Robert Ordway
@robertordway.bsky.social
🇺🇸 IN Federal Affairs, fmr IN GOV & U.S. Senate. ✍️ Author of Millrat: A Memoir from the Multi-Ethnic Working Class - Coming 2027. Owner @rustedoak
Conservation and industry don’t have to be enemies.
In my latest for The Bully Pulpit, I look at what Theodore Roosevelt’s vision can teach Northwest Indiana about protecting what we love while continuing to build.
Sand and steel can coexist.
Read more 👇
www.bullypulpit.eco/p/unfinished...
In my latest for The Bully Pulpit, I look at what Theodore Roosevelt’s vision can teach Northwest Indiana about protecting what we love while continuing to build.
Sand and steel can coexist.
Read more 👇
www.bullypulpit.eco/p/unfinished...
Roosevelt’s Unfinished Map
Theodore Roosevelt's definition of conservation is what lets sand and steel share a shoreline — and Gary, Indiana has an opportunity to preserve both.
www.bullypulpit.eco
September 15, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Conservation and industry don’t have to be enemies.
In my latest for The Bully Pulpit, I look at what Theodore Roosevelt’s vision can teach Northwest Indiana about protecting what we love while continuing to build.
Sand and steel can coexist.
Read more 👇
www.bullypulpit.eco/p/unfinished...
In my latest for The Bully Pulpit, I look at what Theodore Roosevelt’s vision can teach Northwest Indiana about protecting what we love while continuing to build.
Sand and steel can coexist.
Read more 👇
www.bullypulpit.eco/p/unfinished...
C.S. Lewis wrote The Screwtape Letters in 1942.
Reread it with a smartphone on the desk beside you, and it looks less like satire and more like a product roadmap.
My new piece for Mere Orthodoxy on self-worship, distraction, and recovering unmediated reality:
mereorthodoxy.com/screwtape-is...
Reread it with a smartphone on the desk beside you, and it looks less like satire and more like a product roadmap.
My new piece for Mere Orthodoxy on self-worship, distraction, and recovering unmediated reality:
mereorthodoxy.com/screwtape-is...
Screwtape is Hiding in Your Pocket
Screwtape Is hiding in plain sight.
mereorthodoxy.com
August 6, 2026 at 3:17 PM
C.S. Lewis wrote The Screwtape Letters in 1942.
Reread it with a smartphone on the desk beside you, and it looks less like satire and more like a product roadmap.
My new piece for Mere Orthodoxy on self-worship, distraction, and recovering unmediated reality:
mereorthodoxy.com/screwtape-is...
Reread it with a smartphone on the desk beside you, and it looks less like satire and more like a product roadmap.
My new piece for Mere Orthodoxy on self-worship, distraction, and recovering unmediated reality:
mereorthodoxy.com/screwtape-is...
"I was 21, running credit reports on guys buying motorcycles they couldn’t afford. Two years before Lehman collapsed, I could already feel the whole thing was rotten. I just didn’t have a word for it yet — until I did: moral hazard."
My latest on Substack:
www.robertordway.com/p/the-summer...
My latest on Substack:
www.robertordway.com/p/the-summer...
August 5, 2026 at 12:16 AM
"I was 21, running credit reports on guys buying motorcycles they couldn’t afford. Two years before Lehman collapsed, I could already feel the whole thing was rotten. I just didn’t have a word for it yet — until I did: moral hazard."
My latest on Substack:
www.robertordway.com/p/the-summer...
My latest on Substack:
www.robertordway.com/p/the-summer...
Favoritism is easy. Leadership is holding the people closest to you to the highest standard.
That's a lesson I learned from Dad. He believed in doing things the hard way on purpose.
Read more in my latest Substack article here >>>
www.robertordway.com/p/the-anti-n...
That's a lesson I learned from Dad. He believed in doing things the hard way on purpose.
Read more in my latest Substack article here >>>
www.robertordway.com/p/the-anti-n...
July 28, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Favoritism is easy. Leadership is holding the people closest to you to the highest standard.
That's a lesson I learned from Dad. He believed in doing things the hard way on purpose.
Read more in my latest Substack article here >>>
www.robertordway.com/p/the-anti-n...
That's a lesson I learned from Dad. He believed in doing things the hard way on purpose.
Read more in my latest Substack article here >>>
www.robertordway.com/p/the-anti-n...
"Bloody Harlan teaches us what happens when absentee corporations strip workers of every instrument of agency. The ancestral home of the Ordways in Crittenden County, KY teaches us — quietly, without a famous documentary — what resilience looks like when they don't."
