By Karen Kier, Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team
Elvis Presley released Heartbreak Hotel in January 1956. The song hit number one on the Billboard Top 100 and stayed there for 7 weeks. The crossover hit stayed at number one for seventeen weeks on the Country & Western charts. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1995. Many have covered the song, including a duet by Willie Nelson and Leon Russel.
Why the talk about heartbreaks during the most wonderful time of the year?
Below are links to 24 Icon articles that are distributed in print form to the Ada Public Library, Beatitudes and Vancrest of Ada. This is the fourth issue of the Ada Icon Highlights.
Dear readers,
In November 2025, I particularly enjoyed reporting on volunteers and Village of Ada workers who decorated Depot Park for the holidays, and having a stage-side seat for Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel’s visit to the Ada Schools to promote the Team Tressel Fitness Challenge.
I want to give a huge thank you to J.D. Fleece and photographer Mark Andreasen for the information and photos provided for our coverage of the VFW flag retirement ceremonies.
The Ada Schools 4th & 5th Grade Christmas Musical on December 4 was "Holly Jolly Jalopy." Parents, families, and friends joined in the holiday fun at the Ada Schools auditorium.
FROM FACEBOOK__It's the last week to enter the Ada Public Library FREE book giveaway, courtesy of the Friends of the Ada Public Library!
Every day that you check out a book, you can enter a ticket for the book drawing. The last day to enter is Friday, Dec. 12, and we'll draw the winners on Saturday, Dec. 13.
There's a book for each age group, so choose which title you'd like to win!
• "Ahoy!" by Sophie Blackall (ages 4–7)
• "Pocket Bear" by Katherine Applegate (ages 8–10)
• "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell (ages 11–13)
MEDIA RELEASE––The United Way of Hardin County held its third Student Leadership-United meeting of the 2025–26 school year on December 3 at Ridgemont High School. The session featured a presentation from Amanda Raines of the Ohio State University Extension Office, who spoke to students about strategies for managing stress.
FROM ONU.EDU__Dr. Kendall (Ken) Baker, Hon. D. ’11, served with distinction as Ohio Northern University’s 10th president from 1999 until 2011. He was named president emeritus upon his retirement. He passed away in Colorado on Thursday, November 27, 2025, at age 83.
Life of scholarship
Dr. Baker came from a military family and wanted to follow suit, but vision trouble derailed his plans. He decided to pursue a life of scholarship. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Maryland in 1963, followed by a master’s and doctoral degrees from Georgetown University in 1966 and 1969, respectively.
