beacon 12-19 web

celebrating
Page 2A THE BEACON December 2019
By
Tamara
Taylor
That’s What
Neighbors Do
I first met Jim Scott when I
had this hair brained idea of
making my son’s dream come
true. He wanted to meet Jim’s
coworker, the infamous Bill
Cunningham. (Jim’s laughter
and response are best left
unprinted!)
As I spoke to Jim, we got
on the subject of his move to
Guilford many years ago. The
story Jim shared about his
new neighbor, Clyde Perfect,
coming to his rescue as an imminent
downpour threatened
acres of freshly baled hay, has
remained etched in my mind.
Back to the age-old question
of why we live where we do.
Fast forward a few years,
and I found myself in a
similar
situation.
There I
stood with
over 4000
years
pounds of
fertilizer
in my driveway accompanied
by a tractor with a PTO that
wouldn’t work. (For those of
you who have not experienced
the joy of farming, that means
the fertilizer pours out in a
pile on the ground rather than
spreading.) Not good.
I thought of my neighbor,
who might be able to help
me out. Not like he would be
busy doing his own chores
- feeding cattle, fixing fence
and equipment, etc. I went
to his house and checked the
barn- no neighbor. I timidly
knocked on his door. Mind
you, I had only met this
gentleman twice in my life.
Thankfully, Charlie Thies
came to the door.
I described my predicament
and received a quick response
that Charlie would be over to
my place after he finished dinner.
Wow- what a relief!
A few hours later, all of
that fertilizer was masterfully
Hanna Holton and Ginger accompanies daughter Christy
on Jelly to a nearby orchard on a perfect fall day.
spread. When I offered to pay
Mr. Thies for his time, his response
was, “No, that’s what
neighbors do.”
And that’s the answer to
the question of why we live
where we live. I only hope I
can pay his kindness forward
in the future.
One recent sunny day, I
was traveling down a side
road when I passed an apple
orchard. Two women were on
horseback purchasing apples
for their faithful four-legged
companions. Of course, I had
to stop and ask them all kinds
of questions! Hannah and
daughter Christy Holton had
ridden from their nearby farm
to enjoy the tasty treats. How
neat! (Let me clarify that they
were NOT on thoroughbreds.)
Only in Indiana.
Have you ever met someone
and immediately knew they
had a heart of gold? I had that
experience when I met Nick
and Judy Ullrich. Little did
I know that, years later, they
would become Heart of Gold
recipients.
Nick Ullrich’s name first
started popping up to me when
I heard about his involvement
with Eagle Scouts. He
has dedicated much of his life
to helping over forty scouts
attain the honor of becoming
an Eagle Scout. As a leader
of Troop 637 in Aurora, Mr.
Ullrich has planned numerous
trips for the scouts, including
a trip to West Virginia for the
World Boy Scout Jamboree.
Not to mention that Nick
Ullrich served his country in
the United States Army, where
he served as a sergeant in
Vietnam, with the 196th and
199th Light Infantry Brigades.
Nick was awarded several
medals, including the Combat
Infantryman’s Badge, Bronze
Star, and Purple Heart. If you
ever have the opportunity to
hear Mr. Ullrich speak about
the military, take it. He delivers
quite a moving speech that
paints a vivid picture in the
mind of the listener.
Here’s a trivia question for
you. Name five times that you
have seen Nick Ullrich without
his high school sweetheart
Judy Ullrich. What a pair!
Dearborn Community
Foundation Heart of Gold
recipients Nick and Judy
Ullrich.
They both seem to volunteer
in almost every facet of our
community.
Judy is a retired second- and
third-grade teacher. Over her
thirty-three-year career, she
touched the lives of almost
nine hundred students! Mrs.
Ullrich served on the board
of the Dearborn Community
Foundation. She was also
on the grants committee for
South Dearborn Schools,
making a difference in the
quality of education the students
received. Today, Mrs.
Ullrich still volunteers with
the sixth-grade essay contest
for Aurora Main Street.
Judy Ullrich has devoted a
great deal of time to the preservation
of our community
historic sites, Veraestau and
Hillforest. Mrs. Ullrich is currently
president of the Hillforest
Historical Foundation. She
has also been involved with
the historic library in Aurora.
The Ullrichs proudly served
on the LST-325 committee
that brought American History
to Aurora. They also helped
to compile information for a
book commemorating Aurora’s
Bicentennial. The couple
also volunteers with Aurora
Main Street for the Easter and
Christmas children’s programs.
Thank you to Nick and Judy
Ullrich for making our community
an excellent place for
current and future generations.
And thank you, Charlie
Thies, for being a wonderful
neighbor. Your willingness to
help sets the bar for us all.
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The Beacon is an independent
monthly publication with
distribution in Dearborn, Ripley,
Franklin and Ohio Counties in
Indiana and Harrison, Ohio.
Published since 1994.
Beacon News, Inc.
PO Box 4022
Lawrenceburg, Indiana 47025.
Member:
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Chamber of Commerce,
Ripley County
Chamber of Commerce,
Bright Area Business Association,
Batesville Chamber
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Twenty-five Years of Bringing our Community and Businesses Together.
THE
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