Winter 2013
150 Years of ESU Inside: Family of Flyers | 8 Growing Success | 20 Shining Starrs | 50
Editor’s Note By Chris Walker
Welcome to the second issue of Emporia Living! We hope you have been looking forward to our second issue as much as we have. Last year we were thrilled with the community response from our premiere issue and hope you will enjoy our second edition even more. Inside this issue we have a special section celebrating Emporia State University’s 150th Anniversary. This milestone anniversary is important not only for our community but also the state of Kansas. ESU is the first university in the state to celebrate this milestone. In those 150 years, our community’s success has been tied directly to the university. It has been not only an economic engine but has brought thousands of students and professors to our town which has also brought vitality to the community. Now is the time for our community to celebrate this historic milestone. In addition to our special section on ESU, we also have stories on the people and places that make our community unique. Just as last year, this magazine would not be possible without the hard work of many people, so here are our thank yous:
First and foremost are the advertisers who made this magazine possible. We hope you will thank them by spending your shopping dollars at their businesses. Second, we want to thank the advertising staff that consists of sales director Crystal Williams and sales representatives Ronda Henery and Lori Hickey. A big thank you goes to our production department where the lion’s share of the work fell: headed up by production manager Justin Ogleby and flanked by his team of designers Margie McHaley, Dan Ferrell, Bradley Rice, Phillip Miller and Allison Hartley. We had fun doing this magazine for you and we hope you enjoy it.
Chris Walker Editor & Publisher
Emporia Living | 1
Emporia 44 As State University
celebrates its sesquicentennial, we take a look at the Institution’s history and some of the people and programs that make ESU a worldclass University.
Table of Contents 5 6 8
47 A Letter from President Michael Shonrock 49 ESU celebrates the 150th Founders’ Day
Advertisers’ Index
A unique perspective on Emporia State University
Don Tevis’ love of the wild blue yonder has become a family affair. community 18 Madison calendar for 2013 20 Business
18
Chase County community calendar for 2013
50 People
64 Timeline
The Starr family has helped shape ESU’s music program and created a legacy that has lasted for nearly 40 years.
A look at the history and events of Emporia State University
56 Campus Starting as a memorial to war-fallen students, the Memorial Union has evolved into the living room of the university’s campus.
78 34 Homes In the sweeping vistas of Chase County, a rustic log cabin gives its owners the sense of tranquility they had been longing for.
On the Cover:
Olpe community calendar for 2013
80 Art Terry Maxwell has turned his lifelong passion for art into a successful career painting watercolors.
50 Degrees With one of the best glass-blowing programs and the only four-year engraving program in the county, ESU’s specialty degrees set the college apart.
88
North Lyon County community calendar for 2013
community 90 Hartford calendar for 2013 93 Faith A young woman spends nearly a year globe-trotting on a mission to service the needs of the less fortunate.
Jeremy Starr conducts the Emporia Symphony Orchestra during a dress rehearsal at Albert Taylor Hall. [Photo by Matthew Fowler] 2 | Emporia Living
Publisher Chris Walker A rt D i r e c t o r Justin Ogleby Sales Director Crystal Williams A d v e rt i s i n g S ta f f Ronda Henery Lori Hickey Designers Dan Ferrell Allison Hartley Margie McHaley Phillip Miller Bradley Rice Copy Editors Gwen Larson Bobbi Mlynar Allen Twitchell Ashley Walker
Transportation
What started as a retirement project, has grown into one of the largest vineyards in the state.
MAGAZINE
Contributing Writers Morgan Chilson Roger Heineken Bobbi Mlynar Ashley Walker Contributing P h o t o g r ap h e r s Matthew Fowler James R. Garvey Dave Leiker Casey Wilson Online emporiaksliving.com For more information, please contact: 517 Merchant Street Emporia, KS 66801 620.342.4800 Emporia Living Magazine is a publication of
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Advertiser’s Index Barden & Thompson Family Dentistry . . . . . . 27 Bluestem Farm & Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 BobbyD’s Merchant Street BBQ. . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Brady Optical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Broadview Towers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Brown Bennett Alexander Funeral Home. . . . . 33 Buckeye Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 C & J Woodworks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 CableOne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Cassell Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Citizens State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 30, 32 City of Emporia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 City of Madison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 City of Olpe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 City of Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Corner Garage & Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Haag Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Davis Moore . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover Dieker Trailer Sales & Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Do B’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Ellie Lou’s Thrift Store. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Emporia Main Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Emporia Orthodontics, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Emporia Radio Stations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Emporia Realty Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71, 95 Emporia State University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Emporia State University Athletics. . . . . . . . . . 62 Emporia State University Foundation. . . . . . . . 75 Emporia CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover Emporia USD #253. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Emma Chase Cafe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 ESB Financial. . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover Evergreen Design-Build. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 First Start Rental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Flint Hills Beverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Flint Hills Community Health Center. . . . . . . 94 Flinthills Mall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Flint Hills Eye Care Association. . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Flint Hills Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Flint Hills Shopper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Floyd’s Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Four Seasons Apartments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Geo. Groh & Sons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Gerald Schumann Electric. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Golden Living Center of Chase County. . . . . . 33 Glendo Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Grand Central Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Griffin Real Estate & Auction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Grimmett Masonry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Groh Printing Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Hannah Orthodontics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Hill’s Pet Nutrition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Holiday Resort. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Horizon Plaza. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Internal Medicine Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Jim Bell & Son. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 John North Ford, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Jones Heating & Air. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Kansas Radio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Kari’s Diamonds & Bridal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Longbine Auto Plaza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Lore & Hagemann, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Lyon County Title, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32, 42 Lyon County State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 The Madison News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Mathis Physical Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Miracle Cafe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Modern Air Conditioning, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 1, 59
My Town Media Stations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 The New Breck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Newman Regional Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Olpe Chicken House. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Olpe Food Mart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Plumbing by Spellman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Prairie Past Times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Quest Services.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Regional Development Association . . . . . . 28, 29 Reynolds & Anliker Eye Physicians & Surgeons. . 3 Rhinestones & Rust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 S&A Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Sacred Heart School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Santa Fe Home Depot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Satterfield Body Shop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Sauder Custom Fabrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Schankie Well Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Scheller’s Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Senator Jeff Longbine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Subway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 TFI Family Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Thomas Transfer and Storage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Thurston’s Plus Autobody & More. . . . . . . . . . 42 Tom Van Sickle, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Topeka Ear, Nose & Throat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Turning Point - USD #253 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Vektek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Veritas Bronze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Wagner’s Automotive General Services. . . . . . . 18 Wheat State Telephone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Williams Automotive, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Williams Truck and Trailer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Residential - industRial CommeRCial service Calls - aerial Reach Pier Hole digging 601 West 6th • Emporia • 342-2176 Emporia Living | 5
Students walk to class on Emporia State’s campus in this aerial photo of Plumb Hall. [Photo by James R. Garvey] 6 | Emporia Living
Emporia Living | 7
8 | Emporia Living
Tevises leave legacy up in the air
Written by Bobbi
Mlynar
Photos by Casey
Wilson
Emporia Living | 9
Members of the Tevis family pose with several of their aircraft. In all, Don Tevis owns 12 licensed aircraft and one ultralight.
I
f genealogists traced back far enough, chances are they’d find a bird perched in the Tevis family tree. Don and Kathy Tevis, both licensed pilots, have devoted much of their professional and personal lives to their love of flying. Don has managed airports at Osage City and Emporia, bought and sold all types of aircraft, taught others how to fly, is licensed as a Designated Pilot Examiner and a Designated Airworthiness Representative, and is an aircraft mechanic, too. If it concerns flight, chances are Don has done it. He’s even built a plane and owned a power parachute company. “You fly it like an airplane, only you just hang under it,” he said. His career has been the fulfillment of a dream.
Well-grounded Don Tevis grew up on a farm near Melvern, watching aircraft fly over as he worked the land below. “Every time I’d see an airplane, I’d want to be in it,” he explained during an interview with other family members. The opportunity presented itself when he began flight lessons in 1965 at the Blue Mound Airport at Fort Worth, Texas. “I traded all my wages for air time,” he said. “I don’t think I ever ate a decent meal down 10 | Emporia Living
there. I spent all my money on flying.” Now, after a lifetime in aviation, the evidence of his passion is parked primarily in a huge hangar at the Emporia Municipal Airport, where he retired as manager in 2011. An exact count of the different types of aircraft the Tevises own isn’t easy to make. “I’ve got one down at the house, oh, I forgot to count it in,” he added, after a quick count at the hangar. The correct count totalled 12 licensed aircraft and one ultralight.
Easing into the air The career didn’t come immediately, however. First came marriage to Kathy in 1967. Don had a three-seat barber shop in Ottawa and, after Kathy finished her degree, she went to work in the accounting department at Wolf Creek nuclear plant. At Ottawa, they purchased their first aircraft, a gyrocopter that operated by an aviation principle known as “autorotation.” An engine drives a propeller at the back of the aircraft, pushing it forward and causing the rotor blades to spin and to generate lift as the air pushes through their undersides. The gyrocopter satisfied a bit of the itch to get into the air. When he got a chance to take over the Osage City airport, though, Tevis knew it was time for a career change. “Within two weeks, the barbershop was
gone,” he said. He began buying and selling airplanes as Tevis Aviation, a company he said he started “from scratch. ...There wasn’t anybody around to teach me.” The new business was not only time-consuming, it was hard work; plus a lot of fun and satisfaction. “When he went over to Osage, it was eatsleep-drink flying,” Kathy said. “I did a lot of flying,” Don acknowledged. “At the end of my first year, we had 13 aircraft.” All the while, Kathy had been watching Don as he piloted various airplanes and explained the basics of flying. “I just showed her too much, I guess, because she got a license,” Don said, laughing. “That was stressful,” she said, referring more to the final step of becoming a licensed pilot than to the memory of her husband’s teaching her to fly. She’d gone to Billard Airport in Topeka for the test and was 150 feet off the runway, preparing to land, when she noticed a Lear jet barreling in behind her. “What do you do?” she asked with a shrug. “Put your foot down!” and get out of its way. The Tevis family seems willing to try about anything that will take them through the air, though only Kathy can claim riding in a hot-air balloon. Don made headlines in the Topeka Capital-
Journal during the summer of 1990, when he flew a Breezy to Illinois. It was rainy and chilly, flying along at 75 to 80 miles per hour with instruments by his feet and a rainsuit that wasn’t as protective as it needed to be. “That suit would puff up, I’d look like the Michelin man,” Don said. “It was kinda nasty all the way, but it was a blast. ... That was probably the greatest adventure I’ve had.” He laughed when he repeated the headline that ran in the paper: “‘Breezy pilot lands safely in Chicago,’ like it was a big deal. I do that all the time.” Although the Piper Comanche 250 is one of Don’s definite favorites, it’s the Breezy — constructed so openly it might have been built from an Erector kit — that he enjoys most, despite the risk of running into rain, swarms of bees or other natural hazards. By the time he made the headlined Breezy trip, Don already had come to Emporia to manage the municipal airport, starting Jan. 8, 1990. He’d already been named Airport Operator of the Year in 1989 by the Kansas Pilots Association and in 1990 was named Airport Operator of the Year by the Kansas Flying Farmers.
Coaching the kids
An aerial view of downtown Emporia as Don and Jay Tevis fly over.
