When a student meets a professor individually for the first time, a greeting is often followed with a handshake. In the case of Louie Ingelhart I received a pat on the butt - courtesy of his cane. From the moment I met this First Amendment advocate, it was clear he was unlike any other educator I knew.
As a twenty-something student-turned-employee at Ball State University I wasn't around for most of Louie's career. However, I find myself extremely fortunate to have still known him toward the end of his life. Louie may have been retired from teaching and running the Department of Journalism, but he wasn't the type to play golf and watch television all day. Louie was still constantly writing, whether about his beloved First Amendment, American history or even some sizzling fiction.
Anyone who talked to Louie (and boy, did he love to talk - he had so much to say) would instantly notice his passion for journalism, Ball State, the First Amendment and life in general. This icon never stopped caring for any of the above, always proud of his alma mater but always pushing the Cardinals to achieve further greatness in all areas. Even in the final weeks of his life he still spoke passionately in defense of student publications, as newspapers and yearbooks continue to find themselves under fire.
It is impossible to say what the current state of scholastic journalism and the status of the Ball State Department of Journalism would be without Louie. It's also impossible to say the Ball State Journalism Workshops, or J-Ideas, an organization devoted to furthering the First Amendment cause, would exist without him. Up until the day Louie died, those of us at J-Ideas always tried keeping him abreast of our current First Amendment missions .Despite his advanced age, Louie never lost his facilities; he was always giving helpful advice and an encouraging smile.
Ah, that smile. Sure, Louie could get fired up - whether it be at First Amendment-ignorant Americans or at a bad play on the Ball State basketball court - but more often than not Louie was smiling and always delighting in the company of others and wanting to tell just one more story.
Unfortunately, thousands of Ball State students missed out on Louie's stories in the classroom because they had the misfortune of being born one generation too late. Nevertheless, even for students who may never utter the name Ingelhart, these individuals will feel Louie's influence. The Department of Journalism would likely never have moved into the beautiful Art and Journalism Building without Louie pushing students from the halls of the old journalism houses into lines at graduation. Now, anytime a student walks through the hall holding a Daily News edition that Louie helped shape, he or she can gaze upon the display case dedicated to this journalism legend, all the time knowing that while the glass box holds Louie's physical awards, we ourselves were rewarded with his knowledge and caring.
Goodbye, Louie. Rest well knowing we will work hard, like you taught us, continuing to build a dream that you started.
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