Sally Tuttle

Six very interesting and influential people will be honored April 24, when the 15th Howard County Hall of Legends event takes place in Hingst Hall. They will join more than 80 accomplished individuals and organizations honored since the first induction ceremony in 2010.

Members of the 15th Hall of Legends class, chosen by a volunteer committee of community leaders from a wide range of organizations, are:

• Eddie Bethea, a ninth-degree black belt who has guided thousands of karate students in their journeys
• The late Richard Blacklidge, publisher of the Kokomo Tribune who revolutionized newspaper operations in his 40 years in the industry
• The late Jonathan Russell, an accomplished artist, Army veteran, and champion of local history
• Sally Tuttle, an Oklahoma transplant and a member of The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma who has established multiple non-profits benefiting Native Americans in Indiana
• Dr. Mary E. (Lausch) Wilson, an internationally recognized expert in the geographic distribution of infectious diseases
• The late Robert L. Young, a local architect who designed more than 100 buildings in Howard County between 1890 and the 1920s).

Eddie Bethea

The April 24 banquet, a program of the Howard County Historical Society (HCHS), will begin at 6:30 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. in Hingst Hall on the Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Campus, 1815 E. Morgan St.

Tickets are available through the HCHS website at https://www.howardcountymuseum.org/programs/howard-county-legends or by calling the office at 765-452-4314. Anyone interested in helping to sponsor the program should also contact the HCHS office.

Several threads run through the Hall of Legends Class of 2025, similarities and differences found in research on their lives. Two of them — Eddie and Jon — were accomplished practitioners of the Japanese martial art of karate.

In an interesting twist, one of them, Robert L. Young, was a friend of the grandfather of Richard Blacklidge, playing golf occasionally with J.A. Kautz. Only one, Richard Blacklidge, was born in Howard County. The other five “legends” moved here later in life.

Several (Blacklidge, Russell and Young) were known for their contributions to the economic and architectural history of Kokomo, while others (Bethea and Tuttle) are known for their contributions to the cultural growth of the community and its sometimes-forgotten citizens. One, Wilson, made her mark in the broader world, working to control diseases in people across the globe.

The 2025 honorees join a list of more than 80 truly exceptional people and organizations with Howard County connections who have been honored in the first 14 years of this program. Some were born in Howard County and have made their mark here or in the broader world. Some came here and made outstanding contributions in their “adopted” home.

These “legends” include America’s first female U.S. Marine, the “Father of Modern Optometry,” the creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog, two pioneers of the automobile industry, one of the world’s leading heart surgeons, a country music superstar and an opera singer, three award-winning journalists, and multiple educators, among others.

A video tribute to the Class of 2025 will premiere during the April 24 program.