March 3, 2020 | By Joe Stumpe
When the University of Kansas basketball team returns to the NCAA tournament this month, some attention will naturally fall on its iconic mascot, the Jayhawk. And a multitalented Butler County native deserves some of the credit. Dr. Gene “Yogi” Williams, who grew up in El Dorado, drew the modern version of the mascot while attending […]
| By Ted Ayers
Our Duty by Gerri Hilger (Kat Biggie Press, 2018, 301 pages, $15.99) Gerri Hilger is a life long resident of Kansas who lives in Hutchinson. She retired after more than 35 years of teaching high school students, and she now enjoys writing and traveling with her husband to visit children and grandchildren. She recently shared an autographed copy […]
| By The Active Age
Fed up with fish on Fridays during Lent? Our Lady of Perpetual Catholic Church N. 2351 N. Market in Wichita, will hold its annual meatless Mexican food dinners each Friday 5-7 p.m. during Lent, Feb. 28 through April 3. This is the 21st year the church has been serving food made by members. Cheese and […]
February 3, 2020 | By Amy Geiszler-Jones
Casey and Larry Furnish often refer to the first 32 years of their 38-year marriage as “BS” – short for before stroke. Late on the evening of July 31, 2013 – their 32nd wedding anniversary — Larry suffered the first of two strokes, the second of which left him primarily confined to a wheelchair. With […]
| By The Active Age
TOPEKA —Expanding Medicaid coverage is just one of several issues before the 2020 Kansas Legislature that could affect seniors for years to come. Some advocates say it’s imperative that the state act now to adequately support its growing number of older residents. “2020 to 2030 is a critical decade for aging services in our state,” […]
| By Bob Rives
Bob Thurman’s name may not be as well known as those on other signs in McAdams Park. After all, playing fields there have been named for such all-time greats in their sports as Barry Sanders — the Heisman trophy winner and perennial all-pro running back — and Lynette Woodard, the first woman to join the […]
| By The Active Age
New team playing at Hartman while documentary tells story of city’s first professional soccer team There are a lot of folks winging it in Wichita these days. The Wichita Wings, the latest incarnation of the indoor professional soccer team that debuted in 1979, were off to a 5-2 start through mid January and drawing crowds […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Each day, Americans eat almost as many sandwiches as there are people in the country. You can look it up. Impressive as that consumption is, I’m guessing it might go up if more people were familiar with the croque-monsieur, a sort of supercharged ham-and-cheese sandwich from France. The name translates as “Mister Crunch,” since the […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Sedgwick County commissioners likely will hear from more folks this year calling for additional funding of senior-related services. A group made up of AARP members has been meeting for the past six months to learn more about Meals on Wheels, senior centers, transportation and other services funded by the county. Their conclusion: Those programs need […]
| By Nancy Carver Singleton
WHITEWATER – The Whitewater Photo Museum offers a glimpse into this town’s past, and not just through a camera lens. Here’s a stained glass window from the first church in Whitewater. There are cloth sacks, photos, rulers and pencils from the Whitewater Mill, which closed in the 1980s. Of course, there are plenty of photos, […]
| By The Active Age
NEWTON —After the busiest holiday season in their history, members of the Golden Notes choral group have no intention of slowing down. The Golden Notes performed 11 concerts between August and the end of the year, culminating in a well-attended show at Botanica’s Illuminations display. Then they were right back to practicing every Monday morning […]
| By The Active Age
A 25-year cancer survivor and research instructor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine – Wichita has developed a free webinar to help people diagnosed with cancer work toward wellness. Judy Johnston created Cancer Connections 2020, which consists of eight one-hour, webinar sessions, each with a different expert exploring a specific survivorship topic. The program is offered […]
January 2, 2020 | By The Active Age
You’re invited to attend a Wichita State University women’s basketball game as guests of the Shockers and the active age. The Jan. 19 game at Koch Arena pits WSU against Temple, an American Athletic Conference foe. Anyone 55 and older will get in to the game free. Door prizes will be given to the first 250 […]
| By Celeste Bogart Racette
Century II too iconic to lose, supporters say Wichitans have always supported and loved Century II. They have memories of special events – concerts, graduation, car shows, ballet productions – they remember from their youth and now attend with their children. Flying home to Wichita, folks immediately recognize the blue dome roof. Save Century […]
| By Mary Tritsch
AARP Kansas believes that expanding Medicaid (KanCare) is the most critical thing lawmakers can do for older Kansans when they convene in Topeka on Jan. 14. Expansion would provide health insurance to more than 150,000 Kansans who cannot afford coverage, including approximately 20,000 Kansans age 50-64 years old and about 7,400 uninsured military veterans and […]
| By Debbi Elmore
Once upon a time in south Wichita, there existed not one – but two – fantasy lands for children. Joyland, on south Hillside, was designed for older kids while Kiddieland, on Harry, was made for little tykes. While much has been written about Joyland, it’s clear that the 30-acre Kiddieland complex inspired lasting memories, too. […]
| By Joe Stumpe
A family member was going through Nancy McMaster’s refrigerator over the holidays when she came across a jar of sourdough bread starter, all bubbly and yeasty like it’s supposed to be. “She thought it was awful and nearly threw it away,” McMaster recalled with a smile. “It was a near miss.” McMaster is that adventurous […]
| By Kollen Long
If a referee notices you on the football field, it’s usually bad news. But Craig Helser often surprises players by offering a compliment instead of tossing his yellow penalty flag. “Say a kid makes a great block, I’ll say ‘Hey, (number) 54!’ And of course they think they’re in trouble. But I’ll say, ‘Great block, […]
| By Suzie White
I had lived in Springfield, Mo., for about five years when I decided it was time to return to my hometown of Wichita. My first marriage had broken up and my sons, ages 8 and 11, seemed to be developing Ozark accents. One day they asked “if we’uns can go to the movie” with a […]
| By Joe Stumpe
With 2020 here, it’s interesting to note that the active age has now been around for all or part of six decades. Originally called Active Aging, the newspaper was started at Wichita State University in 1979 and found a home at Friends University from 1988 to 1999. At that time, community members formed a nonprofit […]
| By The Active Age
WAM Out West The Wichita Art Museum kicks off the year with free events designed to draw patrons in, and out of, doors. Jan. 9, 6 p.m.: WAM curator Elizabeth Seaton will discuss “The Cowboy Within” John Steuart Curry (above), who illustrated many Wild West scenes for books, magazines and murals in addition to the […]
December 3, 2019 | By Joe Stumpe
Once upon a time, women were considered too fragile to play the game of basketball as we know it. Instead of running up and down the length of the court, they were consigned to one end or the other, lest their supposedly delicate constitutions be upset. Except somebody forgot to tell Ruth Ott Gregory. During […]
| By Leslie Chaffin
My husband’s family bears a strong history of cancer. His father, brothers, aunts and uncles died of the disease. We carry cancer insurance as a result. So cancer, I was prepared for. Not Alzheimer’s. Not when my husband was only 54 years old. The signs became clearer just before Christmas 2013, when Jon lost a […]
| By The Active Age
Qualify for a chance to win tickets to Christmas shows at the Orpheum Theatre by identifying which classic holiday movies or TV specials contain the nine lines at right. From all the correct entries we receive, we’ll hold a drawing to give away two pairs of tickets to A Million Dollar Christmas on Dec. 13, […]
