Many & Varied Paths

REAL-LIFE STORIES FROM THE KANSAS PLAINS

MICHAEL DURALL EDITOR FOREWORD BY BRAD ANDERSON

Many and Varied Paths

Real-Life Stories from the Kansas Plains

Michael Durall Editor Foreword by Brad Anderson

Salina Arts and Humanities Commission Salina, Kansas

Many and Varied Paths

Copyright © 2022 by Salina Arts and Humanities Commission

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or any information or storage retrieval system, except as may be permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to:

Salina Arts and Humanities Commission

211 West Iron Avenue Salina, KS. 67401

International Standard Book Number: 979-8-9869126-0-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022917174

Cover photo by George Jerkovich

Cover design by Jan Hurst

Interior text formatting/design by Gina Laiso, Integrita Productions

After Vacation

A congregation of cattle gossip in the pasture, their brown eyes unblinking as I pause along the gravel road. The meadow sways with scrappy wildflowers. Cottonwood trees stand like fathers, keeping watch over a thin, rock-bottomed stream.

Last week, in land piled higher than sky, in canyons that drenched me with laughing water, I stood, drinking the sparkling air, held safely by the cupped palm of rugged peaks. Still, the mountains cannot claim to own me, cannot embrace me like the prairie’s open hand.

Kansas poet Cheryl Unruh, from her collection of poems titled Walking on Water

To the many dedicated people in Kansas who create a greater understanding of ourselves and the larger world through the Arts and Humanities.

Foreword .............................................................................. 1

Introduction ......................................................................... 3

PART ONE: FINDING MY PLACE IN THE WORLD

Chapter 1: Discovering a New Home ................................... 7 Sherilyn Tate

Chapter 2: A Life in Ink ..................................................... 11 Chase Wheeler

Chapter 3: The Awkward Silence of Being on Stage Again .. 15 John P. Waterman

Chapter 4: More................................................................. 19 Audrey Umekubo

Chapter 5: Building a New Life, Coming Home ................ 23 Mary Landes

Chapter 6: The City in the Boy .......................................... 27 Pete Smucker

Chapter 7: On the Street .................................................... 29 Theresa Hernandez

PART TWO: INTERNATIONAL COINCIDENCES

Chapter 8: A Lid for Every Pot ........................................... 35 Lori Berezovsky

Chapter 9: Not Even the Half of It ..................................... 39 Gerald Gillespie

PART THREE: HAPPY ENDINGS

Chapter 10: Transforming Events ....................................... 45 Barbara Marshall Nickell

Chapter 11: The Naïve Decision That Led to a Lifetime of Happiness .................................. 47 Polly Hoppock

Chapter 12: A Change of Plans .......................................... 49 Dianne Neustrom

Chapter 13: The Big Day ................................................... 51 Jane Anderson

Chapter 14: From the Valley to Salina ................................ 55 Sabrina Rosario

PART FOUR: THE IMPORTANCE OF CIVIC INITIATIVES

Chapter 15: The Day That Changed Salina Forever ............ 61 Trent W. Davis, M.D.

Chapter 16: My North Salina Story.................................... 65 Barb Young

Chapter 17: Saving and Restoring a Salina, Kansas Landmark..69 Donnie Marrs

PART FIVE: HARROWING STORIES

Chapter 18: Just Doing My Job .......................................... 75 Bill Cox

Chapter 19: Mrs. Brown .................................................... 79 Vickie Guillot

Chapter 20: Finding My Purpose ....................................... 83 Chad Young

Chapter 21: The Day My Life Changed Forever ................. 89 Jim Deister

PART SIX: COPING WITH SERIOUS ILLNESS

Chapter 22: The Two Words That Changed Everything: It’s Cancer ...................................................... 95 Sylvia Rice

Chapter 23: The Eyes Have It ............................................. 99 Todd Pittenger

