Topeka Magazine | summer 2017 by Sunflower Publishing

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Time! Topeka Country Club blends history and innovation

+ The stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 8 great golf courses + A photographer documents her momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life + Some of our favorite images from the past 10 years

FROM THE EDITOR

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

SUMMER 2017 | VOLUME 11, NO. 3

What’s the image that best represents you? An image isn’t what you do and who you are, but it is your public face—and choosing our best image is something we do frequently in one way or another from selecting what to wear to posting a social media avatar. We’ve been thinking about the stories and images that best represent us as we celebrate our 10-year anniversary by reprinting some of our best material from the past decade. To prepare this issue, art director Jenni Leiste went through the thousands of images from the publication’s first 40 volumes and selected some of her favorites. I was intrigued by her selections, trusting her judgment as an artist and the quality of the images that our photographers had left behind.

Some of the choices I expected to see in her final lineup, others were delightful surprises. It is hard for me to look back on the photographs with any artistic objectivity. After all, each photograph took place at a specific time, at a specific location, with specific people. I remember some of the hurdles in taking the photos, and all of the effort and time that many of the subjects put into them—whether that meant holding a pose for the umpteenth shoot, performing a leap, corralling an animal, or simply giving a home a very thorough cleaning before the photo crew arrived. Mostly, though, I remember the trust that people gave us to take their image, wrap it in a story, print it and spread it around town. I realized if I alone were to compile the groups of images that best represent us as a publication, it would probably

be a photo album of Topekans who allowed us to include them in our pages. That trust is particularly relevant to this issue’s lead feature story, an intimate retelling of a mother’s long, painful and joyous passing as told through the memory and photography of the daughter who cared for her. Some of the images are difficult, almost painful, to see—but they are also some of the most loving images I think we have ever printed. We hope you treasure the stories, images and new faces from this issue, and find beauty around you in your own life this season. — NAT H A N P E T T E N G I L L , E D I T O R

Please contact us at topekamagazine@sunflowerpub.com for all comments, subscription and editorial queries.

Editor Nathan Pettengill Art Director/Designer

Jenni Leiste

Copy Editor

Leslie Andres

Advertising Peterson Publications, Inc. publish@petersonpublications.com Representative (785) 271-5801 Ad Designer Jenni Leiste Contributing Jason Dailey Photographers Katie Moore Bill Stephens

Contributing Writers

Kim Gronniger Seth Jones Katie Moore Bill Stephens

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Topeka Magazine is a publication of Sunflower Publishing, a division of Ogden Publications. Ogden Publications 1503 SW 42nd St Topeka, KS 66609

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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

WHAT’S INSIDE SUMMER 2017 | VOLUME 11, NO. 3

TOPEKANS 10 THE MASTER’S SNAPS

A celebrated Kansas photographer champions phone-camera images

14 BARN QUILTS

Symbols of beauty and rural heritage, these icons of modern America spread through Topeka and Kansas

LOCALE 18 ADDING CURRENT

TO A CLASSIC

Topeka Country Club, established in 1905, gets a modern refresher with an emphasis on a resort atmosphere

26 THE ART OF A

KANSAS WEDDING

Whether in a rustic barn or a magical setting, a Kansas wedding can provide a lifetime of wonderful memories

30 10 GREAT PHOTOS OF TOPEKA

Curators select their favorite Topeka-related photographs from the collections of the city’s museums

F E AT U R E S 38 ‘I’M DOCUMENTING

YOU LIVING’

A photographer returns to Topeka for her mother’s final months

46 SOME OF OUR

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE PAST 10 YEARS

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Time! Topeka Country Club blends history and innovation

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+ The state’s 8 great golf courses + A photographer documents her mom’s life + Some of our favorite images from the past 10 years

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On the Cover

A group of golfers tee off at Topeka Country Club. Photograph by Bill Stephens.

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

TOPEKA TALK

In our memories … This edition of Topeka Magazine is released in honor of two people very dear to our contributors. Our feature story on page 38 is a photo essay and journal by contributing photographer Katie Moore on the loss of her mother, Wendy Moore. As we prepared this issue, we also lost Julie Kisler—the daughter of LeAnn Darling Stephens (who works together with her husband, longtime contributing photographer Bill Stephens). Julie Kisler was a professional educator who had worked most recently as director of the childhood center at the Topeka YWCA. She was mourned by her family, colleagues and

10 Years

those whose lives she encountered. Julie was deeply devoted to the children she served and she helped provide them the foundation for a solid future. Only 46, she passed after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer. Two months before she died, she hosted a celebration at Midland Hospice. Some hundred friends and family gathered to honor her life and remember her legacy, as we do here with this photograph of Julie, when she obligingly stepped in for a photo shoot with her mother for a story on classic and alternative potato salad recipes that appeared in the winter 2016 edition of Topeka Magazine.

We are celebrating 10 years of publication by reprinting some of our favorite content from the past decade. Look for the special anniversary feature in this and our upcoming fall issue, as well as for online postings on our social media sites.

