Although Jeff Faull was following four generations of preachers when he graduated from high school at 17, he found himself as an apprentice meat cutter on his way to a life as a butcher. He still felt the call for theological training, which led him to Cincinnati Christian University. His intentions were to complete a semester and then go back home to Indiana and the apprenticeship.

It wasn’t his pastoral calling that held him back. “I struggled with stage fright,” Faull said. “I had an unwillingness to be in front of people.” Being in front of people is one of the essential skills needed by a preacher and Faull knew it from watching his father and grandfather.

Part of the course of study at the Bible school was being part of teams sent out to other churches in the region. “A leader (at the Bible school) took me under his wing and instilled  some self-confidence in me,” Faull said. “I was coerced into giving the message at a country church in Kentucky. The moment I stepped down from that platform, I knew what I was going to do with my life.”

While the home he shares with wife, Terra, and their two children is elsewhere, Clay Hamilton says he spends about an equal amount of time in Mooresville, making it home, too. When you are a hands-on owner/operator of a business that is successful and growing, that’s how it is. Hamilton has no qualms about the time he devotes to Whites Electrical.

Hamilton was one of those lucky few who came out of high school with a direction. Beginning at 14-years-old, he became a staple on construction sites. During his junior and senior years of school, he participated in construction programs at Central Nine Career Center in Greenwood. The instructors were business professionals, contractors in the area, who led the construction of a home each year by students from Johnson, Morgan, and a portion of Marion Counties.

The experience helped Hamilton narrow his path. “I liked being around equipment and building things,” Hamilton said. “There’s nothing quite like standing back and saying, ‘Hey, we did that.’” When school ended each year, Hamilton continued to work for his instructors in their personal businesses.

The trades appealed to him, as Hamilton expressed, “because I like working hard and to have dirt on my hands. And the trades aren’t going anywhere. There aren’t enough tradesmen, and even fewer craftsmen out there.”

It was a proud moment for Bill Fite when he went to his grandmother to seek her approval to resurrect the business name of Fite Plumbing. She was excited about the revival, telling him to “absolutely bring Fite Plumbing back out!” With her blessing, the second iteration of Fite Plumbing opened on January 1, 1989. It is another proud moment for Bill Fite to host the grand opening of the new Fite Plumbing location this month.

Fite’s grandfather had operated a plumbing business for many years on the west side of Indianapolis. Several other Fite family members worked in the business. As a boy, Bill would be in and out of the plumbing supply barn next door. “We would build forts and there were always plumbing pipes in them, as grab bars or weapons, not for running water. I would ride the back hoe with him, too.” When Fite was in junior high school, his grandfather died, and the business was dissolved.

Over summer breaks in high school, Fite worked in a local plumbing business and after graduating, he worked there to pay for college. He says that he really enjoyed construction plumbing and always figured he would eventually be a builder in some way.

2018 is a very big milestone for United Way of Central Indiana, of which the Morgan County United Way Area South is a part. The organization will be celebrating 100 years of service in Central Indiana. It was 1918 when the movement came to Indianapolis in the form of a “War Chest” that was placed on the steps of Monument Circle. The War Chest campaign raised $3 million that was then donated to charities such as Boys and Girls Clubs of Indianapolis, Catholic Charities Indianapolis, Children’s Bureau, Inc., Early Learning Indiana, Boy Scouts of America, Families First, Girl Scouts of America, The Salvation Army and the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis.

The United Way movement actually began 133 years ago in Denver, Colorado, when a woman, a priest, a rabbi, and two ministers combined efforts to address extreme poverty. They realized that the only way to make the most impact was to unite and seek donations to one organization that would then distribute funds to organizations directly touching those in need.

The February enrollment figures for Mooresville Consolidated School Corporation made a big impression on Superintendent Randy Taylor. That’s because enrollment increased over the number of students from the beginning of the school year. Taylor said, “We have more students moving into the community. The indication is that we are being noticed and people are moving into our community seeing the strengths in academics, athletics, and performing arts.”

At the conclusion of this school year, Taylor will be celebrating 45 years in education and he is excited and enthusiastic about what is happening in the schools today and the part he wants to play in it. After 13 years as an instructor and coach in Martinsville, Taylor made the decision to become an administrator. “I felt a need to get into the side of education where decisions were being made as to what was best for students and also for the community, because they run hand-in-hand. To have a good community, you have to have a strong school system.”

If you have ever resided in Morgan County, especially in Martinsville, it is very likely that your life has been touched by Ruth Rusie in some way. This remarkable woman will turn 100 years old this October. Although that is a wonderful achievement, the list of what Rusie has contributed to the community and county since she came to Martinsville in the 1940s is extensive, wide-ranging, and amazing.

Her involvement and contributions are too many to list comprehensively. Some include service to the Morgan County Coalition for Literacy, the Morgan County Public Library Foundation Board, the Martinsville Education Foundation Board, the Martinsville Literacy Club, Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, Greater Martinsville Chamber of Commerce, Community Foundation, City of Martinsville, United Way and the First Presbyterian Church in Martinsville.

Rusie has been honored and recognized for her service. In 2008, she was named grand marshal of the 49th annual festival parade at her alma mater, DePauw University. In 2014, she was named Senior Volunteer of the Year by CICOA Aging and In-Home Solutions, and in 2015 she received the Legacy Award from the Community Foundation of Morgan County.