Published: April 16, 2009 10:46 pm      

Bridges named for Cropper, Buechler

U.S. 31 corridor will have tie to We Care

Charlie Cropper came to Kokomo from the South, and Jan Buechler came from the Great Plains.

Together with the late WWKI radio personality Dick Bronson, Buechler and Cropper turned a random act of Christmas kindness into a source of enduring community pride.

This week, the Indiana General Assembly acknowledged the lives of Cropper and Buechler by naming two yet-to-be-built bridges for the late leaders of the We Care telethon.

State Sen. Jim Buck, R-Kokomo, who authored the resolution for the Senate, said Buechler, Cropper and Bronson deserved credit for building We Care, which has helped hundreds of families since its almost-accidental founding in 1972.

“We Care is a bridge from this community to those in need,” Buck said.

Cropper, who was on-air at WWKI since 1969, was Bronson’s partner on the popular “Male Call” show until Bronson’s death in July 2002.

Hailing from Maysville, Ky., Cropper served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam war, and was a broadcaster on the Armed Forces Radio Network.

Buechler, who led We Care for many years, came to Kokomo in 1971 and coordinated the event each year while Cropper and Bronson served as the on-air telethon hosts. Her work was invaluable to the organization, and she eventually became known around town as “We Care Jan.”

She passed away in 2006; Cropper died in February.

Buck noted a bridge on Ind. 22, at the Howard/Carroll county line, was named for Bronson shortly after his death, partially because Bronson came to Kokomo from the west — from Michigantown.

So Buck asked the Indiana Department of Transportation to name the section of the new U.S. 31 corridor over the Kokomo Creek for Cropper, and the section over the Wildcat Creek for Buechler.

The $390 million U.S. 31 Kokomo Corridor is a bypass around the east of Kokomo due for completion by 2014. Buck said signage will be raised and a dedication ceremony will be held when the bridges are built a few years from now.

“It’s a tribute to the families, to remember all they’ve done for the community,” said State Rep. Ron Herrell, D-Kokomo, who co-sponsored the resolution in the House along with representatives Eric Turner, R-Gas City, and Jacque Clements, R-Frankfort.

Scott Smith may be reached at (765) 454-8569 or via e-mail at scott.smith@kokomotribune.com