By Tamara Taylor

The Road Less Traveled

History- Each and every one of us has a history that has made us who we are today . As the years go by , I never cease to be amazed at how our own personal histories become intertwined , the links often not realized until years after the fact .

Just such a realization hit me recently when I had the opportunity to interview Attorney General Curtis Hill , Indiana ’ s forty-third Attorney General . As I walked up to Mr . Hill , I was impressed by a very professional young man standing next to him . While I had not previously met any of Mr . Hill ’ s staff , something about this young man seemed vaguely familiar . I read his

name tag and stopped short- I had watched this “ kid ” grow up ! Little league , baseball games , school functions ... That “ kid ” was Garrett Bascom .

The last time I had seen Garrett was when he attended Manchester Elementary ; he was raised on the site of the historic Kyle Creamery Company . That smart little kid was a far cry from the polished , well-spoken young man who holds the title of Special Assistant to the Chief Deputy . Naturally , my curiosity was piqued . What journey had Mr . Bascom taken to get to where he is today ?

I started by speaking to Attorney General Hill and heard nothing but glowing praise about Garrett . He has certainly become an invaluable , wellrespected member of the office according to Attorney General Hill and a number of coworkers with whom I spoke .

I learned the most when I traced Garrett ’ s political beginnings back to the executive offices in Dearborn County . While in middle school , Garrett would race home from school not to play video games , but to watch C-CPAN 2 . In middle and high school ,

Garrett was intrigued by county government . He attended meeting after meeting and watched commissioners and council members , intrigued by the information they gathered and the decisions they made . I have a feeling that Garrett was also quite aware of the impact that those decisions had on our community .

At one point Garrett approached then-deputy prosecutor , Aaron Negangard , about helping in the prosecutor ’ s office . “ I have never seen a kid so eager to learn about how our government works ,” said Mr . Negangard . The path was set . The entire staff of the courthouse was impressed by Garrett ’ s politeness , intelligence , and willingness to help . He was genuine about his intent to learn everything that he could and help wherever needed . During a summer of interning for the prosecutor ’ s office , Mr . Negangard was impressed by Garrett ’ s ability to get things done and follow up no matter how hard the task .

Garrett continued to work in the Prosecutor ’ s office part-time while attending the College of Mt . St . Joseph .

Garrett Bascom working with Bill McCleery , Deputy Director of Communications for Indiana Attorney General , Curtis Hill .

He kept quite an ambitious schedule yet still maintained such good grades that he was accepted into Indiana University ’ s School of Law .

By this time , Mr . Negangard was working on Attorney General Hill ’ s election campaign . He knew that Garret would be a great asset to the campaign and asked him to volunteer . Volunteer he did . Garrett ’ s hard work earned him a spot on Mr . Hill ’ s staff . I was told that the senior staff members rely heavily on Garrett because they know that , if Garrett is on a task , they can rest assured that it will be done correctly and on time .

Garrett is deeply interested how to make our community a better place through politics . At age 21 he ran for a seat as a delegate at the Indiana Republican state convention ; he was the youngest of twentyfour candidates vying for the spots . In his spare time , he reads historical biographies , although I have a feeling

those “ spare times ” are few and far between . Currently , Garrett works full time in the Attorney General ’ s office while attending law school at night . For any of you who have attempted night school while working full time , you know what a cumbersome undertaking that is . Garrett is obviously working hard since he is now in the top 10 % of his class in his first year .

“ Garrett is an exceptional young man who demonstrates the integrity and leadership that the future generation offers ,” stated now Chief Deputy Negangard .

Members of the executive offices in Dearborn County remember Garrett ’ s work ethic and positive attitude . To this day , he still seeks them out at political functions to say hello and see if he can help them with anything .

My hat is off to you , Garrett Bascom . I can ’ t wait to see where you go from here and the difference that you make .