Birch E. Bayh Jr.

Wabash Valley profiles : a series of tributes to hometown heroes who have made a difference

Description:	One typed page including photograph; biography of Birch Evans Bayh Jr., co-recipient of the 2006 Gerald Ford Award. ABASH VALLEY WP R O F I L E SA series of tributes to hometown heroes who have made a difference.Birch E. Bayh Jr.he announcement last week by the NCAA that two former Terre Haute residents--Birch Evans Bayh Jr. and John R. Wooden--are co-recipients of the coveted 2006 Gerald Ford Award surely elevates community pride several notches. The award will be presented Jan. 7, 2006, at the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis. The Ford Award honors individuals who have provided significant career leadership as advocates for intercollegiate athletics. The son of Birch E. Bayh and Leah (Hollingsworth), Birch was born on Jan. 22, 1928. A former athlete, professor and coach at Indiana State Normal residing at 242 Barton Ave., his father was the Supervisor of Physical Education for the Terre Haute Public Schools. Following graduation from high school, young Birch enrolled at Purdue University but interrupted his studies to serve with the U.S. Army in Berlin. He earned a bachelors degree from Purdue in 1951 and was president of the senior class. He later attended Indiana State (1951-52) and Indiana University School of Law, earning a law degree in 1960. While still attending law school, he owned a 340-acre farm near Shirkieville in northwest Vigo County and entered politics, winning election at age 25 as Vigo Countys representative to the Indiana House. Re-elected three times, he was Speaker of the House in 1959 and House minority leader in 1957 and 1961, the year he was admitted to the bar and won election to the U.S. Senate. Becoming the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee while serving three terms as Senator (1962 to 1980), Bayh is the only lawmaker since the Founding Fathers to author two amendments to the U.S. Constitution: the 25th Amendment on presidential and vice presidential succession; and the 26th Amendment that lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. He also co-authored the Bayh-Dole Act, which revitalized the nations patent system, and the Juvenile Justice Act. Significantly, he framed Title IX of the Higher Education Act in 1972, landmark legislation mandating equal opportunity for men and women in federally-funded education activities, including sports. Since retiring from Congress, Bayh has practiced law in Washington, D.C. During his celebrated career, he has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards. He also is author of One Heartbeat Away: Presidential Disability and Succession (1968). His marriage on Aug. 24, 1952, to the former Marvella Belle Hern of Lahoma, Okla., resulted in the birth of one child: Birch Evans Evan Bayh III, former Indiana governor and current U.S. Senator. Marvellas tragic death from breast cancer at age 46 on April 24, 1979, after an eight-year battle, brought national awareness to the disease. Her book Marvella: A Personal Journey was a national best-seller. In January 1982, Bayh married Katherine Halpin, director of news information for ABC. The couples only child Christopher is a recent Indiana University graduate, where he played varsity football and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.T 238-6000 MEMBER FDICAlways Close to HomeSign up now for FREE* online banking atwww.first-online.comEQUAL HOUSING LENDER MEMBER FDIC*One-time sign-up fee is $5.95File name: Birch E. Bayh profileDate Published: Nov. 3, 2005
Origin:	2005-11-03
Created By:	McCormick, Mike
Publisher:	Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Source:	http://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/vchs/id/572
Collection:	Vigo County Historical Society
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/
Copyright:	Copyright Undetermined
Subjects:	Bayh, Birch Evans, b. 1928 Legislators Politics Awards Sports Famous Hoosiers People Sports Politics

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