Indiana University - Arbutus Yearbook (Bloomington, IN)

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Rudi ' s, Mall cause sprawl Care for some Red Zinger tea or Black Russian bread? If so, head on over to Rudi ' s Ashram bakeries, deh or Tao Restaurant. Besides food services, Rudi ' s businesses provide a means of livelihood for members of the area Ashram community. Michael Shoemaker, the teacher of the Ashram community who is responsible for the various enterprises, estimated that 80 people work at the different area operations. Of these, he continued, 50-60 are college students and most are members of the Ashram community. The rest are area resi- dents. Shoemaker, a former lU student, said the Ashram is not a faith or religion, but a way of life. Its followers are mem- bers of a community, he said. The businesses, Shoemaker explained, are owned by the community to support community members through the earning of wages and salaries. In addition to Rudi ' s enterprises in Bloomington, there are nine other Ashram centers in metropolitan areas such as In- dianapolis, Ann Arbor and Cincinnati. The newest local Ashram enterprise is Rudi ' s Oriental Art store which contains several ancient and authentic pieces in various mediums. Indian and Chinese wall-hangings and original-design jewelry are also sold. Shoemaker explained the switch from food services to art: My teacher, Rudi, (for whom most of the enterprises are named) started collecting different pieces as a hobby. Then after his death, I started the business, both as a means of support and for the cultural exposure. Cindv Mossier lim Mendenhall (OPPOSITE PAGE) The Latimer homestead has been in the family for over 100 years. Mrs. Frieda Robertson, who inherited the farm from her father Clarence Latimer, lives there now with her husband, daughter and mother. The farm, used to raise beef cattle, is a little of old Bloomington surrounded by its new commercial enterprises. (ABOVE) At the Tenth Street Rudi ' s Bakery, only one of the many Ashram businesses, customers wait for delicatessen treats. 15

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•WWJjjlyi - Sw-idt 14 Nestled somewhere in the midst of K-Mart, Kentucky Fried Chicken, College Mall and McDonald ' s, is a small farm. Known as the Latimer place, it is in direct contrast with the golden arches, neon signs and parking lots that sur- round it. Because of its location, the land is worth more than that of an ordinary farm. Over the last one hundred years, this land has been owned by the Latimer family. Today, Mrs. Frieda Robertson, along with her husband, daughter and mother, live on the Latimer homestead. Originally the farm encompassed 70 acres on Bloomington ' s East side. Robertson ' s father, the late Mr. Clarence Latimer, received the land from his father, who in turn, had inherited the land from his father. Forty additional acres were later added, enlarging the Robertson farm to 110 acres. Making use of a tract of the land, Mr. Latimer leased an acre to Burger Chef fifteen years ago. Then, in 1970, twelve acres were leased to K-Mart, and the wall of business grew around the Latimer farm. Today the remaining acreage is used to raise beef cattle, and grow hay and alfalfa to feed the animals. Mr. Robertson runs the farm, while his wife works at the placement office of the lU Business School. They still receive calls for leasing offers, but, for the moment, they do not intend to accept any of them. One hundred years ago the area surrounding the Latimer place was farmland. Today it is a mass of commercialism, but the farm remains a touch of the old in a center of the new. The most conspicuous example of commercialism around the Latimer place is the College Mall. Built in 1965, the mall has grown steadily over the past years, and now has 47 stores. Mary Lou Brown, past president of the mall ' s merchant association, said the mall developers were looking for small towns without malls. Bloomington seemed a likely spot, so Melvin Simon and Co. moved in and built the East side shopping extravaganza. College Mall has developed into a regional mall serving several counties, Brown said. Residents of Bedford, Paoli and towns as far away as French Lick frequent the mall. Each store relies on the student population in a different fashion. When building the mall, Brown said, the facilities were specifically aimed at the university and its students. Tom French. Sue Rhoade Photos Bruce Buchanan

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Local winery reclaims land Reclamation wine — is that anything Hke dandelion or elderberry wine? No, this wine doesn ' t come from a special fruit, but it does grow in strange ground. The Oliver Wine Co., owned by lU Professor of Law and Mrs. William Oliver, has developed an experimental vine- yard on reclaimed strip mined land owned by the Falcon Coal Company in eastern Kentucky. The five-acre vineyard is believed to be the first of its kind in the country, Oliver said. Although the winery is satisfied with the results of the experiment, Oliver said he can ' t recommend the process to other wine companies yet. We want a little more experi- ence, he said. The experimental vineyard will continue at the Kentucky site for at least another year and Oliver has already discussed plans to expand the project to areas in DuBois County, Indiana. The company expanded its production capacity with the addition of a new building at the winery located near In- diana 37. With this expansion, We can now supply more product, Oliver stated. Since the company was established in 1972, Oliv er said they have been sold out of products about 20 times. A wine in great demand is Camelot Mead, a honey-based drink. It ' s been so popular, we haven ' t been able to make as much wine, Oliver said. The wines have been so popular that Oliver ' s needs little advertising to publicize its wares. Many of the winery ' s cus- tomers are people who stop there for free taste samples. Oliver explained that he refrains from advertising a great deal in the Indiana Daily Student. It ' s probably not the most effective form of advertising for us because half of the paper ' s subscribers are not of drinking age, he estimated. 16 Photos 1. D. Schwalm