Chapter 24: I Walked 500 Miles in Three Months ........... 103 Shana Pittenger

Chapter 25: Keeping Mama’s Promise .............................. 107 cash hollistah

PART SEVEN: A SENSE OF BELONGING

Chapter 26: Finding My Place in the World ..................... 111 Gustaf Applequist

Chapter 27: Listen for the Calling .................................... 115 Matt Thompson

Chapter 28: A Geography of Belonging............................ 119 Rolf Potts

Chapter 29: Aunt Ida’s Treasure ........................................ 123 Thomas Holmquist

Chapter 30: Permission to Speak ...................................... 129 Leslie Manning

Chapter 31: Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone .............. 133 Diann Heath

PART EIGHT: THE LOVE OF ANIMALS

Chapter 32: For the Love of a Dog ................................... 139 Kristina Litchman

Chapter 33: The HORSE ....................................................... Linda Lilly143

PART NINE: COACHING AND COMPETING IN SPORTS

Chapter 34: I Am a Runner .............................................. 149 Rev. Steven Nick Talbott

Chapter 35: Grateful ........................................................ 153 Ken Miller

PART TEN: BRIEF VIGNETTES 157

Seeing Ourselves

Dear Ms. Benson,

Thank you for helping organize Arts Day Out. I had lots of fun. Up until that day, I'd never met anyone who is similar to me.

Sincerely, Aaron

Aaron was referring to participating in a Salina Arts & Humanities summer arts outreach program. During the summer of 2011, four artists taught writing, painting, singing/songwriting, and puppetry classes.

The message that Aaron shared is positive, yet troubling. It is encouraging because he had "lots of fun," and at least one of the four artists made a personal connection with him. It was also lovely that Aaron took the time to write a thank-you note. This is all good.

So, what was troubling? Judging by the handwriting, Aaron was probably in the 5th grade. It was a little disturbing that in his first eleven years, Aaron had not met anyone similar to him until the summer experience. What if he hadn't gotten the opportunity to discover he was not alone before heading off to middle school? How valuable was this summer class that revealed to an 11-year-old boy his connection to the larger world?

Did he find comfort knowing there were others with similar passions and creative energy? Was he less embarrassed because he might like to draw a little more than swim or play baseball? Does seeing someone older doing what you love give

relevance and validity to being "different"? Does knowing there are others like you provide security and comfort?

Wouldn't it be lonely to wake up each day thinking that no one understands or appreciates what you do? What value do we place on a 5th grade boy finding identity and worth through a creative experience? Shouldn't one of the greatest benefits of living in the world's wealthiest democracy be that children (and adults) have the opportunity to see themselves reflected in the world?

The arts and humanities provide an opportunity for us to see ourselves through the creative expression of others. This collection of essays provides an authentic glimpse into our neighbors and friends' lives, passions, pains, and celebrations. Aaron’s note that arrived 11 years ago changed my perspective on the world forever. I believe the stories collected in this book reveal humanity in transformational ways as you take them in.

Brad Anderson Executive Director Salina Arts and Humanities Commission

This book is a collection of essays from people who have strong Kansas roots. Some are lifelong residents of Kansas, including one whose ancestors homesteaded south of Salina in 1868. He is the fifth generation of his family to farm this land, 154 years later. Other essays are from people who grew up in Kansas, moved away, and came back.

It takes no small amount of courage for people to share aspects of their lives, especially those that are deeply personal. The stories published here are heartwarming, inspiring, and in a few cases, frightening. For some, the events described happened years ago, and are distant memories. Other contributors will live every day with the consequences of past events for the rest of their lives, for better or worse.

Each day we encounter friends, family members, colleagues, and strangers as we go about our normal routines. Yet we rarely know what is truly in their hearts and souls. I hope this book will encourage us to look kindly upon one another with compassion and understanding, because we are all wayfarers on life’s uncertain journey.

Editing this book has been a labor of love. I am indebted to those who shared their stories with us. I am grateful to the Salina Arts and Humanities Commission for making this project possible.

