06 Mar 50 Years Ago: Ed Roush and the 911 System

Demonstrating 1968 phone technology are Mayor Brooks Fetters (right) with Indiana state treasurer Kelly Mitchell and AT&T Indiana president William Soards.

Brooks Fetters (left) with Ken and Kay Sunseri at the commemoration in Washington, DC. Ken is the current mayor of Haleyville, Ala., and Kay’s father was mayor when the first 911 call was placed in 1968.

During February and March, events were held to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Emergency 911 call system. Congressman J. Edward Roush (right), a Huntington University graduate and United Brethren member, led the crusade to implement the system.

Brooks Fetters, mayor of Huntington (as well as an ordained United Brethren minister), was part of a group from Huntington that traveled to Washington DC for a commemoration of the 911 system. Also participating was a large contingent from Haleyville, Alabama, where the first 911 call was made on February 16, 1968.

Huntington was the first US city for which Bell Telephone (owned by AT&T) instituted 911 service. Congressman Roush placed the first 911 call to a local policeman on March 1, 1968, placing a call to a local police officer. During that first week, 13 calls to 911 were made by Huntington residents. Prior to that, people had to dial “O” for the operator or look up the specific number for the various emergency services (ambulance, fire, police, etc.). Now, thanks to the efforts of Congressman Roush, 240 million emergency calls are placed to 911 every year across the country.

A recognition was held to mark the March 1 anniversary in Huntington. Participating were Indiana State Treasurer Kelly Mitchell and William Soards, president of AT&T Indiana, along with Mayor Brooks Fetters. A US flag which had flown over the US Capitol was presented in honor of Congressman Roush (made possible by Jim Banks, who now represents the Indiana 3rd District in Congress).

Dr. Roush graduated from Huntington University in 1942, and then served as an officer in the US Army in the European theater during World War II. He served six terms as a Democratic Congressman, followed by several years as director of the Environmental Protection Agency. He was an avid supporter of Huntington University, and even served as interim president in 1989 while President Eugene Habecker was on sabbatical. He was also the denominational legal counsel and served the denomination in other capacities. Ed and Polly Roush were longtime members of College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind. He passed away on March 26, 2004. Roush was the subject of this “On This Day in UB History” post.

The first city in North America to use an emergency number was Winnipeg, in Canada. They used the number 999, which had been used in England since 1937. They switched to 911 after the United States proposed using that number. Mexico used the number 066, but in June 2017 the entire country switched to 911.

06 Mar HU Graduate Christiana Danielle Hicks on The Voice

Huntington University is on the 14th season of NBC’s The Voice. Christiana Danielle Hicks, a 2017 graduate in sociology, was the first contestant in the March 5 blind auditions. Three of the coaches buzzed in on her–Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, and Alicia Keys. She chose to be coached by Alicia Keys.

On campus at Huntington University, students gathered in the HUB for a watch party with each broadcast (the blind auditions were also held February 26 and 27).

2016 Homecoming king and queen Christiana Danielle Hicks and Andrew Dean.

Christiana was an outstanding student and athlete at Huntington University. She was a member of Joyful Noise, the worship team that led chapel services. She was the 2016 Homecoming Queen. And she represented HU as a Frontline Forester, a select group of students who represent the university in various contexts.

Christiana holds several HU track-and-field records. She was an NAIA All-American in the triple jump in both 2016 and 2017. She holds the school record in the triple jump (indoor and outdoor), and the indoor record in the 60 meters and 200 meters. She competed in the NAIA national meet all four years.

For the blind audition on The Voice, Christiana sang Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” Adam Levine, Alicia Keys, and Kelly Clarkson all praised her as they pled to be her coach. Levine, who buzzed in almost immediately, described Danielle as “one of the greatest gifts we have been given on this show.”

Said Keys, “I cannot even contain myself from the way that you make us feel. It is crazy. What you just did was so exciting for music. I feel like you just brought Ella Fitzgerald in with you through Drake….I would love to be your coach. It would be a dream come true.”

Clarkson said, “It does not matter who you pick, you can win this show.” Christiana chose Alicia Keys, who was also a coach on seasons 11 and 12 (and won season 12 with Chris Blue).

There’s still a week of blind auditions, so Christiana won’t be seen for a couple of weeks. If she keeps advancing, viewers will eventually be able to cast votes for her.

Christiana is from Fort Wayne, Ind., as was Addison Agen, the previous season’s runner-up.