter Shelter, New Leaf/New Life and the Puck Players Puppet Theater—to name a few. “He sees a need and starts a grassroots movement,” says a friend. “It is really impossible to determine how many hundreds, even thousands, of people David has affected both directly and indirectly.”
Shirley Willard | Rochester (Fulton County)
Nominated by Willis Willard
An almost forgotten chapter in Indiana history was saved by Rochester author, researcher and preservationist Shirley Willard, whose dedication to building relationships with Potawatomi tribal leaders brought light to one of Indiana’s darkest moments. As a teacher in the 1970s, Willard saw that textbooks were still glossing over the forced removal of Potawatomi American Indians from Indiana to Kansas in the fall of 1838. She knew the reality was much harsher and that the fatal undertaking would become known as the Trail of Death. In the decades since that discovery, she’s played a central role in restoring the forced Potawatomi removal to its rightful place in history by getting it included in four Indiana history textbooks. Her desire to turn tragedy into an opportunity to learn led her to establish the Trail of Courage Living History Festival, now in its 44th year, celebrating the contributions of the Potawatomi Indians and the settlers who lived in northern Indiana in the early 1800s.
Lorrie Woycik | Valparaiso (Porter County)
Nominated by Ed Charbonneau
When longtime Special Olympics volunteer coach Lorrie Woycik learned that a quirk in Indiana law would end the practice of using public school buses to take her athletes to competitions, she knew the possible consequence: The entire program that she’d devoted decades to would be in peril. Woycik had seen how Special Olympic athletes had inspired people in her community to open their hearts to a wider world of talent and potential—and she wasn’t going to let that go. Working closely with area legislators, Woycik sought and won a legislative fix. Her friend, state Sen. Ed Charbonneau, calls her the “moving force” behind the passage of what would become the first bill that Gov. Eric Holcomb signed into law. In celebrating her 50 years with Special Olympics, the retired educator says she’s still inspired by her athletes’ ability to reject limitations. “I’ve learned a lot more from them than they’ve learned from me,” she says.