MyTunes anniversary: 1965 in music

My main caveat in publishing this list of top music released in 1965 is that I wasn't yet born, so this list was almost entirely curated based on my awareness of music that would emerge only a decade later, then was bolstered as I became more exposed to the era's sizzling tunes. 

You've got powerful folk ballads, the rise of rock ‘n’ roll, or the soulful rhythms of Motown. Celebrating their 60th anniversary is a way to honor not just the artists who created them but the lasting impact they've had on generations of listeners and musicians alike.

This list is based entirely on my play count so yes, you can judge me as you wish. 

1. Yesterday by The Beatles
Yesterday became one of The Beatles' most beloved tracks, hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its simple, emotional melody and introspective lyrics marked a departure from their earlier rock-heavy hits. It remains one of the most covered songs in the world. This is one of 11 Beatles songs overall on my '65 playlist (three are in the top 25).
Listen on YouTube

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2. Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan
This track marked a major shift in Bob Dylan's career from folk to rock. Like a Rolling Stone was a game-changer, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is often considered one of the greatest songs ever written.
Listen on YouTube

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3. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' by The Righteous Brothers
A definitive ballad of the 1960s, You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' topped the charts in the US and UK. The song’s dramatic orchestration and powerful vocals from Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield made it one of the best-loved songs of all time.

In hindsight, I left out "Unchained Melody."

Listen on YouTube

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4. I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown
This energetic anthem, featuring James Brown’s signature vocals, was a major hit in 1965, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is one of the most iconic songs in the history of soul music.
Listen on YouTube

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5. Tracks of My Tears by The Miracles
A classic Motown track, Tracks of My Tears became one of The Miracles' biggest hits, reaching #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. Written by Smokey Robinson, the song’s poignant lyrics and smooth melody made it a favorite among fans.
Listen on YouTube

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6. I've Been Loving You Too Long by Otis Redding
A soulful ballad by Otis Redding, I've Been Loving You Too Long reached #2 on the R&B charts and #11 on the Hot 100. The song showcased Redding’s emotive power and is considered one of the greatest soul songs of all time. I really embraced this song after seeing it used in the movie Heaven Help Us. 
Listen on YouTube

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7. Turn! Turn! Turn! by The Byrds
This folk-rock anthem, with lyrics from the Bible’s Book of Ecclesiastes, reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Turn! Turn! Turn! became a defining song of the 1960s, capturing the spirit of peace and change.
Listen on YouTube

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8. Ticket to Ride by The Beatles
Ticket to Ride became one of The Beatles' most successful singles, hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s innovative use of rhythm and harmony helped it stand out in their catalog.
Listen on YouTube

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9. Lightnin' Strikes by Lou Christie
Lou Christie’s Lightnin' Strikes was a dramatic pop song that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its infectious rhythm and Christie’s falsetto vocals made it one of the standout hits of 1965. This is a guilty favorite.
Listen on YouTube

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10. I Am a Rock by Simon & Garfunkel
I Am a Rock was a melancholic reflection on isolation and emotional detachment, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its poetic lyrics cemented Simon & Garfunkel as leading voices of folk rock.
Listen on YouTube

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11. Do You Believe in Magic? by The Lovin’ Spoonful
This catchy and upbeat track was the debut single for The Lovin' Spoonful, and it reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It helped launch their career, blending folk, pop, and rock influences into something entirely new.
Listen on YouTube

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12. Hang On Sloopy by The McCoys
A quintessential garage rock anthem, Hang On Sloopy became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The McCoys’ energetic performance made the song a favorite in the 1960s and beyond.
Listen on YouTube

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13. I Should Have Known Better by The Beatles
Another hit from Help!, I Should Have Known Better peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its upbeat sound and catchy melody made it a staple of The Beatles’ catalog.
Listen on YouTube

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14. Stop! In the Name of Love by Diana Ross & The Supremes
This iconic Motown hit from Diana Ross & The Supremes reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its catchy refrain and Ross’s captivating voice helped make it one of the most memorable songs of the era.
Listen on YouTube