Topeka SR Our 2017 edition of Topeka SR recently released with a cover story of work by Ann L. Carter, the Topeka-native artist who has been inspired by encounters with the World War II generation. Complimentary copies are available through our advertisers as well as at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library and the Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging office at 2910 SW Topeka Blvd.

Next Edition WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

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Our fall issue releases in September. Look for another round of seasonal stories and a special focus on our nation’s veterans.

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

TOPEKANS STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY

Bill Stephens

The Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

SNAPS A celebrated Kansas photographer champions phone-camera images

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

hotographers love gadgets and gear. Most photographers, when packing for a photo excursion, will load their bags with a couple of camera bodies, lenses ranging from wide-angle to telephoto, perhaps a macro lens for close-ups, filters, and exposure meter. Throw in a tripod or a monopod for good measure. But the most important equipment is always going to be a photographer’s eye. And even the most tech-savvy photographers recognize that some pretty solid images can be taken with basic equipment. Jim Richardson is the perfect example. A Topeka newspaper journalist from 1971–1981, the award-winning and lauded Kansas native has spent the past decades roaming the globe on assignment for National Geographic magazine, using the best equipment possible … but sometimes just an iPhone.

OPPOSITE: Untitled iPhone image by/ courtesy of Jim Richardson ABOVE: Richardson, at his gallery in Lindsborg, talks about editing iPhone images.

When Richardson was scouting locations to shoot for an assignment in 2012 on the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland, he went with the bare minimum of gear. “All I took with me on the scouting trips was an early iPhone 4,” says Richardson. “It gave me good quality images that I could use later to decide where to return for more detailed photo coverage.” The proof of the quality of these images can be found in Richardson’s work, much of which was on display at a recent iPhone image exhibition in Lindsborg at Small World

Where to see more of Jim Richardson’s work online: Jimrichardsonphotography.com Instagram: @jimrichardsonng Twitter: @jimrichardsonng

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

TOPEKANS

Small World Gallery 127 North Main Street Lindsborg, KS, 67456 785-227-4442 | ibiswoman.com

TOP: Richardson takes a photo in his gallery to demonstrate iPhone. editing. ABOVE: Untitled iPhone image by/courtesy of Jim Richardson OPPOSITE: Untitled iPhone image with a distressed FX filter by/courtesy of Jim Richardson.

Gallery, an art and jewelry store he owns, along with his Topekanative wife, Kathy. “Photography and cameras are constantly evolving. Photographers, too, tend to evolve or face extinction,” Richardson says at his gallery. “I’ve been captivated with the creative possibilities, the immediacy of sharing, and the sheer delight of this photography-in-the-moment.” To make iPhone images more professional, Richardson taps a range of editing applications, or apps, available to the device. Many of these apps are familiar to iPhone photographers: hipstamatic, snapseed, vividHDR, DistressedFX, Filter Storm Neue, and Mextures to name a few. Richardson’s phone is loaded with these and many other photo apps that he continually updates and culls. “Before I leave on a photo assignment I check to see what the top ten apps are this week

and download the ones that look promising,” he explains. “Armed with these apps, you have almost as much flexibility in image manipulation in your phone as a desktop computer running Adobe PhotoShop.” To prove his point, Richardson reaches for his phone and takes a quick photo inside his gallery. His fingers dance over the screen to command the apps to lighten dark spots, darken the overexposed spots, add texture and apply a rugged, black border to the image. Richardson decides the color balance is good, though he could change that if he felt the image he took had too much of a blue, orange or some other hue. If there had been a person in the image, he could also have used a “healing brush” to smooth out facial blemishes. Even though he is currently exhibiting his iPhone work in a gallery, Richardson points out that the images are best

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

seen and best shared as digital postings. The technology and the editing apps for iPhone (or any type of phone-camera device) are developed with the digital image in mind, so Richardson believes it is important to display the images in an online format. Richardson is not alone in this vision of social media. Several other National Geographic contributors post regularly on the NatGeo Instagram feed. Currently 60 million people follow that feed. “The NatGeo feed bleeds into your personal feed and drives business to you. This is an important consideration for freelancers like me,” Richardson says. Currently his personal Instagram account followers exceed 390,000. “Instagram is the social media equivalent of standing around the water cooler and visiting with your friends,” Richardson says. And if Richardson’s exhibition of iPhone photography and his championing of a very accessible, democratic form of photography upset the traditional assumption that photography is best left to the guys with the biggest, most expensive bag of gadgets, well, one of the world’s most accomplished photographers is perfectly fine with that. “This show shares the excitement of photography ‘in the moment,’ explores the realms of digital filters and textures, and connects images from around the world,” he says. “Purists will call this heresy. Maybe that’s why I like it.”

Some Topeka and Kansasrelated group digitalphotography sites Facebook.com/topekaphotographers Instagram: @topekawestphoto Facebook.com: then search for “Kansas Photography 2.0”

About the Writer: Bill Stephens began photography long before iPhones and digital photography, but he continues to shoot images with his phone and bag of digital cameras and lenses from his home in Topeka.

