KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Kosciusko County has announced 22 local residents will carry the Indiana Bicentennial Torch as part of Indiana’s Bicentennial Torch Relay.

The relay will come through Kosciusko County Thursday, Sept. 29, kicking off a weekend of festivities at the fairgrounds in Warsaw.

Members of the Kosciusko Count Bicentennial Committee received more than 70 torchbearer nominations, which they then had to narrow down to 22. The names of the torchbearers are as follows:

• Willis Alt Jr.
• Carolyn Baker
• Ron Baumgartner
• Marlin Carr
• Linda Cochran
• Gladys Culver (son, Bart Culver, will carry the torch during the relay)
• Camille Kerlin
• Mike Kissinger
• Cathy Lemberg
• Ken Locke
• Larry Martindale
• Barb Martz
• David Scott McClintock
• Don Miller
• Mary Louise Miller
• Sherri Milton
• Rita Price-Simpson
• Donald Reinholt
• Layne Warren; his family will carry the torch on his behalf

The following people will have the torch carried on their behalf:

• Scott Bibler; Jeff Shriver will carry the torch in his honor
• Robert Lichtenwalter; the American Legion Honor Guard will carry the torch in his honor
• Richard “Dick” Pelletier; his family will carry the torch in his honor

When choosing Kosciusko County’s torchbearers, the Bicentennial committee was not necessarily looking for those who have gone on to be famous or who have done things on a national level. Rather, they were looking for people who have made a difference on a more local level.

Torchbearers range in age from 19 to 104. They come from several communities throughout Kosciusko County and have served those communities in many different capacities over the years. Some have defied great odds. Others have dedicated their lives to serving in various capacities. The Papers Inc.’s own Ron Baumgartner is among them.

Each week leading to the day of the Bicentennial relay, Ink Free News will profile a different Kosciusko County torchbearer, telling their stories, where they are from and why they were nominated and chosen as torchbearers.