Presidents, authors and entrepreneurs will be among the 10 Hoosiers memorialized on columns along Georgia Street.
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard on Wednesday morning announced the honorees, who will have their images and biographies displayed
on 6-foot-high columns.
The first 10 honorees are former U.S. presidents Benjamin Harrison and Abraham Lincoln; novelists Booth Tarkington and Lew
Wallace, who was also a Civil War general and U.S. ambassador; journalist Ernie Pyle; jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery; Shawnee
chief Tecumseh; suffragette May Wright Sewall; entrepreneur Madame C.J. Walker; and the Lilly family, which founded Eli Lilly
and Co. as well as the Lilly Endowment.
Over time, the number of honorees will be expanded to 30, Ballard said.
“It’s not easy to pick from so many great Hoosiers who have left an indelible mark on our city, state and country,”
Ballard said in a prepared statement. “I am sure these names will spark debate; hopefully they’ll also prompt
strong interest in learning more about the history of our great state.”
Mayor Ballard solicited legacy honoree recommendations from the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee. Its panel of advisers
looked for Hoosiers who met these criteria: they had been dead at least 20 years; they had spent a significant portion of
their life in Indiana; and their accomplishments attained national or international recognition.
Installation of the columns will begin along Georgia Street in February. The monuments will be dedicated in early March during
the Big Ten Basketball Tournament.
The cost of each column is about $10,000, which is being paid by the 2011 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee.
Workers finished $12.5
million in improvements for the three-block stretch of Georgia Street in November, transforming it into what city
leaders hope will become a major public plaza for special events.
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However, I've got to say that this initial ten is a big loser in terms of trying to make some sort of Indiana "wow" factor for people visiting for the Super Bowl. The only person in that list that I would feel confident in saying most people nationwide know anything about is Abraham Lincoln. Honestly, even President Harrison is not that well known. Most of the rest of the names would be head scratchers for most people. As a music and jazz fan, I do love the recognition for Wes Montgomery though!
Now, think about some of the names left off the list...David Letterman (he is approaching being the longest running host in late night tv history and has been a household name for the last 30 years), Larry Bird (one of the most iconic athletes ever and embodies what most people think this state stands for), James Dean (one of the most iconic actors and images of the last century), Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 (may be too controversial but they could go the Jackson 5 route to avoid just honoring Michael), Kurt Vonnegut (one of the most important writers of the last half century), John Mellencamp, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmicheal, Gus Grissom (one of the first astronauts), and many more.
I think they should have gone with five well known names...lets make our starting five for now Abe Lincoln, Dave Letterman, James Dean, Larry Bird, and Kurt Vonnegut. And then add in five of the other nine they have now. That would have given it some balance and a little more starpower. This town and state have never done enough to capitalize on the James Dean, Letterman, and Vonnegut angle in my opinion.