ROAMING AROUND KANSAS

This is the 7^th in a series of articles about touring the state of Kansas

TOPEKA, CAPITAL OF KANSAS

By Charles N. Stevens

Photos by Dolores Seidman

The morning is partly cloudy and rather muggy as we turn into the street where William Allen White, the famous editor of The Emporia Gazette, once lived. The old houses on this block are quite grand in this beautiful area of Emporia. Large trees shade the leafy streets and still drip from last night’s shower. We stand on the sidewalk before White’s three-story house constructed of brick and reddish stone from Colorado near the Garden of the Gods, a place he always admired. An extensive porch wraps around the house, a spot where White said it was always cool and breezy. The porch is complete with a hammock and a telephone. Not only was he a fiery editor known all over the United States, but he was also the writer of 22 books. Presidents Taft, Teddy Roosevelt, Harding, Coolidge and Hoover were once guests in his home

As we walk into the house, we look up to a plain white ceiling crossed with polished wooden beams. Many glass cases in the living room hold the mementos from his many trips abroad and the shelves abound with hundreds of books. A carved walnut mantle tops his fireplace where he kept a fire going even on the hottest days simply because he loved it so much.

After passing through the rooms on the first floor we stand outside, looking down the curving sidewalk shaded by great trees. A blue jay squawks in a tree nearby and a locomotive whistle drifts over the town from a distant rail line.

Under lowering skies and fits of drizzle, our bus rolls toward Topeka. The landscape dims in mist as we pass a huge Frito-Lay plant, steam billowing from pipes and vents. We also see towering grain silos ahead that appear from a distance like the skyscrapers of a major city.

In Topeka, we stop at the old Union Pacific Overland Station, a railroad palace built in 1921 but now not in use. During World War II 1200 trains a day passed through the station. Today only freight trains rumble by with their huge diesel locomotives. We stand in the palatial waiting room, the wooden pews long removed and the ticket windows silent and empty. The bare quietness of the station is in sharp contrast to the enthusiasm of our guide, a former railroad man dressed in his authentic black uniform, a conductor’s cap on his head. Moving on to the former restaurant, we again stand in a large empty room featuring locomotive chandeliers. I can only imagine the murmur of diners and the chimes of dishes and silverware that once filled this room.

Not far from the brown dome of the Kansas State Capitol Building, we park in front of a famous ssite, the Monroe School, the site of the Brown vs. Board of Education struggle. The building, now a National Historic Site, is a rather plain two-story brick structure. Parents of a little black girl wanted her to attend the all-white Monroe School because it was closer to her home than the segregated black school. The segregation of schools prevented this. Brown, a railroad worker, sued the Board of Education. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court where they eventually, on May 17, 1954, declared segregation in schools to be unconstitutional.

We stroll the sidewalk in front of the school, the cicadas humming in the trees. Entering the former school, we walk down its hallways, peering into some of the old classrooms. Several of the rooms contain displays of large photographs depicting the details of the anti-segregation movement. After seeing them, we gather in a large room where we sit on couches to view a multimedia production about Brown vs. the Board of Education.

Back on Interstate 70 we head for Lawrence, Kansas where we’ll stay at the Comfort Inn and begin our day tomorrow.

William Allen White's favorite place was this porch complete with hammock and telephone.

White's grand, three-story home in Emporia has hosted five presidents.

This palatial railroad station, now quiet, was once filled with the bustle of travelers and echoing loud speakers announcing trains.

Monroe School, now a National Historic Site, was at the center of the desegregation of schools in Brown vs. Board of Education.

MONTEREY PARK AUTHOR PUBLISHES 4th BOOK – Seeking More of the Sky: Growing Up in the 1930’s:

Charles “Norm” Stevens, a 43 year resident of Monterey Park has recently published his 4^th book: Seeking More of the Sky: Growing Up in the 1930’s. This is the story of a young boy growing up in Inglewood, California in the l930’s. This was a time during the depression when unemployment was affecting many and the banks were closed, while the clouds of war were gathering in Europe. But he was lucky enough to be raised in a loving family, the power of that love reflected throughout his stories.

Stevens is the author of three previous books about his experiences during WWII:

An Innocent at Polebrook: A Memoir of an 8th Air Force Bombardier (Story of his 34 bombing missions from his base at Polebrook, England over Germany and France)

The Innocent Cadet: Becoming A World War II Bombardier (A prequel to the first, telling of his training in the U.S. before going overseas into combat.)

Back from Combat: A WWII Bombardier Faces His Military Future from Combat: (This book details the time from when he returned from combat in England until the end of the war.)

He is known to the readers of The Citizen’s Voice as the author of Travel Log Articles including “Cruising the Rhine and Mosel”,” Best of the West”, “In Search of Snow” ,  “From Paris to Normandy on the Seine”, and “Exploring New York”.  He is retired, having taught for 32 years, primarily in the Montebello Unified School District.

Those interested in purchasing an autographed copy of any of his books, may contact the author at 323-721-8230 or  Normstevens24@gmail.com.