Introducing others to the air has brought Don almost as much pleasure as the flying itself, in part because it jogs his memory about why he’s in the industry in the first place. “One of the biggest joys you can ever have is seeing someone solo for the first time,” Don said. “I remember my first solo. You couldn’t get the smile off my face.” The couple passed their love of the air onto two of their three children. Older son Mike, who lives in Andale, until recently was a test pilot for Hawker-Beech in Wichita; he now is a corporate pilot for Alfa Whiskey in Emporia. Son Jay, who lives in New Castle, Okla., is an aviation inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration in Oklahoma City. Ear problems caused by flying in small aircraft may be the only reason daughter Tamara did not become a pilot, but the grandchildren are becoming involved in what appears to be a natural progression. The Tevises start young. Mike’s first flight log entry had come as a 12-year-old; he soloed at 16. “At 17, that’s when you can actually become a pilot,” Mike said. “I don’t even know when my first log flight was. At Osage City,” Jay said, attempting to pin down a time period for when he started flying. Jay keeps a plane in Emporia so when he and his family drive up from Oklahoma, he’ll have something to fly with his dad. “It’s a different world,” Jay said. “You see things a lot of people don’t get to Emporia Living | 11
see on a daily basis,” Mike said, trying to describe the magic he finds in an airplane. “... You take off. It’s always a sunny day.” As an adult, Mike had managed the Chanute airport and later moved on to become a corporate jet pilot; the down side of the job was the frequent absences from home. Becoming a test pilot for Hawker-Beech gave him the opportunity to enjoy flying and his family. “I get to be home and watch my kids grow,” he said. “It’s precision flying, and he likes that,” added brother Jay, who also is passionate about planes. Mike downplays the hazards of testing airplanes’ first flights, and claims that the job is just part of the chain of manufacturing. “At some point, it has to be flown for the first time, so that’s what we do,” Mike said. Whether it’s a single engine or 10-12 passenger or a bus jet, “we fly every single plane that comes off (the assembly line) and make sure it’s safe, ready to be what we call an airplane. ... Car manufacturers do that.” His job had been to make sure the plane meets the criteria and recommends “tweaks” to prepare it for certification. “They do things they’re not supposed to do in airplanes,” Don said, elaborating on the rigorous testing his son performs. “One of the first big ones was losing an engine. ... He landed on a road by El Dorado.” That apparently was the natural reaction for a conscientious pilot. “You should always be looking at the ground and say, ‘If this goes down, where am I looking to go?’” Jay said. Generally, though, the family feels safer traveling in the air than on the ground. The men ticked through a list of the advantages to flying — among them, the ability to hop in a plane and be in Branson, Mo., in an hour. “An airplane is designed to fly,” Don said. “It wants to fly. You have to do something stupid to make it not fly. ... The attorneys have done more to ground aircraft than gravity.” And, son Jay added, “The nice thing about an airplane is that you’re not going to hit anything.” Things can and do go wrong, though most can be avoided by maintenance and prevention, and keeping an eye on the fuel tank. “You can pull over to the side of the road in a car. You can’t do that in an airplane,” Don said. That’s when extensive training in all kinds of emergencies becomes essential because once in a great while, something unexpected happens.
Breezy reappears Don Tevis banks hard left above the Emporia countryside. 12 | Emporia Living
Don Tevis had logged more than 4,000 problem-free hours during more than 40 years of flying and never had an engine go out. “Then I went down there, and had two of them in one day,” Don said, referring to an inci-
Emporia Living | 13
The Tevises circle above Jones Park in Emporia.
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dent at the Chanute airport. He was flying that favorite Breezy for a flyin; by then, Jay had taken over as manager of the airport and Mike had moved onto the corporate pilot job. “The engine went to idle and died,” Don said. “But a Breezy has so much drag to it, I set it down. Thought it was a fluke.” When it came time for two air bikes and the Breezy to fly in formation, it happened again. The problem wasn’t the natural drag, it was the carburetor. “I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to mess up my son’s air show,’” Don said. “That scared me when the airplane wouldn’t do what it was supposed to do.” He managed to overcome the problem and land safely. The incident did nothing to discourage Don or any of the other Tevises from flying. They’re still hopping into planes at every opportunity, whether it’s to take a quick vacation, or enjoy a short outing to take in the scenery and bask in the freedom flying gives. But is there anything left to do beyond flying all manner of aircraft? A Tevis son thinks there may be. “I wouldn’t mind wing-walking,” Jay said. ¶
Don Tevis prepares to take off at Emporia Municipal Airport.
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The Towers Residence Complex on the Emporia State University campus is mirrored in Wooster Lake on Dec. 14, 2012. [Photo by Matthew Fowler] Emporia Living | 17
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Growing Success By Morgan Chilson Photographs by Matthew Fowler
20 | Emporia Living
Emporia Living | 21
W
hen Jo Ann Kuhlmann laid down her pencil and calculator to retire from a job working with numbers, she had no intention of slowing down. In fact, she immediately sought her next business opportunity. Today, her “office” may be different — it’s outdoors. Her product may be different — it’s grapes. But an argument could be made that she’s busier than when she worked full time. Eagle Creek Vineyards was born as Jo Ann focused in on what she wanted to do. She knew she wanted to grow something, but her husband, Rick, wasn’t a big fan of flowers. It was only when she suggested a vineyard that he showed some interest. “So I got some grapes in the ground before he could change his mind,” said Jo Ann, whose first small plot of grapes has grown to become one of the largest vineyards in the Sunflower State. Years later, she added, Rick admitted that he never thought Jo Ann meant to plant that many grapes. But for Jo Ann, starting a vineyard was never
22 | Emporia Living
going to be a hobby. She plunged into the process with the analytical mind that made her great with numbers, researching and exploring all the different ways to make her business successful. She planted a few grapevines in 2004 as an experiment, and then started planting commercial blocks in 2006. Because grapes take about four years to produce a crop, it was 2008 before Jo Ann harvested her first fruit. Today, 18 acres are planted with 10,000 grapevines on the Kuhlmann’s property just west of Olpe. The grapes are broken into five large blocks, with three blocks of red grapes and two of white grapes. Learning how to operate a vineyard was the biggest challenge to starting the business, Kuhlmann said. Because the Kansas vineyard and winery industry is relatively new to Kansas, there’s a dearth of research, she said. When Jo Ann attended her first Kansas Grape Growers & Wine Makers Association meeting in 2004, there were only seven licensed wineries in the state. Today, there are more than 30, she said, which is focusing more attention on the industry. Jo Ann didn’t just have to learn about grape varieties, equipment, irrigation, and the myriad other details that go into growing grapes. She also had to develop a strong understanding of how wineries make wine. “As a grower, I have to know what goes into it so I can deliver the best product,” she said. She measures sugar content and pH of the crop to relay that information to the winery owners, who help her make the decision on when to harvest. Sometimes, she’ll end up pushing to harvest in
Jo Ann and Rick Kuhlmann pose in their 18-acre vineyard near Olpe.
Emporia Living | 23
front of the rain because rain can drop the sugar levels in the fruit. It’s a business that comes with all the challenges farmers have faced for generations — reliance on the weather. “It takes a certain philosophical attitude to be a grape grower,” Jo Ann mused. “You can’t be impatient. You need to be able to pay attention to the details, to follow through with what you have started and know that Kansas is ‘next year’ country.” The dry, hot weather of the last year certainly reminds Jo Ann to rely on that “next year” philosophy. It was a year to be thankful for her irrigation system. Since 2004, Jo Ann has poured herself into learning the business, tweaking structures, equipment, grape varieties — just about everything — to make it work better. Both she and Rick hail from farm families, and she’s been grateful more than once for the farmer’s attitude ingrained in her personality — if it doesn’t work, make it work. In researching trellis construction that would bear the weight of the grapes as they aged and also stand up to tough Kansas winds, Jo Ann just dived in and, in the vernacular of the business
24 | Emporia Living
world, “thought outside the box.” She explored web sites on building fencing for bears and elk, looked at guinea hens for pest control and repurposed a lot of equipment to do what she needs it to do. Her parents, Jack and Ruth Scoggin of Hartford, are in their 80s, and come to help her frequently. Jack is excellent at adapting equipment to make it do what they need it to do in a vineyard. For instance, when Jo Ann decided to put mulch around the grapevines, they bought 31 semi-truck loads of mulch. Jack had to adapt the machine that spread the mulch, converting it to a belt delivery system and hydraulic power because the chunky mulch was tearing it up. For the first 500 vines, Jo Ann said, they used typical garden equipment for taking care of the vines. But their equipment has grown as they added vines, and now they even rent a mechanical harvester to bring in the crop. On those smaller crops, they manually harvested, using help from high school classes, 4-H groups and anyone willing to put in some hours in the field. It takes about 80 man-hours to harvest an acre, while the harvester does about an acre an hour, she said. Much of what Jo Ann has learned has been
Eagle Creek Vineyard has five blocks of different varieties, including Chambourcin, Traminette, Vidal, Crimson Cabernet and Frontenac. Many of the varieties that are grown in Kansas are hybrids, or crosses between European varieties, such as Merlot and Chardonnay, with native American vines. This allows the vines to have rich flavored fruit and thrive in Kansas’ temperamental climate.
Emporia Living | 25
Sacred Heart Catholic School Claiming Identity as Children of God
Nurturing Families • Growing Minds • Rooted in Tradition • Embracing Life
Preschool through 6th grade Sacred Heart School has been providing excellent faith-based education to Emporia families for over 125 years. Sacred Heart School is accredited by the state of Kansas and by AdvancED.
Sacred Heart Catholic School 102 Cottonwood, Emporia, KS 66801 620-343-7394 shsemporia.eduk12.net
Every student has a laptop + iPads in kindergarten and Promethean Boards in every classroom
26 | Emporia Living
through trial and error, backed by reading and researching every bit of information she could lay her hands on. The end post assemblies for the rows didn’t hold up as she had hoped, and they’ve been retrofitting them with diagonal bracings. The drip irrigation system had shut-offs in fivegallon buckets buried in the ground and over the years, those have cracked and fallen apart. “We just keep an open mind and go wherever it takes us,” she said of the process. Hopefully, more research will continue to come available as Midwestern universities respond to the need for information in the vineyard businesses. Along with battling the elements and equipment, Jo Ann has had to determine what grapes grow well on her property. She’s experimented with different types and works with winery owners to determine what they need. Standing in the middle of acres of vines, Jo Ann can list everything that has to be done this winter to be ready for next summer’s crop. She’s researching ways to make Eagle Creek more sustainable, and working with an area sawmill to try to create posts from local woods. She certainly is not retired. But she’s not sitting at a desk, either. “It’s really amazing to be out there and just experience nature,” she said. “Last summer a pair of eagles and a juvenile eagle would float out here every afternoon. It’s peaceful.” ¶
Grapes from Eagle Creek Vineyard are used in wineries across the state, including Prairie Fire Winery in Paxico and Middle Creek Winery in Louisburg, to make awardwinning wines.
Emporia Living | 27
28 | Emporia Living
Emporia Living | 29
Experience Downtown Living at It’s Finest!
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Abandoned cars are visible through the trees of a ravine south of Emporia. [Photo by Casey Wilson]
Emporia Living | 31
2013 Calendar of Events Chase County, Kansas
JANUARY
Every Friday Night at 7:30 p.m. “Music at the Emma” at Emma Chase Music Hall, Cottonwood Falls www.emmachasemusichall.com
Saturday, January 19, 7:00 PM The HOME RANGERS in Concert – from Silver Dollar City to the Emma Chase Music Hall, 200½ Broadway, CWF. Suggested Gratuity $8.00 www.emmachasemusichall.com Saturday, January 26, 8:00 PM Flint Hills Victorian Dance Society’s STATEHOOD BALL – Emma Chase Music Hall. Period Dress 1861. www.flinthillsvictoriandancesociety.com The Emma Chase Café will serve a special Dinner at 6:00 by reservation only. (620) 273-6020.
