Ruth Witmer

The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall’s visit to Vermillion County also includes 9/11, Afghanistan & Iraq war memorials. This event is brought to west central Indiana by the Ernie Pyle WWII Museum and the Friends of Ernie Pyle.

Info here.

June 1, 2023, Clinton, IN – Apex Clean Energy is pleased to announce three local groups as the recipients of the latest round of Brouilletts Creek Solar community grants – the South Vermillion Middle School (SVMS) Robotics Team, Friends of Ernie Pyle, and Town of Fairview Park.

The Community Grant program was launched in 2022 to support local organizations focused on improving our community in the following areas: Health & Recreation, Economic Development, Environmental Sustainability, and Education. Since its launch, the program has provided nearly $40,000 in grants to 14 worthy community causes.

Also receiving grant funding is The Friends of Ernie Pyle, a charitable, non-profit organization created to preserve the legacy of the Pulitzer Prize-winning World War II Correspondent Ernie Pyle and the generation that he covered as a reporter. The organization operates the World War II Museum in Dana, IN. The museum includes the Elder-Pyle farmhouse, which is the birth home of Pyle, and two Quonset huts that chronicle Pyle’s work as a war correspondent and shine a light on local veterans of World War II and the community’s support of the war effort.

Steve Key, President of the Friends of Ernie Pyle Development Fund, said “The Friends of Ernie Pyle greatly appreciate the support of Apex Clean Energy in our effort to improve the visitor experience to the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum. The donation helps provide permanent, ADA-accessible restrooms. The restrooms are one phase of an Ernie Pyle & Veterans Memorial Park that eventually call for a performance stage, landscaping and gardens, a display of Armed Services flags, and statue of the famed war correspondent who told the stories of the common soldier.”

Development Manager Meagan Van Vuren of Apex Clean Energy shared, “The goal of the Community Grant Program is to fund projects and programs that benefit the whole community. We’re thrilled to support these amazing organizations and the dedicated community leaders who are bringing these projects to life.”

Brouilletts Creek Solar’s ongoing commitment is to be a strong community partner to the residents, businesses, and community organizations working to improve Vermillion County. The program will continue to support pressing community needs and local organizations making a meaningful impact. To learn more or apply for a future grant, visit www.brouillettscreeksolar.com/grant.

About Brouilletts Creek Solar: A project of Apex Clean Energy, Brouilletts Creek Solar is a proposed solar energy project that is expected to have the capacity to generate up to 200MW of homegrown Indiana clean energy, enough to power close to 39,000 American homes while diversifying the local economy and supporting jobs in the community.

Situated in rural Vermillion County, the location has access to existing transmission lines on open private land and is highly suitable for a solar energy project. If approved, the project would create tens of millions of dollars in construction spending and millions more in new revenue for local governments.

For more information visit www.brouillettscreeksolar.com.

       The Vermillion County Community Foundation is awarding a $15,000 grant for a project to add permanent restrooms that will be accessible to those with disabilities to the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum.

       The award is through the Creative Placemaking Grantmaking Initiative 2.0.

       The foundation presented a check to the FEP on Tuesday, March 21, at the Vermillion County Public Library in Newport, Indiana during a ceremony honoring other grant recipients. 

      “The Friends of Ernie Pyle are grateful for this generous grant from the Vermillion County Community Foundation,” said Steve Key, FEP president. 

“We are excited about the prospect of creating a restroom building that will not only enhance the museum visitor experience, but create an asset that can be used by the community.”

Interested in history? Like talking with people? Work with us at the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum. We are hiring tour guides to assist with museum operations during the 2023 season — May through November. Guides work 32-40 hours per month.

Duties include escorting guests through the facilities, answering questions and assisting with upkeep and maintenance. Click here for a detailed job description. Fill out the application here and email to president@erniepyle.org.

Questions? Email president@erniepyle.org. Application deadline is April 15.

By Ruth Witmer

       Visitors to the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum will see that the famed correspondent’s birthplace has more than a new coat of paint. This year, the outside has had substantial renovations to repair and restore the exterior of the historic home.

     “It looks as good as new,” FEP Vice President Phil Hess said. “I suspect the house looks better than it did even in the 1850s.”

     The Elder-Pyle House receives its name from the original owners, the Elder family who built it in 1851. Pyle was born there in 1900. In the 1970s, the structure was moved a few miles to the southern edge of Dana next to the museum. Here, as part of the museum, visitors can tour the home and learn about not only Pyle but the life of Hoosiers in the early 1900s.

“The work being done on the exterior is a physical manifestation of the dedication that the Friends of Ernie Pyle have to preserve the legacy of Ernie Pyle.” — Steve Key, FEP president

Any 170-year-old structure is going to need attention and the Elder-Pyle house was no exception. Among other issues, the damaged wood siding needed to be replaced and the south porch repaired.    

