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John T. Alden
Native son and long-time Rockville civic leader and businessman, John Alden, age 89, died April 15, 2003 at St. Vincent’s Hospice in Indianapolis. Born on January 3, 1914 to Guy and Elizabeth Smith Alden, Mr. Alden spent almost his entire life in Rockville, except for his Army service during World War II.
A 1932 graduate of Rockville High School, he attended West Point Military Academy in 1933-34 before receiving his business degree in 1937 from Indiana University, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He was married on August 2, 1941 and happily celebrated 52 years of marriage until Mrs. Alden’s death in 1993. During the War, he served in the Adjutant General’s School at Ft. Washington and was executive officer with the infantry Officers’ Candidate School in Fontainebleau, France.
Returning to Rockville in December of 1945 as a Lieutenant Colonel, Mr. Alden owned and operated John Alden Ford Sales until 1986. He was president of Terre Haute district of the American Automobile Association, and, for several years, he also served as the “small town” representative to the national Ford Dealers Advertising Committee.
A lifelong member of Memorial Presbyterian Church, Mr. Alden served as an elder and trustee. Always active in civic affairs, he was president of the Rockville Commercial Club, the Indiana Farm Bureau, the Rockville Savings and Loan Association, Rockville Rotary Club, and the Rockville Consolidated School Board, chairman of the Parke County Red Cross, Committeeman of Pack 66 of the Boy Scouts of America, and was a 32 degree member of Parke Lodge 8 Free and Accepted Masons , Scottish Rite 32 Valley of Terre Haute, the Zorah Temple Shrine, American Legion Fellenzer Post, the Paul Taylor Post of Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Rockville Elks Club. Governor Matthew Welch recognized Mr. Alden’s community leadership with his distinction as a Sagamore of the Wabash.
Mr. Alden is survived by a daughter, Betsy Alden-Rutledge of Durham, NC, sons John Alden, Jr, and Robert Alden of Indianapolis; eight grandchildren, Kathryn Turecky of Dallas, Tx, Rebecca Turecky-Moya of Costa Rica, and Joseph Turecky of Durham, NC; Amy Alden, Andrew Alden, Molly Alden, Ashley Harris, and John Alden III of Indianapolis; and four great-grandsons.
Calling will be at Gooch’s Funeral Home from 4-7 on Friday, April 18, and the funeral will be at Memorial Presbyterian Church at 11 am on Saturday, followed by interment at Memory Garden cemetery in Rockville.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made to the John and Mary Faison Alden Community Service Scholarship Fund of the Parke County Community Foundation (PO Box 276, Rockville, IN 47872) or to the Memory Fund of Memorial Presbyterian Church in Rockville
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