June 2018Serving Active Seniors in Northeast Kansas since 2001 Vol. 17, No. 12 INSIDE COURTESY PHOTO COURTESY The story of Dunn’s Vista began when the Dunn family contacted Morningstar Care Homes’ Scott Schultz concerning memory care for Raymond Dunn who, with his wife Sally, lived on 90-acre farm overlooking th,e nearby Vinland Valley. - page 10 Business Card Directory ...26, 27 Calendar ..................................20 Financial Focus ......................19 Goren on Bridge .....................36 Health & Wellness.............16, 17 Humor ......................................33 Jay’s Musical Memories .........31 Mayo Clinic .............................18 Memories Are Forever ...........35 My Answer ..............................38 My Pet World ...........................34 Puzzles and Games ................37 Rick Steves’ Europe ...............30 Wolfgang Puck’s Kitchen ........32 ENIO SprofileR Permit No. 19 No. Permit Lawrence, KS Lawrence, PAID U.S. Postage U.S. PRSRT STD PRSRT THE Art OFLiving Living Legend Senior Living KAW VALLEY SENIOR MONTHLY June 2018 • 3 Grandfather, grandson share love of baseball By Kevin Groenhagen letics Express trolley bus to the ball park,” Dave said. “I think I paid 25 or ccording to Dave Pomeroy of 50 cents for a child’s ticket to see the ATopeka, he got his love for base- game. Occasionally, we would get a PHOTO COURTESY ball from his grandfather. Coke or snack. It was so much simpler “He lived in Arkansas City and he at that time.” would take me to minor league games After graduating from high school, there,” Dave said. “This is when many Dave went to Lawrence to attend the towns that size had professional base- University of Kansas (KU). While ball. He was a St. Louis Cardinals fan there, he helped pay his way through and he listened to their games on the college by selling antennas to profes- radio. He worked for Missouri Pacifi c sors who wanted to watch the public Railroad. He didn’t make a lot of television station in Kansas City, Mo. money and wouldn’t have been able to While he was still at KU, Dave, as go to St. Louis for a game. He could well as thousands of other Athletics ride the train for free, but he couldn’t fans, got some bad news. In October afford a hotel. My grandmother said 1967, the American League owners he got ‘sick’ every summer and they gave Charles “Charlie” O. Finley, who would send him to the hospital in St. had controlling interest in the A’s, per- Louis. He would then walk out of the mission to move the team to Oakland hospital and go to see the Cardinals for the 1968 season. Major League play.” Baseball returned to Kansas City on As a teenager living near Kansas April 8, 1969, when the Kansas City City, Dave would often see the Kansas Royals played their inaugural game City Athletics play. against the Minnesota Twins. “My mother would drop us off in CONTINUED ON PAGE FOUR Dave Pomeroy and Alex Laughlin at Fenway Park Waldo, friends and I would get on the streetcar, and then we’d take the Ath- Kaw Valley SeniorMonthly Kevin L. Groenhagen Editor and Publisher Kaw Valley Senior Monthly is published monthly by Groenhagen Advertising, L.L.C., Lawrence, Kansas, and is distributed at over 160 locations throughout the Lawrence- Topeka area. Any opinions expressed by our writers are not necessarily those of Groenhagen Advertising, L.L.C. Subscription rate is $8.50 for 12 monthly issues. Contact us: MAIL 2612 Cranley St. Lawrence, KS 66046 PHONE / TEXT 785-841-9417 E-MAIL [email protected] Senior Monthly is locally owned and operated. 4 • June 2018 KAW VALLEY SENIOR MONTHLY realized at the time that that trip would “We saw the White Sox one day and fans have seen in person. be the beginning of a 15-year mission then the Cubs the next day.” “We saw a perfect game in Chicago,” Baseball to see a game in every city that hosts a “We drove to Milwaukee from Alex said. “That’s a rare occurrence.