Category: KCKCC

by Kelly Rogge

A long-time member of the Kansas City, Kan., community with ties to Kansas City Kansas Community College has died.

Isabel Elizabeth Gibson, mother-in-law of KCKCC professor Ewa Unoke, died July 2 in Kansas City, Kan. A beloved mother, sister, aunt, cousin and friend, Gibson was a descendant of the legendary humanitarian and Union spy during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman.

“It was all about serving others, always trying to help others,” said Melody Unoke, one of Gibson’s daughters. “She was also a disciplinarian, especially in bringing up her children.”

As a school teacher, Gibson served in several capacities such as a Sunday school teacher, church organist, leader of the Girls Guides Association and member of the Cape Palmas Prayer Bands. She was passionate in training young boys and girls as a music teacher.

Gibson is an African descendant of Harriet Tubman of U.S. Underground Railroad fame. Harriet was married to John Tubman, who visited Cape Palmas, Liberia, to meet with his relatives Shedrach and Sylvia Tubman. The couple had three children – Alex Tubman, John Hillary and another child who was killed in the tribal war between the Americo-Liberians and the natives. Gen. John Hilary Tubman led the army that eventually defeated the native forces. The 18th president of Liberia, W.V.S. Tubman, Alfred Tubman (Bob Willie) and Gibson are direct descendants of Gen. Alex Tubman who stopped the French invasion of the young Republic of Liberia.

“We are therefore related to Harriet Tubman through marriage. Bob Willie’s daughter, Harriet Tubman who lives in Virginia is named after the legendary freedom fighter,” Melody Unoke said. “Our county in Liberia is called Maryland county named after Maryland state in the U.S where Harriet Tubman hailed from.”

A viewing and prayer service will be from 5 to 9 p.m. July 18 at Porter Funeral Home, 1835 Minnesota Ave. in Kansas City, Kan. There will be a Celebration of Life from 9 to 10 a.m. July 19 at St. Monica Catholic Church, 1616 Paseo Blvd. in Kansas City, Mo. Interment will be at the Gate of Heaven Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, 12601 Parallel Parkway in Kansas City, Kan. Repast at Savior Pastoral Center, 12601 Parallel Parkway.

by Kelly Rogge

Summer is in full swing, but that does not mean the fall semester at Kansas City Kansas Community College is not around the corner.

The KCKCC Thomas R. Burke Technical Education Center has several exciting fall classes to consider for the fall semester. The slate of classes also includes more in the cooking category, which should excite many in the community, said Elizabeth Folsom, technical assistant at KCKCC-TEC.

“Evening cooking classes have always been a very strong draw to the community to attend KCKCC-TEC,” Folsom said. “With this in mind, Chef Bob Shields and Chef Kelly Jenkins have increased the number of special culinary arts classes that will be available including everything from Scary Salads to Tailgate Extravaganza.”

Here is just a sampling of what KCKCC-TEC has to offer this fall:

• Automotive/Repair
• Basic Automotive Care
• Cosmetic Auto Body
• Small Engine Repair

• Forklift Certification
• Forklift Certification
• Earn certification in 5 days

• Home Improvement
• Basic Furniture Upholstery
• Basic Home Repair and Remodeling
• Beginning Cabinetmaking
• Residential Plumbing
• Elements of Landscaping Design

• Motorcycle Basic Repair
• Motorcycle Basic Repair

• Personal Enrichment
• Mastercam X7, Level 1
• AutoCad/3D Model

• Small Business
• Major Home Appliance Repair
• Residential Inspection
• Residential Plumbing
• Residential Wiring
• Residential Estimating
• How to Start Your Own Home-Based Business

• Culinary Arts/Professional Cooking
• Everything Cheesecake
• Salads, Salads, Salads
• Homemade Cinnamon Rolls and Sticky Buns
• Come and Get It (Soup That Is)
• All About Pies
• Ice, Ice, Baby
• Everything Pumpkin
• Parent/Child Class
• Tailgate Extravaganza
• Introduction to Cake Decorating
• Scary Salads
• Get Rolling
• Party Time
• Mother Sauces and Beyond
• Not a Turkey
• Are You Chicken?
• Holiday Candy Making Class

All of the courses are in the evenings and are offered for noncredit with varying fees. For more information, visit the KCKCC website at www.kckcc.edu. Click the “Continuing Education” tab on the home page, and select “Continuing Education Schedule.” Then select “Personal Enrichment.” Information is also available by calling 913-288-7800.

– Story from KCKCC

by Alan Hoskins

From the Ring of Kerry and the Blarney Castle to Beatlemania and the home of golf at St. Andrews, Kansas City Kansas Community College will take travelers on a historic trip through Ireland, England and Scotland next spring.

Entitled “Rural Landscapes of Ireland and Britain,” it’s a 16-day adventure beginning May 22, 2015, and includes an optional 3-day extension in London. It’s the first KCKCC trip to the British Isles in more than 10 years and is open to all interested persons. Travelers will spend six days in Ireland and four each in Scotland and England plus the three-day London extension. Travelers may also want to take the opportunity to travel themselves up to Northern Ireland. The atlantic bar portrush is certainly not to be missed.

Highlights of the Ireland agenda, which will begin in Shannon, will include the spectacular scenery of the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula, exploration of such charming areas as County Cork, Killarney and Kilkenny, the Blarney Castle and a tour of Dublin.

A ferry will take travelers across the Irish Sea to Wales and the landmark Conwy Castle before crossing into England and the largest Roman amphitheater in England, the magnificent Pennines known as “the backbone of England” and an optional excursion to Liverpool to explore the world of the Beatles.

Loch Lomond, whose beauty was commemorated by Sir Walter Scott; the Eilean Donan Castle and Isle of Skye and the site of the notorious 1692 massacre of the MacDonald clan are among the stops in the Scottish Highlands before finishing in Edinburgh, one of Europe’s most striking cities. After a tour of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh Castle, travelers will have the option of going to St. Andrews where golf was founded centuries ago.

The extension to London will include a sightseeing tour of Big Ben, Downing Street and Buckingham Palace and excursions to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Oxford.

The cost of the trip is $4,529 (double occupancy) and includes round-trip airfare from Kansas City, daily breakfast buffets, eight three-course dinners with wine or beer, lodging in hand-picked hotels, private deluxe motor coach and tour director. A $100 discount is available to new travelers signing up before July 31. The three-day London extension is $569 and single accommodations are available.

Brochures and full itineraries are available either by mail or email by contacting Alan Hoskins at [email protected] or 913-288-7158. A deposit of $300 will guarantee space and no price increase. “While this trip is still nine months off, it will fill up quickly so early reservations are recommended,” Hoskins said.