The College Hill Commoner by Barry Owens

4 Quiet, for now,

comes to tiny College Hill block. But what will come next?

5 Passing of theatre 15 WU-hoo! The

owner Ted Morris overshadows, but does not darken, New Year’s Eve show.

sledding slopes of College Hill get a visit—shocking, no doubt— from WU.

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER Vol. 2 No. 2

COLLEGE HILL

• CROWN HEIGHTS • UPTOWN • SLEEPY HOLLOW

JANUARY 2009

No Place Like Home

Local artists find subjects—and inspiration—close to home. PAGE 8

A copper and bronze sculpture of the Orr residence at 122 N. Pershing by artist Bill Rutherford, a former College Hill resident. The work, which was still in progress at the time of this photograph in 2005 (note the roll of solder in the archway at left) is one of many works by sculpters, painters and photographers that depict scenes from College Hill. The stone bridges of the parks, the trees, the quiet majesty of a winter afternoon in the old neighborhood—all have served as inspiration and subject matter for local artists. SEE PAGE 8.

LETTERS

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ JANUARY 2009

TROLLEY LIGHT TOUR, A FAMILY FAVORITE, DISAPPOINTED THIS YEAR, WRITER SAYS TO THE EDITOR:

College Hill residents are some of the friendliest folk around. They look for excuses to come together. Just think of the 100 block of North Pershing and their communal display of Christmas lights. Or, how about the annual Halloween displays on North Broadview. My South Crestway block gathers annually for a block party and the Christmas season draws us together for a caroling party followed by a whiteelephant gift exchange. Some of us have even taken the Christmas trolley ride together, which brings me to the point of this letter. I assume that the primary purpose of the ride is to see the College Hill luminaries and Christmas lights. The reality is, however, that the trolley quickly fogs up so badly that it is difficult to see anything. But don’t get me wrong. I am not complaining. Despite the bad view, I had an excellent experience last year. I love spending time with my family and friends so the night was a hit in my books from the beginning. Additionally, the hot cocoa provided by East Heights United Methodist Church was a nice touch, as was the warm lobby while waiting for our scheduled ride. The kids loved the surprise visit from Santa and Rudolph – kudos to Kirstie Alley – and the sugar cookies from Connies were quite tasty. The highlight for me, however, was the running history of College Hill narrated by our tour guide. This year’s trolley ride was an altogether different story. We have new neighbors who were transplanted by the Air Force from California to College Hill. Last year’s trolley-ride was so great that we heartily invited them to accompany us this year. Our excitement was contagious and they invited family from Winfield and friends from West Wichita. After about 15 minutes of restless waiting, I had a bad feeling about the night. We purchased 6:40 tickets but

weren’t boarded until 7:30, only to discover that we were combined with the 6:50 ride. The bus was so overcrowded, my wife and I didn’t even get to sit with our kids, much less our neighbors – I mean friends – and their guests. I was disappointed that our tour guide provided commentary on the Christmas lights at the expense of College Hill history. And, although the kids were delighted to see Santa and Rudolph again, I was shocked to see Scientology tracts being handed out. The trolley ride is a great idea, particularly as a way to bring families together and to introduce new residents and outsiders to College Hill’s rich heritage. Offering a clear view – or at least a foggy view – of the luminaries and illuminated historic homes, in my opinion, is secondary. As such, it should be operated in a manner worthy of the College Hill community. The trolley rides need to run on schedule, at least reasonably so; each paying ticket holder should be on the ride they paid for so that everyone can be comfortable; and finally, there should be no proselytization. Like any other neighborhood, we are a diverse group of folk who represent all sorts of religious views. There is no Church of College Hill and a trolley ride showcasing our community is simply not the place to be handing out tracts. I am proud to live in such a historic neighborhood. As far as I know, College Hill is the only Wichita community who provides a Christmas trolley ride, and rightly so. Let’s just make sure that it accurately reflects the excellence that our College Hill community embodies.

