Meet Cheryl Engber

Retired professor Cheryl Engber is a longtime IHS supporter. Born in East Chicago, she was raised on a farm near Pendleton and graduated from Anderson High School and Indiana University. She has two master’s degrees from Ball State and a Ph.D. from IU. She taught Spanish at Anderson University, English as a Second Language at IU and composition in Malaysia. She retired from Truman State University in Missouri. Today, she lives in Bloomington with her husband, Mike, also a retired professor. Their two daughters, Sara and Kimberly, live in Kansas.

Why is IHS important to you?

As a member of one of the pioneer families of Indiana, I am grateful to have all of the services of IHS. I believe that in order to chart a responsible course for the future, it is important to learn from our past. Without IHS, all the valuable insights to be gained from past experiences would be lost. Indiana provided the foundation for my life – growing up on a Hoosier farm, benefiting from a solid education, raising my family. IHS provides a connection to both the past and the future for me and, more importantly, for my children, who now live in Kansas. Through IHS, they stay connected to their Indiana roots. I also think IHS provides a link to understanding our relationship to the rest of the nation and even the world.

How did you develop an interest in history?

Although I can’t pinpoint an exact time when I became interested in history, it would be safe to say that I still have an early elementary workbook from an Indiana history class. I truly enjoyed learning the counties, the rivers, the Native American tribe and the history of the state. From then on, I was hooked.

What do you do in your spare time?

I’m an avid gardener and cultivate both flower and vegetable gardens. My husband and I have traveled extensively in the U.S., Europe, South American and Asia. We walk half-marathons and will do our 14th this fall. I knit, crochet, sew, do embroidery and weave. I volunteer at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures at IU and at Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, a local food pantry and gardens. My husband and I also enjoy musical concerts, plays and art exhibits in both Bloomington and Indianapolis.

What are you reading?

I’m reading The Shallows by Nicholas Carr about how the use of the Internet is affecting our brains, Wendy and the Lost Boys by Julie Salamon, a biography of playwright Wendy Wasserstein, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett and Gardening for a Lifetime by Sydney Eddison for those of us who are gardening in our golden years.

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