ORLEANS – John F. Noblitt was named a Sagamore of the Wabash during the opening ceremonies of the Orleans Dogwood Festival.
Sagamore of the Wabash is a personal tribute usually given to those who have rendered distinguished service to the state or to the governor. Among those who have received Sagamores have been astronauts, presidents, ambassadors, artists, musicians, politicians, and ordinary citizens who have contributed greatly to our Hoosier heritage.
Presenting the award on behalf of Governor Eric Holcomb was State Senator Eric Koch.
Noblitt was honored for his many years of service to the Town of Orleans, Orange County, and the State of Indiana.
Since March 1968 John F. Noblitt has been editor and publisher of the hometown paper The Orleans Examiner.
The Orleans Examiner was established in July 1879 by H.J. Cooper. In November 1900, the Orleans Progress and the Orleans Examiner, merged in 1965 to become the Orleans Progress-Examiner. Today it continues its operation as the town’s only locally-owned newspaper.
Noblitt also serves as Orleans Town Council President and Orange County Councilman-at-Large. He has served on the council since 2005 and prior to that, served as Orange County Auditor from October 1993 until December 2003.
John is a native of Orange County and has lived in Orleans all of his life, except for four years spent in the U. S. Navy. He attended Orleans High School, graduating with the Class of 1954. He is a graduate of the U.S.N. Great Lakes Training Center Gun Fire Control Technicians School and has attended numerous seminars and classes on local government procedures and technology advances.
He is an active member of the Orleans Christian Church, where he serves as an elder emeritus and Sunday School teacher, and the Orleans Kiwanis Club, of which he is a past president and Past Lt. Governor. He is a member of the American Legion, the Orleans Masonic Lodge 153, and the Indiana Farm Bureau. He has served as chairman of the Orleans Dogwood Festival.