Every Friday Night at 7:30 p.m. “Music at the Emma” at Emma Chase Music Hall, Cottonwood Falls www.emmachasemusichall.com
Saturday, March 16, 7:30 PM TULLAMORE Celtic Trio in Concert. $10.00 suggested gratuity to performers. www.emmachasemusichall.com
Every Friday Night at 7:30 p.m. “Music at the Emma” at Emma Chase Music Hall, Cottonwood Falls www.emmachasemusichall.com
Monday, April 1, 11:00 AM PRAIRIE PASTTIMES Antiques & Flint Hills Crafts, CWF, opens for the year. Monday, April 8, 6:30 PM PRAIRIE FIRE FESTIVAL, SEMINAR, Emma Chase Café. www.prairiefirefestival.com Tuesday, April 9, 6:30 PM PRAIRIE FIRE FESTIVAL, SEMINAR, Emma Chase Café. www.prairiefirefestival.com Wednesday, April 10, 6:30 PM PRAIRIE FIRE FESTIVAL, SEMINAR, Emma Chase Café. www.prairiefirefestival.com Thursday, April 11, 6:30 PM PRAIRIE FIRE FESTIVAL, SEMINAR, Emma Chase
Proudly serving Lyon & Surrounding Counties for over 17 years When you buy or refinance your house, tell your Realtor or Lender to choose the very best for Title Insurance and Closing Services - Lyon County Title LLC. You do have a Choice 423 Commercial • Emporia 620-343-1490 Office • 620-343-1492 Fax lycotitle@yahoo.com
Chase County Branch 328 Broadway • Cottonwood Falls 620-273-6611
Prairie PastTimes Antiques & Crafts
Made in the Kansas Flint Hills 32 | Emporia Living
220 1/2 Broadway Cottonwood Falls, Ks
Open Daily april 1 -December 31
Fri., Sat., Sun., May 24, 25 & 26 CAMP WOOD MEMORIAL DAY FAMILY CAMP www.campwood.org Sunday, May 26 COTTONWOOD 200 BICYCLE RIDE Buffet at the Emma. 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Monday, May 27, 10:00 AM MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY – Veterans’ Memorial, Swope Park, CWF.
JUNE Every Friday Night at 7:30 p.m. “Music at the Emma” at Emma Chase Music Hall, Cottonwood Falls www.emmachasemusichall.com
APRIL
Every Friday Night at 7:30 p.m. “Music at the Emma” at Emma Chase Music Hall, Cottonwood Falls www.emmachasemusichall.com
Every Friday Night at 7:30 p.m. “Music at the Emma” at Emma Chase Music Hall, Cottonwood Falls www.emmachasemusichall.com
Saturday, February 16, 7:00 PM ROBIN ROBERTS & BILLIE PRESTON in Concert 7:00 PM at the Emma Chase Cafe. $8.00 Suggested Gratuity to Performers. www.emmachasemusichall.com Dinner served at the Emma from 5 to 7 PM by reservation only. Friday, February 22, 7:30 PM THERE WILL BE NO JAM SESSION TONIGHT
MARCH
MAY
FEBRUARY
Café. www.prairiefirefestival.com Friday, April 12, 7:30 PM K-177 BLUEGRASS PICKIN’ – acoustic BlueGrass Jam Session for PRAIRIE FIRE FESTIVAL, 2013. www. prairiefirefestival.com Saturday, April 13 SEMINAR TBA – Emma Chase Music Hall Saturday, April 13, 7:30 PM The ALFERD E. PACKER MEMORIAL STRING BAND in Concert. Finale PRAIRIE FIRE FESTIVAL 2013 www.prairiefirefestival.com Dinner by reservation only at the Emma Chase Café 6:00 PM.
Thursday, June 6, 8:00 PM FLINT HILLS RODEO, 8:00 PM at the Arena, Strong City www.flinthillsrodeo.com Friday, June 7, 7:30 PM NO JAM SESSION TONIGHT – GO TO THE FLINT HILLS RODEO, 8:00 PM at the Arena, Strong City www.flinthillsrodeo.com Saturday, June 8, 2:00 PM FLINT HILLS RODEO PARADE, 2:00 PM, through CWF and Strong City. www.flinthillsrodeo.com Saturday, June 8, 8:00 PM FLINT HILLS RODEO, 8:00 PM at the Arena, Strong City www.flinthillsrodeo.com Sunday, June 9 First Day of Summer Camp at Camp Wood YMCA, Elmdale. www.campwood.org Friday, June 14, 7:30 PM FLINT HILLS FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL edition of K-177 BLUEGRASS PICKIN’ – acoustic BlueGrass Jam Session…..on the CourtHouse lawn, 7:30 PM. Friday, June 14, 7:00 Chase County Chamber of Commerce’s RIVER SUITE, on the River Bridge, Cottonwood Falls, www.chasecountychamber.org Friday, June 14, at dusk FLAG RETIREMENT CEREMONY at the Veterans’ Memorial, Swope Park, CWF. Saturday, June 15, 10 AM to 5 PM FLINT HILLS FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL on the lawn of the historic Chase County CourtHouse, 10 AM to 5 PM. Saturday, June 15, 11 AM ROY McCLURE MEMORIAL BANJO CLINIC at FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL, 10 to 11 AM, on the lawn of the historic Chase County CourtHouse. www.flinthillsfolklifefestival.com Saturday, June 15, 2:00 PM GARY HUGHES MEMORIAL FIDDLE CLINIC at FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL, 1 to 2 PM, on the lawn of the
322 Broadway • 620-273-6381 Closed Mondays January - March Tues. - Sat. 10am - 5pm Starting April 1 OPEN Mon. - Sat. 10am - 5pm www.jimbellandson.com
Gridley • New Strawn • Emporia Madison • Burlington • Hamilton LeRoy • Lyndon • Cottonwood Falls Member FDIC • Equal Housing Lender
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[Photo by Matthew Fowler]
Saturday, June 15, 7:00 PM
Saturday, June 15
Sunday, June 16, 10 AM to 4 PM
Fri., Sat., Sun., June 28, 29, & 30
historic Chase County CourtHouse. www.flinthillsfolklifefestival.com FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL DANCE on the GREEN, 7:30 PM on the lawn of the historical Chase County CourtHouse. Live Music; Live Caller. www.flinthillsfolklifefestival.com SYMPHONY IN THE FLINT HILLS, www.symphonyintheflinthills.org FLINT HILLS FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL on the lawn of the historic Chase County CourtHouse. www.flinthillsfolklifefestival.com CHASE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI WEEKEND.
OCTOBER Every Friday Night at 7:30 p.m. “Music at the Emma” at Emma Chase Music Hall, Cottonwood Falls www.emmachasemusichall.com
NOVEMBER
JULY Every Friday Night at 7:30 p.m. “Music at the Emma” at Emma Chase Music Hall, Cottonwood Falls www.emmachasemusichall.com
Saturday, July 6, 7:30 PM INDEPENDENCE DAY CONCERT and ICE CREAM SOCIAL with The TALLGRASS BIG BAND on the lawn of the historic Chase County CourtHouse. www.emmachasemusichall.com Saturday, July 13, 7:30 PM ANDY GLANDT of Germany in Concert. www.emmachasemusichall.com July 28 through August 1 CHASE COUNTY 4-H FAIR - Swope Park, CWF.
AUGUST Every Friday Night at 7:30 p.m. “Music at the Emma” at Emma Chase Music Hall, Cottonwood Falls www.emmachasemusichall.com
with special guest NICK CHARLES of Australia at 7:30 PM! www.broomweedfestival.com Saturday, September 28 JOYFUL NOISE CAMP at Camp Wood YMCA, www. campwood.org 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM. TBA Plein Air Festival
Every Friday Night at 7:30 p.m. “Music at the Emma” at Emma Chase Music Hall, Cottonwood Falls www.emmachasemusichall.com
Saturday, November 2, 6:00 PM Bazaar United Methodist Church Bazaar BAZAAR at the Bazaar SchoolHouse. Turkey and Dressing with all the Trimmings Dinner at 6:00 PM; the Auction following. www.bazaarumc.com Monday, November 11, 10:00 AM VETERANS’ DAY CEREMONY – Veterans’ Memorial, Swope Park, CWF. Friday, November 19 CHASE COUNTY COUNTRY CHRISTMAS – Caboose Park – Strong City. Saturday, November 30 CHASE COUNTY COUNTRY CHRISTMAS – all day long. www.chasecountychamber.org Saturday, November 30, 8 to 10 AM Twin Cities Lions Club BISCUIT & GRAVY BREAKFAST at the Emma Chase Café for CHASE COUNTY COUNTRY CHRISTMAS Saturday November 30, 8:00 PM CHRISTMAS BALL at the Emma Chase Music Hall. www.flinthillsvictoriandancesociety.com
Fri., Sat., Sun. – August 30-Sept. 2 CAMP WOOD LABOR DAY FAMILY CAMP www.campwood.org
DECEMBER
SEPTEMBER Every Friday Night at 7:30 p.m. “Music at the Emma” at Emma Chase Music Hall, Cottonwood Falls www.emmachasemusichall.com
Saturday, September 28, all day BROOMWEED FESTIVAL – PICKIN’ the BLUES,
Griffin Real Estate & Auction Service LC “We specialize in real estate sales and farm/commercial liquidation auctions.”
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317 Broadway, Cottonwood Falls, KS (620) 273-6020 www.emmachasecafe.com Open: Mon - Sat 9am- 2pm; Sun 8am-2pm Breakfast & Lunch Closed Mondays Dec. 1 through March 31 Dinner Every Friday night 5 to 8pm with Live Music at 7:30pm
Every Friday Night at 7:30 p.m. “Music at the Emma” at Emma Chase Music Hall, Cottonwood Falls www.emmachasemusichall.com
Saturday, December 7 CWF United Methodist Church SOUP SUPPER and AUCTION, 6:00 PM. Masonic Temple. For more calendar info: www.chasecountychamber.org
Golden Living Center of Chase County
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bbafh@hotmail.com www.brown-bennett-alexander.com Emporia Living | 33
By Morgan Chilson Photos by Dave Leiker 34 | Emporia Living
at home under the
Big Sky Emporia Living | 35
D
riving to the home of Joe and Mary Lea Stout near Cottonwood Falls, the peculiar stillness of the Kansas Flint Hills wraps around your car as it dips through curves and cuts through the expanse of golden brown grasses. No matter how stressful your day, peacefulness seeps into the chaos. That quiet feeling of serenity drew Joe Stout back to the area where he grew up after he and his wife spent decades in Emporia and Wichita. When he retired from banking, the hills of home called. “If my husband was here, he’d say, ‘I always wanted to be a cowboy,’” said Mary Lea, explaining that her husband now works with their
36 | Emporia Living
son running Stout Cattle Co. “So Joe came back to be a cowboy.” In keeping with that goal, Joe and Mary Lea built a “cowboy” style home, a rustic log cabin decorated with a distinct Southwest theme. The home perches on a hilltop on Rock Creek Road outside of Cottonwood Falls, sweeping prairie vistas on all four sides. “I remember standing out here when it was just hills and we turned every which way to decide which way we wanted to face the house,” said Mary Lea. “The beauty, it is gorgeous. Every season. When it snows, it’s just gorgeous. God’s creation just is beautiful out in the Flint Hills.” The couple moved into the 3,200-square-foot home in 2000, after exploring log cabin home kits and finally adapting one to their needs. Constructed of Englewood Spruce logs, the home features a first-floor master bedroom and bath, a basement with extra bedrooms and an entertainment area to lure grandchildren to visit (and their parents, too), and an upstairs sewing room that Mary Lea has dreamed about for decades.
The Stouts’ log home features a mix of Southwest and rustic old Western decor. Below, broad prairie vistas can be viewed from almost every room.
Above, a saddle that belonged to Mary Lea’s grandfather sits on the railing overlooking the living room. The dining area features a great view of the Flint Hills.
“When we were first married, I sewed and I had to carry my sewing machine out to the den, set it up, and when it was over, pick it up and take it back,” she said. Now, she can leave her projects spread out and return to them whenever she wants. Her other favorite space is the master bedroom, which features wide windows to let in the view, an iron and wood bed and rustic cabinets. “I wake up in the morning and I have a quiet time with the Lord,” said Mary Lea. The washer and dryer are in the master bathroom, another feature that makes life easier, although Mary Lea joked that she could have used it more when her two sons lived at home and she did numerous loads of laundry, carried up and down stairs. In the living room, a log railing overlooks the room from the second floor, and an old saddle draped across it draws the eye. “That was my grandfather’s,”
Mary Lea said, adding that there’s a great family story attached to it. Someone had rustled cattle from her grandfather, and he and a helper followed the thief. The two men caught up with the rustler and Mary Lea’s grandfather demanded the return of his cattle. In appeasement, the rustler offered not only the cattle back but the saddle, as well. “You never think of your grandparents of having any exciting stories their whole lives,” she said. Many touches throughout the house center on that Old West feel, from a reproduction spool cabinet used as an end table in a guest bedroom to a copper cowboy and horse wall hanging with an iridescent patina that hangs by the front door. Custom bar stools in the kitchen fit right into the theme, and were created by a craftsperson from large logs, using the natural Y of a tree’s branching pattern to create the legs and the back of the chair. They are extraordinarily heavy, Mary Lea said, which Emporia Living | 37
Substantial log rails flank the stairs just inside the front entry. Right, sturdy bar stools made from tree branches are tip-resistant.
