Mrs. Koch headed to Indianapolis yesterday, along with a bunch of family members.

The Indiana Commission for Women had invited her to their annual Torchbearers Banquet, to be honored among 18 women chosen statewide.

What they didn't tell her was that she was also selected for the "Heart of Indiana" award.

Here's an article about the award in the Evansville paper. And here's a copy of the news release.

Mrs. Koch has made a point of telling our staff that back in 1948, she told her high school principal she wanted to go to college.

His reply? Why would you want to do that?

She's never forgotten that moment. And quietly, over the decades, she's helped countless young women to find the self-confidence to move ahead in their lives, to learn and to grow.