Fellows News Nov
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Fellows News Nov. 2005 Center for Kansas Studies political redistricting in Kansas and Tom Schmiedeler, Director Reprints Speaking French in how this has affected Kansas's power Kansas 785-231-1010-1559 and voice in the United States. Gabi [email protected] As part of its educational mission to Lunte will present research on map- print and/or reprint important liter- ping German dialects to their original Deborah Altus, Human Services ary texts either by Kansans, or about places in Europe. Margaret Wood will Tom Averill, English Kansas, the center announces the present on cemeteries as a map of Robert Beatty, Political Science reprint edition of Speaking French in social class and boundaries. Amy Roy Bird, English Kansas, by Kansan Robert Day. Long Fleury will be creating a literary guide Marcia Cebulska, Playwright Jennie Chinn, KSHS considered one of Kansas' best con- to Switzerland. And Marydorsey Virgil Dean, KSHS temporary writers, due in part to the Wanless will be creating a memory Paul Fecteau, English huge success of The Last Cattle Drive, map of a farm south of Topeka. Tom Averill, faculty coordinator of the col- Amy Fleury, English Bob Day continues to maintain his William Gilliland, Geology relationship—both in residency and loquium, will share a paper on Kansas and Maps. Rachel Goossen, History in fiction—with Kansas. Professor of Amanda Hamon, Mulvane Art Museum English and American Literature at Kansas Center for the Book Robert Hull, Finance Washington College, in Chestertown, Reinhild Janzen, Art Maryland, Bob and his wife, the artist Roy Bird, adjunct English, became Jim Kelly, KTWU Kathryn Jankus Day, live in St. the Director of the Kansas Center for Dave Kendall, KTWU Michel de Montaigne, France, and in the Book after its move from Topeka Robert Lawson, English Ludell, Kansas. Reprint editor Tom and Shawnee County Public Library Gabrielle Lunte, Modern Languages Averill, a fellow of the Center, writes: to the Kansas State Library in July, Bruce Mactavish, History “Although best known for his The Last 2005. The Kansas Center for the Book Ed Marchant, CIS Cattle Drive, Day's two novellas and (KCFB) is dedicated to promoting Judith McConnell, Education the short stories in Speaking French in Kansas authors, Kansas books, Mary McCoy, Biology Kansas show philosophical and liter- libraries, publishers, booksellers, and Marguerite Perret, Art ary sides of Day's work that make the literary events. It does not use state or Mark Peterson, Political Science book a must for reprint. This is a won- federal funds; instead, KCFB is J. Karen Ray, English William Roach, Business derful, and teachable, collection of funded by Library and Commercial Betsy Knabe Roe, Art fiction.” Affiliates and through its Fellows. The Tom Schmiedeler, Geography Fellows also provides a pool of volun- Center Fellows part of Faculty Bradley Siebert, English teers to help with KCFB projects. Loran Smith, Political Science Colloquium on Mapping KCFB currently is conducting Letters Margaret Stewart, English Six Center Fellows are participating in About Literature, a grade 4-12 reading Sara Tucker, History this fall's Faculty Colloquium. “Map- and writing initiative through the Cen- William Wagnon, History ping and Beyond” has gathered ter for the Book in the Library of Mary Wanless, Art Washburn faculty whose research Congress; a statewide book fair will Ron Wasserstein, Academic Affairs involves mapping, charting, repre- occur in October 2006; up to 20 Tom Wolf, Biology senting, predicting and imagining the Kansas Notable Books 2005 will be Margaret Wood, Soc./Anthropology Carol Yoho, Art world—from the two-dimensional to recognized in April 2006; a Kansas three dimensions, and beyond. Tom authors event will be hosted at the Schmiedeler, Center director, will Center for Kansas Studies annual library conference in April www.washburn.edu/cks present a paper on Midwestern town 2006; an adult One State-One Book forms. Mark Peterson will talk about —cont., p. 2 1 Fellows News, cont. project is being considered; a hard Kansas including KSNT-TV in November. Mr. Richardson’s photo- copy newsletter, including book re- Topeka. The documentary is also graphic essay on Cuba, Kansas, was views, will be published before the being sent to every high school in published in the magazine in May end of 2005; and a new, redesigned Kansas for use in history, govern- 2004. He will direct the students in website with a Kansas authors data- ment, and Kansas History classes. editing their projects. base is being developed. The KCFB Towns were selected for the project held its official ribbon cutting featur- Students Photograph Small based on population size (approxi- ing Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Town Life in Kansas mately 500–1200 residents), proximity John Y. Cole, director of the Center to Topeka, student/town relations, for the Book in the Library of Con- Washburn University photography self-sufficiency, and