Who Gets What?

Scholar, Dean, founder of The Indiana German Heritage Society, a facilitator of The Indianapolis-Cologne Sister City Committee, and teacher, Giles Hoyt knows the history and culture as well as anyone. Here we learn about The Athenaeum, fine bakeries in Indianapolis, as well as about the skill of teaching and differences among students at different campuses.  

Having served as a judge, mayor, county historian and teacher of government and political science, Joe Castelo has observed directly, personally, painfully, the slow demise of rural, small town Indiana. Here we learn about departure of young people, the absence of state support for beneficial highway routes, slow internet speeds, the powerful role of "community spirit," and disappearance of locally-owned banks and newspapers.

This conversation with Ed Richardson, President & CEO of Thomas & Skinner, Inc., is a detailed discussion about management of a business, in this case, a manufacturer of ALNICO magnets. The magnets are used in satellites, missiles, aircraft, and even watt meters in homes.   Subjects are skilled and unskilled labor, Indiana's business environment, hiring and creating U.S. citizens, tariffs, and dealing with a static market.   

With thirty six years of advocacy, The Hoosier Environmental Council has protected our state's most valuable asset, the place where we live. Led by our guest, The Council has worked to protect rural areas from animal factory pollution, inventoried and proposed methods to limit the dangers of coal ash dumps (Indiana has more than any other state), worked for more protected land and for sustainable energy.  

With pending termination of a national forestry act, The Indiana Forest Alliance is advocating protection and reforestation.   Trees, it says, begin to solve the problem of climate change because they remove offending particles from the air.  Urban forestry both lowers temperatures and raises home values.   And a program of classified forests, areas of 10 acres or more, privately held, pay taxes on only $13 of assessed value, as opposed to more than $3,000 for unprotected private land, if owners pledge to maintain trees.   

Listen to the end, where you will hear a piano solo by Emmet Cohen, the 2019 American Pianists Award Winner.  For this, we thank our guest, Joel Harrison, President, CEO and Artistic Director, from whom we learn about The Jazz Competition, The Classical Competition, and his personal history managing the association since 2001.   Joel has a big job:  organizing, raising funds, managing money, and playing that Steinway Grand sitting comfortably in his home.  

Experienced opinion-gatherer Jeff Lewis talks about two Indiana statesmen, Senators Bayh and Lugar, both having recently passed away. Among topics are challenges facing polling organizations, how salience affects responses, whether the census (and, by extension, polling organizations) will find utility by using the internet, and dysfunction in present-day Washington, D.C. 

Ray Moistner is Executive Director of The Indiana Hardwood Lumbermens Association which represents wood from start to finish:  planting, extracting, replacing, cutting, shipping, protecting and manufacturing into finish products. Much here that John and Morton did not know:  that Indiana, for example, replaces 2.3 trees for every tree removed, that we are not deforesting like Brazil, that out-of-state marauders stole Indiana timber until Ray's association lobbied to make such thefts a felony, and much more.   

Carol Rogers helps to manage Stats America, used by more than 1 million persons a year to quickly find practical data for decision making.   In Indianapolis, even up-to-the-minute pot hole data is available. Data, of course, provides information, but not always answers.  Why, for example, is Indiana in the top three states attracting incoming college freshman, but most of them leave us. This conversation also includes information about the 2020 Census.  

Our guest, Glen Kwok, CEO of The International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, is a world leader in developing and promoting the finest emerging violinists. In this stimulating interview he talks about careers of violinists,  modern violins which duplicate the sounds and effectiveness of those made by the old masters, as well as the unique phenomenon that the Indianapolis competition, scheduled every four years, is the best in the world, though not always seen as such by the home town.

James Glass has spent most of his life studying and protecting historic buildings. As one of the first staff members of The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission, and as a doctoral student whose thesis topic was the history of one of the first preservation acts of Congress, James knows his stuff. Naturally, Morton challenges assumptions about the value of old properties, a common element in our series of conversations.

Tom Akins was principal timpanist of The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra from 1965 to 1991.  He wrote a history of the ISO called "Crecsendo"  (1930-2005) and "Behind The Copper Fence" about the dynamics of an orchestra, playing his instrument, working with other musicians, tuning, and even the ISO softball team. He told us how a person with only two arms and two legs manages four drums in a concert, especially in a concerto for timpani.      

Judge Judy, interesting estates, classic automobiles, women in the law, trailers, the Wabash river, litigation, are some of the topics covered in this wide-ranging conversation with 50-year attorney John Gambs of Lafayette, Indiana. Not mentioned is the restaurant menu item, The Gambs Burger.  (Yes, a real restaurant offered this real burger.)

Mike Furnish is a "white hat," a referee of Indiana high school football games.  Within the profession, he is a leader, having been active in associations and as a teacher of rules to new officials. Mike also is past president of Special Olympics Indiana. Here we learn how a crew operates, the personal challenges and rewards, and how Peyton Manning butchered a coin toss.

James Johnson, CEO of The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, converses with Morton and John about hiring musicians, the correlation between young persons who played an instrument and their love of music as adults, how musicians are hired, the role of video images, and financial dynamics between management and musicians.   In his view, transparency and pizza make a difference.

Howeypolitics.com, a thorough, popular, award-winning internet news service in Indiana, was started by Brian, an inevitable evolution of journalism that started with his grandfather, then his father, then a news clipping service, and, now, daily and weekly emailed newsletters, by subscription, plus a web site with several dozen contributors.   And this question:   will philanthropic or government-sponsored news replace for-profit business models? 

Having created and served a half dozen festivals of film, Craig Prater arrived in Indianapolis to make ours even more world class.   Craig is first a believer in the positive power of film, and, second, in the opportunities afforded by Indianapolis. In less than three years, he has created a festival of short films and a "cultural journey" (films from one country, such as Mexico, India and Germany).  

David Horth, Chief Executive Officer of Indyhumane, talks about services, philosophies, and his personal journey to becoming head of the largest humane society in Indiana.    

Journalist, author, playwright, and, at one time, stand-up comedian, Lou Harry, talks about journalism. The discussion includes the four tenants of the code of ethics of The Society of Professional Journalist.        

Following up on last week's podcast with retired city planner Clarke Kahlo we talk about specific projects:   trees on Crown Hill Cemetery, public art on the scenic canal walk, park space on the canal, trees on streets, and the new White River visioning project proposed by developers and tourism advocates. Volunteer citizen action resulted in cancellation or substantial modification in various proposals that would have eliminated green space and remove trees.