Month: April 2017

Speaker encourages residents to find out about their family history

Angela Bates, executive director of the Nicodemus Historical Society, urged residents to discover more about their family history during a talk April 15 at the Wyandotte County Heritage Festival, held at the West Wyandotte Branch Library. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)

by Mary Rupert

Do a little digging in your family history, a speaker advised the audience during a talk April 15 at the Wyandotte County Heritage Festival held at the West Wyandotte Library, 1737 N. 72nd St.

Angela Bates, executive director of the Nicodemus Historical Society, spoke to the audience about the story of the small town of Nicodemus, Kansas, which was founded in 1877. It was built by and for black residents and farmers. Once the town had about 600 to 700 residents, and now there are about 13 residents on the actual town site, with about 100 residents in the area, she said. The town will have its 139th homecoming celebration in July. (http://www.nicodemushomecoming.org/)

Bates said that black history used to focus only on slavery, but there was much history left out of the history books. Growing up, she didn’t hear much about Buffalo Soldiers or cowboys when black history was discussed.

But Bates, who grew up in the Nicodemus community, said she knew that she was descended from black settlers and black pioneers who came west from Kentucky after the end of the Civil War.

Bates asked the audience members to raise their hands if they knew their grandmother’s name. Most did. Then she asked if they knew their great-grandmother’s name and their great-great grandmother’s name. Fewer hands went up each time.

Bates’ message was that family history is history.

“We need to understand who we are,” she said. “Do a little digging in your family history.”

The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Libraries have been working with the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area to collect oral histories of people who lived in the Quindaro area of Kansas City, Kansas.

Freedom’s Frontier is working on a national landmark designation for the Quindaro Ruins, a pre-Civil War town on the Missouri River in Kansas City, Kansas. The town was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and the town was abandoned just as the Civil War was starting. Collecting more oral histories from residents could lead to an expansion of the historical knowledge about Quindaro.

The Wyandotte County Heritage Festival was held in partnership with the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area and the Kansas Humanities Council. The festival included activities for children and adults, plus booths from several area organizations.

To reach Mary Rupert, editor, email [email protected].

The audience listened to a talk about Nicodemus, Kansas, and family histories on April 15 at the Wyandotte County Heritage Festival. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)

Angela Bates described the history of Nicodemus, and talked about a book during her speech April 15 at the Wyandotte County Heritage Festival at the West Wyandotte Library. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)

Jim Ogle, executive director of Freedom’s Frontier, welcomed Angela Bates to the Wyandotte County Heritage Festival on April 15. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)

Several organizations had booths and displays at the Wyandotte County Heritage Festival on April 15 at the West Wyandotte Library. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)

Gwendolyn Thomas held a copy of her book about Quindaro history during the Wyandotte County Heritage Festival April 15 at the West Wyandotte Library. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)

Cart rides were one of the attractions on April 15 at the Wyandotte County Heritage Festival at the West Wyandotte Library. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)

Children created chalk art on the sidewalks during the Wyandotte County Heritage Festival April 15 at the West Wyandotte Library. (Staff photo)

Children created chalk art at the Wyandotte County Heritage Festival April 15 at the West Wyandotte Library. (Staff photo)

Mid-America Education Hall of Fame adds four inductees

Mid-America Education Hall of Fame “Apples” were awarded to 2017 inductees, from left, Barry White, J.D. Rios and Joe Meditz, who accepted on behalf of his late wife, JoAnne Meditz. A fourth inductee, Edward Dwight Jr., lives in Denver and was not able to attend the fund-raising event benefitting the KCKCC Foundation. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Four new inductees have been added to the Mid-America Education Hall of Fame at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Inducted in festive ceremonies April 15 were longtime Kansas City educators J.D. Rios, Barry White and the late JoAnne Meditz and space pioneer Edward Dwight Jr. The 21st annual induction ceremonies, there are now 133 members of the Hall of Fame initiated in 1996 to recognize people and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to education.

A fundraiser for the KCKCC Foundation, this event raised more than $100,000, according to executive director Tami Bartunek.

In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees, five other award winners were announced in the ceremonies held in the Dr. Thomas Burke Technical Education Center at 65th and State Avenue.