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15. I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) by The Four Tops
A defining song of the Motown era, I Can’t Help Myself hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its irresistible rhythm and soulful vocals from Levi Stubbs made it a timeless classic.
Listen on YouTube

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16. Nowhere Man by The Beatles
Nowhere Man was another Beatles hit from Rubber Soul, reaching #1 on the UK charts and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song's introspective lyrics and harmonizing vocals made it a standout track.
Listen on YouTube

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17. Nothing in This World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl by The Kinks
This track from The Kinks features a catchy riff and lyrics that reflect the emotional complexity of love. While not a major chart hit, it remains a cult favorite among fans of 1960s rock. This song came to my attention after seeing the movie Rushmore. 
Listen on YouTube

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18. My Generation by The Who
A rallying cry for youth rebellion, My Generation hit #2 on the UK charts. Its bold, defiant lyrics and powerful performance made it one of the anthems of the 1960s counterculture.
Listen on YouTube

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19. California Dreamin' by The Mamas & The Papas
California Dreamin’ reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its haunting melody and evocative lyrics about longing and homesickness made it a quintessential folk-pop song of the 1960s.
Listen on YouTube

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20. Daydream Believer by The Monkees
This cheerful and catchy track became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Its upbeat sound and whimsical lyrics made it one of the defining songs of the Monkees' career.
Listen on YouTube

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21. Mr. Tambourine Man by The Byrds
A cover of Bob Dylan’s song, Mr. Tambourine Man hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was pivotal in bringing folk rock to the mainstream. Its jangly guitars and dreamy lyrics helped define the sound of the 1960s.
Listen on YouTube

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22. Rescue Me by Fontella Bass
Rescue Me reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the most powerful soul hits of 1965. Fontella Bass's stunning vocal performance made it a standout hit in the R&B genre.
Listen on YouTube

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23. Ballad of John and Yoko by John Lennon
Released in 1965, this song was one of John Lennon’s most personal compositions, reflecting on his relationship with Yoko Ono. It reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Listen on YouTube

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24. I Got You by Sonny & Cher
This fun and catchy track reached #1 on the Billboard charts. It’s one of Sonny & Cher’s most enduring songs, showcasing their unique style and chemistry.
Listen on YouTube

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25. Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan
One of Dylan's most experimental songs, Subterranean Homesick Blues reached #39 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its rapid-fire lyrics and blend of folk and rock styles marked a new era for Dylan’s sound.
Listen on YouTube

Every time the calendar flips is an opportunity to revisit music from the eras that preceded it. So for 2025, writer Tom Spalding went back in time in five-year increments starting with 1965 and proceeding up to modern day by year's end.

Spaldo's 2024 in review

 Fun kickoff to 2024 at a Pacers game

 

APR

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompspalding_prsa-apr-credentialed-activity-7190496331524706304-21r4?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

 

Surgery on my “write” hand

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompspalding_so-this-is-me-on-a-sunday-48-hours-after-activity-7195574214043553792-uf9u?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

 

 

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompspalding_mavenspace-activity-7175137415064379394--Fj1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

 

 

USA Swimming as media coordinator

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompspalding_swimtrials24-activity-7210658515021963264-t5zh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompspalding_ive-supported-olympic-level-swim-meets-before-activity-7208518931349688321-76Fu?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

 

LinkedIn Learning

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompspalding_linkedin-linkedinlearning-c2-activity-7224233549627801601-KEUE?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

 

Running into fellow “nemesis” and journalist Jack Rinehart –

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompspalding_great-to-hang-with-my-c2-strategic-communications-activity-7262529482358423552-ierE?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Heckuva SausageFest two-day total

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompspalding_just-finished-thanking-either-by-email-activity-7233201138240471040-tMFe?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

My annual 9/11 post

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompspalding_september11-neverforget-activity-7239626613900894209-Nqba?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

 

Commsplaining

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompspalding_we-set-aside-border-war-rivalries-today-as-activity-7219072701049548803-ge7v?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Indy on the World Stage

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompspalding_great-to-hang-with-my-c2-strategic-communications-activity-7262529482358423552-ierE?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

I concluded my second year on the board of Indy Chess Club, serving as fill-in vice president until being named Secretary for 2025.