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gave her comfort that the grandkids wouldn’t tip over backwards. Mary Lea said she decorated the log cabin much differently than her Emporia home, which had antiques mixed with a modern feel. The golden warmth of the logs called for the Southwest, cowboy kind of feel, with overstuffed leather sofas and an earth-tone palette. She did push the limits of a “typical” log home by asking for a blue stain to be added to the ceiling in the living room area. The builder questioned her, unsure if she’d like the result, but Mary Lea wanted the uniqueness of the finish. “I told him, ‘I promise you, I promise you, I will like it, and if I don’t like it, I will never call you and tell you I don’t like it,’” she said, laughing. Her instincts were right. The blue stain was applied and then buffed off, leaving a beautiful and unusual faded blue-gray look to the ceiling. The blue theme reflects also in the entryway and kitchen tile, done in a vivid, cobalt blue. Artwork throughout the house
picks up the Stouts’ personalities, including “The Farm Hands” by Kansas pencil artist Marilyn Hake (www.marilynhake.com) and reproductions of work by artist Frederic Remington. Even a huge ball of rusty barbed wire rests outside the front door, a terrific Western piece of garden art.
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The great outdoors is easily accessed from the rustic master bedroom.
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Left, a colorful guest bedroom is ready for visits from the Stouts’ grandchildren. Below, letter blocks and pewter figurines sit atop a chest of drawers.
To get the rustic feel with modern cabinetry, the Stouts worked with a custom cabinet maker to make the kitchen cabinets, and built-in cabinets throughout the house. Luke Koch, who usually works in the masonry world, did the cabinets, Mary Lea said, and it was actually his first cabinet-making job. The basement cabinets feature the wrought iron look of old stable
doors, with triangular arrows of iron coming out from the hinge, and Mary Lea made each by hand. It’s those small touches that add a homey authentic feel to this Southwest log cabin. But it is the views of endless Kansas prairie that make it special. The wraparound porch allows the Stouts to find one side of the house at all times that isn’t facing the wind, Mary Lea pointed out.
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Spools of thread, sewing tools and an antique sewing machine highlight Mary Lea’s sewing room.
Being far out in the country, away from city lights and entertainment was a tough adjustment for Mary Lea, who grew up in Hutchinson and never lived outside the city. Adapting to the fact that no one could just “drop by” to have coffee took some time, she admitted. But eventually, she worked out a compromise, spending time in Manhattan, where one of her sons and
his family live. A deep appreciation of the beauty of her log home and its prairie setting grew over the years. “I love the quiet. Now I get tired of it,” she said, laughing a little. “But it is so peaceful. And there’s something about it. You think you have something that’s on your mind. You look out the window and the spaciousness and the beauty, it’s very calming.” ¶
When you buy or refinance your house, tell your Realtor or Lender to choose the very best for Title Insurance and Closing Services - Lyon County Title LLC. You do have a Choice
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S t i ng e r s Up! As Emporia State University celebrates its sesquicentennial, Emporia Living Magazine takes a look at the Institution’s history and some of the people and programs that make ESU a world-class University.
44 | Emporia Living
Emporia Living | 45
46 | Emporia Living
Now and Forever As Emporia State University embarks on a yearlong celebration of its sesquicentennial, we are proud to share this milestone with the Emporia and Lyon County communities that have supported us for 150 years. • Charles V. Eskridge, a member of the Kansas House of Representatives from Emporia, brought the idea of establishing a normal school in Emporia to the Kansas Legislature. • Our first classes were taught in rooms provided by Emporia’s school district. • Early legislative appropriations to construct campus buildings required some matching funds from the city of Emporia and Lyon County Commission. • When fire destroyed our first two buildings, the residents of Emporia and Lyon County immediately stepped forward to provide space and furnishings so classes could continue. Throughout our 150 years, we have embraced our role in the Emporia community and enjoyed working together. • Our athletics department shares Welch Stadium, the Zola Witten Track and Trusler Sports Complex venues with public school districts as well as the Emporia Recreation Commission. Our basketball and volleyball teams enjoy the home court in W.L. White Auditorium, and our cross-country team uses Jones Park for meets. • The award-winning ESU Summer Theatre company has provided entertainment for the campus and community since 1955. • Our campus is the viewing spot for the city of Emporia’s annual Fourth of July fireworks display, and in years past was the site of the city’s Twin Rivers Festival. • Through Community Hornets and the Student Athlete Advisory Council, our students donate 10,000 or more hours of community service throughout the academic year. • Businesses throughout the region have taken advantage of services provided by the Small Business Development Center located in the School of Business. As we look ahead, our relationships in our community, region and state are more important than ever. NOW is the time to work together to ensure the success and prosperity of Emporia, Lyon County and Emporia State University FOREVER. Please join us throughout 2013 as we recognize our history, celebrate our accomplishments and focus on our future successes.
Changing Lives Since 1863,
Michael D. Shonrock, Ph.D. President, Emporia State University
Emporia Living | 47
150th anniversary celebration at Emporia State University kicks off Feb. 15
O
n Feb. 15, 2013, Emporia State University kicks off its sesquicentennial year with a celebration of its 150th anniversary. The university was founded on Feb. 15, 1863, and will begin the day by celebrating the past with the Founders’ Day luncheon, marking 150 years of changing lives. Later that evening, the university will look to the future of the institution with a Gala Celebration giving a glimpse into the vision for Emporia State University’s next 150 years. Plans for the Founders’ Day luncheon include recognizing Lyman B. Kellogg, first president of Kansas State Normal School. Descendents of Kellogg have been invited to speak at the luncheon, which will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, 2013, in the KSTC Colonial Ballroom of the Memorial Union. Cost for the buffet lunch is $5. At 7 p.m. that night, Emporia State University’s sesquicentennial year kicks off in high style with a Gala Celebration in Webb Hall of the Memorial Union. This premier event will feature a unique and engaging format with a variety of live entertainment featuring student talent. Those in attendance will receive a glimpse into the vision for Emporia State University’s next 150 years and will be privy to a major announcement by the ESU Foundation. Live music, passed hors d’oeuvres, food displays, carving stations and open bars serving beer, wine and a surprise signature cocktail will enhance the high-energy festivity. Tickets for the black-tie-optional Gala Celebration cost $75, with net proceeds going to the general scholarship fund at the Emporia State University Foundation. Valet parking will be provided. Reservations can be made by Feb. 7 by calling the Foundation at (620) 341-6488.
Plans are under way to make Emporia State University’s 150th anniversary a celebration to be remembered with events throughout 2013. The university was founded Feb. 15, 1863. A pictorial history of Emporia State University will be published by Arcadia Publishing in March. Compiled by Steven F. Hanschu, reference and local history librarian in the William Allen White Library, the book features photos from yearbooks and other materials. A number of events are already planned. This list is subject to change. Updates can be found online at www.emporia. edu/150. • Feb. 14-17 — Special Event Station operated by Emporia State University Amateur Radio Club. Members will run a ham radio station seeking to contact alumni and other radio operators around the world. The public is invited to observe and participate. Memorial Union. • Feb. 15 — Founders’ Day luncheon, KSTC Ballroom, Memorial Union, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. • Feb. 15 — Gala Celebration, Webb Hall, Memorial Union, 7 p.m. • March 1 — Poets 150 featuring Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Kansas poet laureate, PKP Room, Memorial Union, 7 to 9 p.m. • March 14 — Dr. Christine Ogren of the University of Iowa, keynote speaker for Women’s History Month, will discuss women’s lives in 19th-century Normal Schools, including Kansas State Normal in Emporia, Preston Family Room, Memorial Union, 7 p.m. • April 26 — Arbor Day celebration featuring planting of 150 trees on the Emporia State campus.
A view of Morse Hall and Wooster Bridge in the winter of 1930. Emporia Living | 49
Jeremy Starr conducts the Emporia Symphony Orchestra during a dress rehearsal for its winter performance.
Shining Starrs Written by Ashley Walker Photos by Matthew Fowler
50 | Emporia Living
Jeremy and his father, James, perform Christmas carols in the living room of the William Allen White State Historic Site. Bonnie Starr practices with her granddaughter, Faith, in preparation for an upcoming recital.
T
he legacy is palpable on the second floor of Beach Music Hall in a little office squeezed into the northeast corner of the building. While so much has changed there in recent years, so little really has.
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I
t starts with the nameplate on the door. It simply reads: Dr. J. Starr. It’s been that way for a very long time ... 37 years to be exact. But the professor who resides there now isn’t the J. Starr for whom the nameplate was originally placed back in 1975. Today the office belongs to a new J. Starr, Dr. Jeremy Starr, director of orchestras and head of string studies at Emporia State University. It seemed rather natural that when he was hired in 2009 that he take that office on the second floor. After all, it belonged to his father, Dr. James Starr, who retired from the music department that same year. “They hired me because they didn’t want to change the nameplate,” Jeremy joked. That’s not likely. ESU hired him because they knew what they were getting, the continuation of a line of musicians in this town that has become an “Opus” of sorts in terms of the many ways they have influenced the musical climate here. However, after Jeremy completed his doctorate in conducting at the University of Iowa, James actually encouraged his son not to apply for the position. “He said, ‘They’ve had enough Starrs here. They need a break,’” Jer-
The nameplate on Jeremy Starr’s office once belonged to his father, James, whose office he now occupies.
emy said. But the truth is, according to Allan Comstock, chair of the music department at ESU, Jeremy really was perfect for the position. “He knew the community and the community knew him and the Starr family,” he said. Forty years ago, no one knew what was starting when ESU hired Dr. James Starr as professor of violin and viola. But today, there is no doubt. From the Emporia Symphony Orchestra to public school orchestras, and from college-level strings classes to hundreds and hundreds
Convinced that music is a vital part of a community, Jeremy Starr gathered students and community members to create a symphony orchestra that now fills Albert Taylor Hall to near capacity with each performance.
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of private violin lessons, it’s hard to imagine what it would be like here if the Starr family had chosen not to call Emporia home so many years ago.
DA CAPO
Musical term for “return to the beginning”
One reason, perhaps, the Starrs’ influence on music in Emporia has been so great is the sheer number of them. What started out as a family of four who moved here from Illinois nearly 40 years ago, has blossomed into 31 Starrs. Fourteen of them live in Emporia, including grandchil-
dren, all of whom play the violin. If they’re old enough to hold the instrument, of course. Believe it or not, though, this ever-expanding family started playing the violin by an accident of sorts. James remembers his first encounter with a violin in fourth grade at a public school in Salt Lake City. “The music teacher came in trying to recruit students,” he said. “He had a violin in one hand and clarinet in the other. The violin was shinier and prettier to me ... so that’s the one I picked.” Bonnie, his wife, had a similar experience in the fourth grade.
Members of the Starr family, Bonnie, Ariel, Courtland, Bryant, Faith, and James, pose for a portrait during an evening practice.