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE THREE Major League Baseball team. there,” Alex added. “We picked a perfect day for that,” Major League Baseball is divided “We then went to Minneapolis,” Dave added. “You don’t expect to see After graduating from KU and living into an American League and a Dave said. that.” briefl y in Lexington, Kentucky, Dave National League. Each league has 15 “Our longest driving trip was to Oak- That was in 2009, when Mark Bueh- went to work at KCSD (Channel 19) teams. Chicago, Los Angeles, and New land,” Dave continued. “On the way, rle of the Chicago White Sox pitched in Kansas City. KCSD was an educa- York each host two teams, so Dave and we drove to Denver to see the Rock- a perfect game against the Tampa Bay tional station operated by the Kansas Alex’s goal would require them to see ies play. We then went to Oakland Rays. A perfect game is a complete City school district. In 1971, as the games in 27 different cities. and saw three games. We saw another game pitched without a runner reach- Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) “Starting with Cincinnati was appro- game in San Francisco. We then drove ing base either by hit, base-on-balls, or came into existence, the school dis- priate because that’s where Alex’s south to Los Angeles to see the Dodg- error. During the modern era of Major trict sold the license to a collection mother saw her fi rst Major League ers and Angels. We saw the Padres in League Baseball (1900-present), there of Kansas Citians calling themselves Baseball game at the old Crosley San Diego. Alex had to fl y home from have been just 21 perfect games. “Public TV 19, Inc.” KCPT picked up Field,” Dave said. there, so I fi nished up on my own. I saw During the years, Dave and Alex PBS in January 1972. By the time Alex saw the Reds play a game in Phoenix.” also saw a few minor league games Dave later spent more than 30 in Cincinnati, the team had built two Some of their trips took place before together. In fact, one of Dave’s fond- years as the program director for other stadiums, Riverfront Stadium technology made it easier to travel est memories occurred during such a KTWU, Topeka’s PBS station, which (Cinergy Field) and Great American from place to place. game. is owned by Washburn University. As Ball Park. “Before smartphones were avail- “We saw a minor league game in the years went by, his family grew The next city they visited together able, we got lost using maps a few Memphis,” Dave said. “Alex was to include three daughters and sev- was Atlanta, where they saw the Braves times,” Alex said. “We got lost some- fairly young. Most kids are up running eral grandchildren, including Alex play. They would usually fl y to the dif- where near Buffalo, New York, for around the stadium and not paying Laughlin. ferent cities to see baseball games, but quite a while when we were driving to attention to the game. We were on the When Alex was 10 years old, he they would occasionally drive to their Toronto.” front row of left fi eld. At one point, joined his grandfather and other family destinations. The grandfather and grandson have an usher came over and gave Alex a members on a trip to Cincinnati to see “We drove to Chicago and saw the also witnessed something few baseball the Reds play. Neither one of them White Sox and the Cubs,” Dave said. CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE "EAUTY3HOPs!LL5TILITIES)NCLUDEDs(OUR/N 3ITE3TAFF /N#ITY"US2OUTEs!MPLE,AUNDRY&ACILITIES KAW VALLEY SENIOR MONTHLY June 2018 • 5 team is still close to home. tinues. Denver is also a little like that. multipurpose “cookie-cutter” parks “I’ve been a fan of the Royals since I Other stadiums are kind of removed to save money. However, some cities Baseball was a kid,” Alex said, who now works from the city. I went to the 1985 World are replacing those parks with “retro CONTINUED FROM PAGE FOUR at Midwest Health in Topeka as a pur- Series when the Royals and Cardinals parks” that are used only for baseball. chasing analyst. “There were some played and, after the games, everyone “Stadiums transitioned from where baseball. There had been a home run tough years, but 2014 and 2015 made got in their cars. There wasn’t any of they had the old ballparks kind of like in left fi eld and up for it.” that camaraderie you see outside a sta- Fenway and Wrigley, and they put up he had retrieved “When I was a dium in a city.” these round coliseums, which, to me, it. He had noticed kid, I was a fan of Fenway Park and Wrigley Field were are kind of boring,” Dave said. “Now how intently Alex the Kansas City built in 1912 and 1914, respectively. they have torn down some of those col- was watching the PHOTO COURTESY Athletics,” Dave In more recent times, cities have built CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX game and how well- added. “They had behaved he was.” 13 years in Kansas On May 1 of this City and they were year, Dave and Alex all bad.” completed their Dave and Alex goal when they saw also have their the Red Sox play the favorite stadiums Royals at Fenway and have sat in just Park in Boston. about every part of During the past 15 a ball park, includ- years, they trav- ing the press box.