A this and that Sunday edition
Man in Lafayette Laundry attack ID’d. Purdue lands UNLV’s Barry Odom as next football coach. Remembering Vic Klinker, ‘Mr. Sheila Klinker.' More Christmas Parade photos. And more BiL Holiday Playlist.
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Catching up on a Sunday afternoon …
PURDUE HIRES UNLV’S BARRY ODOM AS NEXT FOOTBALL COACH: A week after firing Ryan Walters after two seasons at Ross-Ade Stadium, Purdue announced Sunday afternoon it was hiring Barry Odom from UNLV as the next head football coach. Before UNLV, Odom had a stint as head coach at Missouri. Purdue made the pick Facebook official just about the time the men’s basketball team was putting Maryland away at Mackey Arena Sunday afternoon.
Purdue is expected to introduce Odom on the West Lafayette campus Tuesday morning during a 9 a.m. public session at Mackey Arena. Among the reads Sunday afternoon:
Gold and Black reporter Tom Dienhart: “Purdue hires UNLV's Barry Odom as head football coach.”
J&C reporter Sam King had this: “Who is Barry Odom? What to know about Purdue football's head coach.”
Indianapolis Star reporter Nathan Baird had this: “'A dream come true.' What Barry Odom, Purdue AD Mike Bobinski said about Boilers hire.”
SHOOTER WHO KILLED ONE, WOUNDED TWO MORE IN LAUNDROMAT ATTACK ID’D: Louis McGlothlin, 73, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was identified Saturday as the man who walked into Lafayette Laundry and killed one man and wounded two others Thursday evening, officials say.
McGlothlin died Saturday at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello confirmed. Lafayette police reported that he’d shot himself in the parking lot of the laundromat, at 3100 South St., after the attack.
As of Sunday, police said they didn’t know the motive or whether McGlothlin knew any of the three victims.
Keith Ford, 35, of Lafayette, was shot and killed, dying Thursday evening at IU Arnett Hospital in Lafayette, the coroner said. McGlothlin shot two other people in the laundromat that night – Renee Martin, 32, of Lafayette, and Salvador Antonio De La Cruz Reyes, 30, of Lafayette – before shooting himself.
For more on the shootings:
REMEMBERING ‘MR. SHEILA KLINKER:’ Sorry to hear news that Vic Klinker died Friday.
Klinker liked to joke he was "Mr. Sheila Klinker,” towering over his wife of 62 years, the everywhere/all-the-time state representative from Lafayette. But you always knew you were in the room with Vic Klinker, whether at the Lafayette Parks Board – where he served for more than four decades – or a game at Crawley Center or at a community function. With his trademark cigar, unlit but present in recent years, Klinker was a star for Lafayette Jeff basketball teams – including the 1956 team that lost in the finals to a Crispus Attucks team led by Oscar Robertson – returning home after an all-SEC college career at Tulane for a career with Prairie Builders and Lux-Klinker Homes. And eventually as Mr. Sheila Klinker when she was elected to the Indiana House in 1982.
“For him to be so supportive and frankly take a step back so Sheila could do her thing is something when you think about it,” Heather Maddox, former Tippecanoe County Democratic Party chair and friend of Vic Klinker’s, said. “I know it can be said for any spouse of a legislator or elected official but to be the other half to a force that is Sheila. … One of a kind and end of an era of sorts.”
When he presented the Marquis de Lafayette Award, among the highest honors offered by the city, to Klinker in 2018, Mayor Tony Roswarski said, “Vic Klinker embodies Lafayette. … Vic has a unique ability to appreciate and respect the past and the traditions of the park, while being progressive in looking toward the future.”
Klinker was 85. Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, at St. Mary Cathedral, with a funeral mass at 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, at St. Mary. Here’s a link to his obituary.
EXTRA SHOTS: SCENES FROM THE LAFAYETTE CHRISTMAS PARADE: Here’s the thing about Substack and photo galleries: It only holds so much before it warns that Based in Lafayette is too big to squeeze through email servers. Fair enough. So, if you checked out the gallery sent Sunday morning with photographer Brian Powell’s photos from Saturday evening, hit the link below for double the photos from Main Street Saturday night. It’s a free edition, so feel free to share.
