This article was taken from the Columbus, IN Republic and permission was
granted to post here at this website.
James R. Hull, Ph.D.
Historic cemeteries deserve respect of local officials
Monday, August 04, 2003
From: Dr. James Reynolds Hull Mesa, Ariz. Marla Miller of The Republic
staff has done a tremendous service for Bartholomew County. Hopefully, by
increasing the awareness and highlighting the importance of our historic
cemeteries as sources of community pride, she has promoted an attitude of
reverence for these unique historical resources. Bartholomew County
residents should be encouraged to preserve these visible signs - symbolic of
past generations. I love reading about the history, anthropology and
related disciplines of Indiana. After all, I was born in Columbus, attended
high school there and worked for many years at Indiana Bell Telephone Co.,
now SBC-Ameritech. Both my maternal and paternal families are a part of
the genealogy of Bartholomew County. For these reasons, I feel strongly
about the need to shatter the silly theories - about abandoned cemeteries -
recently articulated by certain politicians. Traditionally, the first
burials were more of a response to the unplanned death of a loved one and
the need to have a place to bury their remains. Many burials took place
near the deceased person's home or possibly even on their farm. Record
keeping was poor, to say the least. In many cases, an existing monument
today may be the only record in existence. Over time churches, cities and
groups began offering burial sites. Nowadays endowments, trusts and
associations provide the funding for some cemeteries, whereas others are
less fortunate. The perpetual care for all is important. When the state
legislature proposed and wrote the statutes for neglected and abandoned or
unlicensed cemeteries, I'm quite sure, in essence, the remains of deceased
persons - to the authors -reflected respect and regard for human dignity as
well as cultural, spiritual and religious values. Benjamin Franklin once
said, "Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you
have." The "bristling" that I have had in the past with Sandcreek
Township
Trustee Jan Jines boils down to her lack of respectful treatment of human
remains in accord with the equal and innate dignity of every human being. In
all of this, common sense and plain old-fashioned good manners have not been
a part of her dealings with me. Unfortunately, as Commissioner Larry
Kleinhenz would have you believe, trustees are not consistent with their
treatment concerning the civilized dealing of deceased individuals at rest
in cemeteries in their jurisdiction. Too many elected officials can't seem
to find the due respect and decency these ordinary people and heroes
deserve. In a civilized society what is being allowed to happen in many
townships is unacceptable. "Adding another layer of government," so
politically stated by Kleinhenz - no matter how peripheral to his main
concerns - in my opinion, leaves him with tunnel vision. His theory that
every township trustee will "do the right thing" is simple-minded, to put it
kindly. Cemeteries that are without funds for reasonable maintenance, those
that have suffered neglect and deterioration, or have been abandoned
(forgotten) cannot be left to ridiculous sparring by commissioners and
township trustees. The issue certainly needs concerned leadership in
county government to promote teamwork and continuity. Believe me, it doesn't
call for some form of bastard political correctness or another "layer" to
promote common sense decision-making. It takes a "whole village" to address
the needs of the people. By her definitive action, Marla Miller has
increased your awareness and highlighted the importance for preservation of
a unique historical resource. The way to get back on the right track and
shatter the silly theories of a few politicians is to call commissioners or
township trustees and ask them what their policy is concerning cemeteries in
disrepair. You may be bamboozled, threatened or intimidated, but to quote
Mr. Franklin again, "The sting of another's criticism usually comes from the
truth." Go make something happen!
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Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2003 11:01 PM
Subject: IN-CEMETERIES-D Digest V03 #42