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Special section • Star Century: 100 years of The Indianapolis Star

Being a journalist was practically an anonymous endeavor in newspapers in turn-of-the-century America. Reporters' names did not appear on stories; only editors and publishers merited having their names on opinion pieces.

The Star altered that practice in the 1920s with Frank M. Hohenberger and Mary Elizabeth Bostwick. Both had loyal followings for decades as their columns continued in The Star.

Hohenberger began writing about natives of Brown County in 1923 in a weekly column called "Down in the Hills o' Brown County." Except for a period between 1932 and 1936, Hohenberger's column appeared until 1954.

Bostwick began writing a back-page column, "Last Page Lyric," in 1927. Her challenging format was to take a daily news items and reflect upon the topic in verse. She called the column "our little poetry factory."

Some early Star columnists are all but forgotten today. One of these is Rachel Peden. She chronicled farm life in southern Indiana from 1946 until her death in 1975. She was a naturalist and the author of three books; she also was the sister of Nina Pulliam, wife of Star publisher Eugene C. Pulliam.

Other columnists in the last three or four decades have become almost like family members in Indiana homes and have brought comfort, insight and laughs to regular readers.

The list of former columnists of the past three decades, excluding the editorial page, includes Dick Cady, John Shaughnessy, Steve Hall, Will Higgins, Dan Carpenter, Nelson Price, Charlie Griffo, Greg Dawson, Ted Daniels, Lynn Ford, Bill Benner, Robin Miller, Steve Mannheimer, Fred Cavinder, Myrta Pulliam, Dick Walton, Jerry Lyst, George Moore, Cleo Kern, Doug McDaniel, George Stuteville, Bob Williams, "Bayou" Bill Scifres, Bob Mooney, Pat Traub, Tom Wyman, Mike Redmond, Julia Inman, Opal Crockett, Jane Moore Howe, Leila Holmes, Punch Harris, Betsy Harris and Donna Mullinix.

Current columnists are household names, as well. Bob Kravitz, C. Jemal Horton, Ruth Holladay, John Strauss, John O'Neill, Mary Beth Schneider, Skip Hess, Ellen Miller, Patti Denton, Bonnie Britton, Dana Knight, Greg Weaver, J.K. Wall, Dan McFeely, Curt Cavin and Susan Guyett are not likely to be strangers to regular readers of The Star.

Call Star reporter David Mannweiler at (317) 444-6084