Community Enrichment Programs

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• instructor – Mrs. Karen Good, board member and chair of Ancestor Hunters, Delaware County Historical Society; and the Indiana County Genealogist for Delaware County

Tracing your roots is a way to document history and family information that you can pass along to future generations. With many resources available online, genealogy is becoming popular and easier to accomplish. 

Sessions

Four Wednesdays, Oct. 30 - Nov. 20
10-11:30 a.m.

Oct. 30 - Genealogy 101

We will focus on general standards (i.e., how genealogist write dates among other things) and discuss how to get started with your family tree.

Nov. 6- Forms and Documents

In this session, we will discuss census records, birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, land records, and etc., and the type of information that can be obtained from these forms.

Nov. 13 – Organization

We will look at several different ways to organize all the information that we find as we work on our family tree.

Nov. 20 – Software and Free Websites

We will have a quick look at three different software programs on the market as well as some of the free websites that are very helpful.  

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – Ms. Jessica Jenkins, curator, Minnetrista

As the holidays approach, join Minnetrista curator, Jessica Jenkins to explore some of the ways the Ball family and Ball Brothers Company celebrated the holiday season. In addition to their own family gatherings, in 1925 the Ball brothers went out of their way to pass on a little holiday cheer to their employees. Hoping to make each feel like part of the company family, a special edition of Charles Dickens’ famous work, A Christmas Carol, was designed and given to each employee. Come bask in the holiday spirit and hear the story of how this one of a kind gift came to be.

Session

Friday, December 13
10-11:15 a.m.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – Ms. Melissa Gentry, map collections assistant, GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC), University Libraries, Ball State University      

The program highlights some amazing stories about Indiana women like Catharine Coffin, suffragist May Wright Sewall, actress Carole Lombard, Portland native Twyla Tharp, and Frances Slocum. Presentation will also include information about  lesser known women like fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, aviator Marvel Crosson, and educator Gertrude Mahorney. 

You’ll also find out how Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, and Olympic champion Wilma Rudolph fit into Indiana’s history.  

Session

Thursday, August 29
2-3:15 p.m.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – Ms. Norma Lasley, retired librarian, Muncie Public Library

Norma will provide information about Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) historical markers in Delaware County as well as other marker programs.

After her retirement from the Muncie Public Library, she has volunteered for the Delaware County Historical Society in various capacities, including editing a journal and a newsletter. She was also the main author of Delaware County, published in 2012, as part of Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series.

Session

Wednesday, September 25
10-11:15 a.m.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – Mr. Larry Campbell, railroad enthusiast

The gas boom in Delaware County led to rapid industrial growth, which in turn, attracted railroads. The first railroad line in Delaware County was completed through Muncie in 1852. By 1902, six intercity railroads, a local industrial railroad, and a belt-switching railroad served Muncie. Larry developed an interest in railroads when he was a child. He rode a steam engine to school for the first year and a half before they switched to diesel and stopped using the old roundhouse at 17^th  and Gharkey.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – Mr. Curt Burnette, Naturalist/Program Developer, Limberlost State Historic Site

In the early 1800s the Limberlost Swamp was described as a “treacherous swamp and quagmire, filled with every plant, animal and human danger known — in the worst of such locations in the central states.” Stretching for 13,000 acres the vast forest and swampland was legendary for its quicksand and unsavory characters. The swamp received its name from Limber Jim, who got lost while hunting in the swamp. When the news spread, the cry went out “Limber’s lost!” 

To famed Indiana author Gene Stratton-Porter, the swamp was her playground, laboratory and inspiration for her acclaimed articles, fiction and photographs. In the 18 years that she lived at Limberlost, she wrote six of her 12 novels and five of her seven nature books, including the best-selling Freckles and A Girl of the Limberlost. An estimated 50 million people worldwide have read her works, and many of her novels were produced as motion pictures. 