WE NEED A LITTLE BiL HOLIDAY/SEASONAL PLAYLIST NOW
How about three more entries today for the Based in Lafayette Holiday/Seasonal Playlist? For the full experience, growing every day thanks to BiL readers, check the link at the bottom of today’s contribution. Today’s songs come from …
Kyle Brown
Kyle Brown is an ABA therapist by day and active in multiple facets at Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette from acting, singing, writing, directing and all the odd jobs in between.
“I Wish It Was Christmas Today / Christmas Treat,” Julian Casablancas – I remember first hearing this on Saturday Night Live with Horatio Sans, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan and Tracy Morgan. Julian Casablancas of The Strokes re-made it a few years later with a little extra punch and seriousness.
“Fairytale of New York,” The Pogues – I think as I grow older, the standard Christmas songs just don’t have the luster and captivation they once had. I think this song shows a wide range of music emotion that evokes a sense of the holidays not always being merry and bright for everyone.
“Christmas in Hollis,” Run-DMC – This song plays in the best Christmas movie of all time … “Die Hard.” Christmas music should all include lines about all the food you intend to eat and how much money Santa carries in his wallet.
Juanita Crider
Juanita Crider is an assistant director at the Purdue Black Cultural Center and also an instructor in the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program.
“Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto,” James Brown – This is always the first Christmas song I play to kick off the season. It’s from his 1968 album, James Brown “Funky Christmas.” I was 7 years old in 1968 and living in Baltimore, which was one of the cities that suffered tumultuous rebellion and riots after Dr. King’s April assassination. This song was on constant rotation in my childhood home. Now as an adult and a budding American Studies scholar, I understand the intentionality of this holiday tune addressing the contemporary moment.
“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” – There are many versions of this song but my favorite is by Harry Connick Jr. It’s the sentimentality and vulnerability that gets me. This song often brings me to tears. Yes, I am a hopeless romantic.
“Santa Claus is a Black Man,” Akim – This 1973 song produced by Teddy Vann is sung by his daughter Akim. She is 5 years old performing on the recording. This is still a running tease of me in my family, because as a kid when I first saw a Black Santa, I was adamant that he wasn’t Santa because Santa is white! LOLOL. I am not sure you can print this but it’s true.
Megan Mills
Megan Mills is a lifelong Lafayette local, big fan of Based in Lafayette and Christmas music. Roasts coffee for the locals and grows vegetables for her family.
“It's Christmas,” Drew Holocombe and the Neighbors – I listen to a lot of different types of Christmas music. I have multiple playlists depending on my mood. This song is on my "Christmas Struggle Bus" playlist (actual title). It's an excellent song when you are having a little trouble feeling the Christmas spirit. It's fun and relatable.
“The Rebel Jesus,” Bebo Norman – There are a lot of different versions of this song and they are all great. I think generally, people have a pretty made-up version of Jesus especially at Christmas. This song offers counter-cultural depiction of Him.
“Ceremony of Carols, Op 28: Procession: Hodie Christus Natus Est,” Lovejoy High School Varsity Women's Choir – On Christmas Eve my jam switches to "high church." The more organ and the more choral parts the better. My childhood Christmas memories were made in the church pew, hymnal in hand. Making music with others is an integral part of the joy of Christmas for me. I too sang in the Harrison choir with Stacy Grove. At every Christmas concert the girls choir lined the aisles of Graff Auditorium and filled it with this stunning piece. I love this version of high school girls choir and if you listen closely you can hear the rustle of the audience and the squeak of the chairs. As an adult, I wake up before everyone else in my house and listen to Christmas choral music in the cozy glow of the lights. If you can't hear this song live, I recommend listening in the surround sound of your car with the volume up!
Honorable Mention:
“Toy Packaging,” Sara Groves – Is this allowed? This is best for Christmas morning, when the gifts are all opened. You're exhausted and elated, surrounded by wads of wrapping paper and the real work of Christmas begins, unboxing and toy assembly.
Your turn: What’s on your list?
What three songs are going into your holiday/seasonal playlist this year? If you’re game to share, here’s all we need:
Three songs and the artists.
One or two sentences about why you chose each one – could be a memory or a short history or review about why that track belongs in your mix and why you’d recommend it to others.
A little bit about you to let readers know who’s making the picks.
Send to: davebangert1@gmail.com
BASED IN LAFAYETTE HOLIDAY/SEASONAL PLAYLIST: IN PROGRESS
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Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.