For a print edition, please contact the editor of our Special Publications, Jennifer Mertz.

STORY INDEX Introduction Service still most important product at Ligonier Telephone Co. A black and white sensation: Tiny Screens a big attraction in early years of television A man works from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done Indiana Extension Homemakers better the lives of families How to be a good wife The show goes on at The Strand: Kendallville theater survives decades of changes in the movie business Some movies forgettable, but not Cleon Point: Memories of colorful, longtime Strand Theatre manager live on Small towns once supported their own movie theaters 'You'd see everyone there': Kendallville residents have lasting memories of teen hangouts old and new Links of land and lakes: County, state officials worked together to establish Chain O' Lakes State Park William Jennings Bryan among among orators at Rome City's Western Chautauqua Dr. David Rogers - Man of mystery, and benevolence DNR restoration programs working: Once abundant wildlife returning to area Rise of girls athletics have changed face of school sports Decades of intramurals: Before the '70s, girls had limited athletic opportunities Ford Frick was reared on Noble county's sandlots: Baseball executive always considered himself a 'lucky fan' Ruth was greatest player ever: Frick Frick's predictions for 2000 not far off Small Wolf Lake big winner in 1942 basketball regional Four in a row: Finally with a gym of their own, KHS cagers went to 'Sweet 16' four straight years Ink to flow into 21st century at county's newspapers Broadcast media: Manahan was pioneer in Noble County broadcasting WAWK's history dates back to 1959 Soundwaves from the past: Ligonier museum has one of the largest collections of antique radios in U.S. Health trends: Changes through the century occurred in medicine, health care Scarlet fever, polio were early health scares From sanitarium to partnership: A century of Noble County's medical care Funeral directors ran ambulance service in county prior to '74 'EMS arrives in time for '74 tornado LaGrange County doctors once made house calls by horseback Country doctor delivered babies in his home and drove a Thunderbird Service to mankind condensed to footnotes of history Lengthy Mier-Straus rivalry ended with bank merger : German-Jewish immigrants had impact on Ligonier's history Who are the people of the Amish faith? A place to live, farm, worship, and raise families: Amish began settling in LaGrange, Elkhart counties in 1840 Two controversial religious sects from the 1970's have impact on Noble County Churches with rich heritages served parishioners in LaOtto, Ege EMS arrives in time for '74 tornado By NATALIE HESS The News-Sun This was no April Fool's joke. On Monday, April 1, 1974, the newly-established Emergency Medical Service began operations in Noble County. The EMS made its first run Monday night. Two nights later a single tornado, one of five reported across Indiana, cut through Noble County in a northeast path at about 7 p.m. The destruction was immense and several people were killed in Noble and LaGrange counties. Dale Cochard, administrator at McCray Memorial Hospital in Kendallville at the time, said the facility treated more than 30 people for storm-related injuries on that night. Fifteen were admitted for further care. Goshen General Hospital reported 21 Noble County tornado victims were treated. According to reports, the new EMS service worked smoothly that night. Albion, Rome City and Ligonier had three people each working. Kendallville had three vehicles and six personnel on duty. Before the EMS service, funeral directors operated the ambulance service for Noble County. John Hutchins was one of those funeral directors. Despite the new EMS service, Hutchins found himself on duty again that night. He helped search for victims in Rome City. He later told that though he found no victims, he saw a mobile home that had been compressed to a height of 3 feet blocking Ind. 3 on the south edge of South Milford. Noble County was declared a disaster area. The twister had first struck a rest park on U.S. 6 west of Ligonier, moved on to destroy trees and houses, and then tore off the roof on the west side of the Monsanto factory. The tornado proceeded. It demolished the gymnasium at the Perry Township school and ripped apart Lakeland Manor Trailer Court near Rome City. The twister jumped across Sylvan Lake to Brady's Landing, throwing house trailers and cottages into the murky waters and damaging Pleasant Point homes. The tornado leveled a home on Northport Road, wiped out facilities at the A-1 Production Co. on Noble C.R. 1100E and injured workers inside. An Angling Road church became a storm statistic before the tornado proceeded to South Milford. The EMS staff later said that the assistance they received from volunteers was excellent. Men cleared limbs with chainsaws. Rubble was moved aside. Some EMS workers had to abandon their vehicles and proceed on foot with technician boxes and oxygen to reach injured storm victims. The 3-day-old EMS was given high marks for its handling of the disaster. ''We had been talking about a disaster plan, but had not completed one when the disaster hit,'' said EMS coordinator Dennis Wolford. ''Our people performed amazingly well for not having such a plan."