FEWER TROLLEYS FORCED DELAYS TO THE EDITOR: This year’s trolley tour brought a new challenge for our events organizers. The City of Wichita has decided not to make their trolleys available for private tours anymore and so we had to turn to a privately owned company for transportation. We had fewer trolleys to work with and that necessitated reworking the schedule of departures. We apologize to those folks who were caught up in the timing problems that we faced on trolley night and we hope that the hospitality of East Heights United Methodist Church kept you warm, fed, entertained, and in the mood to forgive us our learning curve. As far as the trolley visit to Kirstie Alley’s house – I’m sure that you know that we had no knowledge beforehand

GETTING TO KNOW YOU A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

’m occasionally asked to speak in front of small groups interested in learning more about The Commoner and what on earth we were thinking when we went into the newspaper business. I’m terrible at the speaking thing, really, and hesitate to pick up the phone when it rings in fear that some well meaning person on the other end will extend the offer. Still, I do it when asked and have learned that if I stick to my script the whole thing is over before the whiskey wears off. One of the points I always make in those presentations is that when we decided to start this paper, I knew exactly four people in College Hill—and I only knew those people because we are related. The line usually draws a polite chuckle, or maybe that is a gasp, but in any case, it is no joke. That has obviously changed over the course of the past year and now I find that I’m often writing about people that I do know, or have met, or whose porch I could at least pick out of a line up. So, allow me to make the following disclosures about some of the stories you’ll find inside this issue. In an article about Holyoke Street, we’re quoting our neighbors. There is a story on the passing of Ted Morris, the owner of the Crown Uptown Theatre, who was a good man we visited with often. The trolley tour story is full of familiar names and faces I recognize from picnics past. Those dudes at the Hall of Men? I’ve seen them around. One of them sometimes throws the paper. WuShock, the Wichita State University mascot shown sledding in the back of the paper is unknowable, a real quiet type, so we don’t know him at all. But that girl he’s trudging the hill with, the adorable one? Well, she happens to be our niece, and one of the first of four names in our Rolodex. BARRY OWENS EDITOR

ERIN DOOM Thanks for the letter, Erin. We thought it best to let Celia Gorlich, president of the College Hill neighborhood association, respond. Her letter follows.

that the holiday popcorn balls would be accompanied by Scientology literature. Ms. Alley has been kind enough, the past few years, to end our tours with a visit from Santa for the kids and some treats for everyone on the bus. We are all aware of her connection to Dianetics and while we are accepting her hospitality it seems simple enough to deal with the literature in whatever manner you see fit. We will speak to them on this subject, however. Remember, East Heights handed out information on their church that night, too. I don’t think folks of other faiths were offended by that gesture so maybe we can do likewise for our neighbors at Scientology. CELIA GORLICH

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ JANUARY 2009

WRITE THE EDITOR: We welcome your letters. No subject is out of bounds, so long as it is local. Letters should be limited to 300 words, or fewer, and may be edited for clarity and length.

E-MAIL US: editor@collegehillcommoner.com WRITE US: 337 N. Holyoke, Wichita, KS, 67208 CALL US: 689-8474 ADVERTISE: jessica@collegehillcommoner.com, or 689-8474

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2 JANUARY 2009

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER

PUBLISHER

J ESSICA F REY O WENS

EDITOR

B ARRY

OWENS

CONTRIBUTORS DAVID DINELL ,

S. D ENNELER

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR J ESSICA F REY O WENS

Published monthly by The College Hill Commoner 337 N. Holyoke Wichita, K.S. 67208 316-689-8474 editor@collegehillcommoner.com www.collegehillcommoner.com

SPREAD THE NEWS

Yearly subscriptions are available to The College Hill Commoner. Share news of the old neighborhood with a friend or family member no longer lucky enough to live here. Call 689-8474 for details.

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THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ JANUARY 2009

At the Crown Uptown, the Show Had to Go On Passing of owner Ted Morris overshadowed, but did not darken, New Year’s Eve show.

