Candidate for Governor

Candidate for Governor has Greentown Connection
   Greentown may seem like a small town to some, but for young John Gregg, it was considerably larger than his hometown, Sandborn, Indiana.  Sandborn is in Knox County and had 547 residents in the 1960 census.  By comparison, Greentown had 1,266 residents in 1960. 
   During the summer and on other occasions John would accompany his mother and brothers, and occasionally their father, to Greentown to visit “Aunt Mabe.”  Aunt Mabe was Maybelle Mahon, his great-aunt on his mother’s side.  Maybelle and her husband Ben lived on West Walnut Street in the home now owned and occupied by Joe and June Mason. John remembers that the neighbors on that block were Ross and Faith Wyrick and Don and Deloris Maple.
   The Mahons were active in the community.  Maybelle was a teacher in Eastern Elementary School in 3rd grade and then in the 2nd grade.  She taught a Sunday School class at the Methodist Church and was a member of a church circle.  She also was in the Research Club and was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. She often opened her home for meetings.       Ben was a partner in the Kahl and Mahon Construction Company, bridge contractors.  He served on the Greentown Town Board 1964-1968 and was a director of the Greentown Lions Club.  The Mahons passed away in 1972 and 1973 and are buried in the Sandborn Cemetery.  With the Mahons gone, there were few visits to Greentown; however, John’s mother kept in touch with a special Greentown friend, Vetta Pickett, as long as Vetta lived
    John says his annual visits to Greentown began in infancy and continued until he was about 20 years old.  The visits were usually one week in length until the boys’ summer jobs dictated shorter trips.  They always planned the visits to coincide with the county fair, which John remembers as being “a great fair.”  While in town, he would get his hair cut at a local barber shop and remembers it cost 75 cents.  He was impressed with Mast Furniture Store.  He is well aware of Greentown glass and one of his brothers is a collector.  The family would attend church services at the Greentown Methodist Church.  As was the custom, Aunt Mabe would ask her visitors to stand and be introduced and she would brag on each.  Typical of a teenager, John found this embarrassing. 

  One special trip the Greggs made to Greentown was to check on the Mahons after the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado.  John remembers that it was a couple days before the roads were cleared and they were allowed into town.  John continued his visits to Aunt Mabe even when he was a college student, first at Vincennes University and then IU Bloomington.  He would often travel to Greentown during Christmas break. 
   A current Greentown area resident also has a connection with the Gregg family.  Local dentist, Bill Begeman, also grew up in Sandborn.  His mother taught the young John Gregg in school and was a friend of John’s mother.  John later became the family attorney to the Begemans. 
   John Gregg is running for the position of Governor of Indiana.