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

TOPEKANS STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY

Bill Stephens

BARN QUILTS Symbols of beauty and rural heritage, these icons of modern America spread through Topeka and Kansas

Barbara Dennis looks out from her craft-room window that is decorated with two barn quilts.

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

f you look at some of the front windows of Barbara Dennis’ west Topeka home, you’ll see two distinct patterns reminiscent of quilt work. Made from wood by a friend from church, these pattern blocks symbolize that Dennis is herself a quilt maker—and they also represent a growing trend throughout the Midwest. These are barn quilts, and if you know what a barn quilt is, you know that the term is a misnomer. Not only do they appear on many structures other than barns, they are also not quilts in the traditional sense. A barn quilt is a piece of wood, often two or four feet square, but also in much larger sizes with approximately the same proportions (in this sense, they more closely resemble quilt blocks rather than entire quilts). Geometric shapes such as squares, rectangles and triangles are painted in solid colors on the wood to give the appearance of a quilt block. Another common misperception about barn quilts is that they have a long history in the United States. That’s entirely understandable; many people have noted that barn quilts have similarities to “hex sign” patterns historically painted on barns by Pennsylvania Dutch communities. But they are distinctly different. The older hex sign patterns were round, with defined subjects and painted directly on the barn, whereas the barn quilts are true to the quilt block patterns of geometric shapes and are painted on a wood panel that is then set onto a barn. Furthermore, barn quilts are a recent trend. In the definitive history of the art form, Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement, Suzi Parron traces the creation of barn quilts to artist Donna Sue Groves, who was inspired by quilts, childhood memories of West Virginia barns with bright advertisements painted on them, and a simple desire to transform what she saw as “the ugliest barn” she had ever seen. Groves completed that first barn quilt in Ohio in 2001. And from that year, at the same time that the online posting of digital images began to dominate culture, the very different type of low-tech, manual postings of wooden barn quilts also spread rapidly across the Midwest.

Online Barn Quilt Touring An excellent reference to the various Kansas Barn Quilt Tours can be found at barnquiltinfo.com/map-KS.html You can see more of Julie Keithline’s work online. Go to Facebook and search for “S&J Customs LLC”

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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

TOPEKANS

CLOCKWISE (from upper left): Steve and Dawnita Tollefson stand by their barn quilt, which they hung on their barn north of Topeka. The Tollefsons’ second barn quilt decorates an antique manure spreader in their garden. A barn quilt hangs on the barn of artist Julie Keithline. A junior high geometry instructor, Keithline also creates barn quilts from her home studio in Herington.

The spread of barn quilts was helped by artists such as Julie Keithline, a junior high geometry teacher who also works from a studio in Herington. Here, she has created thousands of barn quilts, more than 250 just this past year alone. Her work is displayed in fifteen states including, of course, throughout Kansas. Keithline’s husband has converted their attached garage into a woodwork-

ing shop/studio where she can start with raw lumber, cut into the appropriate sizes, lay out the geometric designs, and paint the patterns. “Although some of my quilts are made from photos that clients send me, most of my designs are original. I use drafting tools like T-squares and protractors to create the designs. After prepping the wood with a primer, I use masking tape to provide straight lines

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

to follow. I spend anywhere from two to ten hours on most of my quilts,” Keithline says. Getting the exact shade of color for the paint can be challenging. Keithline needs not only the colors custom-mixed at the paint store but also just a small jar of each color. “At first the paint store folks told me that they could not mix small quantities, but finally they have learned to accurately mix the colors to my specifications and also give me small amounts,” she says. Once completed, the barn quilts are shipped from Keithline’s studio to various locations, including to the farm of Dawnita and Steve Tollefson, 12 miles north of Topeka. Here, the Tollefsons display two of Keithline’s barn quilts. One quilt hangs on an outbuilding. The second one is displayed on an antique manure spreader near the front of their property. “Steve wanted to put flowers on the spreader, but I decided that it would be a good home for our two-by-two quilt,” Dawnita explains.

At the same time that the online posting of digital images began to dominate culture, the very different type of low-tech manual postings of wooden barn quilts also spread rapidly across the Midwest. Barn quilt aficionados throughout Kansas gather for organized tours of different regions of the state. There is a Kansas Flint Hills Quilt Trail and a Barn Quilt Trail in Cowley County just to mention two of the more popular treks. Maps that show the roads through the area and where the quilts are on display are handed out or downloaded from a website. Some quilts are on barns, others are on fences, porches, and some—like Barbara Dennis’ barn quilts—are even on display inside residences. Wherever they hang, barn quilts are simple, beautiful, trendy and timeless—it’s no wonder these wooden designs continue to be popular in our digital age.

LOCALE

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017 STORY BY

Seth Jones |

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

Nick Krug and Bill Stephens

Adding current to a

CLASSIC Topeka Country Club, established in 1905, gets a modern refresher with an emphasis on a resort atmosphere

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

storied history is something money can’t buy. For example, consider the first match between World Golf Hall of Famers Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, which took place 50 years ago. No matter how many golf courses would love to boast of hosting such a match, only Topeka Country Club can claim the honor. But there are things money can buy, like state-of-the-art improvements. And that’s what Topeka Country Club is doing: investing in a multi-million-dollar renovation of the clubhouse and facilities to add to its classic golf course. “Golf is the number-one asset of the club, but it’s not the numberone thing families and people are looking to do anymore,” says Clay Meininger, president and COO of Topeka CC. “There’s a shift towards amenities for families. Thus the reason for a new pool, a new splash park and a friendly, fun atmosphere for toddlers.”