Eviction notices, above, and debris were common sites on the block last month, as four homes were vacated. Clean-up is expected soon, as are new tenants.

Change in the Air on Neighborhood’s Rental Row BY BARRY OWENS There are better known rental properties in the neighborhood than those on this quiet dead-end street in the 300 block of North Holyoke. Oakland Street, where the buildings are candy colored, comes to mind. As do the prewar apartments tucked away on south Belmont, the few duplexes near the park, and a selection of rental homes scattered here and there in the neighborhood (look for the signs). But if College Hill has a “rental row,” it is on Holyoke, where there are a dozen rental homes on a the tiny half-block. The row, which features a mix of century old four-squares and bungalows, has seen better days. Last month, four of the properties were vacated. Some of the tenants left in more of a rush than others, but nearly all left things behind. Furniture and other debris litters the backyards, a few doors were left to swing in the wind, a toilet froze over in one home, a porch was nearly knocked over by a Uhaul truck at another. For days, an abandoned Hula-hoop hung from a tree branch. In any other neighborhood, this might seem like a typical scene. But for the tenants that remain on the street, some of them neighborhood natives,

An open window lets fresh air into an old home in the 300 block of Holyoke. The rental was abandoned last month and left in a mess. The block, with so many rentals, is unique in College Hill.

PHOTOS: BARRY OWENS

the block represents their little corner of College Hill—rental row or not, attention must be paid. “Do what you’re going to do, but know where you are,” is how block resident Michael Anderson puts it. “I mean, I love this block. I feel lucky to be here. It breaks my heart to see how some people have abused these houses.” Shelly Whitfield, a College Hill native who resides with her three children in a tidy bungalow at the end of the street, has a unique insight into the

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row—she has lived in three of the houses. Whitfield is the sort of tenant that thrives on the block, one willing to throw a little grass seed on the lawn or a fresh coat of paint on the walls. “There are some freedoms that you have down here that are unusual,” she says. “The [owner and super] are happy for you to do a little work on the place. It is a unique situation. It gives you a little sense of ownership.” The owner of most of the homes on the block lives out of state but makes

A GOOD SIGN EVEN IN TIMES LIKE THESE.

occasional visits. The super lives in the neighborhood, and pays frequent visits. Residents say that management, ownership and maintenance has historically not been the problem on the block. Because the block is so small, it takes only one bad neighbor to spoil the atmosphere. Over the summer, there were a few. One home housed up to 13 people, and at times, as many as five pit bulls. At another, young shirtless dudes held regular band practices and kept reptiles. Domestic disputes at another home made parked police cars, a rare sight in the neighborhood as a whole, a common feature of the block. Whitfield, who has lived on the street for five years, said she was ready to leave. Another tenant, who lived on the ground floor of a well -maintained home for more than a decade, and a few years more in the home across the street, did leave. “I feel like I’m going to see something that I don’t want to see,” she said at the time. But that was over the summer. Things are much calmer on the block now, where half of the houses are empty and the remaining residents are quietly awaiting the new neighbors— and holding their breath.

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BY BARRY OWENS Ted Morris, owner of the Crown Uptown Theatre, died last month doing what he loved—putting a show together. It was the final rehearsal before the opening of Club Morroco, a noir-ish 1940s style musical, set to open to a sell out crowd on New Year’s Eve. Morris had just given a few notes to his actors on stage and was turning his attention to the band, when he collapsed. He was 70. “He gave me my first break back in 1982,” said actor Rob Summers, who was seated on the theatre’s lounge stairs, head in hands, as audience members floated by in tuxedos and party dresses on New Year’s Eve. The show would go on, as it always must. “It’s hard to put out of your mind,” Summers said. “But we’re professionals.” Morris made theater a professional occupation in Wichita, giving dozens of players their first roles, and their first paychecks. The practice of paying local talent was unheard of at the time. “I don’t know if you call getting $10 being a professional,” said long time friend and associate Tom Frye, recalling the early days of his career, “but to us, it was a big deal.” Morris opened the dinner theater in 1977. Prior to that, he wrote and produced melodramas. He founded Crown Players amateur theatre group in 1964 and the Empire House Melodrama Theatre in 1980. Very early in his career, he was a working clown. Aside from being an important player in the theater community, Morris was loyal to the neighborhood. He grew up in College Hill, and during a 2008 Commoner interview recalled watching matinees at the Uptown Theater as a child and taking his future wife, Karen, there on their first date. He saved the old movie house from certain destruction— the corner was slated to house a strip

Ted Morris.

