To see the rest of our 50 Over 50 feature, click the links for sections D-K, L-R, R-S, and S-W.
IN A WORLD fixated on youth, these inspiring individuals defy expectations every day. Thirty under 30? Pshaw. Meet Indy’s cool crowd right here.
Miriam Acevedo Davis, 73
For 21 years, Acevedo Davis’ energy has gone toward supporting Indiana’s Latino population as executive director and CEO of La Plaza, a nonprofit that assists Hoosiers with roots in South and Central American countries. “A lot of our families are new immigrants, and language or culture may be a barrier,” she says. La Plaza helps them make connections ranging from health care, to education, to legal services. “I’m one very lucky person,” she adds. “I get to come every day to a job I really enjoy, to do work that matters to me.”
Cecilia Alvarez-Heard, 50
Having only just entered what she calls the “rich and meaningful season of life,” Alvarez-Heard is counting her blessings. Along with husband Andrew, she runs Tresss Aquatectural Designs, which began in the garage of their Zionsville home. The pair fulfilled the need for aesthetically pleasing, in-ground pool covers that are safe for kids and pets. And she regularly kicks up her heels with Dancing Queens, a group she founded for Latinas. “One of my proudest accomplishments is creating a community that connects women through celebration and friendship,” she says, adding that she thought her life would be winding down at 50. “But I was wrong. There’s no deadline on purpose.”
David Andrichik, 74
When he bought 86-year-old Mass Ave bar the Chatterbox, Andrichik wasn’t planning to make it into the great jazz spot he presides over today. “I just wanted a building, but the bar came with it,” he recalls. The neighborhood was far grittier in 1982, and the bar shuttered early. “I would stop for a drink to enjoy my investment, and we’d be closing,” Andrichik recalls. “And I thought, Well, that’s no fun. … That’s what led me to add music in the evenings, jazz and blues being my favorites.” The music nights helped spark a revival of a formerly overlooked area. “I didn’t realize that I was creating a new home for displaced musicians,” he says. “But it was a beautiful, serendipitous moment.”
Dee Annis, 53
Annis was determined to land her dream job—booking bands. “I joke that I just kept going to shows at Hi-Fi until they hired me!” she laughs. Her tenacity paid off: The talent buyer for MOKB Presents has been having a blast since. Hosting her favorite band since she was in college, The Afghan Whigs, with friends from all over the country attending, has been a highlight, she shares. “Age isn’t an issue if you don’t let it be.”
Tom Battista, 75
After three decades as Jimmy Buffett’s tour manager (yes, really), Battista is the boost behind some of Indy’s most notable restaurants. The latter career began with savvy real estate investments in emerging neighborhoods like Fletcher Place and tenants that include Milktooth. Then he got skin in the restaurant game by co-founding dining destinations such as Bluebeard and Amelia’s with son Ed. “When I see our city doesn’t have something, we’ll come up with the idea. I’m kind of like a dog with a bone,” Battista says of his drive to weave big city ideas into Indy’s sometimes-retiring soul. “I’ll just stay on, stay on, and stay on until it actually happens.”
Jenny Boucek, 51
The word “trailblazer” is thrown around all the time, but in the case of Pacers assistant coach Boucek, it’s true. She’s been operating from the sidelines of pro basketball since 1999. But it was in 2021 that she made Pacers history, becoming the franchise’s first female assistant coach on the bench—a feat she also achieved with the Dallas Mavericks in 2018.
Barbara Boyd, 96
“I tell it like it is, straight up,” says Boyd. That should come as no surprise to anyone who watched her for 25 years on Indianapolis’ WRTV6. She was 40 and working in a school when the station called to ask if there were any Black women there who might like to appear on TV. “Honey, if you’re looking for a star, here I are,” Boyd joked over the phone. She soon became the first Black woman on television news in Indiana. Of her first day on the job, Boyd says, “I didn’t know beans about anything.” But it was her charisma and ability to connect with people from all walks of life that carried her through. Today, Boyd remains active, serving on several local boards. She still works her own gorgeous garden, still models in fashion shows, and still goes dancing weekly with her boyfriend. Boyd embodies the spirit of a poem written by her late husband, Ted: “When I wake up in the morning, / customarily I say, / Look out world! / It’s gonna be a good day.”
Darlene Brandon, 60
“I love what I do,” says Brandon, owner of the eastside comfort food destination, Shrimp Hut. Brandon’s dad opened the eatery 52 years ago, so she was raised around fried fish, wings, and even frog legs. “I always knew that I wanted the restaurant to be mine one day,” she says, so after graduating from North Central High School and Ohio HBCU Wilberforce University, she joined the business. She greets diners with a smile to this day. “I don’t ever plan on retiring,” she insists. “I love my customers.”
Ellie Brown, 50
Fierce. Feisty. Fabulous. That would be the all-mom rock cover band, The Janeways, and especially lead vocalist Brown. She had zero musical training before joining the group, which pays homage to such ’80s acts as Twisted Sister, Van Halen, and Poison. “If I had been afraid to put myself out there and learn something new, I’d have missed out on so much,” Brown reflects. “I’m just getting started.”
Douglas David, 67
The man behind Douglas David Fine Art in Ravenswood has been exhibiting his dreamy landscape and still-life paintings across the country and in Europe for more than a quarter century. His work was even selected to adorn Indiana license plates and to appear on HGTV. Although he’s beyond typical retirement age, he has no intention of doing anything of the sort. To the contrary, David has added teaching workshops and mentoring young artists to his plate. One thing he is stopping: worrying about the future. “You work your entire life heading toward … something,” he observes. “But then you realize, this is it. Today is it.”