“My teacher said, ‘Your lips aren’t thick enough to play the flute.’ So she handed me the violin.” Several years later, the two young musicians met when Bonnie took private violin lessons from James. And just a few years after that, in 1970, they were married. The two moved to Emporia in 1975 after James was offered a position at ESU in the music department. “Our original goal was, we’ll be here five years and then move on to something better,” James said. “But that didn’t happen. We stayed.” He and Bonnie did move on to something “better;” they just didn’t have to uproot their family to find it. Something rare on college campuses today, when many university faculty are more transient than ever before, James didn’t see Emporia as just a place to make a living, but it was a place they chose to live. “The whole community appealed to me,” the father of three (at that time) said about Emporia, “not just the university.” Recognizing Emporia to be a good place to raise children, the Starrs spent many years raising their six boys and two girls — each one two years apart — in public schools and in their church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
During those years each child, one by one, took up the violin. Not by coercion, but by choice. “We never really talked about it,” Bonnie said. “It just started happening.” Once the older children started playing, the younger ones followed. All eight of them studied Suzuki under Anita Wright, a methodology of learning to play the violin that emphasizes repetition and playing by ear. Over the years the family played frequently at recitals, for weddings or other special occasions around town. The Starrs had a reputation not only for excellence in musical abilities, but for their character as individuals and their ability to work together. Through their music selection, recitals and actual performances, the family was forced to be a team. Music provided a special bond among them all, James said. “In the end it’s made us a strong family.” The Starr children are grown now, and while the violin may not be part of the profession of each of them, it is still very much a part of their lives. A couple of the children have gone on to other professional careers and playing the violin has become more of a hobby. Some are teaching private violin lessons in the
communities in which they live. And others, like Jeremy, have gone on to pursue higher-education degrees, making music a central part of their careers.
CON APPASSIONATO
Musical term for “to play passionately”
Another reason the Starrs’ influence on Emporia has been so great over the years is their belief that music is one of those rare things that can resonate with every human being. “Music starts here,” Jeremy said, pressing his fist against his heart. But then it connects with others. He believes that music is not serving its full purpose if it’s done in isolation. It’s better when shared with others, he said. Clearly, the Starr family itself is an example of the kind of bond that music can bring between people, but the Starrs had an even bigger vision for their passion, and that was to support the overall strings program in town. From years and years of private violin lessons in studios at the university and in their home, James and Bonnie believe that music truly can make a person’s life better, today and for years to come. “This is something you do for life and enjoy for life,” said Bonnie, who also has taught her own set of violin
students out of her home since 1983. “Classical music enlightens the mind — sharpens the mind.” In fact, that’s why they have always viewed the thousands upon thousands of violin lessons that they’ve taught over the years as a way to introduce Emporia’s youth to the benefits that music can bring to their lives. “We look at private lessons as a service,” Bonnie said. “We don’t want people to not take [lessons] because of money.” And although this is not a way for them to “get rich,” she said, teaching violin is a way to enrich the lives of many children and young adults, introducing them to the “finer things in life.” Those “finer things” may not be what most kids have in mind, though. Jim and Bonnie agree that it’s harder than ever to convince kids that playing a violin is good for them. “We live in a quitter generation,” James said. And learning to play an instrument isn’t easy. It requires diligence, practice, determination and a commitment to stick with it. “But if you don’t struggle through it,” Bonnie said. “You don’t get the reward.” Emporia Living | 53
James and Bonnie Starr practice with their grandchildren. Although a small handful of their students have gone on to professional violin careers, that’s not necessarily what they are after when they spend week after week with a student perfecting a piece like Gossec’s Gavotte, or Boccherini’s Minuet. Under the same philosophy of Shin’ichi Suzuiki himself, who held that “nurturing through love” is how instrumental music should be taught, the Starrs are more concerned about how the process is building character and musical appreciation in the student than perfection for perfection’s sake. “We’re shaping individuals,” Bonnie said. “They learn to work hard at something and learn to be consistent.” One of those students was former Emporian Mary Garcia Grant, who
studied violin under James as a child and young adult. Today she plays in the second violin section for the Kansas City Symphony and credits Dr. Starr with teaching her much more than just how to play the violin well. “He taught by example and metaphor how to be a good person,” she said. For example, when Mary was struggling with a rhythm in a particular piece, he would remind her that, “Only God can actually make extra time. You will have to find somewhere to take the time from that grace note.” And, “He used to say, ‘Your bow is ok, but it’s not great... If you save your pennies, you could buy a really good bow one day.” Years later, Mary did.
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Today, James and Bonnie teach private Suzuki violin lessons to 35 students, including their own grandchildren. And as a testament to the Starrs’ love for their young string-players, twice a year they turn their living room into a recital hall for the students to perform their polished pieces. The room is always filled to capacity with music, family and friends. The Starrs knew, however, that it wouldn’t matter how many violin students they recruited and trained if there wasn’t a good strings program in the local schools to support them. So they have always stayed wellconnected to the local school orchestras, partly because there is usually at least one “Starr” (either child or grandchild) and plenty of their stu-
dents playing in at least one of the ensembles in the district, and partly through their effort in recent months to volunteer their time at rehearsals at neighborhood school orchestra classes. From helping with bow holds to proper staccato technique, they want to help students — even those who don’t have the luxury to take private lessons — to play better.
STRIKING A CHORD
Today, a new Starr has moved into Beach Music Hall and along with him comes a new generation of music and musicians. Although Jeremy has continued the legacy of his father, he has struck a different chord with the Emporia community through the conducting of and revitalization of the Emporia
Congratulations ESU on 150 years!
Ariel Starr practices with her grandfather in the living room of the Starr home. Symphony Orchestra. Only a few short years into his tenure at the university, Jeremy has filled a gap in Emporia that was left empty when the symphony dissolved in 2001. Convinced that a symphony orchestra is a vital part of any community, he didn’t waste any time getting instrumentalists from all over town back together for the ensemble. “When a community has a symphony orchestra the culture of the community changes,” he said. It does, if it’s done right. Jeremy knew that the foundation of the orchestra had to rest in the community, not in the university, if it was going to succeed. That’s why one of his first orders of business after being hired was to recruit more than just ESU faculty and staff to play in the symphony. Today, there are about 55 members of the orchestra; half are students and half are community members and ESU faculty. And, of course, there are a handful of “Starrs” who play in the symphony as well: His father is concert master, while his mother, brother Jacob, and 16-yearold neice, Ariel, play in the second violin section. Though it used to be a somewhat obscure ensemble in town, Jeremy has brought the Emporia Symphony
Orchestra to something of “rock star” status, filling Albert Taylor Hall to near capacity with faithful fans at every performance. “He has really struck a chord with the community,” Comstock said. “There’s nothing like a live orchestra. It’s the most exciting and most vital artistic entity in a community.” It’s hard to tell whether more of the audience members are there to watch Jeremy’s demonstrative, passionate conducting, or to hear the music being performed. It’s likely a little of both. George and Gail Milton are steadfast attendees of the Emporia Symphony Orchestra. “His passion is visible and contagious in conducting and in giving more information about the music to the audience,” Gail said. “He makes you want to be part of the wonderful experience of symphonic orchestra music.” Jeremy calls it “musical food for the soul.” “My goal is that after a person leaves a concert they are a better person because they were there,” he said. It must be working. Because no one would argue that Emporia has become an even better place to live since the Symphony — and the Starrs — came to town. ¶
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The
E v o lv i n g Memorial By Roger Heineken
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Beginning as a memorial to students who gave their lives in the Spanish-American war and World War I, the Memorial union has evolved into Emporia State university’s living room and crown jewel.
[Photo by James R. Garvey]
The Memorial Union is reflected in Wooster Lake. [Photo by Matthew Fowler]
W
hen Brooke Schmidt of Eureka enrolled as an Emporia State University freshman, she had no idea that just three years later she would be elected president of the student body. What she also could not know was that she would cut the ceremonial ribbon rededicating the university’s Memorial Union to the students and alumni who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Schmidt is the most recent student body president who played a role in shaping the future of the Emporia State Memorial Union, the first student union building west of the Mississippi River. Schmidt was not alone. Hundreds of students have helped conceive, design, plan and celebrate the most comprehensive renovation in the 90-year history of the Memorial Union. During the 2012 Homecoming weekend, President Schmidt snipped the ribbon before a jubilant audience of students, Hornet alumni and University friends. A new era for the Memorial Union was ceremonially under way. Emporia State has been changing lives since 1863; its student union has been part of that institutional mission since it opened Feb. 15, 1925, to serve the social and nonacademic needs of its students. A student union was a new idea on Aug. 15, 1922, when the Memorial Union was incorporated as a business entity.
A Suitable Memorial
When the Kansas Legislature created and
placed the Kansas State Normal School (KSN) in Emporia in 1863, the Civil War was raging. Funds to open the school were inadequate, but by 1865 with the war winding down, opening the school moved forward. Lyman B. Kellogg was hired, and 18 students enrolled to begin teacher training on Feb. 15. Abraham Lincoln was president. In 1898, the Spanish-American War became the first conflict to impact the KSN community. Three students and one young faculty member died in service to America. Twenty years later, 21 KSN students died in Europe serving in the War to End All Wars. (See the profile on page 67 of Frank Rostetter, one of the student casualties.) In 1919, sentiment on campus was strong to build a suitable memorial for the casualties of both wars. The Normal was a small, friendly school. All were affected by the loss of these students. Eventually, consensus settled on building a student union, a new idea in the Western Hemisphere at the time. The student union movement can trace its roots back to Oxford University in 1857 England. As scholars moved on to teach at other institutions, the idea of the Union traveled with them. The building would be a utility memorial to serve generations of students into the future, keeping the memories of our student war casualties ever present. Soon, the campus organized to raise funds. The campaign was launched in December 1922. Prominent KSN friends made lead gifts to the project including Emporia Gazette editor William
Allen White and Mrs. G.W. Newman, an alumna who had attended the Normal in its earliest years. Dedication to the goal to honor the memory of KSN friends saw the project to fruition. The Memorial Union’s first phase opened just two years later on Founders’ Day, Feb. 15, 1925. It became the first student union building west of the Mississippi River. It was the second student-veteran memorial union in America, the eighth student union in the United States and the 15th student union in the world. “To be the first student union building west of the Mississippi and the second Memorial Union in the country is pretty special and it’s a great story, as well. I really enjoy the looks on the faces of those who are hearing those facts for the first time,” said ESU Memorial Union Director David Hendricks. As pledged dollars continued to come in, the Phase II Colonial Ballroom construction was finished and dedicated in May 1929.
Change is the Only Constant
The Memorial Union was conceived to serve its students’ social lives outside the classroom and to be the “living room” for the campus. It is underpinned by a student developmental philosophy designed to build social, civic and leadership skills that combine to enhance academic study and career success. This philosophy has remained constant though the needs of the student body are ever changing. The Union has changed, grown in size and adapted
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The marching band practices on the lawn in front of the Memorial Union in 1925. [Photo courtesy of Emporia State]
through the decades to stay relevant in students’ lives. Technology is one contemporary example. The recent renovation has aligned the Memorial Union to serve the needs of the next generation of students. (See the Timeline of the Memorial Union.) When the memorial opened in 1925, planned amenities included a laundry and barber shop. In the post World War II era, the Union boasted a fully appointed soda fountain with employed student jerks. Today, wireless Internet is essential. Dining trends shaped contract board food service that now features a 3-ton brick pizza oven. Environmental consciousness has eliminated bulletin boards in favor of electronic technology for event promotion.
The Research and Renovation Decade
A 1971 addition more than doubled the size of the Memorial Union just as the post-war Baby Boom enrollment was cresting. The institution reached its historic peak enrollment of 7,200 students in 1972. In the ’70s, enrollment declined leaving a much larger building than necessary to serve the smaller community. Trends in education through distance learning
and technology rapidly changed the summer population. Fewer graduate students were physically attending classes on campus. By the early 1980s, the Union began to cultivate a calendar of youth summer camp clients to help financially support the rather large building. It was during this decade that Kansas Talking Books Regional Library became a tenant. Energy consumption for the 168,000-squarefoot building was a looming issue. Parts of the patched-together HVAC system were decades old. Before the 1970s, energy costs were of little concern. In 1999, Union staff began work on a five-year plan to upgrade mechanicals and address life safety systems. Restrooms were updated. A junket to see Kansas and Colorado unions helped Emporia State leadership understand the scope and cost of upgrading. Research on infrastructure upgrades was pointing to $7 million in 2002. After upgrades, the campus would still have a building dated and down-atthe-heels. Study led to consideration of an all-new facility. Workshop Architects of Milwaukee developed a master plan concept for an all new union that
spanned between Lake Wooster and Welch Stadium. The estimate on the new union was approximately $47 million. Spot renovations and research continued through the decade. Emporia’s Emig and Associates architects worked on concepts to upgrade the west side connection to Union Square.
