Mediocrity in the athletic department was tolerated by the administration, winning wasn’t a priority and Tony Hinkle’s
five principles—humility, passion, unity, servanthood and thankfulness—had not been adopted as “The Butler
Way.”
Almost eight months ago, I used this space to share the new perspective on life I discovered as a side effect of my battle
with cancer. A lot has happened since then, and I’m still marveling at the difference—even as I struggle to hold
onto it.
Dr. Douglas P. Zipes, retired director of the Krannert Institute of Cardiology at Indiana University School of Medicine,
has devoted his last couple of years to scaring us half to death with his new novel, “The Black Widows.”
Urban life has
serious costs; it actually impairs our ability to think.
Wellpoint CEO Angela Braly was criticized by President Obama on national television. She incurred the wrath of health insurance
policyholders in California and Indiana. She reignited debate on the moribund national health care reform bill. A woman hasn’t
caused this much turmoil since all those ships were launched by Helen of Troy.
It’s a tall order to write a farewell column after 30 years.
In Indiana, one institution rife with nepotism and political favoritism stubbornly persists:
township government and, more particularly, its delivery of emergency poor relief.
Hoosier businesses have
stepped up for the citizens of Haiti, the island nation that was literally shaken to pieces by a massive earthquake Jan. 12.
Did you ever see one of my favorite old cowboy movies, “Broken Arrow”? If you missed it the first time,
it has been reissued under a new title—“Avatar.”
The Indianapolis Colts may be the home team, but this Hoosier sits squarely in the New Orleans Saints’ corner.
In recent years, my two brothers have been fond of referring to the Super Bowl as The Stupid Bowl. Disgusted by the
crass commercialism that has overtaken professional sports, they view The Stupid Bowl as the zenith of hype.
Last November, Katz Sapper and Miller went back to schooll—Broad Ripple High School.
Each January, I reflect on a few of the prior year’s columns. I’m always curious about the topics and
people I have written about over the course of the year. I hope you are, too.
Multiple challenges remain,
no doubt. But I feel a whole lot better about our prospects than I did a year ago at this time.
As is the custom of the last few holiday seasons, I am pleased to present a puzzle. This year’s challenge, 3-D Word
Hunt, is derived from a format conceived by Will Shortz, puzzle editor of The New York Times.
I saw where Barbara Walters did her 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009 shtick on television recently. So with a nod
to the venerable newswoman, here’s my list of locals who got my attention
this year.
Remember Cousin Eddie? He is the obstetrician/gynecologist in Houston I wrote about who tried to cut the mustard
in the hot dog business (“There ain’t no hog in the Yoso Dog”). He dreamed of having his own restaurant
and, against the advice of friends, he went to the dogs.
en years ago, Dodson Group CEO Jim Dodson came to IBJ with an idea to launch a program that would recognize
best practices in the not-for-profit community and reward organizations that practiced them. And not just with
a pat on the back—with hard cash.
Mayor Greg Ballard published his book “The Ballard Rules” in 2005. Apparently, the rules do not apply
to Ballard.
The unsustainable
system of health care that we now find ourselves participating in has been decades in the making. What makes us think we can
fix it—really fix it—overnight?
