L A W R E N C E
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MONDAY • DECEMBER 20 • 2010
Breezy
High: 46
Low: 23
Today’s forecast, page 8A
INSIDE KU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Jayhawks roll in win against Cougars Angel Goodrich and Marisha Brown, two major contributors, return to the Jayhawks’ lineup in KU’s 91-52 blowout of SIUEdwardsville on Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse. Page 1B NFL
Cassel returns, leads Chiefs over Rams Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel started a game 11 days after an emergency appendectomy, leading the way in a 27-13 victory over the suddenly sagging St. Louis Cassel Rams on Sunday in a battle of Missouri. The win keeps the Chiefs on top of the AFC West, one game ahead of the surging San Diego Chargers. Page 1B
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When somebody comes in and says, ‘My girlfriend wants a puppy for Christmas,’ we’ll say no.” — Midge Grinstead, Lawrence Humane Society director. While it might seem like a good idea, adopting an animal during the holiday season can bring unexpected stress to both the animal and the adopters. Page 3A
COMING TUESDAY Some people don’t need another knickknack or even a new pair of socks. So they’d prefer that people give a gift to charity instead of to them.
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INDEX Classified Comics Deaths Dilbert Events listings Horoscope Movies Opinion Puzzles Sports Television Vol.152/No.354
4B-8B 7A 2A 8A 8A, 2B 7B 5A 6A 7B 1B-3B 2B, 7B 32 pages
Frequent flier: Lifelong pilot always prepared for takeoff By Brenna Hawley bhawley@ljworld.com
Jack Leftwich strapped on a helmet and got into the open cockpit of a biplane. He was 15, it was his birthday, and he wanted to ride in a plane. The pilot took off, heading north out of Fairfax Airport in Kansas City, Kan. The plane got about 200 feet in the air when Leftwich heard a horrendous crash. “I remember being knocked violently to one side of the !"#$"% cockpit and !!!"#$!%&#'"(%) was momentarily stunned,” he To see a map of the recalls. routes Leftwich flew in “Then I the South Pacific, a remember video of Leftwich disthe second cussing his time as a impact as we pilot and a photo gallery hit the of the 93-year-old, visit ground.” LJWorld.com. A second plane had been flying into the sun and collided midair with theirs. Three of the four people in the crash survived. Leftwich was lucky to come away with only a lifelong scar on his scalp, but the accident didn’t leave a scar on his love for flight. Jack “Lefty” Leftwich, a rural McLouth resident, has led a storied life, much of it hundreds of feet in the air in various airplanes. He flew for Pan Am during World War II and had a decades-long career with the company. Seventy years after beginning as a pilot, at 93, he continues to fly, taking his ultralight aircraft out on his personal airstrip on summer days.
Flying career takes off Leftwich said his interest in aviation began as early as he could remember, and as a 7-year-old boy he would ride his bike to the nearby airport and watch the planes. When he visited his grandmother’s farm south of McLouth, he would climb a tree in the backyard, tugging along a board with nails pounded into it. Each nail represented some instrument in the cockpit of an airplane. “I would climb up in the tree and I would look off into the distance, and I would pull these nails around
cmetz@ljworld.com
Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
JACK “LEFTY” LEFTWICH, 93, OF MCLOUTH, RECALLS the days he flew a sea plane during World War II, and how he navigated by the stars. Leftwich has been flying for some 70 years as he flew in WWII and for Pan Am. on this board as if I were flying,” he said. “Now how about that for a hangup?” That love continued until his accident, but his first trip in a plane afterward almost scared him away. He had saved money for another flight, and when the pilot was taxiing to take off, he heard the fabric of
KU pays tribute to donors kbritt@ljworld.com
Kansas University School of Medicine students rely on body donations. It’s how they learn about the human anatomy in great detail and how to perform procedures safely and effectively. Ultimately, it’s you and me — the patients — that benefit. Dr. Dale Abrahamson, chair of the department of anatomy and cell biology, said KU receives between one and 200 donations each year. “This is a selfless and timeless gift that is made, and it’s for the education of doctors and other
the fuselage hitting the metal frame. “I was absolutely petrified. I didn’t know if I would be able to continue or not,” he said. “It just brought back all the memories.” But continue he did, and in 1940 he began taking flying lessons in a Please see PILOT, page 5A
MORE INFORMATION health care providers,” he said. Individuals who wish to donate their body need to complete a “Certificate for Bequeathing My Body to KU’s School of Medicine” form. Once completed, KU will send a donor card that can be kept in a wallet or with other personal effects. It’s also important to inform family. “It’s entirely up to the family whether to honor the wish or not, but typically they do,” Abrahamson said. There are certain conditions where KU cannot accept a donation. These include: ● The body has been embalmed. ● Amputation has been
To learn more about the Willed Body Program at Kansas University’s School of Medicine: ● Visit its website at www.kumc.edu/anatomy and click on “Willed Body Program.” ● Call 913-588-2735. ● E-mail hallensw@kumc.edu. performed. ● An autopsy has been performed. ● A communicable disease is present. ● Obesity or emaciation. “These individuals may be useful for certain studies, but they aren’t going to be as useful for the general medical education and
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
EACH YEAR THE CREMAINS of some bodies donated to the Kansas University Medical Center for research, are buried at Oak Hill Cemetery. About a dozen were buried about six weeks ago for the Please see MEDICAL, page 2A 2010 year.