      The Friends of Ernie Pyle have been saving contributions for years to afford the much-needed work. They were greatly helped by a $39,000-plus donation from the Indiana Department of the American Legion, when then-State Commander Rodney Strong made the museum his personal project in office.

     Last year FEP applied for funds from the Historic Renovation Grant Program through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA). Eleven historic Indiana properties, including the Elder-Pyle house, received funds.

     The museum was awarded  $26,400 from OCRA for exterior restoration. And with that, FEP had raised enough for the restoration and repair.

      Architect Judith Kleine initially did an assessment in 2020 and produced drawings to help with the application. She periodically checked on progress and will do a final report for the state.

     “I love doing the historicals because I love to save the buildings,” Kleine said.

     Kleine said the Elder-Pyle house is a classic style from Indiana and Iowa called an I-house — a tall, skinny, two-story structure.

     “It’s just a beautiful example of how people lived 100 years ago,” Kleine said.

     A two-person team from Manion Contracting finished the work in October on the house which FEP also successfully worked to have put on the National Register of Historic Places.

     FEP President Steve Key said there are many examples of people working hard to preserve Pyle’s legacy including the guides who take people through the home and museum, the podcasts done by Doug and Drew Hess, the upgraded website and future projects like educational units.

     “The work being done on the house’s exterior is a physical manifestation of the dedication that the Friends of Ernie Pyle have to preserve the legacy of Ernie Pyle,” Key said.

Check out the Ernie Pyle Museum Podcast. Doug and Drew Hess (father and son) team up to share with you pieces of Ernie Pyle’s life from his humble beginning on an Indiana farm to becoming a Pulitzer Prize–winning American journalist and war correspondent who is best known for his stories about ordinary American soldiers during World War II.See available episodes and subscribe at  https://www.spreaker.com/show/ernie-pyle-wwii-museum-podcast.

It is with sadness that the Friends of Ernie Pyle Development Fund and the Ernie Pyle WWII Museum posts the passing of Board of Directors member Owen Johnson on August 6, 2022. He was 76 years old.

An associate professor emeritus from the Indiana University Media School in Bloomington, Johnson is well-known for his expertise and dedication to the study of Ernie Pyle. Johnson spent years compiling Pyle’s earliest writings on all manner of topics, his interest in the evolving field of aviation and of course the Pyle stories and columns published widely during World War II.

Johnson was born in Madison, Wisconsin and grew up in Pullman, Washington., where he fostered a lifelong interest in journalism as editor of his high school newspaper and sports editor for the Pullman Herald. He worked at KWSC Radio and TV while attending Washington State University, where he earned a B.A. in history. He subsequently received an M.A. and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan with a certificate in Russian and East European Studies. After teaching for a year at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, he joined the School of Journalism at IU in 1980.

He taught a variety of journalism and history courses at IU and was a favorite professor of many. Engaging with his students as fellow learners, Johnson delighted in supporting them and celebrating their accomplishments when they left his classroom. For many years Johnson taught a travel experiential course titled In the Footsteps of Ernie Pyle, that chronicled Pyle’s years and reporting during the war in England and France and provided students on the trip with a revealing on-the-ground exposure to Pyle’s experiences.

Elected to leadership positions in several academic organizations, Johnson also held administrative positions at IU and had visiting professor appointments to several foreign universities. When he retired from IU in 2014 and was granted emeritus status, he continued to research, write, and made many public and scholarly presentations. In 2016 Johnson published the book, At Home with Ernie Pyle, which focused on Pyle’s life as a Hoosier and his many connections to the state, including his time as a student at IU.

Johnson wrote prolifically on a variety of topics, including the book, Slovakia 1918-1938, that explored the national formation of the country with an emphasis on secondary and higher education during the interwar period. More than 37 scholarly publications in North America and Europe have published his work, and he created dozens of articles, letters, and programs for more general audiences such as National Public Radio, the New York Times, and local public radio. He appeared in one episode of the PBS History Detectives series about Ernie Pyle and managed a Facebook page for the Friends of Ernie Pyle on which he posted daily quotes written by the author.

He enjoyed collegiate athletics and professional baseball and attended countless games. He served as an announcer for IU Swimming & Diving competition and was deeply invested in that community. He shared his love of sports with his daughters, and together they visited as many Major and Minor League Baseball stadiums as they could.

He is survived by his two daughters, Eva Johnson and Hana Johnson Elliott (Layne); grandsons Connor and Colin; a brother Kyle Jansson; and thousands of worldwide supporters and practitioners of free and independent journalism.