This book is intended to be passed from person to person. The stories here are our stories, Kansans all, and are meant to be shared with others.

Michael Durall Salina, Kansas

Finding My Place in the World

Chapter 1: Home Sherilyn Tate

WhenI was a freshman in high school in Phillipsburg, Kansas, I had all the classes and teachers I’d hoped for. I was excited that things were looking up.

The middle of October after lunch I got called into the principal’s office and nearly choked. It wasn’t a good thing to be summoned there. The principal told me to go home immediately. Were my brothers sick, did my mom get called into work?

When I got home on that warm sunny day, my mom handed me a suitcase telling me to fit what clothes I could into it. My brothers, who were 9 and 6, were still at school and she had to leave for a little while. Confused, I did as she asked. When she came home a couple hours later with my brothers, she took us to a friend’s house, dropped us off, and didn’t come back until 10:00. I didn’t know what was going on. About midnight, the friend drove us all to my grandparent’s house in Quinter, a couple of hours away.

That’s when I learned we were taking a train the next morning to Seattle, then a plane to Fairbanks, Alaska. I still didn’t know why. My mom seemed distressed and scared, so I didn’t ask her about anything. I’d never been out of the state of Kansas before.

I’d also never ridden on a train before, and it made me queasy. My brothers and I sat up in the observation deck most of the way. Two days later we were in Seattle at the airport. We boarded a propjet bound for Fairbanks, my first flight. After four hours of seeing mountains and rivers for miles, we landed. As I stepped off the plane, I thought I had landed on the moon or in another time.

It was cold, light snow was on the ground, the roads weren’t paved, and the houses I saw looked like something from another time… like I had stepped off the plane onto the set of an old Western movie. I hoped there weren’t any gunslingers hiding behind the trees.

We lived down a dirt road in an unfinished house with a coal stove in the living room. The house was clean, but the walls were either unpainted sheetrock or aluminum insulation backing. The floors were particle board. Where was I, and why was I now going to be living here?

Mom finally told me we were going to be living with her friend, Jack. She had been writing to him for years after she met him and, apparently, they were going to get married. She had been in an abusive relationship in Kansas, and it had been getting worse. She was afraid for our safety. I felt relieved about that because I had been afraid for my own safety.

The high school was huge compared to my school in Kansas, all different nationalities of kids and teachers. The majority of kids were from military families whose dads were stationed at Fort Wainwright (Army) or Eielson Air Force Base. One young man was Chinese American who had a mischievous personality and bright red hair. There were seven exchange students, one of whom was from Iceland. She was very fair and shy – very homesick, too. There were Native Americans, and a few Eskimo border students, more African Americans

than I’d ever seen before, and kids from every state in the “lower 48.” My Business Ed teacher was from Ireland and as strict as they come. My French teacher was from Nice, France and his wife was an Air Force colonel.

Walking five blocks to the bus stop (I never rode a school bus in my life), it was cold because my coat wasn’t warm enough and I didn’t have boots and it was dark at 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM when I got home. So, I improvised with a pair of my mom’s friend’s underwear under my jeans. In 1960, we girls couldn’t wear pants to school, so I carried my skirt, Keds, and nylons in a bag and changed in the girl’s bathroom, then changed clothes again before the bus took me home.

By Christmas, I had adapted to the change and began helping feed, water, and mush dogs. It was actually fun to train and handle dogs in the various dog-sled races Jack entered every weekend. He was going to run in the North American Race in Fairbanks and asked me to be his handler. It was exhilarating to take five dogs out on the sled flying up the trail in the woods.

One afternoon coming home from school, I smelled mom’s stew about a block from home. It smelled really good especially since it was 10 below zero. As I walked, I realized I finally felt safe, and I was home.

v

I am a Salina resident and enjoy quiet times, friends, and am an avid reader. I like being outdoors, especially at night. Maybe that’s a throwback from my time in Alaska when the Northern Lights were blazing.