A photograph from the cover of a memorial program for Ted Morris, owner of the Crown Uptown Dinner Theatre, who died last month.

mall—when he purchased the building in 1976. Robert Brinkley, the theatre’s general manager, called the staff together for a quick meeting. The doors would soon open and there were instructions to give about the champagne toast, on how to address questions about Morris’ passing, and on the future of the theater. Brinkley also had to prepare to take the stage to make announcements and introduce the show, a role Morris relished, especially on New Year’s Eve

when he made a point of singing with the band. “This is the first New Year’s without Ted,” Brinkley said. “It is going to be different.” Everett Bonner, who has worked behind the bar there for 16 years, recalled his old friend fondly between pouring drinks. “He was quite a fellow, we all miss him being here,” he said. “What will you have young man?” he asked actor Josh Atkins. He asked for a root beer.

“You in the show?” Bonner wanted to know. “Yes.” “You any good?” “Well, I think so.” He must be, Bonner said later, “Ted was a master at getting the right people for the right part—a master.” Backstage, the show’s light and sound director, Kathy Page Hauptman (who at the age of 16 was given her first break in the business by Morris), said she already missed the pre-show routine. “Ted would always come back here before the show and he would talk to us. He would usually share some bad joke and I would tell him that I’d heard that one before, that he told us that one 40 years ago. I really miss that.” Then the show started and “I pretty much cried through the first three numbers, without the actors seeing me, because I was so proud of what they were able to do in the face of a great loss,” she said. As the band played, marketing manager Lynda Hartley was busy in the boxoffice putting together a last minute program for a one-time only show slated for that coming Monday called “Curtain Call.” “Crown Uptown Professional Dinner Theatre and Family and Friends of Ted proudly present Curtain Call,” the program read. “Starring: Ted J. Morris. Producer: God” It was to be a memorial for Morris, in three acts. Musical numbers included “Amazing Grace” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ JANUARY 2009

Right: Santa Claus makes a surprise visit aboard the trolley at a stop on Douglas Avenue during the College Hill neighborhood association’s trolley light tour last month. Far right: College Hill resident Steve Woodman offers neighborhood history and points out light displays during the 30minute tour.

Photos by DAVID DINELL Text by BARRY OWENS

JOLLY TROLLEY

TROLLEY TOUR OF NEIGHBORHOOD CHRISTMAS LIGHT DISPLAYS DRAWS ‘OOOHS’ AND ‘AHHHS’

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On one of those nights last month that was far too cold for a comfortable stroll, hundreds of people turned out to East Heights United Methodist Church in mittens and mufflers to board a trolley to tour the Christmas lights and luminaries of College Hill. About halfway through the 30-minute tour, guides passed out towels for the passengers to use to wipe the fog of their “ooohs” and “ahhhhs” from the windows. The tour is held annually, put on by the College Hill Neighborhood Association, and hosted at the church, where the hot chocolate was free and waiting passengers could pass the time visiting with neighbors or taking in the living Nativity scene outside. The Nativity players were provided by the church; the animals were trucked in. “We bring the farm to you,” read the sign on the side of the livestock trailer parked in the church lot, not far from the idling trolleys. “We consider it a delight,” said Charles Claycomb, executive pastor of the church, about hosting the event. “It is part of what we think of as being a good neighbor.” While Christmas lights were on at most houses in the neighborhood throughout the month, the night of the