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

LOCALE

Photography: Bill Stephens and courtesy Topeka Country Club.

The new pool is just the beginning. A new fitness center, a youth activity center, a health and wellness room and new modernized dining areas (think of a high-end sports bar) are also in the works. The club, established in 1905, started out with a 9-hole course. Nicklaus and Watson aren’t the only famous TCC golfers; Bob Hope, Ben Hogan and President William Howard Taft have walked the course’s fairways as well. In 1936, an additional 9 holes were added, designed by Perry Maxwell. Maxwell is well known in the region and in the golf world, with Augusta National and Prairie Dunes among the many courses he has done design work on. The course was what lured Cory Proehl, head golf professional at Topeka CC, to Topeka. Leaving behind a resort in Colorado Springs for Topeka, Proehl says

the course has mystique, great conditions with “an old-school country club feel.” Proehl credits course superintendent Kent Morgison for the stellar conditions. “The conditions here are unique,” Proehl says. “To have a superintendent here who is also a player—Kent is below a 10-handicap—is fantastic. He’s a master at making the course pristine because he understands the game. I’ve worked at four different clubs, and this is my first time experiencing that. To me, that’s a match made in heaven.” Morgison is from the area, growing up 20 minutes away from Topeka CC. He says he remembers being a 15-year-old and the feeling he got when he had the honor of playing TCC for the first time. He wants to bring that same feeling to golfers today.

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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

LOCALE

Photograph: Seth Jones

Goes with the Greens Steve Sidebottom, who has worked at Topeka Country Club since 1977, maintains a stunning selection of flowers year-round at the course’s greenhouse to plant on the club’s grounds. “Steve comes in here seven days a week, even in the winter, even on his days off, to keep these going strong,” says course superintendent Kent Morgison.

Topeka CC recently hosted a high school golf tournament, and Morgison says events are the favorite part of his job. “For those high school kids—maybe it’s because I played high school and college golf—I know that could be the biggest event of the year for these kids,” Morgison says. “I try to treat all the events like they’re the biggest event of the year. Who wouldn’t want to make their facility look as good as possible?” Count Proehl, Meininger and now a bunch of high school golfers as fans of the work Morgison and his team have done keeping the course looking great. Proehl especially likes the improvements the maintenance team has made to the greens. The undulating greens and the tree-lined fairways are what give TCC its teeth, as the course isn’t considered long by today’s golf course standards. (Meininger calls TCC the longest course he’s ever played under 7,000 yards because if he starts missing fairways he’ll

play bogey golf or worse.) There are still long holes, though, like No. 17, Proehl’s favorite, a 435-yard par four with trouble on both sides. And, of the course, TCC is making a bid that amenities and atmosphere will bring more people into the club. “We want more of a resort feel. When you go on a vacation and stay at a nice Marriott resort, it’s a cool experience,” Meininger says. “We want that here in Topeka because, let’s face it, you can’t go on vacation 52 weeks a year. You need a place to come and get away from the daily grind. We are, and we want to continue to be, that place for Topeka.”

About the Writer: Kansas-based writer Seth Jones writes about and plays golf courses across the nation as editor-in-chief of Golfdom magazine.

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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

great golf courses of

Kansas

LOCALE

Jeff Burey’s career résumé as a golf pro includes courses such as North Carolina’s legendary Pinehurst Resort; Wee Burn Country Club in Darien, Connecticut; John’s Island Golf Club in Vero Beach, Florida; Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson; and Wolf Creek Golf Links in Olathe, where he was the golf professional for 27 years. Burey was Golf Digest magazine’s first Kansas course rater, back in 1981. Now in retirement, Burey owns the Twin Oaks Golf Complex in Douglas County and dedicates his working hours to promoting the game. We asked him to put his course rater hat back on, and he was able to give us his favorite eight courses in Kansas (beyond his own and Topeka CC). Here are his picks, though Burey stressed that there are a dozen courses that could make his list on any given day. Many of the courses here are also private memberships, so if you want to check them off your list, be sure to contact the course in advance and check on requirements to play.

Prairie Dunes Country Club, Hutchison “It’s a masterpiece of links golf; the best routing and design of any course in Kansas. The vistas are spectacular. It’s always in outstanding condition. They have great greens complexes—those are the defense of the golf course, as it’s not very long. But it’s always withstood the best golfers in the world, from the U.S. Women’s Open, to the U.S. Senior Open.”

Flint Hills National, Andover “It’s an experience from the minute you enter the front gate. It has a mystique. It has an ambiance of pure golf … you don’t go there for any other reason. Yet, it still has a clubhouse that is so impressive, it takes your breath away. The overall golf experience there is just outstanding, a classic Tom Fazio design.”

