Leading the way

Thumbs-up to those who organized and supported the founding of Leadership Greater Seymour more than 35 years ago to provide leadership skills for anyone — young or old — from any walk of life. More than 700 people have graduated from the program, now known as Leadership Jackson County, since it was formed in July 1982 in part with $9,000 in grant monies from the Lilly Endowment Fund, Cummins Foundation and the Greater Seymour Chamber of Commerce. A related thumbs-up to members of Leadership’s first board: Herman Jerry, Gerald Armstrong, Jim Carter, Bill Swain, Nancy Erp, Frank Guthrie, Gary Meyer, John Bottorff, Roger Pardieck, Jim McCoy, Mike Storey, Jim Bullard, Luellen Rolph, Rachel Voss and David Shaw.

Potential

Thumbs-up to Caleb Ernest, a recent Ball State University graduate, for choosing the Blish Mill silos and surrounding areas in downtown Seymour for a creative concept project to fulfill his requirements to earn a master’s degree in urban and regional planning. The recent graduate, who is an associate planner for the city of Westfield’s economic and community development department, recently presented his concepts of the possible reuse of the silos and surrounding areas to the Seymour City Council.

Relief

Thumbs-up to everyone, including Sherry Dart’s third-grade class at Emerson Elementary School in Seymour, students at Medora and Crothersville schools and the Boys & Girls Club of Seymour, who has tried to ease the suffering of those living in the Gulf Coast area of Texas and Louisiana who lost everything to Hurricane Harvey in late August. The recovery effort is going to be years in the making and require billions in relief, but every little bit helps.

Time to stop

Thumbs-down to people who refuse to stop for police investigating a possible traffic violation. Failing to stop often can lead to a high-speed pursuit that generally doesn’t end well. Such pursuits can be dangerous for all involved and innocent motorists and bystanders. Failing to stop also means possible additional jail time for the offender once they are caught.