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THE Weekender Saturday, September 7, 2013
A monument to hard work By BOB JOHNSON bob@iolaregister.com
Ralph Dozier leans back on his pickup’s tailgate, a light breeze and shade from a big, old walnut tree making it seem cooler than the 90 degrees of the current warm spell.
He studies the recently rehabilitated barn on the Dozier home place north of Moran, sighs and allows that “hard work probably killed Dad.” His father, Harold Dozier, died at age 59 in 1970, less than 30 years after he single-handedly built the barn, which showed then, and still does today, that he was skilled in carpentry, masonry and all other things he did, including his lifelong dedication to farming. “He worked daylight to dark every day,” Dozier said. “He never went hunting or fishing. We never took a vacation. He would say he See BARN | Page A7
Rep. Ed Bideau
Rep. Bideau dead at 62 By BOB JOHNSON bob@iolaregister.com
Funeral services for Rep. Ed Bideau, Chanute, who died Thursday evening, will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at First Presbyterian Church, Chanute. Visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the church. Bideau, who won election to the Kansas House in rousing fashion last November to represent Neosho and most of Allen County, died at his Chanute home Thursday, a day after a special legislative session ended. Colleagues, shocked by the news, recalled the 62-year-old Republican’s talent and good nature in office. Cause of death was not released in a statement from Kansas House Speaker Ray Merrick’s office, citing his family’s privacy. He and other legislators completed work Wednesday on making changes to the state’s “Hard 50” prison sentence law, wrapping up a twoday special session. Gov. Sam Brownback offered his
Family barn sees renovation, brings back fond memories Ralph Dozier rehabilitated a barn his father, Harold Dozier, built, all by hand and essentially by himself. The elder Dozier began construction in 1943 and completed the structure the following year. Ralph Dozier, right, noted that the barn’s interior was laced with large-dimension lumber that permitted it to withstand a glancing blow from a tornado in 1974. REGISTER/BOB
JOHNSON
See BIDEAU | Page A3
STATE
KPERS funding gap jumps to $10.2 billion TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The gap between assets and liabilities in the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System rose by $1 billion last year, even though the fund reported a 14.5 percent net return on investment. KPERS executive director Alan Conroy told state lawmakers Wednesday that deferred losses from the massive 2008 market collapse is mostly to blame for the system’s unfunded liability increase to $10.2 billion, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported. The retirement system was funded in 2012 at 56.4 percent of future liability, down from 59.2 percent in 2011, Conroy said, adding that the industry standard was to achieve 80 percent funding of pension systems. While a pension system falling into the 60 percent to 80 percent range is cause for concern, anything below 60 percent is a problem, he said. “The red flags certainly should be up on addressing that unfunded liability,” Conroy said.
Over the past 25 years, the system has received an average annual return of 8 percent on its investments. Progress on fixing the unfunded liability hit a wall in 2008 when KPERS’ returns fell 30 percent. Last year, the Legislature and Gov. Sam Brownback pushed reforms that increased employee and employer contributions and added a cash balance plan in 2015 to help with the system’s long-term solvency. The cash balance approach blends a 401(k)-style option with the traditional defined benefit pension. State lawmakers this year considered — but didn’t embrace — the idea of converting KPERS to a 401(k)-style defined contribution plan. Lawmakers also considered issuing $1.5 billion in bonds to infuse KPERS with cash in an effort to inflate earnings and more quickly reduce the liability. But Rep. Steven Johnson, an Assaria Republican, said that was off the table because rising interest rates on bond debt made it less appealing.
Quote of the day Vol. 115, No.221
Lamar Davis, right, encourages Joshua Fisher as he jumps rope Friday night. REGISTER/KAYLA BANZET
Pairing exercise with education By STEVEN SCHWARTZ steven@iolaregister.com
Lamar Davis is offering something to the Iola community this weekend — a chance to “get fit” together. Davis is the founder of Get Fit Fitness, based out of Virginia Beach, Va. He is an ex-Navy Seal, former Duke University wrestler and father of two. On Sunday, Davis will offer a fitness boot camp to children and parents in the community. Amy Karr, a representative with TFI Family Services, brought Davis to Iola after meeting him through her cousin, Alison Hagger. On Friday, Davis spent the evening working with TFI foster parents and their foster children, to
help bring them together. “This is my appreciation to all of the parents, because there are plenty of parents who don’t care,” Davis said. “Being a parent in general is hard.” He said while the program is a “boot camp,” it is not meant to overwhelm participants — everyone is welcome. He said it will be challenging, but that is entirely the point. “This can be fun, but educational at the same time,” he said. Davis’ two children, Jasiah, 4, and Alana, 3, see him exercising on a daily basis and he said it is important for parents to set an example for their children. A large portion of his classes
“In the matters of conscience, first thoughts are best. In matters of prudence, last thoughts are best.” — Robert Hall 75 Cents
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