LOCALE

Millburn Golf and Country Club, Overland Park “This might be the best golf course in Kansas … it’s definitely in the top three. It has a great variety of holes, the routing is a classic. The course has withstood the test of time—they haven’t changed it much over the years because they haven’t needed to. I always enjoy playing Millburn because it’s a very fair course.”

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

Wolf Creek, Olathe

Shadow Glen Golf Club, Olathe

“Pure golf. Outstanding practice facilities. Always manicured to a T. The course has a reputation for its lightning-fast greens. It’s one of the original zoysia grass fairway courses in Kansas, which is the best playing surface for this area. The creek that crosses the course makes for some great challenges. Just a wonderful golf experience.”

“A spectacular routing along with a pure golf experience. There are some great vistas and some fun par-3s with serious elevation changes. There was a tremendous amount of rock at the site; they managed it beautifully and took a negative and turned it into a positive. This is a real treasure of Kansas golf.”

Mission Hills Country Club Hallbrook Country Club, Leawood

Wichita Country Club “Any round at Wichita CC is a memorable round. It’s first class in every respect. The layout and variety of holes is balanced. It’s always in outstanding condition. And it has a great history, with connections to many of Kansas’ best golfers.”

“This course brought something to Kansas that we didn’t have here previously. It’s old farmland, a great piece of property, and (Tom) Fazio and his team only enhanced it. The bunkering is beautiful. There are a lot of risk/reward shots, so you can take some chances out there. The greens have lots of undulations and are always challenging.”

“This course was recently renovated and they did a spectacular job. The bunkers have pure white sand. When you get there and see the rolling ground and those white bunkers, you just can’t wait to get out there and play it. It’s a beautiful green space, and I think it makes it even more special to have that green space so close to downtown Kansas City.”

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Learn more about NOTO at notoshopping.com.

LOCALE

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017 STORY BY

Paula Naughtin |

ILLUSTRATION BY

Lana Grove

The

Art of a

Kansas

Wedding Whether in a rustic barn or a magical setting, a Kansas wedding can provide a lifetime of wonderful memories

LOCALE

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is adapted from the 2017 publication, Kansas Weddings magazine released by our parent company, Sunflower Publishing. The 2018 issue releases on November 7.

t’s a beautiful May night in Kansas. Family and friends gather in the twilight to celebrate the marriage of two lovely people. Everything is set up in a barn owned by the 95-year-old neighbor of the bride. It’s rustic, yes, but magical as well, lit with candles in jars and fairy lights, and decorated with simple flowers. The stars shine down as the evening wears on and the sound of katydids and crickets chimes in during the lulls in the music. One of the highlights of the reception comes when the groom serenades the bride. I was born in Kansas, I was bred in Kansas and when I get married, I’ll be wed in Kansas. There’s a true blue gal who promised she would wait, she’s a sunflower from the Sunflower State. Skies are fair in Kansas, clouds are rare in Kansas, never saw a place that could compare with Kansas. So I’m goin’ home to keep a weddin’ date with a sunflower from the Sunflower State.* There are still some who think that marrying in Kansas requires a compromise between marrying in the state you call home and having a beautiful ceremony. But there are many weddings that have already disproved that, like the wedding described above. And there are many future weddings that can take advantage of all that Kansas can offer. Want to be out under that glorious, wide Kansas sky? There are fields upon fields, sunflower-covered or not. Opt for a scaled-up picnic featuring one long span of tables with more than 80 chairs. A friend planning her daughter’s wedding collected wooden chairs in many styles from second-hand stores and painted them all the same hue to unify them. You can make it personal—even non-traditional—according to your

own story as a couple. I attended a lovely wedding on a ballfield owned by the bride’s family in Kansas City, Kansas. The couple’s reception was held in a Catholic cathedral, just a short way from the ballfield. Pans of enchiladas, spaghetti and chicken were contributed by friends and family. The day illustrated everything that was valued by the couple and echoed both of their cultures: friends, family, baseball, tradition and food prepared with love. You can adapt the approach easily in Topeka to reflect your own interests: burritos and dancing in NOTO or water sports and picnics in Lake Shawnee. One clever couple even timed their reception at Lake Shawnee to correspond with the annual Huff ’n’ Puff hot air balloon rally. There are the park gazebos in almost every town in Kansas, perfect for open-air ceremonies, and with a roof to protect the couple from the always-changing Kansas weather. Gazebos are also inherently decorative, with ornate tracery in wood or metal, and they are almost always set in the midst of beautiful flowerbeds—lots of blooms at no added floral cost! In this sense, Topeka is rich in venues from Gage Park to Lake Shawnee. And there are castles in Kansas, or close facsimiles, for fairytale weddings. The Caenen Castle in Shawnee, for example, will host a wedding and reception although you may have to arrange your own horsedrawn carriage. Holding out for a truly unique and quirky wedding? I know I’m still waiting to attend a ceremony in front of the massive diorama at the KU Natural History Museum. After all, the tableau of the arctic has lots of white. (Yes, there is also a looming polar bear, but that just makes for better photo ops.) In Topeka, think of unusual and grand venues like the Kansas State Historical Society, TPAC … or a roller-rink?

