MYERS-John Thomas - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Note from KBZ -- I have such great respect for this man. It was a black day when my brother, Larry Bazzani was shot in Vietnam. On May 26, 1967 we were all sitting around home -- Larry's wife, Linda had just been writing a letter to Larry, telling him Happy Anniversary (which would be their first on the 29th) and I was talking to my soon-to-be husband, Jim, my mom was reading and dad was watching television when the doorbell rang. It was Charlie Stewart, town marshall of Waveland, Indiana. Charlie didn't more than open the door and Linda KNEW what he was going to say. His words were something like, "I'm sorry to tell you but Larry has been hurt. I don't know anymore details other than he's been shot" Linda went to pieces and none of us could get her to calm down. Finally, we called her brother, Donny and Donny came in and held her like a baby. He took her to the hospital where they gave her some sedatives.

Dad tried to get everyone to help find out something about Larry. Finally, about 3 a.m. the phone rang. Larry was shot twice in the head in VietNam and we tried everyone and everything to find some information. John Myers called our home and spoke to my dad and told him he would find out within the day. God love him - he did! We learned that Larry had been taken to Camp Zuma, Japan for an operation and had survived that and was doing fairly well. Rep. Myers had them hook up some type of thing so he could call and that was one of the happiest days ever in the Bazzani household when we heard from him ... in person! A Japanese operator spoke and Linda couldn't make any sense out of what she was saying. Finally, she must have told Larry to say his name, and when he said, "Larry Bazzani," Linda was thrilled to finally hear his voice after he'd been gone since November.

Then, in late July Larry came home, stayed a few days then he and Linda went to Virginia. Larry received the Purple Heart there for his efforts. We're proud that he served our country and have always been so thankful to John Myers for making that phone call possible so that we could know Larry would finally return to us!

John Thomas Myers was born in Covington, Fountain County, Indiana, on the 8th day of February in 1927. When in high school, he had a great love for basketball, and served on the Regional Championship the year he was a senior at Covington HS in 1945. He served in the U.S. Army after high school, and from there, he earned a B.S. from Indiana State University in 1951.

He made his first friends as a community leader while he was first a cashier and later trust officer with The Fountain Trust Comapny in Covington. He worked there from 1952-1966. Not long after beginning his banking career, he married the love of his life, Carol V. Carruthers in Danville, Illinois May 30, 1953. They would have two daughters, including Carol Ann and Lori whose husband, Brian Kerns was also a representative for the 7th District. During all this time, he also farmed on the family land.

Such community involvement, he was a 50-year-member of the Fountain Lodge F&AM, 33-degree member of Scottish Rite Valley of Terre Haute; Zorah Shrine, Reserve Officers Association; Sigma Pi; American Legion; VFW and Church of the Holy Trinity. Both Masonic services and full military rites were performed at his burial in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Covington.

Everyone thought of John Myers with love and respect. In the article listed below by John Gizzi, Newsmax government correspondent, Republican Representative, Ben Blackburn from Georgia, said that John was a very nice man who made no enemies. In the 30 years (Jan 3, 1967 - Jan 3, 1997) John spent in Congress he never voted for a tax increase. Kind of like it was against his religion and I remember my dad saying, "Way to go, John!"

Something we all should live by comes from Myers' staffer, John Palatiello (Gizzi), "John always abided by the adage to disagree without being disagreeable.

The virgin run for John was against two sports heroes and three others, along with John but "John's tireless energy and effervescent personality" led him to top the group for the primary election. This all done in a district where there were more Democratic voters.

John refused to be called Congressman and had his staff answer the phones saying, "John Myers' office!"" Palatiello remarked, "That's how he was - no putting on airs, no pretentiousness."

Agriculture, Ethics, and Prayer were important to John during his congressional years, yet John was just an average everyday kind of guy whom everyone loved and appreciated. I know my family did.

Source: Gizzi, John. Recalling Late John Myers of Indiana - Mr. Nice Guy.

Source: 28 January 2015. Crawfordsville Journal Review.

Source: History of Fountain County, Indiana. Paducah, Ky: Taylor, 1983.