This article originally ran on December 9, 2009 and is worth a revisit. I will be joining Nelson this Saturday, October 17 on his Hoosier History Live radio show to talks about Indiana ghosts, folklore and legends. Tune in to WICR 88.7 FM. at 1:00 p.m. Or stream audio live from anywhere on WICR Online. I will be talking about ghosts from the National Road including the mysterious disappearance of New Castle’s Catherine Winters and the hauntings associated with her, ghosts of the Indiana Statehouse, Terre Haute’s ghost dog Stiffy Green, and Cambridge City’s General Solomon Meredith, a hero of Gettysburg. Tune in.
If asked who I would consider to be the “Dean” of Indiana historians, I would immediately answer Nelson Price. I can think of no other person who could produce a better resume of consistent promotion of all things “Hoosier History” related over the past three decades than Nelson. Mr. Price is an author, journalist, historian and associate professor of journalism at IUPUI. Add to that his credentials as radio host, historic tour guide and public speaker and you’ll get an idea of the extent of Nelson’s vast talent and expertise.
A 1978 graduate of Indiana University, Mr. Price’s list of accomplishments is impressive. He has been named a Sagamore of the Wabash, which is the highest civilian award for Hoosier service, by both Governors Evan Bayh and Frank O’Bannon. Nelson was an award-winning feature writer for both the Indianapolis Star/News from 1981 to 2002. Currently, Nelson writes freelance articles for magazines and The Indianapolis Star and hosts the weekly radio show “Hoosier History Live with Nelson Price!” at 11:30 am on Saturdays (re-aired at 9:30 am on Wednesdays) on WICR FM (88.7). It is the nation’s first and only call-in talk-radio show devoted solely to history.
Nelson Price has written four books, including Indiana Legends: Famous Hoosiers from Johnny Appleseed to David Letterman, a book of profiles of 160 famous Hoosiers ranging from historic figures to contemporary newsmakers, Indianapolis Then And Now, a colorful examination of the evolution of America’s 12th largest city, Legendary Hoosiers, a book for young readers that presents the lives of famous people from Indiana in entertaining, interactive ways, and Indianapolis: Leading the way, a photo-oriented look at contemporary life in his hometown.
Nelson draws upon his background as a fifth-generation Hoosier to enhance the subjects that he writes and speaks about. Although he graduated from Warren Central high school on Indy’s far eastside, Nelson has strong ties to the Irvington neighborhood. Both sets of his grandparents lived in Irvington and Nelson fondly recalls the time spent with them here.
I met with Nelson over lunch at Dufours (now the Lincoln Square Pancake House) last week and was amazed at the vast wealth of anecdotal information this man possesses on Indianapolis and its environs. If you ever found yourself in a game of Hoosier Trivial Pursuit, this is the first guy you’d want on your team. Outgoing, pleasant and accommodating, you can almost see the wheels turning as Nelson’s mind whirls at a million miles per hour.
Nelson Price’s mind moves effortlessly between stories of his childhood neighbor Jane Pauley; “She was a rising star from the start.” recalling his “crush” on her as “14 year old girls didn’t have time for 7 year old boys back then.,” recalling his 1981 encounter with the infamous Gertrude Baniszewski, antagonist in the Sylvia Likens tragedy, as a cub reporter sent to interview a group of disgruntled female inmates at the Indiana State Women’s Prison. “I was just out of college and had no idea who she was. She stared at me intently and after awhile said ‘You don’t know who I am, do you?’” His recollection of her was as a “Scary looking woman with painted on eyebrows.” Not to mention that he was former Indiana Pacer Reggie Miller’s neighbor for 4 years.
When I spoke to the producer of the innovative “History Live” radio show, Molly Head, I asked her if Nelson’s mind moves that fast on the show. She responded with “After talking to him (Nelson) for a couple of hours she has to go and decompress.” Describing their relationship, Molly said “Nelson and I are the smartest kids in the second grade all grown up.” That exuberant curiosity shines through in every episode of the radio show.
Molly believes the radio show fills a vacant slot in central Indiana programming by adding local color and nostalgia to the “homogenous” feel of the Indianapolis airwaves. Quoting Garrison Keillor’s “Prairie Home Companion” radio show, if we did not have programming like “Hoosier History Live” we would be left with radio programming full of “Computer music and people shouting at each other.”
Molly describes the show as having a “Mom and Pop” store feel not unlike the days when people gathered around the pot bellied stove at the general store to swap news and stories among friends. The show’s resulting “Sweet Spirit” reflects the “collective soul” of all of the parties involved in creating each weekly broadcast including Irvington artist Pam Frazier and “The Round Tripper” roving correspondent Chris Gahl.
The popular radio show spawned “Listening Groups” at a few Indianapolis locations. These groups offer “fans” of the show the opportunity to meet and gather, calling in during the live broadcast with comments and further discuss the topics after the show ends.
Visit the Hoosier History Live Web page at https://www.hoosierhistorylive.org/ to tune in to the past shows and topics listed here as well as many others featuring several Irvington related subjects and personalities.
Al Hunter is the author of several books. His newest books are “The Petersen House, The Oldroyd Museum and The House Where Lincoln Died,” “Bumps in the Night. Stories from the Weekly View,” “Irvington Haunts. The Tour Guide,” and “The Mystery of the H.H. Holmes Collection.” Contact Al directly at Huntvault@aol.com or become a friend on Facebook.