Another benefit to planning a Kansas wedding? Kansans. People are incredibly kind and helpful here. That means the young woman who pulls a wedding dress off the rack—one you would never had even thought to try—not only has an eagle eye for what suits you but also will be charming, friendly and funny during a lengthy, sometimes taxing, process of dress shopping. She’s someone you want as your style consultant, yes, but she’s also someone who could easily join your circle of friends. But for all of the beautiful, quirky, elegant venues, it’s important to plan a wedding that is authentic— that truly reflects your everyday life and values—so you can start a marriage that will be authentic as well. A Kansas wedding can be homey, hip, elegant, or informal. Here you can create the scene of your dreams, down to the food, flowers, guest list, venue and attire, while still establishing that Kansas sense of place and belonging. This fall, two very loved people in my family celebrated their wedding. They’ve picked a renovated cider mill, full of old stone and brick. They were surrounded with family, friends and music. Some guests from the East Coast asked early on, “Why are you getting married in Kansas?” Of course, that question was answered once they sampled the hospitality and beauty, but more than anything, once they saw that the wedding reflected the couple and foreshadowed the marriage to be. Honest, forthright, friendly, and unique, true to the couple. *Sunflower, by Mack David, Published by Famous Music Corp., NY, NY 1948

About the Writer: Paula Naughtin is a professional editor who has attended many Kansas weddings, including her favorite as the mother of the groom.

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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

LOCALE STORY BY

Kim Gronniger

10 Great Photos of

TOPEKA Curators select their favorite Topeka-related photographs from the collections of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s museums

LOCALE

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

Alice C. Sabatini Gallery at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

hotos chronicle moments and conjure emotions, freezing their subjects in a timeless reflection. Whether they have a journalistic intention to capture history or an artistic flair for showing everyday subjects through a new lens, whether their technical approaches are shaped by their era or self-imposed creative constraints, each of the photographers who crafted the images in this spread sought to celebrate some aspect of the capital city’s essence. Topeka Magazine asked the Kansas State Historical Society, the Mulvane Art Museum and the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library to identify the most meaningful Topekarelated photos from their respective collections to share with readers. Their picks run the gamut from the natural world and the architectural grandeur of the Capitol to slice-of-life moments encompassing industry, leisure and politics.

Untitled (two silos) by Robert Ault Robert, or “Bob,” Ault was an art therapist with the Menninger Clinic, highly respected in his field as an educator and as an artist in his own right. He created this image of a typical Kansas scene was by weaving together two photographs and painting over the work. Kansas Capitol Diana Friend, communications director of the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library likes this photo of the Kansas Capitol from a 1911 guidebook in the library’s collection. She says it reflects the building’s iconic stature in the capital city as well as the structure’s symbolism for the state itself. Please Do Not Remove by Larry Peters Though recognized primarily for his innovative work in ceramics, Topeka resident Larry Peters creates images across genres, including this mixed media of photography, newspaper clippings and canvas strips. It is a piece that is very rooted in its time of the late 1960s, says gallery curator of exhibitions Zan Popp, with a clinical and commercialized examination of the female form that questions concepts of beauty and art.

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

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Kansas State Historical Society’s Selection Nancy Sherbert, acquisitions coordinator for the Research Collections Division of the Kansas State Historical Society, selected photos that showcase people and iconic places associated with Topeka. Interior Shot of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Shops, circa 1920 “Whenever I look at this photograph, I am amazed that all those steam locomotives were repaired in the Topeka shops,” Sherbert says. Perhaps more than anything else, in its first 100 years, Topeka was built and developed on the strength of the railroad industry. Arthur Capper’s Birthday Picnic, July 14, 1935 Former U.S. Sen. Arthur Capper, publisher and founder of the Capper Foundation, celebrated his birthday each year with a community picnic to honor the city’s children. Former U.S. Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker and former governor and 1936 Republican presidential candidate Alf Landon were among the revelers taking a turn on the carousel.

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

Today, Easter Seals Capper Foundation continues the traditions established by its founder by not only providing a full array of services to assist individuals with disabilities in gaining independence but also serving ice cream to the community in Gage Park each July in Capper’s honor. Children Awaiting Ice Cream in Front of the Apex Theater, June 10, 1933 This is a classic Americana scene with a quintessential Topeka backdrop. “This photo brings back fond memories of the summer and buying treats from an ice cream truck,” says Sherbert. 8th and Kansas Avenue, 1936 The corner of Eighth Street and Kansas Avenue was the bustling epicenter of commerce in the capital city, as depicted in this photo taken by Wolfe Commercial Photo Service. Today, Wolfe’s Camera Shop continues to provide services to the public at its location on Kansas Avenue. Pocket parks and private investment in new restaurants, retail shops and construction, including the Cyrus Hotel and an office building undertaken by Clayton Financial Services, are rejuvenating Topeka’s downtown.

