An animal shelter manager long admired by generations of dog and cat lovers is retiring.
Bartholomew County Humane Society shelter director Jane Irwin has stepped down after 41 years of service, said Brad Stinebring, president of the organization’s eight-member board of directors.
An independent animal shelter consultant from Indianapolis, Kirsten VantWoud, has agreed to run the facility on an interim basis. However, Stinebring says he’s planning a wide search for a permanent replacement “because it will be hard to fill Jane’s shoes.”
Perhaps the only woman still active with the Bartholomew County Humane Society who has served the organization longer than Irwin is Cheryl Zuckschwerdt-Ellsbury, who joined the organization five years after it was founded in 1966.
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While discussing Humane Society leadership, Stinebring said that “while Cheryl built this house, Jane has been the one who has provided the love.”
It’s a love that stems from a passion for her job developed over 40-years of day-to-day involvement, the board president said. Irwin would frequently put in 60-hour work weeks at the facility.
“This job has felt right to me from the beginning,” Irwin said. “I’ve always had a passion for animals and science.”
Under Irwin’s leadership, as well as others she helped to inspire, much has improved. Before the first shelter was built, the organization only had $164 in the bank, Zuckschwerdt-Ellsbury said. Today, the Bartholomew County Humane Society has assets of more than $2 million.
When Irwin became shelter manager, the Humane Society had no more than a half-dozen consistent volunteers, as well as two non-paid bookkeepers, Irwin said. Today, the organization has more than 50 volunteers that include about 25 individuals who provide assistance at least once a week.
Older teens are often seen in the facility during the school year because the shelter is one of the most popular places for high school students to carry out their senior projects, Stinebring said.
Milestones
In terms of capital improvements, Irwin has seen her organization reach a number of milestones.
She was there when the first shelter on South Mapleton Street (eight dog kennels, four cat cages and a small office) was replaced in 1982 by a 2,400-square-foot facility south of Columbus at a cost of $85,000.
It was 32 years later when the Humane Society moved into its current location: a $1.5 million, 8,000-square-foot facility located at 4415 E. County Road 200S.
While many deserve credit for these upgrades, Irwin is often singled out for establishing strong relationships with community members that led to successful fundraising.
Irwin possesses several other positive qualities that have been instrumental in the shelter’s success over the past five decades, Zuckschwerdt-Ellsbury said.
“I admire her for being willing to self-teach, her ability to discover new things, and her desire to teach others,” the retired educator said. “(Irwin) also has something I wish every kid I have ever taught had: the ability of critical thinking.”
But Irwin says her organization’s success is the result of listening to those who think “outside of the box” that provide unique and effective ideas.
“An animal shelter has to evolve in order to survive, and you are never going to grow if everybody thinks or does the same thing.” Irwin said. “It’s diversity that keeps you fresh.”
Appreciating contributions
While Zuckschwerdt-Ellsbury, who joined the Bartholomew County Humane Society five years after it was founded in 1966, describes her 41-year relationship with Irwin as “tremendous,” she believes it’s important to understand some of the history of animal control to truly appreciate Irwin’s contributions
Up until the mid-1960s, there was one place to house homeless animals: a common pen off Water Street called “The Pound.”
After an alternative was developed, many animal lovers weren’t happy with it. Five years after the Humane Society was founded, unclaimed animals were still being sent to Indianapolis to be euthanized, Zuckschwerdt-Ellsbury said.
Shortly after graduating from college in 1971, Zuckschwerdt-Ellsbury decided to join the Bartholomew County Humane Society — along with her dad, after she learned about the local animals being euthanized.
In the early to mid-1970s, the high school English teacher shared a variety of leadership roles on the Humane Society’s board of directors with her father, Robert “Bob” Zuckschwerdt (1918-1979).
Along with others, the father and daughter were instrumental in getting the first animal shelter built on property located off South Mapleton Street. Built for $15,000 with money bequeathed in a supporter’s will, the first shelter consisted only of eight dog kennels, four cat cages and one tiny office.
The first shelter administrator was Leigh Ann Fluckey, who eventually married Van Jay Chestnut. After the husband took over his wife’s responsibilities when she accepted another position, the Humane Society board of directors decided another shelter employee was needed, Zuckschwerdt-Ellsbury said.
From 40 submitted applications, the board of directors chose Jane Begue Irwin, a 1975 graduate of Purdue University with a bachelor of arts degree in organizational communications.
A native of the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota area, Irwin spent her childhood living in several different locations. At first, it was due to her father’s military service, but after his discharge, the family continued to travel as her father pursued opportunities to work on his PhD.
In 1976, she married Scipio native Paul “Mike” Irwin, who retired six years ago as a systems analyst. The couple reside on the Irwin family homestead, located in Geneva Township of Jennings County.
After Chestnut left his administrative job to work for a social service agency, the 26-year-old Irwin began her duties as administrative supervisor for the Bartholomew County Humane Society on May 7, 1979.
Future plans
Right now, Irwin isn’t sure what she’s going to do in retirement. She has thought of everything from finishing her master’s degree or starting another career to upgrading a family-owned horse stable.
But after working at the same job for 41 years, Irwin acknowledges that retirement will be a big adjustment for her after spending what has essentially been her entire adult life with the Humane Society.
When asked what she’ll miss, Irwin said the people with the organization that she considers her family. In addition, “that new and unique fur fix that comes into the shelter has always been something that is welcomed and exciting in my life.”
But the thing that Irwin said she will miss the most is what she calls “the spark of hope” — something you see in the faces of a family when they learn their missing dog or cat may be safe and sound inside the shelter.
That spark can also be seen in the wag of an abused, neglected or injured dog’s tail as the pet begins to believe that things will work out for them in the future, Irwin said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Jane Irwin” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Age: 66
Place of birth: St. Paul, Minnesota
Current residence: Geneva Township in Jennings County
Education: Class of 1971 at Warren Central High School in Indianapolis. Earned her bachelor of arts degree in organizational communications in 1975 from Purdue University. Later earned a second degree in physics, with a minor in chemistry.
Previous employment: Ran a horse barn and helped organize baseball leagues for a now defunct recreational facility in Jennings County.
Family: Husband is Paul "Mike" Irwin.
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