By Jennifer Tangeman
When people see Donnie Maughmer around the city with his metal detector, they often tease him, jokingly asking if he's struck gold. What they don't know is that metal detecting has helped give the local man his life back.
Maughmer said after suffering five strokes, shattering his ankle in a work-related fall from a rooftop and hearing the even more shattering news that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he refused to "lay down and take it."
“I was in bed for a year,” Maughmer said. “I lost everything I had and then I was in a wheelchair for some time.
“I started metal detecting to teach myself to walk. It helped me progress and taught me exercise.”
The Logansport man said 11 years of military training — nine in the Army and two in the Air Force — taught him determination, and never to be a quitter.
“I’m going to get up, and I’m going to fight this,” Maughmer said. “You’ve got to be a hero in some sense.”
Just two months ago, Maughmer was still wheelchair bound, but now he walks two miles each day.
“This is my therapy,” The 55-year-old said. “This is what keeps me going.”
Besides regaining the ability to walk, Maughmer said he has benefited tremendously in a variety of other ways from metal detecting.
He enjoys his new hobby because of its historical significance, he said.
Maughmer has found an abundance of artifacts, including a one-penny fare to ride the train from Logansport to Crawfordsville, a JB Webster Company check-out token, a 1926 chauffeur license and dog tags from World War II. The local man said he also enjoys finding and comparing children’s toys from generation to generation.
“There’s a lot of history in this house,” Maughmer said, motioning to the artifacts lining the shelves of his walls. “It just fascinates me.”
Without the medical clearance to work, Maughmer said he needed a hobby to entertain him and work his mind. Metal detecting allowed him to do that and to appreciate the area’s past.
“I love the history of it mostly,” he said. “And I might as well pick a hobby that can make some money.”
Maughmer said he has uncovered expensive jewelry and gold and has cashed some of it in for a revenue source.
His favorite find happens to be his first, and oldest monetary discovery – an 1890 seated liberty dime. Another historical find is his collection of Civil War vintage musket bullets.
“There’s a lot of history people don’t know they’re walking on,” Maughmer said. “That’s what tickles me.”
Another past time Maughmer has picked up since his illness is drawing portraits. Always interested in art, Maughmer said he finally has the time to pursue his love of drawing since he is no longer running a local contracting business.
The walls of his home are covered in portraits of his loved ones and historical Native American pictures. He also has numerous bird drawings.
“I’ve had so much enjoyment with my art, I just want to share it with other people,” he said. “I have drawn all of my family and friends, and I have drawn so much that I am running out of subjects.”
Maughmer said drawing was a hobby that allowed him to train his body to control hand tremors spurred by his disease. He also enjoys drawing portraits of his loved ones as a way to thank them for their support throughout his illness.
“My family has really rallied around me when I needed them,” he said.
Discovering the hobbies has allowed Maughmer to progress since he first suffered strokes in 2003.
“I couldn’t remember five simple things,” he said. “I couldn’t add two numbers together. But, I’ve been determined, and I’ve never been a quitter.”
• Jennifer Tangeman is a reporter for the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5148 or jennifer.tangeman@pharostribune.com.