Moving Forward in Earnest
The ongoing study supported a major renovation to achieve needed upgrades, to better use space and to refresh the “living room” for 21st century constituents. A new Union director was to be hired and tasked with the renovation project. Dave Hendricks came on board in July 2007 and was directed by then President Michael Lane with the endorsement of the Memorial Union board of directors to write a Renovation Project Architectural Program for the November meeting. The document outlined the whole-building upgrade. From this document the Union board made the decision for renovation. The Kansas Board of Regents gave its approval to move forward in December 2007. By the spring of 2008, requests for proposals were solicited for sa comprehensive building rede-
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Timeline 1919 World War I ends, 21 KSN students and alumni die, an appropriate memorial is considered.
1924 Construction under way on the first student union building west of the Mississippi River.
of The Memorial Union
1945 World War II ends; veterans enroll on the G.I. Bill; enrollment starts to grow.
1925 Memorial Union is 1929 Phase 2, 1922 Memorial Union dedicated to serve Colonial Corp. is chartered. the campus. Pledged Ballroom Fund Drive is dollars continue to is opened. launched in a special be received to build publication of The Phase 2. Bulletin. 58 | Emporia Living
1963 KSTC celebrates 100-year anniversary; a top floor is added to the 1958 addition and wings are constructed flanking the Ballroom; enrollment continues to grow as the post-war Baby Boomers graduate Kansas high schools.
1958 A major two-story addition is added at the north end of the Colonial Ballroom connecting to the edge of Lake Wooster; dining service is moved into the Union.
1971 A major addition more than doubling the square footage of the Union is opened.
1972 KSTC enrollment hits historic high of 7,200 students.
[Photo by Matthew fowler]
The Memorial Union through the years
An early architectural plan for the Memorial Union.
Construction begins on the Colonial Ballroom, circa 1928.
An architectural drawing for the 1958 addition.
The latest remodel was completed last year.
1989 The Union is remodeled at a cost of $1.4 million.
The Memorial Union in 1975.
2009 Student referendum for a fee increase passes by a substantial margin.
2012 Homecoming ribbon cutting and plaque dedication.
2007 Kansas Board of Regents gives approval to plan for renovation.
2010 Groundbreaking ceremony.
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[Photo courtesy of Emporia State]
be a sound decision. The winning bid was 7 percent below pre-recession estimates. The project had been estimated at $18.5 million but came in at $15.9 million. This savings would cover the cost of Phase 2. Private donations became bonus dollars for the project. “Long story short, we were able to do so much more than we had originally planned to do because of the recession,” Hendricks said. In addition, the bonds were sold at a lower interest rate than before the recession. Competitive bids were put forward to keep business and employment rolling during the downturn in the economy. There were 34 subcontractors that worked on the project. Of those, 25 were Kansas companies with the majority from the Topeka and Wichita areas. Many of the contractors stayed on and off in Emporia motels during the 24-month project. There were three local Emporia contractors on the project; Groh Roofing, Emporia Construction and Mitchell-Markowitz Builders. Much of the payroll stayed in Kansas and dollars for lodging, food and gas stayed in Emporia.
The Desire to be Green
[Photo by Matthew Fowler]
The Colonial Ballroom originally opened in 1929. The recent remodel added to the functionality of the room without changing the ambience of the 84-year-old room. sign. In May, Treanor Architects of Lawrence was selected to steer the project. Treanor teamed with WTW Associates of Pittsburgh, Pa. as the principal design architects. Initial work got under way to create an as-built blueprint of the 83-year-old building comprised of many additions. WTW, nationally known for student union design, conducted multiple “visioning sessions” with more than 200 students and a variety of stakeholders in November 2008 to determine their priorities for the overall renovation. From the initial visioning sessions, three concepts were developed. In January 2009, WTW returned to campus to present the concepts and help select the final option. Students were again engaged in this process. Details from the three concepts were melded into the final plan. In January, Ferrell Construction of Topeka was selected to provide a project “construction manager of substantial risk.” This individual would be on board 15 months before the start of construction to plan all aspects of renovating the entire building while keeping the Memorial Union open and functioning to serve the campus.
Leadership and the Referendum Mandate
Most of the renovation would be funded through bonds paid for by student fees. A second
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phase, which had an estimated price tag of $1.8 million, would be covered by private dollars. As the WTW and Treanor architects were developing the final blueprints for the project, student leadership geared up to promote the project and a student referendum. Several student body presidents had been part of developing the plan and promoting it. The project was becoming more comprehendible and real to the general student population in 2009. The Board of Regents’ policy for accepting a student referendum stipulated a 10-percent voting turnout with a simple majority to use student fees for bond funding. “Student leadership was crucial in all aspects of the project,” said Hendricks. “They were involved in the selection of the architects, the design process and it was the students who became the face of the project leading up to the vote on the referendum.” In April 2009 when votes were cast and tallied, 21 percent of the students cast ballots. The question passed by 86 percent — a clear mandate from the students.
Upside of the Economic Downturn
The looming recession posed concerns. Should the renovation be put on hold or should it go forward? Students strongly believed that the renovation should move ahead. This ultimately proved to
Early on in the planning stages, the renovation committee wanted the Memorial Union to be as environmentally friendly as reasonable. The committee decided to work toward a silver-level in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification program but not pay the associated fees to officially qualify. Of the hundreds of tons of demolition debris, 72 percent was re-used or salvaged for recycling. New double-paned, energy efficient windows were installed in 90 percent of the building including the vast three-story curtain wall on the north facing Wooster Lake. All new state-of-the-art mechanicals were replaced. The HVAC system has 26 zones that allow the event management computer system to control the lights and temperature in the building meeting rooms when they are scheduled. All lighting fixtures in the building use compact fluorescent, LED or halogen bulbs. All rooms and offices have motion-sensor switches. Flat-screen technology throughout the building has replaced bulletin boards for event promotion. The carpet is manufactured from recycled rubber.
Fresh Design, Open and Light
The 1971 addition that more than doubled the square footage of the Memorial Union was designed with no public front on the east, Market Street side. This was a neighborhood of small bungalows then. Today public parking lots along Market Street have made the east side of the Union the de facto front door to Emporia State. A new two-story, glass atrium addition with entry tower gives visitors a clear understanding that this is a formal entrance. The Admissions Office moved from Plumb Hall to the Union atrium. A visiting family parks, enters the first door they see and find they are at their destination. A fire suppression system installed throughout the building enabled WTW Architects to freely reconceive the building. No longer would fire-rated doors be needed to compartmentalize the building. Because of fire systems, the Union has a two-story
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the Hornets Nest. The rather small Hornet Express retail food space on first floor is now 2.5 times larger than before. More food options are available in both the Hornets Nest and Hornet Express. A new retail area right off the heart of the Union — Buzzcotti — is a Starbuck’s branded grab-and-go shop for anyone in a hurry.
Worth the Wait
A lounge on Main Street of the Union is a meeting and relaxation place for students. [Photo by Matthew Fowler]
atrium with balcony, open stairs connecting two floors, and glass walls in several locations. Wider corridors visually connect the building, which makes for easy navigation. Fourteen windows were punched through the walls or enlarged to let light into what had been dim, cloistered spaces. Light quality in the building gives vitality to the Union, absent before. Before renovation there was no evidence inside the Memorial Union to indicate the institution. Today, Emporia State University appears in many prime locations. There are two tile seals in the floor that greet people arriving through the east and west entries. The west lobby sports an Evolution of Corky display. Throughout the building, the paint pallet suggests the school colors of black and gold.
The architects used existing square footage to make the building feel wide open and spacious. The Memorial Union has more meeting rooms than before. New broader hallways on the second floor enable guests to easily reach their meeting rooms. New flexibility has been designed into Webb Hall and the KSTC Colonial Ballroom, the two largest meeting spaces in the Memorial Union. Clients can choose how to orient the front of the rooms. Each large room is adjoined by pre-function space for registration, breaks and receptions before dinner. The meeting spaces surrounding the larger rooms feature state-of-the-art audio visual technology. Dining services is now localized on two floors. The student dining hall has been reconceived into a food court plan. This dining room is now called
Patrons experienced changing inconveniences during the two-year renovation project. Hendricks and other Union staff gave in-progress tours throughout the project. Communication with students and stakeholders was important to keep anticipation high and to forewarn of limited access or services. Video tours were produced; a monthly newsletter kept all abreast of progress. The social network enabled alumni throughout the world to peek in to see their Memorial Union transform. You can overhear students talking about the new Union. Said Schmidt: “As I walk to work each morning I hear something positive about the Union from students passing by. The environment is very student-friendly. Those of us who venture through the Union on a daily basis can see the increased student use and traffic this semester. In the past four years I have never seen this place as full of life. Students drop by throughout the day.” Schmidt continued: “I could not be more proud for both our past and present students who made an investment in ESU; I could not be more enthusiastic for what the future will hold for our Hornets in the Memorial Union.” ¶
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The newly remodeled Memorial Union overlooks Wooster Lake. [Photo by James R. Garvey]
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Timeline of Emporia State’s History
Founded in 1863, and opening its doors with only a Bible and a dictionary, Emporia State University has come a long way. With an enrollment of nearly 6,000 and hosting one of the top teachers colleges in the nation, ESU continues to look forward, even while celebrating its 150-year history.
The first building on KSN’s campus opens circa 1866.
1878 KSN suffers through a very bad year: a tornado damages the main building and a smaller building, fire damages the newly acquired administration building, and enrollment drops to 90 students.
1867 The first commencement is held June 28. KSN’s first graduating class consists of two people.
1865 The doors to KSN open when the first president, Lyman B. Kellogg, enters carrying a Bible and a dictionary – the only supplies in the room. 1863 Normal schools – dedicated to the education of teachers – are being developed across the nation. Kansas State Normal School (KSN) is founded in Emporia, just two years after Kansas becomes a state. 64 | Emporia Living
1874 A grasshopper invasion causes already meager faculty salaries to decline by 18 percent.
1882 Albert Taylor named the fifth president of Kansas State Normal School.
1890 KSN is the largest school in the state and the largest normal school in the nation.
1887 The front parking at the school is extended 10 feet – to provide a line of hitching posts.
1902 The western branch of KSN opens at Hays. It later is known as Fort Hays State University. The first Bulletin student newspaper is published.
1903 The Manual Training Auxiliary School – another branch of KSN – opens in Pittsburg. It later becomes Pittsburg State University. 1898 The institution graduates its first two AfricanAmerican students.
In the background, the first administration building stood on campus until it was replaced by Plumb Hall in 1916.
1916 Plumb Hall, the main administration building, opens.
1922 The Memorial Union, the first such student union west of the Mississippi, is chartered. 1911 The 55-minute class period is reduced to 50 minutes to allow students more time to reach their classes on the fastgrowing campus.
1926 The institution has its first undefeated and untied football team – with a record of 7-0-0. Beach Music Hall opens.
1924 The Memorial Union and Abigail Morse Hall, the oldest residence hall on campus, open. 1923 The institution’s name is changed to Kansas State Teachers College (KSTC).
In 1946, KSTC hosted a sprawling camp of veterans returning from World War II called Vet City.
1947 In White Auditorium, the legendary coach Phog Allen and the University of Kansas men’s basketball team is defeated, 67-44, by the KSTC men’s basketball team.
1954 The annual Kansas Master Teacher Awards are established by KSTC.
1951 William Allen White Library is completed.
1939 The bell tower, now known as Silent Joe, is completed. (Silent Joe got its name during World War II when the bell remained silent as KSTC young men went off to war.)
