Astronaut Helps Indiana Gas Donate Building to Lafayette Museum.

INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 3, 1999--National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut and mission specialist, Mark N. Brown will be the special guest March 5 when Indiana Gas Co. Inc. (Indiana Gas) celebrates the donation of its 600 N. Fourth St. facility in Lafayette, Ind. to the Association for Space, Science, Engineering and Technology Inc. (ASSET).

ASSET currently houses its "Imagination Station" children's museum in the Indiana Gas building. A reception will be held from 4-6 p.m. on March 5, with the donation program scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. in the Imagination Station.

Indiana Gas is partnering with ASSET to provide a permanent home for the children's museum. The building donation provides the museum with a foundation of property ownership that will solidify its financial base, and propel this fun and educational effort into the new millennium. Indiana Gas/Indiana Energy Public Affairs Manager, Dan Preston, explains, "An aspect of Indiana Gas' corporate vision is to support the growth and development of our communities. Five years ago, we began discussions with ASSET to allow the use of our vacated office for an interactive museum to stimulate the interests and education of area children and their families. Because of the significant backing and investment that the community has since made in this property, Indiana Gas believes the community will realize a greater benefit from ASSET ownership. This building donation is another way Indiana Gas continues being a corporate partner in the success of the greater Lafayette area," Preston said.

Astronaut Mark Brown, a Valparaiso native and Purdue University graduate, logged over 249 space flight hours during two shuttle missions. Brown's ties to the greater Lafayette area sparked his interest in promoting the Imagination Station and participating in this donation event.

The Imagination Station is a hands-on space, science, engineering, technology and transportation museum that is dedicated to kids and their families. Preston said, "Visitors can examine things up close, fix things, fiddle with things, fly things, learn things, climb on things, compute, pretend, imagine, and dream. We are fortunate to have a local children's museum that makes learning fun."

Exhibits include a dinosaur footprint, butterfly house, fire truck, rock collection, Van de Graaf-type generator, flight simulator, "Jack Benny" 1910 Maxwell car, a 36-foot sailplane, soap box race car, turbo-prop engine cut-away, model train replica of Monon Railroad Shops, natural gas history exhibit, fix it table, pendulum that moves with the earth's rotation, computer-aided paper airplane design and construction, paper airplane test flight area, and much more. The Imagination Station offers a gift shop stocked with toys, books and other items with a scientific twist. Workshops are held on subjects relating to science and technology and the museum is a great place for children's birthday parties.

Indiana Energy Inc. is the holding company of Indiana Gas Co. Inc., IEI Investments Inc. and other subsidiaries. Indiana Gas provides natural gas distribution to nearly 500,000 customers in the central two-thirds of Indiana. Indiana Energy Inc. is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is traded under the ticker symbol IEI (NYSE:IEI).