Brenda Woodman prepares to reboard a trolley after a brief stop on Douglas, where Santa was welcomed aboard but Rudolph, whose antlers were too wide, was left to wave from outside.

tour (Dec. 14) was the best night to catch College Hill fully aglow with luminaries. Some homeowners, too, could be seen outside warming themselves by a fire and waving to the passing trolleys. “What do you think about that, guys?” asked tour guide Steve Woodman as the trolley passed by a particularly well turned out Christmas display. came one reply. “Wow,” “Awesome,” came another. Someone

even wolf whistled. “Wait,” a skeptical teenager finally said. “You can’t have two Santas in one yard.” Santa also made surprise visits aboard the trolley as it idled outside Kirstie Alley’s house on Douglas. One of Santa’s helpers further surprised passengers by passing out Scientology pamphlets called “A Guide to Happiness,” which were gifts from Alley. The neigh-

borhood association was not aware the pamphlets would be handed out and kindly asked Santa’s crew to leave those behind next year. “We have expressed our opinion to Ms. Alley and we don’t think that there will be a problem with that in the future,” said Celia Gorlich, who is president of the neighborhood association. Gorlich said the tour is unique in the city and is not surprised that it sells out nearly every year. This year there were fewer trolleys to handle the crowds as the city no longer provides them for tours and the association hired a private company instead. That reduced the available trolleys from six—the fleet on hand in years past—to three. “Since the city doesn’t do any Christmas trolley tours, which they used to do, we are it,” Gorlich said. “I’ve seen a lot of people definitely not from College Hill—which is great.” A good number of the passengers were locals, though, and many of them had already seen the neighborhood Christmas lights. “The kids always look forward to it,” said College Hill resident Joanna Robison. “We drive these streets all the time in our minivan, but there is something special about a trolley.”

ARTS

“Rendezvous in College Hill,” by Wayne Clark. The bridge is one of two that Clark has painted. Last month, he was putting the finishing details on a portrait of the stone bridge in Sleepy Hollow. For prints, call 9428797, or email jclarkpaints@sbcglobal.net

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ JANUARY 2009

A decorative chair by Christy Foster. Handpainted text on the front (also on back) just beneath the seat is inspired by the artist’s childhood in College Hill. The chair is available at Beads & Beyond, 6488 E. Central, 689-0885.

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ JANUARY 2009

Annie Calovich made this photograph of Blessed Sacrament following a heavy snowfall. “I was at the bottom of the sledding hill about to head up when the sun came out, turning the church golden. I had my camera along and took this photo. My camera had the odd characteristic of providing a brushstroke vignetting around the edges of each photo, and that gives this photo a painterly look.” Prints and notecards are available by calling 688-1015.

The Avairy, sculpted in brass and copper, by Bill Rutherford. For details or to commission a piece, call 832-9544.

For inspiration and subject matter, College Hill artists find they don’t have to go far.

BY BARRY OWENS There is really no telling where and when something will catch your eye around here. For photographer John Morrison, it once came on a Sunday afternoon after church when he happened by an old river elm on Roosevelt

Street he’d easily seen a hundred times before. This time, it grabbed him. “I was just struck with how the bones of the tree showed up with the snow laying on it,” he said. He rushed home for his camera. [The result is shown above right].

“At the time I took the picture we lived just a couple houses south of here,” says photographer John Morrison. “I was just struck with how the bones of the tree showed up with the snow laying on it, so I got my tripod and camera out and took a series of pictures. For prints, call Prairie Vistas Gallery: 214-7566.