Session

Tuesday, July 30
6:30-8 p.m.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – Mr. Terry M. Fauquher, board member, Yorktown Historical Alliance

Who knew, when the 1960’s began, that this decade would be like no other in American history? Terry will share with you the memories and experiences he had from living on Bethel Avenue to being stationed in South Vietnam. Drawing from his writings in his blog, Growingupinthesixties.com, he will talk about entering the decade at ten years old with the election of JFK and all the dreams of a better world, through preteen anxieties, laughing at high school immaturity, experiencing marriage at eighteen, becoming a father, and culminating with being wounded in Vietnam.

Terry grew up in Muncie and Yorktown and attended Ball State University. He is the past president of Yorktown Chamber of Commerce and the Bi-Centennial Commission.  His is also the former owner of Fauquher’s Flowers, and you may remember him as a long-time manager at Bradburn Oldsmobile Cadillac. You will enjoy his sentimental journey down the streets and alleys of Neely addition and his ability to remember and poke fun at growing up in the sixties.   

Session

Friday, August 23
10-11:15 a.m.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – Dr. Jan Kornilow, EMS medical director, IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital

This DVD series, produced by The Great Courses, gives you the chance to experience first-hand the drama, scientific detective work, and medical insights in an everyday emergency department. Presented by board-certified physician and educator Dr. Roy Benaroch of Emory University’s School of Medicine, the lectures are a introduction to emergency medicine and the emergency department educational experiences of medical students around the world.

The sessions allow you to “shadow” Dr. Benaroch on his shifts, and sometimes even venture off-site, you’ll encounter patients coming in with a variety of symptoms and complaints—some of which are easily diagnosed and treated, and some of which are more life-threatening than they first appear. By the end of this program, you’ll have a stronger knowledge of, and greater respect for, emergency medicine and the brave doctors who practice it.

Sessions

1st and 3rd Tuesday
August 6-Oct. 15
5-6:30 p.m.

Topics Covered (two, 30-minute lectures per class):

Aug. 6: Triage in Emergency Medicine; and Emergency Medicine Means Thinking Fast
Aug. 20:Emergency Medicine Means Thinking Again; and The Story Is the Diagnosis
Sept. 3: Hidden Clues in the Emergency Department;and Treat the Patient, Treat the Family
Sept. 17: Chest Pain; and Treat the Cause, Not the Symptom
Oct. 1: Who Needs the Emergency Department?; and Altered Mental Status
Oct. 15: Simple Symptoms, Serious Illness; and In an Emergency, Protect Yourself First

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenters – Dr. Bruce Geelhoed, professor of history; and Mr. Michael Szajewski, assistant dean, Digital Scholarship and Special Collections, Ball State University

In 1945-46, Ball State University’s first mobile home court was constructed on the corner of Tillotson and Gilbert, along with three barracks-style buildings which the college converted into two-bedroom and one-bedroom apartments. These units were part of Ball State’s first accommodations for married students. 

In addition to providing housing for married students, these apartments also provided housing for some faculty members and their families. The duo will share information and photographs for this gone-but-not-forgotten housing.

Session

Thursday, November 14
6:30-8 p.m.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – The Rev. Corey French, St. Edward the Confessor Church, Indianapolis 

St. Augustine (354—430 C.E.) is a fourth century philosopher whose groundbreaking philosophy infused Christian doctrine with Neoplatonism. St. Augustine is one of the most important early figures in the development of Western Christianity, and was a major figure in bringing Christianity to dominance in the previously pagan Roman Empire.

More than 100 titled works written by St. Augustine survive, the majority of them devoted to the pursuit of issues in one or another of the ecclesiastical controversies that preoccupied his episcopal years. Among his most important works are The City of God, De doctrina Christiana, and Confessions.