 

FOIDS proclamation for Gary

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompspalding_today-the-friends-of-indiana-disaster-search-activity-7276340435025895424-cWvc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Teaming with graphic designer and brand consultant Ellen Storeim, we redid the Pantry's logo to incorporate our new three-tiered message 

 

Joining the PRSA Hoosier Chapter as professional development committee lead

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tompspalding_december-is-a-big-transition-month-for-prsa-activity-7273785940911747072--BzU?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Battling food insecurity: the mark of Mark

After Mark Varnau was selected as one of the United Way of Central Indiana’s 100 heroic community “Game Changers” in 2018, Varnau spelled out his two life commandments: love God and love your neighbor.

It’s what drove the St. Thomas Aquinas parishioner, following his retirement as vice president of marketing for the old Hook’s Drugs chain, to take over operations of the Catholic church’s basement food pantry from parishioner Bob Kennie in January 1990.

“At the time, we only had maybe two clients a week for a little while,” Varnau recalled. “We could feed a family for three days.”

At the time, the St. Thomas Aquinas pantry, at 46th and Kenwood, had no convenient parking nor adequate freezer and refrigerator space. The pantry was also only accessible by outdoor steps that became treacherous in rainy and wintry conditions (or, if a contributor spilled jars of spaghetti sauce on them.) Storage of items were where Varnau could find space in multiple locations around Marion County.


It’s those kinds of memories and stories that have surfaced this month as Varnau celebrates his 90th birthday. Varnau (left in top picture) is now in his 35th year of contributing his talents to the food insecurity cause, still amazingly demonstrating his love of those in the community who are less fortunate.

The mark of Mark is clearly evident.

“We weren’t surprised,” said Matt Hayes, current Pantry director. “Whatever he is connected to seems to flourish.”

Varnau was just 55 when his exit from the drugstore business led him to a second career as unpaid food pantry director.

His availability coincided with the compassionate Kennie's retirement just after the 1989 Christmas holidays. Varnau saw a church newsletter bulletin seeking a replacement and it fit in.

His skills included continuing the feeding-the-poor legacy while also building a network of sources and other volunteers. Importantly, he saw opportunities to partner with other parishes in the north deanery, slowly taking the community pantry at St. Thomas Aquinas and merging into likeminded efforts being steered by parishioners at Christ the King and St. Joan of Arc, then later Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Luke the Evangelist.

Soon the needs of the hungry outpaced what the pantry could collect from those five churches alone, so the Pantry began to purchase from professional food suppliers such as Gleaners or other bulk providers, with additional labor from countless volunteers and produce from the region's burgeoning gardens. He’d haul purchased or donated items in the flatbed of his 1999 Chevy truck.

Then came a dream to relocate to a safer, centralized location which also led to the purchase in 2011 of a standalone building (site of an original late 1940s era neighborhood gas station) at 42nd Street and Boulevard. Bob White, John Juerling and Tom Quinn were also instrumental in that pursuit.)

Following a 15-month process of research, retrofitting, fundraising (thanks Ryan Brady), generosity (thanks to all, but especially to the Witchger family and Marian Inc. for years of behind-the-scenes support) and renovating, the food pantry reopened with a new name – Boulevard Place Food Pantry. (Attorney Brian Crist and Realtor Terry Rankin helped with navigating zoning issues and organizing the sale of the property to the Indianapolis chapter of St. Vincent de Paul Society.)

“God’s hand had to be in it,” Varnau told the Criterion in 2012. “People just thought the cause was great, and they were willing to help. I’ve wept many times because of the generosity of people.”

Varnau ensured the client shelves were full, regional vegetable gardens were connected, stockrooms were bolstered and records were meticulously kept. He also realized at age 80 the plate was so full it was time for a more mature approach that also could use younger hands.

