New book marks 75th anniversary of 'Public Enemy No. 1' John Dillinger murder
Gangster John Dillinger, the 1930s thug played by Johnny Depp in this summer's Public Enemies, may not be a Hoosier favorite son, but his life and legend cut a swath through the state of Indiana -- from the north in East Chicago, Crown Point and South Bend to his Mooresville boyhood home in the southern part of the state.
The release of Dillinger: The Untold Story by IU Press and an exhibit at the Indiana State Library conceived and installed by Herron School of Art and Design are summertime "musts" for both crime buffs and Hoosier history aficionados.
While researching a book on Depression-era outlaws, Playboy magazine editor William Helmer stumbled upon a 600-page manuscript on Dillinger. Written in the 1930s by G. Russell Girardin but never published, Dillinger: The Untold Story is a revealing account of Dillinger's life and crimes, based in part on information given to Girardin by the outlaw's lawyer, Louis Piquett, shortly after Dillinger's murder on July 22, 1934.
Though a series of articles written by Girardin and Piquett appeared in various newspapers at the time, the manuscript continued to yellow on the shelf for a half-century until Helmer met Girardin and agreed to help get it published. This edition, marking the 75th anniversary of Dillinger's murder in front of Chicago's Biograph Theatre, is filled with more illustrations and new information from FBI files and other sources, making it a rich and authentic slice of American history.
Meanwhile, a group of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) students and community partners have captured Dillinger in a one-of-a-kind exhibit now playing at the Indiana State Library.
"DILLINGER! Forging a Hoosier Legend" explores the origins of Dillinger's gang, how it gained celebrity status and the impact of its demise.
Using reproductions of prison records, photos, telegrams and other Indiana State Archives materials, six Herron School of Art and Design students co-designed the exhibit that runs through Dec. 31 at the library, located at 315 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis.
Depp's big screen portrayal of Dillinger is closer to reality than most, but "for the truth of the story, you want to see the exhibit," said Vicki Casteel, visual communications archivist with the Indiana State Archives.
IUPUI students Isaac Arthur, Robert Cooper, Lindsay Craig, Richard (Cody) Fague, Michael Miller and Jennifer Streif, all seniors taking the Exhibition Design II course as visual communication design majors, began work on the project in December 2008.
"They created a visual appeal to the exhibit that we just wouldn't have been equipped for here," said Casteel, who as a Dillinger scholar was the mastermind behind the choice of content for the exhibit.
Dillinger -- whose bank-robbing and jail-breaking exploits earned him the FBI designation of "Public Enemy No. 1" -- was born in Indianapolis and lived in Mooresville as a teenager before he embraced the criminal ways that ended with his death at the hands of federal agents near the Chicago theater.
"We didn't just pick a high-profile criminal to do an exhibit about . . . There is a lot involved in the Dillinger gang, particularly with the rough sentencing that John Dillinger himself received and the effect it had on him. The result of that, unfortunately, was bank robbery," Casteel said.
In the IU Press book, the authors quote Dillinger as saying he didn't smoke or drink much and that his only really "bad habit" was robbing banks.
The exhibit places Dillinger's notoriety within its historical context, including World War I, Prohibition and the Great Depression.
"All of these influences sort of made the 1930s a unique time that created this phenomenon of a celebrity gangster," said the archivist.
In addition to the Indiana State Archives and the state library, sponsors of the project included Friends of State Archives, the IUPUI Solutions Center and Exhibit House, an exhibit design and production company where some students worked as interns.
An exhibition at the Indiana State Museum celebrates the life of 1930s gangster John Dillinger.
"None of us alone could have done this alone," said Matthew Groshek, the students' professor.
Groshek is the public scholar of exhibit planning and design. He holds a joint appointment with the museum studies department in the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI and the Visual Communication Department at the Herron School.
The Dillinger project exemplifies the applied learning opportunity that public scholarship allows," Groshek said. "It connects students to public and civic institutions and practitioners with skills that allow access to unique cultural and historical objects, while allowing community partners access to emerging professionals with their own unique skills."
Student Richard Cody Fague said working on the exhibit was extremely valuable as a learning experience.
"I couldn't have possibly appreciated the type of dedication it takes to coordinate something like the Dillinger exhibit without participating first-hand," Fague said. "The opportunity to work in a professional context has rewarded me with a better understanding of what it takes to make great work -- particularly work that has a vested community interest."
The State Archives, in turn, appreciated the opportunity to work with the IUPUI students, Casteel said.
"They are a very talented group. I think that they all are going to have bright careers," she said.
It was also rewarding to have a part in the retelling of the Dillinger story, Fague said. "What I'll end up appreciating most about working on the exhibit is the fact that we've added another layer to the Dillinger mythos," he said. "With the hard times in our economy and the Dillinger movie being released, I think the Dillinger story is resonating with a new generation of Hoosiers. I feel more connected with Indiana culture as a result of being a part of this retelling, and can't wait to see its effects unfold."
Editor's note: Matthew Groshek talks about the Dillinger project and public art at this Web site: http://www.iupui.edu/podcasts/index.php?episode=367.