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

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Mulvane Art Museum

Connie Gibbons, director of the Mulvane Art Museum, selected works by Topeka-based or Topeka-native photographers because they “are a product of the community and their work is informed by the aesthetics of Kansas landscape and the surprising qualities of light.” Sunflower by Marydorsey Wanless “’Sunflower’ is a gum bichromate over Van Dyke print,” says Gibbons. “Marydorsey is a master of alternative photographic techniques, and I love the way she has created a grid from the image and reconstructed it using this technique, which gives a painterly and aged feel to the field of flowers.” Scattering Seeds by Daniel Coburn “Scattering Seeds has a sense of deep mystery,” says Gibbons. “I think in many ways, Coburn gives us glimpse of something sacred and he reminds me to pause and experience the beauty of Kansas’ landscape and light.

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

Field of Dreams by Daniel Coburn “Field of Dreams by Daniel Coburn has a quiet suppression that feels like it’s on the verge of springing into view from the edges of the image,” says Gibbons. “There’s always an element of mystery and something yet to be revealed about Coburn’s compositions. He is an architect of light, and I am always amazed at his ability to see and capture the most ephemeral of moments.”

About the Writer: Kim Gronniger is a professional communicator and writer who photographs, mostly her family, friends and adventures, from her home in Topeka.

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

FEATURES

‘I’m Documenting You Living’

Some of our Favorite Photos from the Past 10 Years

A dancer with Ballet Folklorico de Topeka troupe performs outside of the troupe’s studio in the NOTO district. Photograph by Jason Dailey.

‘I’m Documenting You Living’ A photographer returns to Topeka for her mother’s final months

Story and Photography by Katie Moore

“I began documenting our journey. It seemed like the natural thing for me to do, and in the early photos of my mom’s illness, it doesn’t look like much is even amiss.”

This story has many beginnings but only one ending. For me, the story began in mid-May, 2013. At that time, I’d been living in New York City for six years and had just returned to the U.S. following a four-month backpacking trip from Bolivia to Morocco. My brother, Andrew, and I went to visit our mom, Wendy, a retired social worker, in Topeka. She lived here with her cat in a cute two-bedroom home she purchased a few years after my dad died. The three of us were hanging out at the house when she told us her diagnosis. Our sense of reality, of the future, altered immediately. The story began earlier for Mom, when nerve cells in her brain, for unknown reasons, started to die off. It was the beginning of ALS, a degenerative, incurable neurological disease that causes muscles to atrophy, leaving its victims paralyzed and eventually unable to breathe on their own. Those minuscule, invisible changes set off a chain of events that would reshape the trajectory of our lives. For about a year and a half, Mom was able to cope with the progression of ALS. During this time, I took short freelancing stints in New York City and Topeka. I basically lived out of a backpack, but had the flexibility to come back to Kansas for days or even months at a time. And, because I was a photographer, I began documenting our journey. It seemed like the natural thing for me to do, and in the early photos of my mom’s illness, it doesn’t look like much is even amiss. Another part of the story began in January 2015. By this point, my mom had a feeding tube and her speech was garbled, only understandable to people who were around her consistently. With this deterioration, I permanently moved back to Topeka to live with Mom and I became her primary caregiver. Andrew moved from Denver to Lawrence to be close and to help out. I was 31; my brother was 28. From this point, every few weeks, there was a new normal, a new loss. The progression was hard on my mom emotionally as she felt less and less control, feared being a burden and dreaded what loss would come next. As muscles in her arms and hands weakened, she became unable to express herself through art, something she’d done most of her life. It was particularly painful to watch that intrinsic part of Mom’s identity disappear. For me, life became a matter of keeping a growing number of balls in the air—doctors’ appointments; Medicare bills; ever-changing medications; feeding, bathing and dressing my mom; and a full-time job that came with its own set of responsibilities and deadlines. The role reversal between us was simultaneously natural and disconcerting. There were excruciating moments, moments when we were forced to confront what was happening. We asked questions of mortality, faith, purpose and limitations. There were times of misdirected frustration, when we took what was happening out on each other. There were simple misunderstandings that exploded out of proportion. Still, the three of us formed a closeness that wouldn’t have occurred otherwise. On the weekends, Andrew came home, and I got some reprieve. I’d drag out my sleeping bag and we’d all camp

