Meet Ms. Crystal: The Recorder’s fairy godmother  

Embedded within the storied legacy of the Indianapolis Recorder are the stories of those whose lives it has influenced — and the stories of those who influenced it right back.Crystal Dalton, who works mainly in legals at the Recorder, has lived both stories.Dalton has worked with the Recorder for just over 35 years. To her, the Recorder has been like a family.“I love the Recorder because the Recorder has been here for me when I needed it,” Dalton said.Dalton recalled a time when one of her daughters discovered her cancer had come out of remission while she was away. Dalton’s daughter was able to book a trip back to Indy.However, she could not book a flight back for her daughter, Krystal (named after Dalton), who was two years old at the time.After telling the staff at the Recorder, the then publisher, Eunice Trotter, helped pay for airfare so they could get the little Krystal back home. “The Recorder got my baby back to me,” Dalton said.Through it all, Dalton said the Recorder was a source of support.The Dalton family had always been involved with the Recorder, with three of Dalton’s daughters participating in the Journalism and Writing seminar, the students...