Varnau turned over the director role to Cindy Brown in 2015, but as director emeritus he still had an active role during fundraising for the 2019-2021 renovation and expansion at the current site. Mark even helped pick out the revamped facility’s exterior orange and blue color schemes.

You’ll find the now 90-year-old Carmel resident doting on spouse Ann, keeping up with his six kids,12 grandkids and one grandchild. Or the green thumb will be in his garden or the pantry’s. He’s still driving the ’99 Chevy (known affectionately as the 'Monster') around, often toting Pantry recyclables offsite to grounds of STA to a bin just feet away from where that pantry was located.

From its humble beginnings where two clients were serviced a week, it's now between 300 to 400 weekly. Boulevard Place is now the 5th largest of over 200 pantries in Marion County. In 2023, the pantry served more than 630,000 pounds of food to more than 16,000 clients.

“A labor of love," Varnau said.

Sources for this piece included the Indianapolis Star, Criterion, United Way
and an in-the-works biography from Pantry Secretary Bob White.

Boulevard Place Food Pantry Board Maps Out Future

Our social media routinely features volunteers, donors and supporters. But all of us at Boulevard Place Food Pantry serve with the clients in mind. To that end, board members -- in a process facilitated by treasurer Terry White -- gathered last fall to look at our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Board member Tom Spalding provides some insights to the process to help us kick off 2024. Boulevard Place Food Pantry Board Maps Out Future – St. Vincent de Paul (svdpindy.org)

Launching a website refresh in 2022

In 2022, as part of a long-desired goal to assess how the Boulevard Place Food Pantry is represented on the internet - using the top 25 returns on Google - I began to build out standard messaging and visuals - what's below. The goal is to provide this to the owners of those pages to get them to help us refresh and reimagine how we are presented.

Boulevard Place Food Pantry
Mission Statement: Providing emergency food to people in need in our community and surrounding area. A Special Work of the Indianapolis Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul


Who: The Boulevard Place food pantry, a special work of the Indianapolis Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, was established in 1982 on the property of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. In August 2012 it moved to its present location, a stand-alone building at 4202 N. Boulevard Place. The pantry was created to provide emergency food assistance to people in need. Almost entirely operated by volunteers, the pantry is generously supported by five contributing Catholic parishes (St. Luke, Joan of Arc, Christ the King, Immaculate Heart of Mary, and St. Thomas Aquinas) and is guided by a 14-member board of directors, including representatives of the five parishes. The pantry is non-denominational in its outreach.
What: A point system is used to determine the amount of groceries shoppers may select on each visit. Shoppers are given 17 – 25 points to shop (self-select) depending upon family size. In addition, produce, bread, milk, eggs, baby food, treats, specialty and overstock items are given out for 0 points.
When: The pantry is open three days during the week, including inside shopping on Thursdays and Saturdays.
WEDNESDAY: Outside drive-up only, 10 a.m. to noon*
THURSDAY: Inside shopping, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SATURDAY: Inside shopping, 9 a.m. to noon
Stocking day & walk-in donations: Tuesdays, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
CLOSED – Sunday, Monday and Friday









Full instructions for first-time shoppers are available at the Pantry. Atención hispanohablantes: Tenemos instrucciones en la Despensa sobre cómo comenzar y cómo funcionan los puntos.

Before you visit, we recommend you call our office number and listen to the latest information and updates on our recorded greeting.

Partners: Boulevard Place has approximately 120 adult and student volunteers that stock the shelves, assist clients, off load deliveries, clean and maintain the property. In addition to the parish support we work with Gleaners Food Bank, USDA, Second Helpings, St. Vincent de Paul Archdiocesan Conferences (Indianapolis Council), HATCH for Hunger, the Broad Ripple Farmers Market, Newfields, the SHarP Community Garden, Entenmann’s bakery, Starbucks, and Fairview Presbyterian Church. All of these partners provide volunteers and/or food and/or funds to the pantry. Landscaping is provided courtesy of the Marion County Master Gardener Association. The pantry continues to search for ways to be more helpful to clients on a holistic basis. The pantry’s efforts in this area are ongoing.

