He finished the war in Hawaii, and then he was released from active duty on January 12, 1946, but he did remain in the Marine Forces Reserves. Press photo of Williams signing autographs in Kokomo, Indiana 1944.

Ryan Wayne White ( December 6, 1971 – April 8, 1990 ) was an American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who became a national poster child for HIV / AIDS in the United States, after being expelled from middle school because of his infection.

Doctors said he posed no risk to other students, but AIDS was poorly understood at the time, and when White tried to return to school, many parents and teachers in Kokomo rallied against his attendance.

Ryan White was born at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Kokomo, Indiana, to Jeanne Elaine Hale and Hubert Wayne White.

In recent years, average temperatures in Kokomo have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936.

Joseph Hill and Robert Edwards platted Michigantown in 1830 with lots on both sides of the Michigan Road ; additions made in 1874 and 1876 by William Lowden added more lots to the north, bringing the edge of town up to what was then the Frankfort and Kokomo Railroad ( later the Toledo, St. Louis and Western ).

In 1844, Foster donated of his land to create a county seat in Kokomo, which was a log courthouse, for use in the community.

On October 6, 1886, natural gas was discovered in Kokomo, leading to a " boom " in business.

This discovery was directly responsible for Elwood Haynes ' move to Kokomo, as he was a superintendent with a gas company with interests in Kokomo and Howard County.

Haynes and his associates built a number of other autos over the next few years ; the Haynes-Apperson Automobile Company for mass-production of commercial autos was established in Kokomo in 1898.

Kokomo is also home to the first mechanical corn picker which was developed by a man named John Powell in the early 1920s.

Kokomo was home to the first Ponderosa Steakhouse, which opened in 1965.

* 1894 – The first pneumatic rubber tire was invented by D. C. Spraker at the Kokomo Rubber Tire Company.

Kokomo served to symbolize the nation's early misunderstanding and ignorance of AIDS in the mid-to-late 1980s when Ryan White ( 1971 – 1990 ) was expelled from school due to his illness.

In 1987, the White family left Kokomo for Cicero, Indiana, where Ryan attended Hamilton Heights High School, and was welcomed by faculty and students who had been educated about the disease.

The Kokomo Gas Tower had been a symbol of Kokomo since it was constructed in 1954.

Although Robert Johnson died in 1938, James ( like many other musicians ) was strongly influenced by him, and by Kokomo Arnold and Tampa Red.

Shortly before this bill was signed members of the church had threatened to protest in Kokomo, Indiana, at a funeral service that was being held for a soldier who was killed in Iraq.

An anthropomorphic cat from Kokomo, Indiana named Danny dreams of becoming a film star, so he travels to Hollywood, California in hopes of starting a career there (" Danny's Arrival Song ").

The current campus of Kokomo High School was built in 1968 Previously, the downtown campus was known as Kokomo High School and the south campus was named Haworth High School.

Kokomo has had two players named " Mr. Basketball " in the state of Indiana.

During construction a smaller, temporary children's area ( named Kokomo Cove ) opened instead of Whirlpool Hot Springs for the Winter season.

Cicero is best known as being a lakeside community with most of its population living on or very near the north end of Morse Reservoir and also known as being the burial place of Ryan White, who had spent his last few years there after moving from Kokomo, Indiana.

On January 11, 2006, the bill unanimously ( 11 – 0 ) passed a committee vote, and while members of the church had traveled to Kokomo to protest, they were not seen during or after the funeral service.

Pierpont's parents came to Kokomo from their home in Brazil, Indiana on Saturday, April 4, 1925 and arranged with the firm of Overman & Healy and Carl Bree to look after the interests of Harry when arraigned and to defend him in his upcoming trial.

Born as James Arnold in Lovejoy's Station, Georgia, he got his nickname in 1934 after releasing " Old Original Kokomo Blues " for the Decca label ; it was a cover of the Scrapper Blackwell blues song about the city of Kokomo, Indiana.

On January 1, 2012, Kokomo successfully annexed more than on the south and west sides of the city, including Alto and Indian Heights, increasing the city's population to nearly 57, 000 people.

Four, usually hard, is sometimes referred to as " little Joe from Kokomo.

The place referred to as " Kokomo " in the song is fictional.

In certain parts of Indiana, piling several people into the front seat of a car and nobody in the rear seat was once referred to as " riding Kokomo style.

This car was later identified as one that was used in the getaway from the South Kokomo bank robbery.

Pearl Mullendore was more frequently known as Pearl Elliott, a notorious Kokomo madam, who would figure prominently in Harry's later career with Dillinger.

Reid was born in Logansport, Indiana, where his father Lynn Reid was the Honda Motorcycle dealer ; he later moved his shop to Kokomo, Indiana.

The local newspaper in Kokomo reported on the beating and the legal proceedings against Garnell, and Tavis and Phyllis were sent to foster care temporarily, Garnell told his children that the judge decided that he had " overreacted " and found he and Joyce as " concerned parents who were completely involved in our children's lives and well-being ".

In 2000, the organization investigated the case of Raynard Johnson, who was found hanged by a belt from a tree in front of his home in Kokomo, Mississippi.

The earliest Kokomo High School found in records was in existence from about 1872 to 1916.

Pierpont was alleged to be the leader in the robbing of the South Marion, Upland and South Kokomo Bank.

On April 5, 1925, Pierpont and Skeer were taken into city court in Kokomo, where Howard County prosecutor Homer Miller announced to City Judge Joe Cripe that by agreement between himself and the attorneys for the prisoners, the preliminary hearing might be set for Thursday ( April 9 ) afternoon, and the judge agreed.

Its lyrics describe two lovers taking a trip to a relaxing Caribbean island called Kokomo, which is said to only be seen by those of pure heart.

In the 31 year history of the girl's IHSAA tournament, Kokomo has won 19 ( tied 3rd all-time ) sectionals, 12 ( 1st all-time ) regionals, and 5 ( second all-time ) semi-states, and has won 3 state titles ( Second all-time, but it should be noted that Ft. Wayne Luers ' 5 championships have all come since the change to class sports ).

Both men ’ s and women ’ s Klans held weekly rallies and initiations in Malfalfa Park, and Kokomo ’ s Klanswomen held meetings at the armory, the local headquarters of the Women of the Ku Klux Klan, and churches.

The last book, " Kats with a K ," was a historical book highlighting the first 100-years of the Kokomo Wildkat basketball program, and was written by KHS graduate Dean Hockney, a local sports editor.