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© Copyright 2003 EPICS TCHA Team at Purdue University, All Rights Reserved.
Lafayette Life Insurance Company opened its new home office at 18th Street and Teal Road (formerly Earl Avenue, renamed to honor the late Mayor William N. Teal).
Wible Hiner, former president of Purdue State Bank in West Lafayette, died at age 69.
Lafayette city government offices began moving from the old high school across Sixth Street into space in the new City Hall.
In the Lafayette Republican primary, City Clerk Elton V. "Red" McQueen upset Mayor Kenneth R. Snyder 1,544 to 1,042. Democrats nominated 32-year-old William K. "Bill" Gettings.
Sarkes Tarzian, Inc., Bloomington, Ind., bought the television assets of Lafayette Broadcasting, Inc., which had operated WFAM-TV on Channel 59. [The station left the air on May 16 for modernization, and returned in late summer on UHF Channel 18 instead of 59.]
Officials dedicated Lafayette City Hall at Sixth and Columbia streets.
A Tippecanoe County Area Planning Commission began meeting after years of study and debate about merits of creating it. The commission hired professional planner Downing Dodge as director Dec. 18.
President Eisenhower named Major Gen. David M. Shoup, Battle Ground area native, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.
The 100th anniversary of the flight of the balloon "Jupiter" was marked by a dinner, balloon flight by Don Piccard, a speech by Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield, issuance of the "Jupiter" commemorative air mail stamp, and other events.
Under the acronym HEALTH ("Help Enlarge Adequately Lafayette's Two Hospitals") a drive to raise $3 million began, with contractor Karl H. Kettelhut chairman. Home and St. Elizabeth hospitals would be beneficiaries.
Purdue University dedicated the Life Science Building addition.
Purdue University agricultural extension Prof. John B. "Heavy" Kohlmeyer became executive director of the Indiana Commission for Reorganization of Public Schools formed by new legislation. The law gave the Commission four years to reorganize state public schools. In Tippecanoe County, Circuit Court Judge Paul D. Ewan named a nine-member reorganization committee.
Groundbreaking marked the start of the Lafayette Art Center near Ninth and South streets. Architect Walter Scholer designed the structure, and Kettelhut Construction Company built it. [Dedication took place on Oct. 2, 1960.]
A "flying classroom" in which courses would be telecast from an airplane based at Purdue Airport was planned for the fall of 1960. It was estimated that the system could beam instructional material to receiving sets that could reach 5 million students in 17,000 schools in six states.
Loeb Fountain, a gift from Bert and June Loeb in memory of his father, Solomon Loeb, was turned on in front of the Executive Building at Purdue University.
Judge W. Lynn Parkinson of the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, was reported missing. His broken umbrella and homburg hat were found along Lake Shore Drive and on the Lake Michigan beach. He reportedly also had been seen falling, as in a "daze," along the drive.
J.C. Penney Co. moved its Lafayette retail store to a new building at the southwest corner of Third and Columbia streets
Democrat William K. Gettings defeated Republican Elton V. "Red" McQueen 8,487 to 6,724 and, at age 32, took office as Lafayette mayor in January, 1960. In West Lafayette, Mayor Fred L. Willis won re-election.
Lowell Martin, an attorney who overcame handicaps as a youth to finish Jefferson High School and Purdue University in a wheelchair, died, evidently of a heart attack, at 54.