Information: 317-924-3461 or contact us at: info-blvdplace@svdpindy.org


Proudly representing a community asset. Our Facebook business page is here: https://bit.ly/BlvdOnFB

Boulevard Place Food Pantry Final Annual Report 2021

Visuals: To assist us in our mission you are welcome to scan this QR code with the camera on your smartphone or smart device, which will allow you to safely and securely make an e-donation on the St. Vincent DePaul web gage

Boulevard Place Food Pantry 2020 annual report

 

Boulevard Place Food Pantry
2020 ANNUAL REPORT

PANTRY BLESSINGS

Greetings from Boulevard Place Food Pantry, a Special Work of St. Vincent de Paul Society, which so many of you so generously support. Our self-select grocery store certainly faced logistical hurdles in a year we’ll never forget! Ultimately the pantry fulfilled its mission of serving a vital need in our community, as our
2020 annual report documents. 

We fed our hungry neighbors with an operation that was reimagined twice—first, in mid-March,
after the pandemic made in-person shopping impractical and our mask-on volunteers converted
to a drive-through. The second change began in July, as volunteers built and handed out “to-go” kits with the sounds of hammers and drills in the background as accompaniment. Music to our ears!

Some of our significant achievements in the past year:

• A ceremonial groundbreaking July 7 featured Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett along with dozens of supporters and dignitaries such as the Witchger Family and Marian Inc. In September and October new concrete walls went up.
• By November 7, we had added 1,500 square feet, unfinished but under roof, with freshly placed concrete. This area will house a new ground-floor bathroom, office, storage space and unloading area. Interior work will continue into early 2021.
• We welcomed Amy Taylor, our first volunteer coordinator.
• Our five contributing Catholic parishes (Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Luke the Evangelist, St. Joan of Arc and Christ the King) continued to impress with significant direct food and hygiene product donations. The parish donations comprise 10% of all food received at Boulevard Place. We are also fortunate to receive support from other neighboring churches, including Meridian Street United Methodist, Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist, Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis and Fairview Presbyterian. Also, Common Ground Christian Church (Midtown) donated the funds to pay for three critical commercial freezer chests that allowed us to continue providing cold food while our walk-in freezer/refrigerator was temporarily disassembled.
• We are blessed by local partners—like Broad Ripple Farmers Market, who provided 8,189 pounds of fresh produce to ensure healthy food options for our clients; and the Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood Association, which has worked with us on grant funds for renovating infrastructure.

As we move forward into 2021, we ask for your continued support and prayers!

Growth Was Springboard for A 60-year Tradition

You may have chuckled or groaned reading the catchy sayings on the twin signboards at our Indianapolis headquarters.

But have you noticed the words beneath each marquee: “Life Insurance, Retirement, Employee Benefits”?

Those are our OneAmerica® business lines, and to our company and customers, they are no joke. For us, signboard sayings go beyond mere levity. They are a way to interest people in what we do. And that story is more than three witty lines.

“For 140 years, OneAmerica has been committed to serving our customers and our community,” said Scott Davison, current OneAmerica chairman, president and CEO. “The signboards are part of that community — a 60-year civic tradition. Although the signboard sayings are light-hearted, we take that responsibility seriously.”

We estimate that approximately 2,700 different signboard messages have appeared since the debut in November 1958.

Do you know why?

Significant Even Before the Sign

OneAmerica has been a vital part of Indianapolis’ economy — and a national financial services provider— since 1877, when our founding fraternal organization, the Knights of Pythias, offered members a single life insurance product.

What propelled us into a $74-billion-assets- and-counting company – and what led to our signboard tradition – can be traced to 1952, with the election of Clarence Jackson as president of American United Life Insurance Company® (AUL), now a OneAmerica company

That marked the beginning of a new era for the company. Jackson, a New Castle, Indiana, native who joined the AUL board in 1947, is remembered as a go-getter and a fun person with a sharp and uninhibited speaking style.

