Phyllis Talbert, the woman in the iconic Old Ben photo, dies

Jan. 10—Phyllis Talbert helped put Kokomo on the map during World War II. A photo of her standing in front of Old Ben, the stuffed steer in Highland Park, was sent to troops across the globe to prove Indiana was home to the largest cattle.

Letters in response to the photo usually had the same inquiry — the troops wanted to know who the model was, they didn't really care to know how large the steer was.

The photo became an iconic image of Kokomo. Talbert even recreated the photo several times, most recently in 2022.

The Kokomo icon died Dec. 28. She was 101 years old.

According to her obituary, Talbert enjoyed cooking, gardening and excelled at painting. But most of all, she loved music and dancing. Her favorite song was Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World."

She worked at Haynes Stellite during WWII, making airplane parts. She later worked at Delco Radio and retired in 1987.

Originally from Renton, Pennsylvania, Talbert moved to Kokomo when she was 18. Later in life, she lived in Bloomington and Lake Park, Florida.

"Of all her accomplishments in this life, her beaming smile, tenderness of heart, and sweetest spirit will be most remembered," Talbert's obituary stated.

The person behind the photo

Talbert's daughters, Kimberly and Jacqueline Talbert, said she was an avid gardener and painter when she wasn't posing for photos in front of Old Ben.

Jacqueline remembered pots of flowers laid out around her mother's home and said she continued painting through her mid- to late-90s.

Talbert was also enthusiastic about writing letters, Jacqueline explained. She wrote to troops throughout WWII, sometimes sending care packages, and kept up the hobby throughout her life.

"That's almost a lost art," Jacqueline said. "People hardly don't write letters anymore, but my mom would write cards and letters up until she couldn't do it anymore."

When Talbert wasn't writing letters, gardening or painting, she enjoyed traveling.

Jacqueline remembered family trips to the Virgin Islands and Maui, as well as her mother sharing stories about how she would clock out after a night shift then hop on a train to Chicago.

"I was like 'Oh my gosh, you go girl,' that was pretty brazen back then," Jacqueline said. "And she went down to the Keys. I think she was more adventurous than she let on."

Talbert cherished her family and friends, the daughters stressed.

"You say that and you think 'Well, that's true for most people,' but with mom, she would make it a point to say, 'Okay, let's go visit so-and-so,'" Kimberly added. "That was just really important to her. So many people now, they're too busy. And it's kind of sad because people don't take relationships, I don't think, as important as what my mom and dad did."

Kimberly also called her mother a good Christian, someone who was happy to help people in need.

"She always had this nice smile on her face. She'd always smile, just a very kind spirit. I don't remember ever hearing her saying an unkind word about anybody," Jacqueline said. She later added, "She had a beautiful outlook on life and she aged gracefully."

The Howard County Historical Society shared condolences.

Stew Lauterbach, curator for the Historical Society, commented, "We were saddened to hear of Phyllis' passing. She was a good friend of the museum. We always felt that her story was part of a larger story that we would share, in terms of preserving our community's history."

He went on to express gratitude that Talbert had been a part of the Historical Society's work, noting she even helped celebrate the steer's 100th birthday in 2002.

Talbert's daughter remembered her signing postcards of the famous photo for three hours during the birthday celebration.

"She just was a real classy, classy lady," Lauterbach said.

Mayor Tyler Moore also shared his condolences.

"For the nearly 80 years after her iconic picture with Old Ben, she served as a Kokomo cultural ambassador writing letters to serviceman and signing hundreds of autographs on that postcard," Moore wrote to the Tribune. "Phyllis matched Old Ben's giant physical stature with her own larger than life, outgoing personality. They were a perfect pairing, and she will be missed."

Talbert's daughters plan on driving past Old Ben during the funeral procession. They want to give their mother a chance to say one last goodbye.

Why the famous photo was made

Maurice C. Tull, a former Kokomo Tribune photographer, recounted how the Talbert and Old Ben photo was created in a Feb. 19, 1955, column.

Two young Kokomo men were stationed on a small Pacific Island during WWII. The rest of the garrison were primarily Texans, who refused to believe Indiana held the record for the world's largest steer.

Old Ben was 6 feet, 4 inches tall at the forequarter; and 16 feet, 2 inches long from the tip of his tail to the end of his snout when he died in Miami County. The city of Kokomo acquired the stuffed steer in 1919.

The Kokomo soldiers wrote to the Kokomo Tribune and asked for signed affidavits from the sheriff, the county court judge and the Kokomo Tribune editor to back up their story. They also wanted a photo.

Tull asked Talbert to pose in front of Old Ben to give the steer's size some perspective.

More copies of the photo were quickly requested and granted free of charge. When the Pacific Island garrison was transferred, the photo went with them. Soon, Tull remembered, it seemed like the entire Navy had seen the photo.

Then, the paper learned there was a group of other Kokomo soldiers fighting in Africa. More photos were requested and received.

"Over to Palermo (Italy) we followed them and then we picked up the Army in Southern France," Tull wrote, adding General George Patton's troops "seemingly had a scarcity in pictures of the big steer and Phyllis."

By the time the war was over, roughly 2,000 prints were sent out.

Saying goodbye to an old friend

Talbert recreated the famous photo one last time on Aug. 30, 2022.

Moore was in attendance and noting her role in the famous photo, her war efforts, her siblings' service during WWII and her role as an engaging Kokomo ambassador, declared the day Phyllis Hartzell Talbert day.

Lights and cameras were positioned around the steer. Sitting in a wheelchair, she exclaimed "keep me where I belong."

A grinning crowd watched her dance to the tune of her favorite songs, which included Glen Miller's "In the Mood." She wasn't shy around her fans.

When it was time to go, Talbert left Old Ben with a simple "bye bye."

James Bennett III can be reached at 765-454-8580 or james.bennett@kokomotribune.com.