When the boss sat in the same pew: Crittenden County and the mining that didn't turn bloody • Kentucky Lantern
Crittenden County was built differently, from the dirt up.
kentuckylantern.com
July 23, 2026 at 1:59 PM
"Bloody Harlan teaches us what happens when absentee corporations strip workers of every instrument of agency. The ancestral home of the Ordways in Crittenden County, KY teaches us — quietly, without a famous documentary — what resilience looks like when they don't."
"But then it finally dawned on JD Vance: life is more than credentials."
July 17, 2026 at 2:22 PM
"But then it finally dawned on JD Vance: life is more than credentials."
Every Sunday, I watch Inside Indiana Business. A few weeks ago, I saw a segment featuring Gage Pratt, a senior at Indiana University, and his innovative Aero Bib design for cyclists and runners.
May 26, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Every Sunday, I watch Inside Indiana Business. A few weeks ago, I saw a segment featuring Gage Pratt, a senior at Indiana University, and his innovative Aero Bib design for cyclists and runners.
Took me a few months to finally get this book review published, but diving into The Agrarian Tradition tied to my family's history in Kentucky provides a soothing counterweight to the social media algorithms promoting the worst of our impulses in the Information Age.
May 20, 2026 at 4:19 PM
Took me a few months to finally get this book review published, but diving into The Agrarian Tradition tied to my family's history in Kentucky provides a soothing counterweight to the social media algorithms promoting the worst of our impulses in the Information Age.
Thank you to Tim Werner and Stephanie D. Werner for allowing me the opportunity to speak at Indiana’s 2nd ALS Awareness Day.
Great conversation with patients, caretakers, and supporters. I look forward to seeing Gov. Braun deliver another proclamation for the group this week.
Great conversation with patients, caretakers, and supporters. I look forward to seeing Gov. Braun deliver another proclamation for the group this week.
May 18, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Thank you to Tim Werner and Stephanie D. Werner for allowing me the opportunity to speak at Indiana’s 2nd ALS Awareness Day.
Great conversation with patients, caretakers, and supporters. I look forward to seeing Gov. Braun deliver another proclamation for the group this week.
Great conversation with patients, caretakers, and supporters. I look forward to seeing Gov. Braun deliver another proclamation for the group this week.
Thank you to the team over at Zipp for a tour of their facility. Impressed to see how they've implemented 'lean manufacturing' throughout every step of the wheel-making process.
April 19, 2026 at 10:32 PM
Thank you to the team over at Zipp for a tour of their facility. Impressed to see how they've implemented 'lean manufacturing' throughout every step of the wheel-making process.
Appreciate Mark Bowell for introducing me to Taylor University President Dr. Michael Lindsay a few weeks back.
While many schools are closing or facing declining enrollment, Taylor is growing.
While many schools are closing or facing declining enrollment, Taylor is growing.
April 13, 2026 at 8:54 PM
Appreciate Mark Bowell for introducing me to Taylor University President Dr. Michael Lindsay a few weeks back.
While many schools are closing or facing declining enrollment, Taylor is growing.
While many schools are closing or facing declining enrollment, Taylor is growing.
With the exception of one visit to the Wisconsin Dells, camping was the highest level of vacationing I did as a kid.
For my friend and fellow ‘Elder Millennial’ Carrie Sheffield, however, living out of sheds, tents, and a motorhome was her entire existence.
For my friend and fellow ‘Elder Millennial’ Carrie Sheffield, however, living out of sheds, tents, and a motorhome was her entire existence.
From Chaos to Christ: The Hard Truth of ‘Motorhome Prophecies’
A word from author Carrie Sheffield:
open.substack.com
April 2, 2026 at 5:45 PM
With the exception of one visit to the Wisconsin Dells, camping was the highest level of vacationing I did as a kid.
For my friend and fellow ‘Elder Millennial’ Carrie Sheffield, however, living out of sheds, tents, and a motorhome was her entire existence.
For my friend and fellow ‘Elder Millennial’ Carrie Sheffield, however, living out of sheds, tents, and a motorhome was her entire existence.
Always great to hang out with the legend, Tim Werner, who always interrupts speakers with one-liners. Stephen Hawking could never match his cleverness and wit.
March 29, 2026 at 10:14 PM
Always great to hang out with the legend, Tim Werner, who always interrupts speakers with one-liners. Stephen Hawking could never match his cleverness and wit.