Annie Calovich was on a walk in the park on another snowy morning a year ago. “The snow had finally stopped, and I was at the bottom of the sledding hill about to head up when the sun came out, turning the church golden,” she said. She had her camera along, and made a photograph. [The resulting work is shown above]. Christy Foster, well she just closes her eyes and thinks of her childhood. “It could be the popsicle truck, the mimosa trees, the Burtons and all the kids names in my neighborhood, College Hill Park sledding, KLEO

Wayne Clark.

radio, which is what my mom listened to in the Volkswagen. Just silly things that would mean nothing to anyone else,” she says, “but they do to me.” Those things sometimes find there way into her decorative work, like the text she recently painted on a cabinet and a chair. Bill Rutherford sometimes finds it in the lines of blueprints that he follows to construct copper and brass sculptures of homes, a good deal of them recognizable at a glance as College Hill addresses. He has constructed many them of over the years. “I used to wear a lot of Band-Aids,” he said. “A lot of them.”

And then there is Wayne Clark, a painter and retired commercial artist, who hasn’t lived in the neighborhood for 30 years. He revisited not long ago to have another look at the stone bridges in College Hill Park and Sleepy Hollow. He’d painted most of the other notable stone bridges in the state, but never these. The oil on canvas piece “College Hill Rendezvous,” captures the College Hill bridge in full sunlight. “But the way my kids tell it, I should have painted it at night with a bunch of teenagers passed out around it,” he said.

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THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ JANUARY 2009

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‘Gentlemen, Here’s to You’

Erin Doom proposes a toast during a recent meeting of the Hall of Men, a fellowship group in the neighborhood.

Hall founder George Elder, at right, discusses the groups origins.

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A local fellowship hall where the men break bread, tap the keg, and toast their heroes.

BY BARRY OWENS he meeting is about to come to order here at the Hall of Men, where heroism is celebrated and masculinity is encouraged. The men, seated at an oak table that nearly fills the room, push away their soup bowls. “Gentlemen,” says George Elder, raising his glass at the head of the table. He offers a toast, drawn from a tale from the Battle of Maldor, where the Vikings overran the English at Essex in 991 A.D. During the battle a swordsman stood to rally his fellow soldiers after their leader had fallen, or so the story goes. In his toast, Elder quotes from a poem that preserves the moment in lore. “Let us all remember the speeches we have made so often over our mead, when we stood in the hall boasting upon a bench—heroes about hard fighting. Now, let the man who is bold prove that he is so. Boldness is of no use, unless it is proved.” There is a hearty “here-here” from the table and a clink-clink of beer mugs. “George, that should be our motto,” says College Hill resident Erin Doom, remarking on the toast. Doom hosts the Hall of Men, offering a home for the 12foot-long table (“It wouldn’t fit in my house,” says Elder) and the men who regularly gather there. Gary Gensch, also a College Hill resident, has another suggestion following the toast. “Next time we should smash the glasses together,” he says, “that would be more manly, more Viking.” It is hard to imagine a more masculine atmosphere than you’ll find at the Hall of Men, which is not a secret society so much as it is a fellowship group for select, well, men.

There is no hint of a woman’s touch in the raw, commercial space where tales of heroism are told late into the night over sips of home-brewed-beer and cider, and pipe smoke sometimes swirls in the air. A naked bulb illuminates the buffet, an old wooden television cabinet in a back room where on this night there sits two pots of stew and a butcher knife to cut the bread. “It is kind of the best environment for good masculinity, if you will,” said Scott Spradlin, who was making his third visit to the Hall. “I think we’re all here to have our minds challenged a little bit, to think about our devotional life, but we’re also free to sit and gab, eat some good grub, and have some homemade beer.” Most of those that attend the meetings are Christian—some devoutly so— but it is not a requirement for invitation. Due to space considerations, the meetings are so far limited to those on the guest list and the location remains undisclosed here by request. Doom has hopes of one day opening

a pub and coffee house in the space, a place where discussions, debate, lectures and film series can continue even when the Hall of Men is not in session. Like Elder, Doom is scholarly— both are instructors at the Northfield School of Liberal Arts—and talk around the table can get heady. “We’re not just coming to drink beer,” Doom says. “There is definitely a formal, productive element to the night.” There is a lecture on a hero presented at each meeting and the presenter is asked to provide an image, as well. Those heroes then find a place on the wall, which Doom hopes to one day see filled. Joshua Sturgill, an Uptown resident and employee of Eighth Day Books, spoke about his hero, St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. He left time for a Q & A session afterward. “I’m a teacher,” says Doom. “I want people to learn.” So far, most of the heroes highlighted in the hall have been Christian Orthodox saints. But Doom is committed to keep-