out in the living room. We’d talk (though for my mom it was mostly listening), rent cheesy movies and stay up late. We were incredibly fortunate to have a great deal of love and support from family and friends. But at the end of the day, it was the three of us trying to make the best of it in the midst of an unwavering battle we knew, in the back of our minds, we’d lose. So we made the best of it. We flew to Iceland for a midsummer road trip and we gazed out at ethereal glaciers. We would drive around Lake Shawnee, listening to hundreds of birds squawk in the chilly dusk hours or taking in the colors of thousands of spring tulips. Death has its beginning, too, and it came in March 2016, when Mom was hospitalized twice. By then I had been photographing our story for a couple years, from simple, domestic moments to our international travels. At one point, sitting at home, my mom asked if I was documenting her dying. For a split second I was taken aback. But then responded, “No, I’m documenting you living.” She seemed satisfied with that answer. During the last three months of Mom’s life, I took more than 750 photos of her, partly to remember, partly because her illness became much more visual, with different colored wires strewn across her body and emotional visits from friends and family when we weren’t sure if she’d even make it out of the intensive care unit. At the end of the second hospital stint, on March 24, I signed paperwork admitting her into hospice care with a do-not-resuscitate directive. Our living room transformed into a hospital room, with a hospital bed, suction machines, a breathing device, a nebulizer, an oxygen machine and a commode. There were decisions I was wholly unqualified to make—like when to administer morphine—and things I was unprepared to hear, like a nurse suggesting at one point that we stop feeding my mom. Perhaps at the end, my mom accepted what was happening, but I don’t think she was ready. She kept a will to live—strength, even defiance, laughter and love in the face of all these losses. No longer able to speak, type or write in the last days of her life, she’d often use her index fingers and thumbs to form a heart. And then there was another beginning, one without my mom. Sometimes it seems unfathomable. But the reality of her absence swiftly overtakes that feeling of disbelief. My mom’s memorial was held June 19, 2016. The next day was the 14th anniversary of my dad’s death. In Icelandic mythology, there is a sign called a vegvisir, symbolizing that one won’t get lost, even if the way is not known. My parents’ deaths left the way darker, without guidance that, even as adults, Andrew and I could use. But the way they raised us gives us assurance in who we are and what is most important. We both got a vegvisir tattooed onto our skins as a reminder, a testimony of this—as one lasting image of our mother’s final months, and of all the images, all the years, and all the love that had made up Mom’s life.

Dear Katie: There are no words in the world to express what you mean to me and how I feel about you. Your father and I always felt we were the luckiest people in the world to have adopted you. For us to have each other and to be your mother is a dream come true. I didn’t give birth to you; life gave me the gift of you. I’m so happy we’re here for each other. Love, Mom

“Are you documenting me dying?” “No, I’m documenting you living.”

We took advantage of our awareness of the future. We zip-lined over a Costa Rican jungle, went horseback riding into the ocean, searched the sky for the Northern Lights, stared up at the towering Tetons. Many moments were tinged with a heightened meaning, which was a blessing and a weight.

Communication became difficult as her speech deteriorated. Eventually it was only comprehensible to a few people. I became her voice in many ways, essentially translating in different settings, from doctors appointments to conversations with friends. Simple questions and answers became a challenge. Expressing thoughts, ideas, sometimes impossible. She used a text-to-speech app and later when that became too difficult, a letter board. A stark change in our daily life came when she got a feeding tube. It required three meals a day which had to be spaced out evenly and took about an hour each.

45 I understand DNR means if my heart stops beating, or if I stop breathing, no medical procedure to restart breathing or heart functioning will be instituted … “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” … Endotracheal tube and ventilator is used for a severe crisis … There is no cure for ALS … As I know that death is as much a reality as birth and that it is the one certainty of life … expect this patient has a limited life expectancy … This Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions shall become effective …

My mom came home under Hospice care on March 25, 2016. I held my mom’s hand as she died in the very early morning hours of May 26, 2016.

One day my mom began choking on her saliva— weakened muscles affected her ability to swallow. Initially I tried to calm her down, but I began panicking after suctioning didn’t help. She became unresponsive and started to turn blue. I desperately called 911. Medics stabilized her, and she was admitted to the hospital.

Katie Moore’s journal for mother Wendy Moore, 1942–2016

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

Some of

PHO OUR FAVORITE

Hot air balloons float over Lake Shawnee at the annual Huff ’n’ Puff hot air balloon rally. Photograph by Bill Stephens.

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

OTOS FROM THE PAST 10 YEARS

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

OPPOSITE: Janice Elder (portraying “Sally Skull” of the Wild Women horse club) and her quarter horse, Holly. Photograph by Jason Dailey. ABOVE LEFT: Detail of Larry Wright’s miniature train collection. Photograph by Jason Dailey. ABOVE CENTER: Young dancers at the Potawatomi Powwow. Photograph by Bill Stephens. ABOVE RIGHT: The Liotta home at the time of magnolia blossoms. Photograph by Jason Dailey.

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

OPPOSITE: Boxer Marcus Oliveira trains for his world light heavyweight championship match. Photograph by Jason Dailey. TOP: A baby raccoon is cared for at the Wildlife Rescue center. Photograph by Jason Dailey. ABOVE LEFT: A row of violins painted by artist Cally Krallman. Photograph by Jason Dailey. ABOVE RIGHT: Edie and Stephen Smith relax in their downtown loft. Photograph by Jason Dailey.

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2017

Summer 2017 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE

OPPOSITE TOP: Music producers Michael and Wanda Dixon take a short break from scheduling bands. Photograph by Jason Dailey. OPPOSITE BOTTOM: Sculptor Marin Abell works from his studio at Washburn University. Photograph by Bill Stephens. TOP LEFT: The bench of The Crushers roller derby team watches an ongoing bout. Photograph by Jason Dailey. BOTTOM LEFT: Hunter Holloway grooms her horse, YOLO. Photograph by Jason Dailey. ABOVE RIGHT: A model prepares for the annual Couture for Cancer show. Photograph by Jason Dailey.

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