Lincoln Pilgrimage, Family Emergency, Shadow of Shades

Commander Newman and a contingent of Hoosier Legionnaires recently returned from a traditional visit to our comrades to the west -- the Department of Illinois and its the 76th annual Lincoln Pilgrimage, honoring the martyred president on the anniversary of his birth.

As usual, the Indiana contingent was the largest among several visiting from other Midwest states. Commander Newman, Auxiliary President Janet Barnaby and SAL Commander Steve Tansel placed memorial wreathes on the gravesite inside the tomb, while the rest of the group gathered in the anteroom and hallways to listen to National Commander Clarence Hill deliver the memorial address.

Two top post commanders attended the pilgrimage as reward for topping the latest membership standings --Dave Espich, Post 182 in New Palestine in the 10th District, and Chuck Duke, Post 155 in Carmel in the 6th District.

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Department Adjutant Steve Short is away from the office on a family emergency. Steve's brother Bill is gravely ill; the family was encouraged to get home as quickly as possible, so at this hour Steve is en route to Georgia. Prayers for Bill and for Steve's safe travel are in order.

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The next issue of the Hoosier Legionnaire, the department's award-winning newspaper, is hot off the press and should be in your mailboxes in the next few days. Be sure and catch archivist Joe Hovish's feature on Shades State Park. In the article, he details how one of the largest state parks in Indiana became a reality -- and an American Legion namesake -- only to have its history and its identity lost in less than a half a century. A cautionary tale, you will find it on page 1.

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That's it for now.

Let the old Hoosier Legionnaire know what's on your mind.