A lot has changed in the last 100 years

Bill Ward

Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to wish a young gentleman a happy birthday. Not so much out of the ordinary except this gentleman was 100! A century old, and a busy century at that: 1909 to 2009. Otto Hineman, a gentleman farmer of Anderson Township and all around nice guy, was that young man. Otto is a retired teacher, coach and active farmer. He managed to get slightly banged up recently by a cow he was moving around on the farm.

Otto takes care of himself and does it well too. He drives where ever he cares to go and seldom misses church each Sunday. He purchased a small adjoining farm recently and shows no signs of slowing down. I am a lot younger than Otto but at times he can out do me in many things. Looking at him one would not in any way think that he was 100. His mind is sharp and his attitude is outstanding and his smile is infectious.

Just think what this gentleman has seen in his century of life! Two world wars, several smaller ones too. He has seen farms go from horse and oxen power to diesel and gasoline power. He has seen electricity come to the farm and even to the cities as well. He has seen young men and women go from being rigidly separated to a much more open relationship. He has seen education go from the one room school to the modern consolidation of many smaller schools into one huge school. I often wonder just how many young men he has had the opportunity to work with and help shape over those 100 years.

When Otto first became a teacher education was very different than it is today. And I wonder just what Otto thinks about modern education? Otto always has a smile on his face and best of all he means it. He is happy, content and looking forward to tomorrow. He and I attend the same church and he is active in the affairs, but also quiet and content with his membership and attendance. Seldom does he miss church and I look forward to seeing him every Sunday. I also see him tooling around in his car frequently during the day. He is an active member of our community and we are the better for it.

Take time to think about just what he has seen in the last 100 years. Jules Vern was way out of the main stream in 1909; today, we have gone to the moon and sent vehicles to Mars, Saturn and beyond. We are doing things that in 1909 were only dreams in the minds of a few. We have rockets and bombs that could annihilate a city or even a country if one wanted to do so. We have cars all over the place and even have paved roads — four lane roads too. We fly all over the world today and when Otto was young flying was just in the mind of Orville and Wilbur Wright (among others).

We have gone to the moon several times and are thinking about doing it again. Many want to go to Mars and see about setting up a colony there. We have a space station orbiting the Earth and people actually living in it. And they are living so much better than Otto did when he was young. They have indoor toilets; bet he didn’t in his early years. Just think, it was 1937 before REMC set their first pole to bring electricity to the farms of Rush County.

Rushville was a hub of activity, as was Milroy. Both had numerous stores and emporiums as well as doctors and dentists available to the population. They had more people around too to buy things and make the economy work well for all. Coal was the heat source of choice and smoke was everywhere; the smell of smoke was a part of life, even in my youth. Cars were unusual, not as prevalent as today. Trains were the way to travel long distances while airplanes are the choice of many today. Newspapers were the sources of information, not radio or TV. Computers and Internet were not even thought of and if they were many thought they were unobtainable.

Farms were isolated and used coal oil lamps for illumination and horses for work. The farms were smaller and grew more things, often with a lot of animals and fowl running loose. The farms were very compact and also very self sufficient, much more so than they are today. Small towns were active and growing. Many lived there who did nothing more than service the farms of the area. Roads were usually dirt or gravel, not paved. Swimming pools were the creeks and ponds of the area, not cement tubs in which one could swim and enjoy. No movies, iPods, computers, cell phones or television — or even radio. No airplanes, not many autos and a lot of trains. Interurbans were just starting to make headway in the area and they were the best way to travel short distances in a short time.

All this and much much more have come about during Otto’s lifetime. I really feel honored to know him and be able to wish him a very happy 100th birthday; may he have many more!



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