Another successful year

Thumbs-up to everyone who made this year’s Oktoberfest successful. It takes countless volunteers working long hours to pull off the event each year. The list includes Martha McIntire, Kathy Mead and Bob Doriot, who all retired from the festival board of directors in 2014. The three, who had a combined total of 80 years of service to the festival, were named grand marshals of the parade for this year’s event, which was the 43rd.

Royalty

A related thumbs-up goes to this year’s Oktoberfest prince, Jacob Mikel, 6, son of Jayme and Ashley Mikel of Seymour, and princess, Payton Barlow, 9, daughter of Josh Barlow and Amanda Ruddick, also of Seymour. The two raised the most money by setting out donation cans at businesses for the Beta Kappa chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha sorority, which will use the money for a variety of projects.

Quick thinking

Thumbs-up to Brownstown Central High School administrators, including Assistant Principal Mark DeHart, counselor Derrick Koch and Principal Joe Sheffer, for helping get a situation involving a student who brought a gun to school under control. Police are praising the efforts and quick thinking of the three, who had the incident well in hand when officers arrived in response to a 911 call for a welfare check at the school on North Elm Street.

Challenged

Thumbs-up to a good Samaritan, aka Crothersville High School Assistant Principal Drew Markel, who saw four women challenged with a flat tire. He stopped, fixed it and then smiled and left.

Hall-of-famer

Thumbs-up to the late Maj. Gen. John N. Owens, who is a member of the second induction class of the Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame. Owens, who died July 22, 2006, and is buried at Riverview Cemetery in Seymour, spent more than 25 years of his adult life in the Seymour area after serving with the U.S. Seventh Army in Europe during World War II. He later joined the Indiana National Guard and was named adjutant general in 1969 by former Gov. Edgar D. Whitcomb. In 1972, he rejoined the active army and was attached to the National Guard Bureau as the property and fiscal officer for Indiana. He retired in May 1980. His many decorations included the U.S Army Legion of Merit Medal and the U.S. Army Commendation. He also was named a Sagamore of the Wabash, the state’s highest civilian honor.