Relevant book on exhibit at the E.B. and Bertha C. Ball Center: Meditations & Soliloquies, Augustine of Hippo, 1480

Session 

Tuesday, September 10
10-11:15 a.m.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – Richard Kennison, Lt. Col. (Ret.—USAF) 

Almost from the beginning of aviation, women have been superstars — earning the respect and admiration of all people who were fascinated with this new form of transportation. There was little to no discrimination— a good pilot was a good pilot, period.  Mr. Kennison will talk about some of the most famous female fliers of those first exhilarating days of flight: Harriet Quimby, Kate Stinson, and Louise Thaden to name a few.

Session

Wednesday, September 18
10-11:15 a.m.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter: Mr. William Robertson, retired senior scientist, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pennsylvania

A police officer places a GPS device on a suspected drug dealer’s car to trace his whereabouts and build a case against him. A popular retail store uses predictive analytics to send pregnancy-related advertising to a teenager who has yet to tell her parents about her condition. A Kentucky man shoots down a neighbor’s drone that is flying over his private property. The news is full of stories like these, in which new technologies lead to dilemmas that could not have been imagined just a few decades ago. The 21st century has seen remarkable technological advances, with many wonderful benefits. But with these advances come new questions about privacy, security, civil liberties, and more.

Each class includes two 30-minute lectures.

You may sign up for the entire series in each part and attend only the sessions you want.  

Part 1

Six Tuesdays, July 2 - August 6
10-11:15 a.m.

July 2: Security, Liberty, or Neither?; and The Charlie Hebdo Tragedy
July 9: East Germany’s Stasi State; and Surveillance in America
July 16: Failing to Connect the Dots on 9/11; and The U.S. Spy Network in Action
July 23: Big Data’s Shadow; and Some Problems with Privacy
July 30: Under Observation: The Panopticon Effect; and Drones, Drones Everywhere
August 6: Biometrics: Eyes, Fingers, Everything; and Hacking, Espionage, and Surveillance

Part 2

Six Tuesdays, October 22 - November 26
10-11:15 a.m.

You may attend Part 2 without having attended Part 1.

Oct. 22: Local Police on the Cyber Beat; and Geolocation: Tracking You and Your Data
Oct. 29: Internet Surveillance; and Metadata: Legal or Not
Nov. 5: Technology Outruns the Law; and Your Personal Data Is the Product
Nov. 12: The Internet of Things; and Anonymity: Going off the Grid
Nov. 19 Code Breaking versus Code Making; and Europe’s Right to Be Forgotten
Nov. 26: National Security and the First Amendment; and The Privacy Debate Needs You

• cost – $95
• instructor – Mario Tellez-Garcia, a native Spanish speaker and experienced translator, interpreter, and language instructor for both corporate clients and not-for-profit organizations

This eight-week class is for doctors, nurses, medical assistants, and anyone else who might provide health or emergency-related services to Latino patients or families with little or no command of English. It focuses on important words and phrases pertaining to medical circumstances that might be life-saving information if not communicated properly.

Session

Eight Wednesdays
Sept. 11 - October 30
7-9 p.m.

• cost – $85
• instructor – Laura Shadoin, retired teacher, Muncie Community Schools

Instruction in finger spelling and basic conversation based on American Sign Language and signed English.

Session

Six Wednesdays
September 11 - October 16
7-9 p.m.

• cost – free
• reservations – not required
• presenter – Mr. Dane Starbuck, author, musician, and attorney-at-law

Dane Starbuck, author of John W. Fisher: What a Life!, will discuss John W. Fisher, II, who married Janice Kelsey Ball (daughter of E.B. and Bertha C. Ball) in 1940. Raised in Maryville, Tennessee, and educated at the University of Tennessee and Harvard Business School, John was one of the most extraordinary business and community leaders in Indiana in the second half of the 20^th century. He was a corporate and civic leader with a remarkable story of entrepreneurship, ambition, and striving for excellence.

