ANDERSON — Baby Tyler Jay Dickey doesn’t know it yet, but his young life changed on the same day as Judge Rudolph R. Pyle III’s.
In his first act as judge of the Madison Circuit Court, Pyle ordered adoption of the 20-month-old boy to his foster parents, Thomas and Margaret Dickey of Pendleton.
“It’s kind of cool to be a part of it,” Thomas Dickey said of the ceremony that also was attended by Gov. Mitch Daniels and courthouse well-wishers.
Dickey said he and his wife, who have three biological children ages 18, 16 and 10, felt called to be foster parents, but never intended to adopt. Instead, they hoped to care for Tyler until he could be reunited with his natural mother.
Things changed when Tyler’s mother’s rights were terminated. “We had developed that bond and wanted to keep him with us.”
“One thing that we hope would come form our adoption being more open than others is that the foster-kids system in Indiana is a great system and there are so many kids in need,” Dickey said.
He said the state assisted with their adoption and helped make it a smooth process. “You don’t have to go out of the country (to adopt) ... you can really fill a need there is out there in the community.”
Dickey said the ceremony will remain special for their son, who is black, in the years ahead.
“It was historic because of Judge Pyle being the first African-American judge,” he said. “It will be fun for (Tyler) to look back some day and see the part of history he was involved in.
“For us, we never saw Tyler as black or light-skinned,” Dickey said. “He was just a little baby who needed us.”
Contact Dave Stafford: 648-4250, dave.stafford@heraldbulletin.com
Local News
Related Photos
-
John P. Cleary
Discussion
Judge’s first act a family affair
- Local News
-
-
Feds seek Anderson psychologist
U.S. Marshals are searching for a local psychologist wanted for alleged heath insurance fraud and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
-
Nonprofit in dire need of funds
Gateway Association, a local nonprofit children’s service, could close because of financial setbacks, and officials are asking Madison County for help.
-
Bus route expanding to include Flagship
The city is preparing to help transport workers to the Flagship Industrial Park — which should see an increase of about 500 jobs this year — by expanding its bus service to southwest Anderson.
-
Coroner: Man's death at reservoir a homicide
The Saturday death of an Anderson man visiting Monroe Reservoir near Bloomington has been ruled a homicide, officials said late Tuesday afternoon.
-
Hosier urged son to 'think before you act'
Matthew Hosier had been through tough times, his mother said, but was turning his life around. His personality was irrepressible. Hosier drowned on Saturday — his 29th birthday — at Monroe Reservoir.
-
Gas prices expected to fall further heading into summer
Gas prices could fall even more in the weeks ahead, and even if they do rise in July and August, they are likely to remain well below the $4 or $5 per gallon that some observers had feared.
-
Four from Anderson on Ivy Tech search committee
Four representatives of the Anderson community have been selected to serve on Ivy Tech Community College’s search committee for a new East Central Region chancellor.
-
Mostly sunny and cooler
Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast for today, with highs in the middle 70s.
-
Poll question for Wednesday, May 30
Vote daily in The Herald Bulletin poll. Today's poll question can be found at the bottom of the homepage on the right side.
-
Local Briefs: May 30
A compilation news items of local and statewide interest as published in the Wednesday edition of The Herald Bulletin.
- More Local News Headlines
-
