Longform

Monon users ponder many things during their straight-line workouts, but how the greenway came to be isn’t one of them. Ray Irvin, its original visionary, walks (or jogs) us through it.

Though the ambush in Chicago cut short Dillinger’s crime spree and meteoric rise to fame, it sealed his reputation as one of the great bank robbers of all time. And his untimely, violent death made him an idol.

Co-author Bettie Cadou was a longtime reporter for The Indianapolis News and taught journalism at Butler University and IUPUI. After her death in 2002, she was inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. Brian D. Smith is a former IM senior editor.

Editor’s Note, Feb. 15, 2013: Hugh Hefner’s personal secretary, Mary O’Connor, was James Dean’s fellow Fairmount, Indiana, native. She died on Jan. 27. Mark Roesler, CEO of CMG Worldwide (headquartered in Indianapolis) manages the intellectual property rights of Dean and other celebrities, and he gave closing remarks at O’Connor’s memorial service on Feb. 8 at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, noting also that the service was taking place on Dean’s birthday. Here, our June 2005 feature story about another Hoosier who went to Hollywood, about Dean’s craft and legacy.

Allison Melangton

Only the second woman to run a Super Bowl Host Committee, Melangton fielded lots of offers afterward. She worked for NBC during the Olympics, and then took the top job at Indiana Sports Corp. “I’m happy here,” she says, “and happiness weighs a lot on your decision.”

James E. O’Donnell, a survivor of the U.S.S. Indianapolis tragedy and a retired Indianapolis firefighter, died on Jan. 9. He was 92. In tribute to his storied life, we offer this July 2005 feature about this remarkable man.

To understand the chasm currently separating Indiana’s political parties, all you need to do is picture their election-night celebrations. On November 6, the Democrats chose a sedate ballroom at the Downtown Marriott. The Republicans, who were marching toward supermajorities in the House and the Senate, chose the end zone at Lucas Oil Stadium.

On staying inside the lines, remembering to dribble, and reviving a family legacy. How my 3-year-old learned to be a Hoosier.

Stevens never oversold his message, never pressured. Even when facing heavy-hitting competition, he never seemed anxious. He seemed honest.

If it’s true that family reunites in the afterlife, sooner or later I’m bound to bump into Abraham Lincoln.

Are you prepared for the most dramatic transition in Colts history? Andrew Luck is.

Chris Carlson, the guy at the center of the most bizarre story I’ve ever worked on, called from a federal lockup a few weeks ago to say he’d written me a poem.

Picking the most pivotal sports moment in Indy’s recent history, the Pan Am Games or the Super Bowl, is no contest. One changed the course of the city’s future and proved it could handle the world’s largest events. The other was a football game.

“My daughter is hurt!” the mother yelled, desperate. A stranger appeared and made a tourniquet for the girl, and then a woman who said she was a nurse and a man who said he was a doctor carried her away. Trust us, they said.

Editor’s Note: For our August 2012 issue, we shared the scoop on 31 courses, activities, and more that can improve, enrich, and even save your life. Now, see local experts demonstrate their fun and timely skills that we featured. [We will add to the videos throughout the month. Full feature package in the August issue on newsstands statewide and available digitally here.]