It's never fun to be the last speaker before lunch AND after all-star presenters, Lana Keesling, and Shelley Klingerman, but I appreciate Chloe Anagnos for inviting me to speak to the Indiana Federation of Republican Women at their quarterly meeting.
March 23, 2026 at 7:25 PM
It's never fun to be the last speaker before lunch AND after all-star presenters, Lana Keesling, and Shelley Klingerman, but I appreciate Chloe Anagnos for inviting me to speak to the Indiana Federation of Republican Women at their quarterly meeting.
Closed out the birthday weekend (and hunting season) with a few rabbits, but now it’s time to get Da Bears.
March 3, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Closed out the birthday weekend (and hunting season) with a few rabbits, but now it’s time to get Da Bears.
After a cancelled flight on Monday, I had a nice, cool 9-hour drive to DC for their 40F "snow day."
February 26, 2026 at 8:33 PM
After a cancelled flight on Monday, I had a nice, cool 9-hour drive to DC for their 40F "snow day."
A few months back, I had the privilege of donating all of my River Forest memorabilia to the Lake Station Historical Society.
Lake Station is a twice-failed community: in 1850 and its rebrand to East Gary in 1908.
Lake Station is a twice-failed community: in 1850 and its rebrand to East Gary in 1908.
January 31, 2026 at 1:20 PM
A few months back, I had the privilege of donating all of my River Forest memorabilia to the Lake Station Historical Society.
Lake Station is a twice-failed community: in 1850 and its rebrand to East Gary in 1908.
Lake Station is a twice-failed community: in 1850 and its rebrand to East Gary in 1908.
Put down a 45min ride in -2F yesterday morning and my guy is still out there surviving.
It reminded me of one of dad's informal rules, "no whining" under ANY circumstances and the importance of being grateful for everything.
It reminded me of one of dad's informal rules, "no whining" under ANY circumstances and the importance of being grateful for everything.
January 25, 2026 at 12:06 AM
Put down a 45min ride in -2F yesterday morning and my guy is still out there surviving.
It reminded me of one of dad's informal rules, "no whining" under ANY circumstances and the importance of being grateful for everything.
It reminded me of one of dad's informal rules, "no whining" under ANY circumstances and the importance of being grateful for everything.
I commute on the trail by this guy everyday to/from work and it always reminds me of my dad.
January 18, 2026 at 7:10 PM
I commute on the trail by this guy everyday to/from work and it always reminds me of my dad.
Can Gary, Indiana Make a Comeback? – My latest piece for City Journal on how the ‘City of the Century’ is regaining its Magic.
www.city-journal.org/article/gary...
www.city-journal.org/article/gary...
Can Gary, Indiana Make a Comeback?
The Magic City is rebuilding.
www.city-journal.org
January 6, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Can Gary, Indiana Make a Comeback? – My latest piece for City Journal on how the ‘City of the Century’ is regaining its Magic.
www.city-journal.org/article/gary...
www.city-journal.org/article/gary...
Looking back on 2025, I’m grateful for speaking opportunities at places like the Indiana Recovery and Faith Conference.
January 2, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Looking back on 2025, I’m grateful for speaking opportunities at places like the Indiana Recovery and Faith Conference.
For us descendants of southern migrants, personal identity is complicated. When Vance’s book came out in 2016, it gave me insights for the transplanted values of honor and loyalty Dad gave me.
January 1, 2026 at 10:55 PM
For us descendants of southern migrants, personal identity is complicated. When Vance’s book came out in 2016, it gave me insights for the transplanted values of honor and loyalty Dad gave me.
Great to finally meet Matt Ghanem, CEO of National Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers, when he was in town for an ENT conference recently.
December 31, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Great to finally meet Matt Ghanem, CEO of National Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers, when he was in town for an ENT conference recently.
Papaw Hollis would have been 94 today. Much like my dad, he continues to show me the timeless values, practices and traditions of western Kentucky from beyond the grave.
The Power of Storytelling | Robert Ordway | TEDxGary
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
www.youtube.com
December 22, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Papaw Hollis would have been 94 today. Much like my dad, he continues to show me the timeless values, practices and traditions of western Kentucky from beyond the grave.
I greatly appreciate Polina Osherov, Executive Director of PATTERN, for interviewing me for Volume 27, which is dedicated to Indiana’s Cycling scene.
July 17, 2025 at 9:48 PM
I greatly appreciate Polina Osherov, Executive Director of PATTERN, for interviewing me for Volume 27, which is dedicated to Indiana’s Cycling scene.