July 1, 2021 | By Joe Stumpe
Here’s a two-pronged headscratcher: Why do Kansans have a hard time spelling “multiplication,” and why are we trying to in the first place? Researchers affiliated with AT&T looked into what words residents across the United States have been asking Google for help spelling. (No, they’re not spying on your laptop or phone. A website called […]
| By Diana Breit Wolfe
Recently I sent a couple of cards to my two great-grand nieces for their 14th birthdays. I kidded them about learning to drive, which made me think about my own experiences when I was 14 and so anxious to get a “learner’s permit.” It was 1957 and the family car was a pink ’57 Chevy […]
| By Jay Price
Early Wichita was full of colorful characters, few more so than Malachai R. “Charley” Cordeiro. A scout for the U.S. Army who opened a saloon in Wichita in 1869, Cordeiro became the defendant in one of the town’s first murder trials. When an intoxicated customer named O. H. Whitman demanded that Cordeiro open up his […]
| By Ted Blankenship
In more than 60 years of writing for newspapers and magazines, I have never been a sports writer. One reason is that I never participated in sports. I ran really hard but never got far. That’s because I was kind of fat. In the interest of truthfulness, I was really fat. Worse, I was short, […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Passageways, Inc. has announced plans to open a group home for homeless female veterans on Wichita’s west side, where it already operates a home for male veterans. The nonprofit recently received donations of $50,000 from Cargill and $20,000 from the Goebel Family Star Lumber Charitable Foundation for that purpose. “We’re looking for individuals that might […]
| By The Active Age
NEWTON — When temperatures creep up this summer, visitors to Grand Central senior center won’t sweat it. The center recently finished a $60,000 overhaul of its air conditioning system. “It’s definitely a great addition,” Grand Central board president Bob Driskill said. “We couldn’t use this facility if we didn’t have that air conditioning.” Driskill said […]
| By Tammara Fogle
70th wedding anniversary Harold and Nancy Brandenburg (above) will be married 70 years on July 9. Harold taught and coached at Mulvane, Wichita West, Wichita Southeast and Wichita Northwest. Nancy taught at Westwood Preschool. After retirement they enjoyed travel in the United States and overseas. They have four children — Janie Jacobs, Hal Brandenburg, Beth […]
| By Pat O’Connor
Article and photos by Pat O’Connor The East Mt. Vernon neighborhood runs from Harry to Pawnee and Oliver to Woodlawn. Many of its homes were built for working and middle-class families in the post-World War II housing boom. The natural setting at the edge of these neighborhoods colored the adventures. Karen Dobbin “I lived on […]
| By The Active Age
Derby library book sale The Friends of the Derby Public Library will host their annual book sale from 9 am – 4 pm on Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25 from 1-4 pm in the Community Room at the Derby Public Library located at 1600 E. Walnut, Derby, KS. Kansas oil painters exhibit opens […]
| By The Active Age
After a year off, the Heartland Games track and field meet returned to Friends University on June 5. More than 50 athletes competed in events, including the shot put, discus throw, javelin and several foot races. The Heartland Games originated as a series of fundraising competitions to help support operations at all four senior centers […]
June 1, 2021 | By Beth Bower
For Scott Redler, it all started in his hometown of St. Louis. The co-founder of Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers made breakfast for his family as a kid and helped his mother and grandmother in the kitchen on a regular basis. “I always had a passion for food,” he said. Redler used that passion to […]
| By Joe Stumpe
NORTH NEWTON — It’s not every day someone comes up with a new genre of art, but then Glen Ediger is an inventor. Among other things. Ediger thought up the genre — which he calls environmental exposure — a few years before retiring as director of design for Vornado Air. He noticed that a piece […]
| By Joe Stumpe
First off, thanks to everyone who filled out and returned the community survey that was in last month’s issue. The survey was designed to give people a lot of latitude in what they chose to focus on. In fact, that was the point. For the most part, people who responded seem to like their communities, […]
May 20, 2021 | By Joe Stumpe
Correction: A headline on an earlier version of this article said the McCormick School Museum is closed. Tours are still available by appointment on Wednesday and Sunday. To schedule one, call (316) 841-6198. The future of Wichita’s oldest school building, which houses McCormick School Museum, appears shaky. According to a memo that museum curator Paul […]
April 29, 2021 | By Joe Stumpe
Marty Miller was walking near Botanica’s gorgeous new Grand Lawn one afternoon last month when three female visitors ambled across his path. “Hey, Marty!” one said. “Man, we had no idea all this was going on.” “We approve!” another added.
| By The Active Age
Over the next few months, the Wichita Journalism Collaborative will explore the social acceptability of mental health care, access to treatment and the challenge of affordability. But to do our work well, we’ll need the help of readers like you. The Wichita Journalism Collaborative is a coalition of local newsrooms and community institutions that launched […]
| By The Active Age
More people than ever are enjoying the hobby of photography thanks to smart phones. The Active Age is holding a photo contest with just one stipulation: the photo must have been taken outdoors using either a smart phone or traditional camera. Winners of the contest will receive gift certificates for $25 (first place), $15 (second) […]
| By Joe Stumpe
The ages of the seven children in the Bennett family are easy to remember: 76, 78, 80, 82, 84, 86 and 88. That kind of familial longevity may not qualify as a record, but as third-oldest daughter Ruby Tobey says: “We think we are little unusual and very blessed to have seven siblings still living.” […]
March 31, 2021 | By Joe Stumpe
Rita Hephner calls March 31 her “day of freedom.” That’s the date she expected to return to a more normal lifestyle, having passed 14 days since the second of her COVID-19 vaccination shots. And Hephner planned to celebrate. “I’m going to make an appointment at Beau Monde and have a massage,” she said. Across Wichita, […]
| By Amy Geiszler-Jones
The troubling calls from Pat and Linda O’Donnell’s only daughter often came in the middle of the night. Prompted by her boyfriend, then 23-year-old Patricia would blame her parents for her failings. The O’Donnells, who were then in their 60s, believed their daughter was being controlled and intimidated as part of an unhealthy relationship. They […]
| By Amee Bohrer
Linda Jabara was a happily married mother of two young boys when military personnel from McConnell Air Force Base knocked on her door. She was informed that her husband, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Thomas, had been killed in a missile silo accident. The date was Aug. 24, 1978. “It was my 28th birthday, and I […]
March 24, 2021 | By Joe Stumpe
The Downtown Senior Center and three others in Wichita will reopen on a limited basis April 1, more than a year after closing because of the coronavirus pandemic. Numerous congregate meal sites that provide lunch to seniors have also reopened for in-person dining or announced plans to do so. “Everybody is kind of ready to […]
March 1, 2021 | By Amy Geiszler-Jones
David Dennis retired from two careers spanning 40 years before deciding to pick up another vocation: elected public official. At 74, Dennis is the oldest commissioner on the five-member Sedgwick County Board of Commissioners. In November, he was re-elected for his second four-year term representing District 3, the county’s western district that includes a big […]
| By The Active Age
EL DORADO — Butler County history is being brought to life through a series of short documentaries produced by the Butler County Historical Society. Each episode in the “Rural Crossroads” series examines a different community. So far, segments have run on El Dorado, Augusta, Towanda, Douglass, Cassoday and Rosalia. More are planned for Beaumont, Benton, […]
February 5, 2021 | By Joe Stumpe
When Esther Lazos thinks back to her arrival in Wichita 42 years ago, she lets out a soft laugh. Both she and her husband came here from Mexico illegally, with no ability to speak English. Their possessions consisted of “a 6-year-old and empty hands.” They had one thing going for them, though. “Me and my […]