“They kept telling me this was a non-profit mutual, and I said, ‘By God, we better make some profit,’” Jackson once said, according to “Progress through Partnership,” an AUL history published in 2002. “I said we must turn around and face competition’.”

After World War II and following the mergers that led to its formation, AUL was positioned to be a national force in the insurance industry.

In 1954, AUL introduced health and accident insurance, based on long experience in the more limited field of total disability insurance. In 1955, the company’s group annuities business was expanded into a complete group department with a full line of group life insurance and group annuities. The expansion of AUL products also came to include annuities, pension trusts and group retirement plans.

AUL’s spectacular growth into a $1 billion company necessitated more space for the activities of 350 employees, and so in 1957, the cornerstone was laid for a new $2.5 million addition to the north side of our stately headquarters along Fall Creek Parkway.

Because of the prolonged impact that construction had on motorists traveling Fall Creek Parkway, a key roadway, executives felt the need to say sorry to commuters. And so on Nov. 19, 1958, a single signboard was placed at Fall Creek Parkway and Illinois Street, with a two-line message that apologized for the inconveniences caused to traffic.

When construction was done, the signboard stayed. We used the 54 characters to proudly announce a milestone: OVER A BILLION DOLLARS OF INSURANCE IN FORCE. A week later, we wished everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Then, motorists were reminded to drive safely over the holidays.

With the arrival of 1959 came our first humorous quip: WHAT THIS COUNTRY NEEDS IS A GOOD 5-CENT NICKEL. The next week the signboard again sermonized about safe driving but this time with humor: AVOID THAT RUNDOWN FEELING-OBEY STOP SIGNS.

Many of the early sayings were attributed to Jackson, and he reviewed AUL associates’ suggestions as well as ideas from the public, but he nixed those that might offend people or been seen as “too preachy.” The company began offering a miniature replica of a signboard to the contributor of quips actually used.  That is still the policy at OneAmerica. (Community members receive congratulations for winning entries and can email entries to corporatecommunications@oneamerica.com.)

Jackson was so connected to the signboard that when he announced his retirement as president in October 1961, he said he’d stay on as “chairman of the board and author-in-chief of company signboards.”

The signboard was redesigned in 1969 when a new AUL logo was adopted; this time a second was added on Meridian Street. Few quips were used more than once but WE AUL WISH YOU HAPPY HOLIDAYS was a repeat favorite.

The last quip at our old address was GOING … GOING … GONE before the move to our current headquarters tower in October 1982.

Before moving into its Downtown tower, AUL was best known around Indianapolis as the company with the signboards and an ad campaign stated “Put the people behind the sign, behind you.” 

The signboard has caused stir-ups in the past; it got laughs with quips about women; one year it put up a sign that stated TO BE AN ATHIEST IS A GOD-GIVEN RIGHT” (that lasted only a few days before it was taken down, led to media coverage anyway. That said, newspaper, radio and TV reporters have done a number of stories on the popular signboards, and social media has broadened their visibility.) Check out this 2016 profile in the Indianapolis Star. 

When AUL was building its new tower downtown, journalist David Mannweiler (then with the now-defunct Indianapolis News) called and asked if the company would keep the signboards when it moved downtown and was told “probably not,” as they might detract from the building’s appearance. 

His articles sparked public interest in keeping the signboards, which were placed on two corners of the employee parking area.

In September 2004, the signs were temporarily removed as it was changed from American United Life to OneAmerica. They returned a month later in a public ceremony that included then-Mayor Bart Peterson. The signboard saying read: CELEBRATE OUR UNITY WITH OUR LEVITY.

Nelson Price, a veteran Indianapolis journalist, author and founder of the 10-year-old weekly radio show Hoosier History Live!, says it’s been well-documented that out-of-town visitors will make it a point to drive past the signboards.

“It’s truly an iconic part of Indianapolis,” said Price. “I know folks in other Indiana towns – Rochester in one case, Bloomington in another – who plan their route to Indy to make certain they swing by and enjoy the latest message/pun.”

Which is why, even as we keep growing, we vow to help keep passersby grinning and groaning.