Session

Thursday, August 1
2-3 p.m.
Legacy Commons Event Hall, Westminster Village

• cost – free
• reservations – not required
• presenter – Mr. Chris Flook, lecturer, Department of Telecommunications, Ball State University; and board president, Delaware County Historical Society
   

Nearly 100 distinct settlements existed in what we now call Delaware County. Since the end of the American Revolution, Native Americans, pioneer farmers, industrialists and factory workers settled across the county in hamlets, villages and towns of all sizes. Some of these communities survived the ebb and flow of history to prosper, while others disappeared, becoming lost in the collective memory. Today, many residents would only recognize the city of Muncie and the towns of Albany, Daleville, Eaton, Gaston, Selma and Yorktown.

A few might know of villages such as Desoto, New Burlington, Smithfield and Wheeling. Most have probably never heard of Dogtown, Gate’s Corner, Granville and Soccum. Drawing upon years of research, Chris Flook uncovers the stories of these lost towns in his new book, Lost Towns of Delaware County, Indiana.

Session

Thursday, July 11
2-3 p.m.
Legacy Commons Event Hall, Westminster Village

• cost – free
• reservations – not required
• presenter – Dr. James Connolly, George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of History; director, Center for Middletown Studies; and co-director, Digital Scholarship Lab

During 2016 and 2017, the Center for Middletown Studies completed the Muncie Churches and Civic Engagement Project.  It involved a series of oral history interviews with leaders of local faith communities with the aim of documenting and exploring the changing role of churches in the civic life of Muncie and the surrounding area.  The impetus for the project stemmed from the observation that churches appeared to be among the few voluntary institutions that still attracted substantial, active memberships in the midst of local economic decline.  Connolly’s talk will review the project’s key findings and consider their implication for civic affairs in Muncie.

Session

Wednesday, September 25
2-3 p.m.
Legacy Commons Event Hall, Westminster Village

• cost – free
• reservations – not required
• presenters – Mr. Rich Harris, director emeritus, Disability Services, Ball State University

Prohibition was this country’s attempt to address the severe problems of alcoholism. In the ultimate example of unintended consequences, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong, during the 18th amendment's 13-year history. Murder, organized crime and a wide-scale disregard for the law by common citizens ensued.

Poorly crafted, the law had an amazing number of loopholes. Liquor taxes which were badly needed in the depression went to Al Capone and other criminals. The drama of prohibition is a most interesting story. 

Session

Wednesday, November 6
2-3 p.m.
Legacy Commons Event Hall, Westminster Village

• cost – free
• reservations – not required
• presenter – Mr. Thomas Schwartz, retired high school German teacher

Mr. Schwartz will take guests on a behind-the-scenes look at popular fairy tales, many of which have been altered to fit the psychology of various countries, their traditions, morals, and etc. He will also discuss the effect that Disney has had on these tales.

Session

Monday, October 7
2-3 p.m.
Legacy Commons Event Hall, Westminster Village

• cost – $85
• reservations –required
• instructor – Mrs. Diana Ulloa-Contreras, Spanish teacher, Jay County High School 

This six-week course is an introduction to Spanish fundamentals, including basic grammar, common expressions and phrases, and social introductions.

Specialized vocabulary could be added based on the needs of the class.

Session

Six Tuesdays, September 17-October 22
6-8 p.m.
John Jay Center for Learning

Register

Call 260-729-5525, ext. 221.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – Mr. Al Confer, former president, Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association, Inc.

In its 54th year, the show draws people from all over the US and abroad to a city with a population of just barely over 6,000. This year’s event is scheduled from August 20-24, 2019, and will feature more than 3,000 engines and 800 tractors that are 25 years and older. 

Session
Thursday, September 12
6:30-8 p.m.
John Jay Center For Learning

Register

Call 260-729-5525, ext. 221.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenters – Mr. Mike Medler, retired Indiana State Police officer, and former director of the Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency

Program is offered in conjunction with the Jay County Historical Society and will cover both the history of forensic science and the advancement of new forensic technologies.  The goal will be to provide those in the community attending with information that will help them better understand forensic science in criminal investigations.

Program started in January and meets one Tuesday a month (January 29-December 20) at 7 p.m. You may attend the following sessions without having attended the previous sessions. 