ing the meetings ecumenical. “Part of my goal is to say, Hey, listen, we have a lot of things in common. Let’s get to know one another, enjoy each other’s company, and stand together for what we believe in,” he says. When Doom heard what his friend Elder had done at Clemson University— he built the table to facilitate the regular gathering of his friends that grew into the Hall of Men— a partnership was born. Elder moved his table into the space (and built a kegerator for the meetings). Doom went on Facebook, looked up a few old friends, and sent out invitations. “We’re going to get together, we’re going to drink beer, we’re going to eat, we’re going to talk about a hero, we’re going to pray, and we’re going to hang out,” was the message. “We had over 20 guys the very first night,” Doom says. Elder perhaps best explains the appeal of this muscular sort of Christian fellowship. “The Vikings tried to take from the English everything that they had,” he says. “But in the end, the Vikings get converted to Christianity and they bring with them this delightful sort of tradition of really strong, manly fellowship in which men grab each other and wrestle each other to the ground. They might even hit and bite each other. Some people consider that unchristian, but what I think is that people need to remember that Christianity is not a safe, simple sort of religion. We serve a God who is powerful, a God who is sometimes even violent. I wanted to recover a more full sense of that.” Then Elder excused himself to bid adieu to a departing friend. “Take care,” the fellow says, reaching for a handshake. Elder pulls him in for a bear hug, complete with a growl.

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HISTORY

TINY BURGERS

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ JANUARY 2009

A White Castle burger stand at Douglas and Hillside in 1935. The stand was the second in the city, make it the first chain store in the nation. White Castle went on to revolutionize the fast food industry, but it’s first chain store is now long gone from the corner. PHOTO: THE WITCHITA SEDGWICK COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

College Hill was home to nation’s first burger chain.

BY BARRY OWENS

It was not the first White Castle— home of the five-cent burger, or slider, as the tiny sandwiches were called — in the nation. That one could be found at First and Lawrence Street, later renamed Broadway. But Douglas and Hillside was home to the nation’s second, which is perhaps more historically interesting. The stand, which opened at the corner in 1935, was the first fast food chain store in the country. Here, the burgers were churned out by the dozens on an assembly line in the kitchen, where the “cooks” were likened to technicians that ran the machinery. It is a familiar sort of work seen today at most any national burger chain, but it was revolutionary at the time. Partners Billy Ingraham and Walter Anderson founded the original restaurant in 1921, and opened the chains that soon

spread well beyond College Hill and around the country. Anderson gets credit for developing quicker ways to make fast food. Ingraham gets credit for the paper hats employees were made to wear. A machine stamped those out, as well, and by 1932, Ingraham had set up a tidy little side businesses supplying the world with paper hats. By the mid-50s, more than 40 million of them were produced. The buildings, too, were eventually manufactured, making for easy shipment to new locations. Sadly, the original duplicated store is long gone from the corner. It was replaced by a number of buildings and businesses over the years, including a franchise invented by a Colonel named Sanders who could do wonderfully delicious and fast things with chicken. Today, the corner hosts another chain where the goal is to make a quick buck— Speedy Cash.

The corner today hosts a check cashing place.

KATIE GORDON

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ JANUARY 2009

KIDS

WU-hoo! Photos by S. DENNELER

WuShock was spotted last month on the slopes of the sledding hills in College Hill Park. “I just looked up, and he was there,” said Ellie Frey, 6, shown below trudging up the hill alongside. She did not seemed too alarmed by the sighting. “It was cool,” she said. “He’s just a mascot.” Photographs of Wu later appeared on a Web site, whereswu.com, which apparently tracks his every move.