Clyde Townsend and the late Mary Ann Flunder, both long-time members of the KCKCC Board of Trustees, were presented Distinguished Service Awards; a President’s Circle Award was made posthumously to Marjorie McMorris; Ottawa University received the Outstanding Partnership Award; and KCKCC President Doris Givens presented a special award to Bob Layton.:

Will Shields, former Kansas City Chiefs lineman now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a 2001 inductee into the Mid-America Hall of Fame, was the honorary chair for the event while anchor-reporter Kevin Holmes of 41 KSHB-TV served as master of ceremonies. Welcoming remarks were made by Unified Government Mayor Mark Holland, KCKCC Foundation Robert Davis and Givens. The 2017 inductees:. .

Jo-Anne Meditz – A member of the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools board, Meditz dedicated her life to the Wyandotte County community. A public nurse for more than 20 years, she was the catalyst in establishing a Mustang Corral Clinic in the Argentine area. Her award was accepted by her husband, Joe Meditz, a longtime instructor at KCKCC.

J.D. Rios – A member of both the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools and KCKCC governing boards, Rios also served on the Head Start Board of Directors during a lengthy tenure as a teacher and administrator in the Kansas City, Kansas, Public School District. Most recently, Rios has been appointed Trustee for the University Foundation at Emporia State University.

Barry White – A teacher, coach and mentor for more than 50 years, 47 of which were spent as principal at Pembroke Hill School. Not only a principal but a friend and father figure, he mentored many struggling students to where they could feel value and accepted. He currently continues to substitute teach and enriches his curriculum with stories of sea turtles.

Edward Dwight Jr. – An enlistee in the U.S. Air Force in 1953, Dwight earned a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Arizona State and in 1961, the Kennedy Administration selected him to be the first African American astronaut trainee. Today, he’s an outstanding sculptor in Denver, Colo., where he owns and operates Ed Dwight Studios.

While Distinguished Service Awards were presented Mary Ann Flunder and Clyde Townsend for their many years of service as members of the KCKCC Board of Trustees, their contributions extended for beyond their service to the college. An advocate for younger people of color earning a degree in higher education, Flunder was the founding director of the Office of Minority Affairs for the University of Kansas. A former Wyandotte County Commissioner, Townsend also worked with the Board of Utilities and KCK Street Department.

The late Marjorie McMorris was presented the President’s Circle Award in recognition of her generous estate gift to the KCKCC Foundation in honor of her brother, Ralph McMorris, an alumnus of the KCKCC Technical Education program. A graduate of Washington High School and the Providence Hospital School of Nursing, she died July 21, 2016. More than 100 students have benefited from transfer agreements, scholarships and discounted partner tuition rate through KCKCC’s Partnership program with Ottawa University.

In a previously unannounced award, President Givens made a special presentation to Bob Layton, the retiring interim risk manager at KCKCC, for his contributions in a variety of capacities at the college.

Forks and Corks fundraiser planned April 27

Harvesters’ Forks and Corks fundraiser is planned from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 27, in the Grand Ballroom of the Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, Mo.

The event was created in 1997 to support Harvesters’ hunger relief effort and is known as one of the top food and wine events in Kansas City.

Everything is donated, and 100 percent of the proceeds benefit the needy, according to a spokesman. Each year, the event generates enough funds to provide one million meals.

“Forks and Corks is a wonderful event showcasing some of the city’s finest culinary talent all in support of our mission of feeding hungry families, children and seniors in our community,” said Valerie Nicholson-Watson, president and CEO of Harvesters. “We are grateful to our partners in the restaurant and beverage industries who lend their time and talents to make this event possible.”

Chef Megan Garrelts is the honorary chef for Forks and Corks 2017. Megan and her husband Chef Colby, are the chef-owners of rye, Leawood, Kan., and Bluestem, a 2015 James Beard Semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant, in Kansas City, Mo. Megan is a James Beard Semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef and her recipes have been featured in numerous national publications including Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Wall Street Journal and Saveur.

“It is an amazing honor to be selected to represent the restaurant community here in Kansas City,” Chef Megan said. “Food is my passion, it’s what I do daily and I can’t think of a better event or more deserving event to be a part of.

“This event cannot be done without the community’s support and we are so fortunate to have as many hands as we do involved in the event this year. It really makes a difference in our community and the people that we share food with,” she added.

Tickets for Forks and Corks are $100 each and are available online until Monday, April 24, at http://forkscorkskc.com/ or by phone at 816-929-3010. Tickets will be sold at the door for $120.