Remaining Sessions for Fall 

July 30: Drugs and Toxicology
August 20: Serology and DNA Analysis
Sept. 24: Arson and Explosive Devices
October 29: Forensic Document Examination
November 19: Final Mock Crime Scene
December 10: Mock Crime Scene Review and Lessons Learned

Offered at the John Jay Center for Learning.

Register

Call 260-729-5525, ext. 221.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenters – Mr. John and Mrs. LaNae Abnet, first couple on record to successfully kayak from the White River to the Gulf of Mexico

LaNae’s book, Paddling Edna,  follows the daily journal of the couple’s 1600-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico. She shares with readers not only the events of each day, but also the ponderings, observations, philosophies, fears, and exhilarations experienced throughout their journey. Rare is the tale of self-sustenance that revolves around a couple experiencing life together on an outdoor adventure, particularly an outdoor adventure that required the raising, preparation, and caching of their own foods. The two had to learn how to live and survive closely with nature and each other, and as a result, they grew as individuals and as a couple.  

Session

Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019
6:30-8 p.m.
John Jay Center for Learning

Register

Call 260-729-5525, ext. 221.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – Ms. Peggy Cenova, regional director, East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center (ECI-SBDC)
   

Learn how to identify your target audience, develop marketing strategies, use branding to increase sales, and create an annual marketing plan for your small business. The ECI-SBDC provides training and technical assistance to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs at no cost. Located in the Innovation Connector in Muncie, ECI-SBDC serves Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Grant, Henry, Jay, Madison, Randolph, Rush, Union, and Wayne Counties. 

Session

Thursday, August 29
6:30-8 p.m.
John Jay Center for Learning

Register

Call 260-729-5525, ext. 221.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – Ms. Melissa Gentry, map collections assistant, GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC), University Libraries, Ball State University      

Program features custom maps created by the GIS Research and Map Collection to commemorate Indiana’s Bicentennial in 2016.  The maps tell the story of Indiana’s rich history in politics, war and the home front, civil rights, inventions, women’s history, sports, and arts and culture.  Some of the maps will depict important places in the lives of famous Hoosiers like Gus Grissom, John Dillinger, Tecumseh, May Wright Sewall, Catharine and Levi Coffin, aviators Marvel Crosson and Willa Brown, and authors John Green, Jessamyn West, and Norman Bridwell—creator of “Clifford the Big Red Dog.”  The maps also include stories of famous visitors and temporary residents like Olympian Wilma Rudolph, Sojourner Truth, and Amelia Earhart.

Session

Thursday, October 10
6:30-8 p.m.
John Jay Center for Learning

Register

Call 260-729-5525, ext. 221.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – Mr. Brian Bex, founder, The Remnant Trust; Introduction by Dr. Geoffrey Mearns, president, Ball State University
   

The Remnant Trust is a public educational foundation that shares an actively growing collection of manuscripts, first editions, and early works dealing with the topics of individual liberty and human dignity with some pieces dates as early as 2500 B.C. The trust makes this collection available to colleges, universities and other organizations for use by students, faculty, scholars, and the general public. Those exposed are encouraged to touch, feel, and read the originals, including first English translations.

Mr. Bex will bring several books with him including a first edition copy of the Federalist Papers, a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. 

Session

Thursday, September 19
6:30-8 p.m.
John Jay Center for Learning

Register

Call 260-729-5525, ext. 221.

• cost – free
• reservations – required
• presenter – Dr. John Mischler, director of AgroEcology, Merry Lea Sustainable Farm, Goshen College      

The Merry Lea Sustainable Farm is an educational farm demonstrating sustainable agriculture practices for students and the visiting public, nestled within the northeast corner of Indiana. John Mischler will discuss the role of higher education, sustainable agriculture, and experiential learning in strengthening our local food system.

Session

Thursday, September 26
2-3 p.m.
John Jay Center for Learning

Register

Call 260-729-5525, ext. 221.