November 2018
THE BEACON
Page 7A
Nelson won’t be forgotten,
and every time we hear TAPS
being played, we will think
about Nelson Elliott. May he
rest in eternal peace.
Nelson Elliott is portrayed doing what he loved best in a painting by Rita Ashcraft.
Nelson Elliott- One of the Greats
By P.G. Gentrup
Nelson Elliott was the type
of person who you never
forget. I knew Nelson for
many years, and he was just
a delightful man who accom-
plished so much in his life.
I drove by his home in Au-
rora many times and always
appreciated the American
Flags he had on display along
the front area of his home.
Nelson was very patriotic and
loved our great nation. I’d like
to know just how many times
he played taps at so many dif-
ferent functions and especially
at military funerals.
He was legendary, to say
the least. Nelson passed away
on September 15, 2018, at the
age of 80.
Just a few of the highlights
of Nelson’s life include:
Graduating from LHS in 1956
and led the “Hi-Liters” Dance
and Show Band; Gradu-
ated from Hanover College
in 1960; earned his masters
degree and almost completed
his doctorate at the Univer-
sity of Cincinnati; worked
at Dillsboro Public School
where he was the Band &
Choir Director; Batesville
High School where he was
Band & Choir Director and
helped coach football (side
note- those grandstands that
you sit in for every football
game and track event are
there because of Nelson’s
foresight to get them moved
from Walhill to their current
location); Moores Hill Public
Schools where he was the
Principal of grades K-12; was
operating partner at Ewing’s
Produce & Nursery in Au-
rora and the Green Thumb at
Dillsboro; Indiana Auctioneer
and led the Nelson Elliott
Auction Team; employed at
WSCH Radio as an on-the-air
host and in the sales depart-
ment; Real Estate Broker
for Town & Country and
started the Atlas Land Ser-
vice Appraisal Company; TV
host on Cable 6 and hosted
the “Hoosier Kaleidoscope”
for eight years; member of
the Board of Directors of
Southeastern Indiana Musi-
cians Hall of Fame and was
inducted as a member of the
Hall of Fame in 2004; board
member Southeastern Indiana
Board of Realtors; member of
the Aurora Lions Club, past
Master of Ceremonies and
Announcer for the Versailles
Pumpkin Show, Aurora
Farmers Fair (Grand Marshal
in 2001), Milan 4th of July
Parade, Aurora Firecracker
Festival, Au rora Thunder on
the River Regatta, Lawrence-
burg Fall Fest, Lawrenceburg
Music on the River, Hidden
Valley Lake Memorial Day
Services, Dillsboro Home-
coming, Dearborn County
4-H and Community Fairs.
Nelson played taps at area
functions and military funer-
als from the early 1950’s
to 2007 when health issues
forced him to slow down. He
continued to play at military
funerals with the KWVA
Color Guard until 2014 which
was well over sixty years of
faithful and dedicated ser-
vice to our veterans and our
community. Playing taps was
truly a dedication and honor
for Nelson. He also played
at Memorial Day programs,
Veterans Day programs and
the 225th Anniversary Cel-
ebration of the Revolution of
Lochry Massacre at Aurora
Cemetery.
Nelson’s patriotism was
rewarded with honorary
lifetime memberships in the
Korean War Veterans Chap-
ter 4 in Aurora, Vietnam
Veterans Chapter 71, Aurora
American Legion Post 231,
Aurora VFW 5312, Moores
Hill Legion 209 and Dillsboro
American Legion 292.
I told Nelson for many
years that when it came for
his time to enter the pearly
gates of Heaven, our Color
Guard would be there to pay
that final respect for him and
give him full military rites
because he was One of Us. He
would argue that he wasn’t a
veteran having been denied
due to an old football injury,
but I told him that he had
done so much for our veterans
that he had earned that right
to a military funeral. Nelson
put it in writing that he didn’t
want this, so we honored
his request but participated
with the Color Guard for
this American Patriot. Many
Veterans walked through his
visitation at Carnegie Hall
in Moores Hill, and we did
a Final Pass in Review at
his funeral service. Twelve
American Flags on 8’ poles
were placed around his grave
site, and we fired one dry vol-
ley without the ammunition
per his request. Nelson did not
want taps played either, just
thirty seconds of silence as if
Nelson was there with us and
playing taps one final time.
Taking Note of the Painting
Paul Elliott was walking
down the street in Aurora
when he stopped short in
his tracks. Displayed in the
window of a storefront was an
incredibly familiar image- a
painting of his father, Nelson,
playing TAPS. The building
was closed for the evening,
but that didn’t stop Paul. He
called everyone he knew until
someone put him in touch
with the owner who let him
in to inspect the painting. He
learned that the artist was
Rita Ashcraft, a local artist
from Rising Sun. The painting
now has a permanent place of
honor in Paul’s home.
When asked about the
inspiration of the painting,
Mrs. Ashcraft said that she
was taking a painting class in
Aurora and took advantage
of a break to go outside. She
wandered up to the library
where a service in memory
of 911 was being held. There
stood Nelson Elliott, playing
TAPS in front of a perfect
backdrop. Mrs. Ashcraft took
several photos and used them
to create the iconic portrait.
Nothing could be more
fitting.
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OUR VETERANS
and their
Dedication & Service
to our country
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