community pride. gress, state Poet Laureate Jonathan students are working in conjunction Towns included are Onaga, Alma, Holden, and State Librarian Christie with the Kansas State Historical Eskridge, Burlingame, Lyndon, Over- Brandau. Roy has also presented Society and the Center for Kansas brook, Valley Falls, Hoyt, Oskaloosa, eight programs in Kansas and repre- Studies to document small towns in Centralia, and Sabetha. There are 18 sented KCFB at the National Book Northeast Kansas. The semester long students involved in the project, and Festival on the National Mall in class is being conducted through the they will be working in their assigned Washington DC on September 24. If Washburn Art Department under the town for the entire Fall 2005 semester. you are interested in becoming a Fel- guidance of art professor Mary- low of the Kansas Center for the Book dorsey Wanless. he film for the project was contact Roy through the English Students have received extensive donated by the Center for Department or at the State Library, T training in documentary research. Kansas Studies. All finished photo- 296-4105. Speakers include Tom Averill, Litera- graphs and the negatives will be ture of Kansas; Dale Nimz, Kansas donated to the Kansas State Histori- “The Kansas Governor” Rural Architecture; Jim Kelly, KTWU cal Society. The Historical Society is Video Unveiled Sunflower Journeys; Dr. Tom also donating copies of old photo- “The Kansas Governor,” a one-hour Schmiedeler, Geography and Layouts graphs from its collection for the final film on the role and history of the of Kansas Towns; Paul Fecteau, exhibition, which will take place at Governor in the state, was released Memory Maps; Dean Bruce Mac- the Mabee Library on the Washburn on May 18, 2005 with an unveiling Tavish, History of NE Kansas; Brett campus beginning in early December party at Washburn that featured Knappe, History of Documentary through the end of March. All towns Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Photography; Nancy Sherbert, Pho- involved will receive copies of the three former governors. The film, pro- tography Collection of Kansas State photographs for their archives. duced by Center For Kansas Fellows Historical Society; and Pat Michaelis, Bob Beatty and Mark Peterson, re- Researching and Interviewing Tech- The students welcome any help from ceived grant funding from the Center. niques. Students will research and residents and friends. Although the It aired on public television in August present an indepth research paper students are documenting the pres- and September in Missouri and in comparing the present to the “hay- ent, they would like to see old day” of rural Kansas photographs, letters, diaries, etc., as towns in the early well as hear the concerns that local 1900s. residents have about the future of small rural towns in Kansas. To con- Jim Richardson of tact the students, call: National Geographic Marydorsey Wanless will be visiting the Instructor, Photography photography class in Washburn University Art Department 108 1700 College “The Kansas Gover- Topeka KS 66621 nor” video début. L-R : Office: 785-670-1632 Governor William Avery, Darkroom: 785-670-2553 Governor Kathleen email: Sebelius, Governor John [email protected] Anderson, Governor Mike Hayden. —read more Member News, p. 10 2 Observations on the Southern Periphery The Edge of Kansas: of the Sunflower State o Man’s Land, Cherokee Strip, the starting wage at the Coffeyville Cherokee Outlet and Osage by Tom Schmiedeler, facility when it opened was around N Reserve are all historic names Geography $9 an hour, $4 less than in Seattle, associated with the state’s southern the Coffeyville wage was considered perimeter. They suggest raw edges to competitive in Montgomery County borderland settlement and disconti- attracted multinational corporations where unemployment rates have nuities in the evolving patterns of in the last decade. In April, 1999, been 1-2% higher than the state economic development. Such has Amazon.com opened a distribution average over the past several years. been the case with the noted excep- center in Coffeyville, a town best The average annual wage for 2004 for tion of the first two decades of the known for the notorious Dalton gang, Montgomery County was about twentieth century when mineral who in 1892 attempted, remarkably $8,000 less than the state average deposits brought wealth to south- and unsuccessfully, to rob the C.M. (Kansas Labor Market Information, eastern Kansas counties. Most of the Condon and Company Bank and the 2005). The starting wage today has border region belongs to the great First National Bank at the same time. barely risen from what it was five North American grasslands but con- Amazon employs about 250 workers years ago. siderable diversity exists within this but seasonal fourth-quarter hires Cessna Aircraft Company, histori- four hundred mile swath. Consider can raise the number to about 1,500 cally a Kansas corporate mainstay, is that it begins on the extreme margins (Attoun).