1955 The KSTC summer theatre is founded. 1952 The William Allen White Children’s Books Award is established. The university’s Endowment Association is incorporated. Emporia Living | 65
A
Timeline
In the background, Plumb Hall, the adminastrative building, was named after Preston B. Plumb, one of Emporia’s founding fathers and later a U.S. Senator.
of Emporia State’s History
Students help build the arch between King Hall and Beech Music Hall in 2002. Students study in the courtyard of the William Allen White Library in 1974.
1977 The institution’s name is changed to Emporia State University. The Twin Towers Complex is completed.
1993 President Clinton honors the first 10 inductees to the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF) during a White House Rose Garden Ceremony. ESU is one of the founders of the NTHF.
1979 The university’s Great Plains Studies program is founded. 1974 The institution’s name is changed to Emporia Kansas State College. Coach Fran Welch in 1966.
66 | Emporia Living
2000 Emporia State University is identified as a “best value” by the Kaplan/Newsweek College Catalog 2001. ESU was named a “top school” in six of its college and university ranking categories.
1997 Kay Schallenkamp becames the 14th 2006 ESU’s spring president of ESU enrollment of 6,023 and the first female students is the first president in the time enrollment has university’s history topped 6,000 since 1989 For the first time, the Hornet and in the Kansas 1966. Emporia State football team plays for the Board of Regents University is among National Championship against system. the best values in the Carson-Newman of Tennessee, country for a college finishing the season 10-3. ESU education, according debaters win the varsity division to the Princeton of the Cross Examination Debate Review. Association national competition.
ESU remembers Students’ Sacrifices
Frank ‘Mike’ Rostetter By Roger Heineken
2010 The ESU Lady Hornets basketball team captures the NCAA Division II national championship. In April, ground is broken for the Memorial Union renovation project.
2013 Emporia State University celebrates its sesquicentennial.
The Memorial Union renovation project is completed in 2012
2011 Dr. Michael Shonrock is named ESU’s 16th president on Dec. 9, 2011.
Periodically over the last 90 years, members of the Rostetter family stop by campus to show the most recent generation the Rostetter Oaks and the Memorial Union. This Jackson County family remains proud of their ancestor’s service and sacrifice to the country. He has been remembered at Emporia State and they take time to share his story with the next generation. Fairview native Frank “Mike” Rostetter, was a popular studentathlete at KSN. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Epsilon local fraternity. Rather small in build, he was fierce on the football field. He lettered and was proud to wear his K Club sweater. KSN “Sunflower” annuals characterized his athleticism and spirit this way: “Mike played end in almost every game and has given a good account of himself on all occasions. He was good in running down punts, and was generally able to stop anyone coming around his end. “Mike played the season at center without once calling for time until the Baker game, when he went out for the rest of the season with a pair of broken ribs. He promises to be in place for two more seasons. “Mike, the ‘fighting’st’ man on this year’s team, has played three years for K.S.N., and, whether at center or end, he was always feared by his opponents.” Following his 1917 football season, Rostetter and his fiancée were married in January 1918. Later that spring he was called to military service. In April, Rostetter reported for training. He completed his KSN degree by correspondence. In the fall of 1918, the new Mrs.
Rostetter took a teaching position in Altoona and Pvt. Rostetter went to Europe as part of Company M, 89th Division, 353rd Infantry. In midSeptember combat in France, Rostetter took shrapnel to the abdomen. He died three days later at 22 years of age. His hometown newspaper wrote, “Frank Rostetter was a splendid young man, highly regarded in the Fairview community.” On the small KSN campus where Rostetter knew everyone, his death was accepted with profound sadness. Kappa Sigma Epsilon Fraternity had lost two brothers in World War I and now Rostetter joined them. There was a general desire to do something in Rostetter’s memory. In 1920, a stand of red oak trees was planted along the sidewalk that passed between the gymnasium building and the field where Mike had played football. Today, the gymnasium is gone; the Science Hall stands on the former athletic field with most of the 92-year-old Rostetter Oaks still flanking the sidewalk. Emporia State keeps Frank “Mike” Rostetter’s memory alive in the serenity of a stately stand of oaks and in the Memorial Union, the heart of campus life. Just a few years later, efforts to build the KSN Memorial Union would create an additional remembrance of Rostetter and the 20 other young male students who made the supreme sacrifice in World War I. A bronze plaque bears Rostetter’s name and all those who “counted not the cost” in service to the nation. Today, the plaque is mounted on the wall of honor in the atrium of the renovated Memorial Union. Emporia Living | 67
Three Emporia State students, from left, Anneliese Narcisi, Peter Shoemaker and Mitchell Lurth, work on engraving projects during their internships at Glendo Corp. in Emporia.
Two specialty degrees at Emporia State University, glassblowing and engraving, make the art department one of the most diverse programs in the county.
By Morgan Chilson Photos by James R. Garvey
glass blowing
t a h t s e e r g e D
Addison Hanna’s careful application of heat helps a piece of blown glass take shape.
engraving
U S E t e s
t r a p a
Emporia Living | 69
Left, Travis Ison, Emporia, spot torches a piece of glass at the bench. Below, engraving a knife includes fine detail work.
T
wo specialty degrees in the fine arts department at Emporia State University challenge students to aim their creativity at two pretty hard substances: glass and metal. ESU is the only university to offer a four-year bachelor of fine arts degree with engraving as a focus, and one of fewer than 35 universities to offer an undergraduate degree with an emphasis in glass. “It makes us one of the more diverse departments,” said Patrick Martin, chair of the art department. “To work with glass between positive and negative that I really enjoy. A lot of times, on a college level is a fabulous opportunity, as is engraving. you can create form using negative space, so you can have a These are things people have no idea if they’ll enjoy working block of glass with a negative in it, and that becomes a positive. with them or not. It provides a real nice experience for the It’s the closest you can get to sculpting light without actually usstudents, even if they just take one class.” ing light.” Joe Sircoulomb, a senior and president of the Glass Guild Because he knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue at ESU, is pursuing a BFA with a concentration in glass. He a career creating in glass, Sircoulomb explored several options bebecame entranced with the artistic possibilities of glass durfore choosing ESU for his degree. ing middle school, when he saw a video series that showed “We definitely have one of the best programs in the nation, people working with hot glass. and it’s also really the cheapest place to learn how to work with the “It’s really the ephemerality of the material,” he said. material in the nation,” he said. “I pay very minimal fees. People on “I do a lot of cast glass work, and there’s this sort of play the East Coast and West Coast would pay for a day what I pay for
70 | Emporia Living
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a semester of work. And every semester we have these amazing visiting artists come through. We bring more visiting artists in than any other school and you get more one-on-one attention than if you went to a big art school.” The glass program is more than 30 years old, while the engraving program was established about seven years ago, Martin said. Adding engraving to the art department’s curriculum opened opportunities to explore metals in a way that’s not available at other schools, said James Ehlers, the assistant professor who runs the engraving program. “The kind of odd thing about my program is how incredibly cross disciplinary it is,” he said. “Basically, engraving is carving into metal. But it crosses over into multiple fields. I have a strong print-making background; I just happen to engrave a lot as a print-maker.” Students also learn to engrave on jewelry, and there’s a large gun-andknife culture of engraving, Ehlers said. Typically eight to 10 students are enrolled in the engraving program at a time, although many students pursuing other degrees take the courses as well, he said. When they graduate, students want to pursue various career paths. One right now is working toward a jewelry career, while another plans to specialize in engraving guns, which is an ornamental style of engraving. Engravers start off working on creating drawings for engraving, Ehlers said, learning to convert their drawings to lines. “There’s a saying among engravers that if you can’t draw, you can’t engrave well. Most people don’t know how to draw with lines very well,” he explained. “We start off with that, translate it from a photo, and then the line work gets progressively more complicated.” Many people have the misconception that engraving involves a machine where you press a button and it does the work for you, Ehlers said. Engraving is actually all done by hand, although the students use machines that simulate a traditional manner of working. Ehlers enjoys seeing the crossover that his engraving students have with their other classes. For instance, a student may work on an art project in their metals class and then bring that project in and add engraving to it. Another student is getting a double
Specialized equipment at Glendo helps Mitchell Lurth see the fine detail of the knife he is engraving.
Emporia Living | 73
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The glow of molten glass reflects in the protective goggles Kaila Mock, Emporia, wears while sand-casting a sculpture in ESU’s Glass studio.
concentration in sculpting and engraving. “The thing I like about it is they’re getting feedback from two very different perspectives,” Ehlers said. “It’s the same piece, but part done in sculpture and part in engraving.” Like engraving students, those in the glass program have numerous options to pursue when they graduate, Martin said. “Teamwork is a big part of contemporary glass-working,” he said. “A lot more individual artists have several assistants working with them on the piece. Six hands are better than two. If you see the process, there’s a lot of things that you need help with. There’s also been a proliferation of torch work using bigger torches, separate from the glory hole (a furnace for heating glass), as a different heating source. It can get things a lot hotter, a lot quicker.” Several of his students hope to work with glass artists, Martin said. Some might work for companies that make or sell glass, while others might work at schools. “Most are trying to have a hands-on job where they’re either assisting someone or making a product,” he said. It’s challenging to teach glass work because it’s not something that you can just walk in and do, Martin said. It takes time to learn to work the material effectively, and there aren’t a lot of shops. Martin himself was drawn to the physicality of working with glass, and the beauty of the material.
Before students begin engraving they learn to convert drawings into lines, a skill essential for the craft. “It has a lot of very nice intrinsic qualities that no other material has,” he said. “Just a broken little chunk of glass you find on the street can be a pretty thing.” While that broken chunk may have its own glimmering beauty, the ESU students enrolled in glass and engraving learn to create unique beauty in every piece. Sircoulomb’s ultimate goal is to work both as a craftsman and conceptually creating art. “It’s a delicate balance in a field like glass,” he said. “You have to have the knowledge of the material craftwise, but without a concept, it’s just craft.” For more information on the ESU fine arts programs, visit www.emporia.edu/art. ¶
Heat is applied to a piece of blown glass to make it molten and able to be crafted.
Emporia Living | 75
A student walks in front of Plumb Hall on the Emporia State ampus. [Photo by James R. Garvey]
76 | Emporia Living
OLPE, KANSAS
“Home of the Eagles” All God's Children (non-denominational)
Meets Every Tuesday after school at the Olpe United Methodist Church during the school year. Call 620-343-5544 or 620-475-3863 for more information.
Olpe United Methodist Church
Fellowship Meal 3rd Saturday of the month Call 620-343-5544 or 620-475-3863 for more information.
Spaghetti Supper hosted by St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
Spring Festival hosted by St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
April 28 Call 620-475-3416 for more information
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103 Westphalia • Olpe • 620-475-3466 Emporia Living | 79
Written by Morgan Chilson Photos by Casey Wilson 80 | Emporia Living
Painting with a
Passion Nationally recognized painter Terry Maxwell makes a career out of doing what he loves
Emporia Living | 81
Terry Maxwell is surrounded by his works of art.
A
watercolor painting by nationally recognized Emporia artist Terry Maxwell is not the soft, pastel floral you’ll find on Grandma’s wall. Oh, there are flowers. Even a bowl of fruit, but it’s surrounded by a vibrant forest of house plants, spilling color and energy onto apples and pears. Rich, bold colors dominate Maxwell’s work, although his skilled play of light in the more subtle black and white paintings is equally striking. There are no halfway measures from Maxwell, and his commitment to his work — to art — seeps from every painting. And it wasn’t an easy journey to success, where Maxwell can boast a resume listing numerous art awards and more than 25 one-man shows. Maxwell, 66, picked up a paintbrush and dipped it in watercolor paints in the seventh grade in his hometown of Wichita. His talents were nurtured by two excellent teachers through high school. Charles Sanderson, in particular, helped Maxwell believe in his talent. “Every once in a while, you run into someone who puts that spark in you,” Maxwell said of his mentor. But when he graduated, Maxwell wasn’t sure he could make a living as an artist and worked for a short time in his uncle’s machine shop. Realizing he didn’t want to do that for the rest of his life, Maxwell enrolled in Wichita State University to pursue an art and education degree. Unfortunately, the university wasn’t handicapped accessible, and Maxwell was in a wheelchair after having polio at age 5. Although he could get to general education classes, the art buildings had too many stairs. He took one art class by having someone carry him up three to four steps. In the 1960s, with the Americans with Disabilities Act a long time
“I love abstract things,
free-flowing abstract.”