Prepare for busier highways and skyways this holiday season as more Americans prepare to travel. Both the Kansas AAA and Kansas City International Airport are reporting a boost in travelers. Across the country, AAA is reporting that 92.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2. That’s a 3.1 percent increase from last year. “There is a growing consumer confidence, a modest economic recovery and some pent up demand that continues to drive travel increases,” said Jim Hanni, executive vice president for the Kansas region and public affairs at AAA. Travel is up despite rising gas prices. The national average for selfservice gasoline is $2.98 per gallon. Experts predicted earlier this month that the national average would inch its way to $3 by Christmas. This week in Kansas, the average is at $2.87 per gallon, which is 33 cents higher than last year. “Holiday travel plans made with the family trumps the increase in gas prices,” Hanni said. “But cuts in other areas may be made.” As for air traffic, the Air Transport Association of America predicts that between 1.7 million and 2.3 million people will fly daily during the holiday. Throughout the winter holiday, air travel is up by about 3 percent compared with 2009. The busiest days of the season will be from Dec. 21 to Dec. 23, Dec. 26 to Dec. 30 and Jan. 2 to Jan. 3. On those days, airplanes are expected to be 90 percent full. At KCI, more than 679,000 passengers are expected between Dec. 16 and Jan. 5. That’s a 5 percent increase from last year. To make your trip through the airport run smoother, KCI spokesman Joe McBride advises getting to the airport about 90 minutes before your flight leaves, using the airline’s online check-in 24 hours in advance and following the Transportation Security Administration guidelines when packing. “The volumes of people are going to be heavy,” McBride said. “Typically, people traveling for Christmas or other holidays are not seasoned business travelers and not as prepared for the whole process.” The increase in travel plans is good news for the economy, Hanni said. When the economy took a nosedive in 2007, the travel industry was among the first to take a hard hit. Now Hanni believes it is one of the first to rebound. “Now that the economy is starting to come back, travel is ahead,” he said — Reporter Christine Metz can be reached at 832-6352.
Longtime school board member closes book on service By Shawn Linenberger
Energy smart: The Journal-World makes the most of renewable resources. www.b-e-f.org
By Christine Metz
Med school grateful for body donations By Karrey Britt
Boost in holiday travelers reported
slinenberger@theworldco.info
T O N G A N O X I E — For more than a quarter of a century, Mildred McMillon’s had her finger on the pulse of education. Now, the 83-year-old Tonganoxie resident says she’ll end her official public service when her term on the local school board concludes in June.
“After 27 1/2 years I’m ready to hang it up,” she said. She’s not spent all of those 27 years on the Tonganoxie McMillon board. In fact, during her third term on the local board — back in 1986 — she ran successfully
for the Kansas State Board of Education. In the late 1990s, after her husband, Pete, became ill, McMillon left the state board. He died in 2004. Soon after, McMillon decided it was time to return to public service and rejoined the Tonganoxie board in 2007. She plans to complete her current term, but won’t seek re-election. “We need younger people,” she said. “I just don’t
think four more years added to my age now I would be as competent as somebody younger.” She also cited health issues. She said being part of school activities was important for a board member. “Walking is not a part of my good speed right now,” she said, adding, “long as I’m sitting, I can sit all day.” She has some advice for anyone interested in serving
on a school board. “I just feel as though your endeavors are targeted toward kids and you keep them in utmost importance,” McMillon said. “If you have a vendetta to get someone fired, stop progress, I think you’ve got the wrong attitude.” — Shawn Linenberger, news editor at The Mirror newspaper in Tonganoxie, can be reached at 913-845-2222.