TERRY MAXWELL 82 | Emporia Living
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in the future, university leaders didn’t see the need to adapt the buildings, Maxwell said. He dropped out of school and returned to the machine shop. But the power and passion in Maxwell’s artwork pushed against that choice, and he knew he needed to return to school. He enrolled in Kansas State Teachers College, today Emporia State University, and earned a bachelor’s degree, followed by a master’s. Along with honing the skills to pursue his love of art, Maxwell found in Emporia another lifelong love — his wife, Deb. They met in a Design I class during his first year at school and have now been married 40 years. Also an artist, Deb taught high school while Maxwell built his reputation. Without her willingness to pay the bills as he struggled in the first years to develop his talent and his name in the art world, Maxwell said he wouldn’t ever have been successful. For 13 years Maxwell refined his painting skills and began to sell in galleries and get invited to juried art shows. As his business grew, his wife quit work and they both worked full time selling his paintings. It has been a hard and rewarding path, Maxwell said. “When Deb stopped teaching, it was quite a scary move, with no income,” Maxwell said. “I have a friend who was an accountant and he said here’s what you have to do and what you’ve got to make.”
It’s scary.
“
It’s unpredictable. You learn right away that you don’t get that concerned with one show – it’s the total at the end of the year.” Their primary income came from art shows, and they did as many as 20 to 30 shows a year at one point, which “just about killed” them, Maxwell added. “It’s scary. It’s unpredictable. You learn right away that you don’t get that concerned with one show — it’s the total at the end of the year,” Maxwell said. “But it’s also rewarding to work for yourself, to get awards and to get invited back.” Maxwell said there were shows where they didn’t break even, and it was a struggle to stay positive when people didn’t buy his work. “If someone tells you it doesn’t bother them, I really think they’re probably lying to themselves,” he said of the vulnerability in putting his art out in the world. He smiled and quoted Truman Capote: “When God hands you a gift, he also hands you a whip, and the whip is intended for self-flagellation solely.” Traveling the art fair circuit taught the Maxwells marketing and presentation and what worked best to sell art in their booths. They had a system for setting up and hauling everything around the country, Maxwell said. 84 | Emporia Living
Maxwell is focused on getting his work into national competitions and galleries.
Maxwell touches up a watercolor.
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After years of honing his craft, Maxwell is now a nationally recognized artist. Throughout the years, Maxwell challenged himself to try different styles of art. “I get bored doing the same thing all the time,” he said. “I love abstract things, free-flowing abstract. Florals. I’ve been lucky enough that the response to each kind was good and sells well. I think many artists are successful and they’re hesitant to change.” Not that Maxwell could ignore what sold to paint what he wanted. Practicality is a part of art when you’re relying solely on that income, he said. Eventually, the tough life of traveling across the country became challenging and Deb had the opportunity about 10 years ago to teach at Emporia State University. Although they continued to do about six major shows every year for a while, Maxwell focused on getting his work into national competitions and galleries. He also does commission work. Through all the chaotic years of shaping a successful art career, it’s the creative process that has been the best reward for Maxwell. “People don’t realize that to be a good artist or painter, almost all of it takes place between your ears,” Maxwell said, adding with a laugh, that he zones out sometimes thinking about art, a state that his friends and family call “Terryland.” “It’s one of the reasons why I still get excited, coming up with a new idea or a new series,” he said. “I never stop learning. I learn something from every painting that I do.” ¶
Proud to be serving Emporia and surrounding communities in the Kansas Senate. 86 | Emporia Living
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North Lyon County Americus Days June 15th Americus City Wide Yard Sales June 29th Reading Annual Truck Pull, Fish fry, & firework in evening (there is a small fee this year) December 1st Americus Lighted Christmas Parade June 7th, 8th & 9th
For more information on these events contact Americus City Hall at 620-443-5655. Contact the Americus Recreation Organization (ARO) for the latest information on community sports leagues. Call Dotie Doudna at 620-481-9649 or visit www.americusrec.com.
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2013 Neosho Rapids/Hartford area events
March April September October
South Lyon County Recreation will have summer softball and baseball. Registration will begin in March. Contact Patrick Gardner at (620) 344-0747. Neosho Rapids PTO will have a biscuits and gravy breakfast on April 6. More details to come. Hartford Harvest Day is September 28. Contact Maria at (620) 392-5541. Neosho Rapids Haunted House will be October 18,19, 25 and 26. For more information, contact Willie at (620) 343-3926.
Neosho Rapids Community Projects will have several events throughout the year. The major project for this year is raising money to put ball lights at the Neosho Rapids Park. For more information, contact Bettina at (620) 366-1015. Hartford Community Club will have different events this year. For more information, contact Micah at (620) 794-3193.
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Lisa Stueve Bettina Shank View uS lisa@emporia.com shank@emporia.com on Lin e! (620) 208-8888 • Fax 620-342-8108 • www.fhshopper.com 90 | Emporia Living
Let your
heart
be broken Written By Bobbi Mlynar
“Blest to be a blessing privileged to care, Challenged by the need apparent everywhere. Where mankind is wanting, fill the vacant place. Be the means through which the Lord reveals His grace.” Hymn: Let Your Heart Be Broken By Bryan Jeffery Leech and Fred Bock
Bethany Stanbrough returned to Emporia in early December after spending 11 months living a hymn through a mission trip with World Race, a ministry dedicated to serving the needs of people around the world. She traveled and worked in 15 different countries between January and December 2012, providing hands-on help in building a church, teaching English and Bible studies, teaching and preaching, living and working at orphanages and ministering in red-light districts among other mission work. It was “the longest, hardest, best year of my life,” Stanbrough wrote in a blog. Service to others was nothing new to the young Emporian. Stanbrough, who holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas, is a member of First United Methodist Church here and had participated in short-term ministries through the United Methodist Campus Ministry at KU. Her interest in serving grew as she
92 | Emporia Living
completed a master’s degree in communications at LaSalle University in Philadelphia and began searching Google to find a mission to join. “This World Race was the first place that popped out,” Stanbrough said. After a fund-raising campaign to raise $15,500 for the trip, Stanbrough left Kansas last year on Jan. 9, full of gratitude to the individuals, churches and organizations that had made the campaign successful. She completed a few days of training in Florida through the Gainesville, Ga. based Adventures in Mission, then flew out on Jan. 15 to El Salvador. “We did a lot of slum outreach, doorto-door,” she said. “... If there was a construction project going, we’d lend a hand for the day; just kind of help out.” She quickly learned that even if she and the team could do nothing tangible, they could serve a vital purpose simply by listening to people’s stories, letting them know that someone cared, and was
Emporia Living | 93
praying with them. “We saw such desperate need and sometimes there was so very little we could do, financially or anything else,” she said.
Harsh and heartrending
After completing the slums outreach and youth ministry in El Salvador, it was on to a ministry for street children in Tegucigalpa, Honduras; an orphanage in Diriamba, Nicaragua; prostitution ministry in the red-light district in Chiang Mai, Thailand; a prison ministry and teaching English and Bible studies at a youth development center in Kampong Cham, Cambodia; church-building, home visits and Hindu outreach in Kuala Krai, Malaysia; teaching nursery school and preaching in Kabuga, Rwanda; another ministry for street children in Kitale, Kenya; hospital visits and church ministry in Mwanza, Tanzania; a home for women rescued from sex trafficking in Kathmandu, Nepal; and helping on a construction project and living and working in orphanages in Ongole, India. It was in India, the last stop in the World Race mission, that Stanbrough was hit hard by the physical and emotional stress. “It was just the most different culture from the United States,” she said. “It was Month 11, so we were kind of at the end of our rope to begin with and then we had this drastic cultural shock.” The squad lived in the orphanages with
the children; many were orphans, while others came from abusive homes or had parents who worked so many hours a day they had no time or energy to take care of children. “We were eating what they were eating. We were sleeping on the floor with them, with the bugs crawling over us,” she said. Meals usually consisted of white rice and a spoonful of curry, with one hardboiled egg a day and a chicken curry dish once a week. “But it was a good experience at the same time because, more so than any of the other months, we were actually living alongside the people we were ministering to,” she said. “... The beautiful thing about the children we were ministering, this, to them, was paradise compared with the situations they had been taken out of.” By comparison, other month-long stays were less difficult, though often not appreciably so.
Language handled
Awkward moments with foreign languages were to be expected. Some members of the group spoke Spanish and could help communications in Central American countries; in other countries, translators or hosts helped them communicate in churches or in private homes. Sometimes smiles and hand gestures were the only communication tools available to the missionaries.
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In each country, they were briefed by the partnering organizations on local customs. “They would do their best to try to give us a brief rundown on what’s culturally appropriate, what safety things to look for,” she said. “We had these little orientations each month. ... “Some things can be offensive. A head bob may be one thing in one country and a totally different thing in another country.” The team stayed about one month in each of 11 countries, plus side trips — some planned and some not — to other countries. A family friend of a team member was in a resort in Costa Rica, for example, so a bus trip from Nicaragua gave Stanbrough and the team member a short time off. “We finished our time in Malaysia at the end of Month 6; that was one of our hardest and longest months,” Stanbrough said. The team was released early and took an overnight train to Singapore for two days of sightseeing and exploring. Other side trips were unexpected and abruptly changed the itinerary.
Near-epidemic
Uganda had been slated as the destination during Month 8, when the team found out at the last moment that they would not be staying there, after all. The group had been bussed from Rwanda to Uganda and arrived late at night. As they walked to the hospital, Stanbrough said, the organization leaders stopped them.
“Don’t even go in,” she recalled their warning. “We have some news. ... “There was an ebola outbreak in Uganda and so at the last moment, we were evacuated. It was scary at the time. I’d never experienced anything like that before.” They were sent instead to Kenya, where they ministered to street children. By the time they reached Nepal two months later, Stanbrough’s passport was full. “I actually had to go to the U.S. Embassy in Nepal to add more pages,” she said. In Nepal, the team again became involved ministering to prostitutes and their children, much as they had in Thailand.
Eye-openers
“Thailand was a place that really opened my eyes and broke my heart,” Stanbrough said. “It wasn’t the poverty, it’s the issue of human trafficking.” Tourism appears to be responsible for the burgeoning red-light districts Thailand is becoming known for; as the trade grows, more and more women and girls are being drawn into prostitution. “Some of the women were there by choice, some of the women had been trafficked into their jobs, if you will,” she said. “We’d try to make friends and show them that someone cared about them.” Team members went into bars and into the red-light districts attempting to make friends with the women and coaxing them to meet at
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coffee shops to talk about organizations that could help them, or training that would help them get jobs in Thai shops. “But more often than not, it was just financially that they would make such a fraction of what they would make selling their bodies. They could only think about the food they could put on their table for their children,” Stanbrough said. “... That was definitely a good month in learning not to judge people, not just the women, but the men, too.” The similar ministry in Nepal focused more on women who had been trafficked into India, then rescued from brothels there and returned to Nepal. “We lived alongside them,” she said, explaining the team helped them cook, taught English and helped with the children, two of whom were HIV positive and not allowed to go to school. “It was very eye-opening, all the different types of people we saw, just the different needs we saw all over the world,” Stanbrough said. “The orphans and the homeless and the hungry and so much more, so many hurting and broken people in the world that need love, too.” Stanbrough came home tired, but less naive and certain the time had been well-spent. “It was worth it. It was absolutely worth every moment of it,” she said. “It just totally transformed my life in so many ways. But it was hard and it was tiring.” More details about Stanbrough’s year of mission work may be read on her blog at www.bethanystanbrough.theworldrace.org. ¶
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