March 2024

VA garden offers peace, produce

By Annie Calovich

Laura Nutter was turning the soil for a new garden on the grounds of the VA hospital when it already started to accomplish its goal.

Richard Manning, a Marine

veteran, was going through counseling in Building 5 at the hospital at the time and would come outside and sit on a step overlooking the then-empty plot.

“I didn’t know it was a peace garden or anything else," said Manning, who served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969. "I would sit and contemplate and try to digest everything I’d just been through."

Eleven years and thousands of pounds of tomatoes and potatoes later, the garden just inside the east entrance of the hospital has helped not only Manning — who gardens there now — but other veterans who rest there, get fresh produce or do a little gardening themselves. It also gives their families and grateful benefactors a place to honor them and VA employees a place to relax.

“It’s the best-kept secret at the VA,” Nutter’s husband, Mark, said of the Robert J. Dole VA Memorial Peace Garden. He spearheads the sale of $50 bricks that honor living and deceased veterans and that help pay for the garden. The bricks form a Circle of Honor within it.

“Our mission is to help veterans through therapeutic gardening,” Laura

See Garden, page 6

South central at crossroads

Could neighborhood ease housing crunch?

By Joe Stumpe

As lovers of all things old, Larry and Cathy Mong were thrilled with the home they bought for $50,000 in Wichita 23 years ago: a 1906 Victorian in south central Wichita, less than a mile from the heart of downtown.

The neighborhood was a little rough, but the Mongs had seen similar neighborhoods in the Dallas-

WSU prof preserves history of black-owned businesses

By Amy Geiszler-Jones

When Robert Weems Jr. joined the faculty of the Wichita State history department in 2011, one of his first research projects was to document some of the city’s black entrepreneurs and their businesses.

People like the Rev. John Henry Van Leu who at the turn of the century was one of the largest landowners in Wichita. Van Leu owned a department store and an office building on North Main that housed several early Black-owned businesses in Wichita including Jackson Mortuary.

As part of a series of Black History Month presentations at the Advanced Learning Library, Weems — who is the

See History, page 7

Fort Worth area go through the gentrification process.

“We thought in five to 10 years it would be like downtown Dallas, but it isn’t,” Larry Mong said.

In fact, in some respects it seems to have declined. When they moved in, Larry remembers, every home on the block was occupied by owners or

See South central, page 14

L.K. Hughes Photography operated for four decades, primarily documenting Wichita's black community in photos like this one.

Laura Nutter started the VA hospital garden to honor her father, an Air Force veteran.

Photo by Fernando Salazar Larry and Cathy Mong have called south central Wichita home since the early 2000s.

Win a makeover with Bonnie Bing

By Bonnie Bing

New season, new look.

We won’t forget the frigid days of winter, but it’s time to enjoy warm spring breezes and sunny summer days.

Are you ready for a new look? Well, ladies, here is your chance to get a new hair style and makeup tips that will make you feel brand new. And if you are one of the three lucky winners, it will be free.

Seeing “before and after” photos is always fun, and there’s more: You’ll be featured in the April issue of The Active Age.

Here’s all you have to do to enter:

1. Have someone take a head shot of you. That means from the top of your shoulders up. Having someone take your picture is better than a selfie. Trust me on this.

2. In three sentences tell me why you want a makeover. No need for an essay here.3. Tell me your age. You have to be 60 or older. And include a phone number where I can reach you during the day.

4. Send all of the above to me, Bonnie Bing, at bingbylines@gmail. com.

Domes, shadowboxes, pressed petal art, resin & more.

Deadline for entries is March 6, so get right on this! Winners will be notified on March 7.

Valentine quiz winners

Congratulations to the winners of our drawing for chocolate from The Spice Merchant: Nancy Bettis, Donna Paluch, and Ron and Joyce Dyson. More than 50 entries were received with the correct answers to last month’s quiz.

Answers from February Quiz:

Bonnie Bing

Editor’s note: As nearly every Wichitan who’s breathing knows, Bonnie is the former fashion writer for the Wichita Eagle. She writes an occasional column for the Eagle and has contributed several articles to The Active Age.

1. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow

2. Cleopatra and Antony

3. Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn

4. Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson

5. Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash

6. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

7. Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII

8. Jon and Abigail Adams

9. Pierre and Marie Curie

10. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall

11. Grace Kelly and Prince Ranier

12. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz

Livestrong gives cancer survivors workout, ‘free space’

The Active Age Rachel Wingfield knew she needed to get back to exercise after cancer and chemotherapy, but it wasn’t easy.

“I’d been doing nothing but sitting in my chair,” she said.

Not anymore. She’s taking part in Livestrong, a free 12-week program offered to cancer survivors. It’s led by trainers with the Greater Wichita YMCA, but a Y membership is not required.

The program is designed to improve strength, stamina, flexibility and functional abilities.

Steve Conway

Before a recent session at the West Y, Wingfield smiled and said trainer Joyce Urban “kicked our butts last Tuesday.”

In addition to exercise, there’s a “community” period after. “That’s when they’re really bonding,” program director Debbie Cruz said. “That’s what the heart of this program is. You have that free

Debbie Cruz

Stevenson, said being part of a group helps her stay motivated.

“It’s easy to say ‘I’m tired,’” she said, adding that the program “is really helping me” with the side effects of chemotherapy.

Cruz said the program is open to people with any kind of cancer. Generally, she recommends that people wait until they are in remission.

The program is held at several different Ys each month, including those in Newton and El Dorado. There are also alumni groups.

For information about the program, visit ymcawichita.org or call Debbie Cruz at (316) 776-8178.

www.theactiveage.com

Trainer Joyce Urban works with Rachel Wingfield.

Trisha Stevenson

Briefs

Potato bake cooking

The McCormick School Museum is holding a potato bake fundraiser from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, March 16, with the spuds being cooked in a 1950s-era boiler (shown above). Organizers say there’s evidence that potatoes were cooked in the boiler during the museum’s time as a school. The dinner includes potatoes with toppings, a green salad, dessert and musical entertainment. Suggested donation is $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12.

For more information, contact Cynthia Davie at cdavie@cox.net or call (316) 708-0676.

Golf, anyone?

The city of Wichita is encouraging people to participate in its senior leagues, which play on Wednesdays and/ or Thursdays April through October. For

more information, visit golfwichita.com

Lawn mowing clinic revs up Know a youngster who wants to get in the lawn mowing business or just help around the yard? Two sessions of a youth lawn mowing clinc are scheduled for Wednesday, March 13. The sessions will be held from 9:20 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:20 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Oaklawn Activity Center, 4904 S. Clifton. The clinic is designed for youths in grades 5-9. The cost is $10 to register through March 2 or $15 after that date. Space is limited. Register online at www.sedgwick.ksu.edu. The clinic is sponsored by K-State Research & Extension and the Derby Recreation Commission.

KanCare expansion push

The public is invited to a postcard writing event 6-8 p.m. March 12 at Wichita Advanced Learning Library, 711 W. 2nd St. to encourage Kansas legislators to debate and vote on Medicare expansion. For more information, call (316) 841-8937.

Stages of life the topic

Stages of life — including some we don’t plan for — are the topic of the March 14 Empower Senior Series program at Botanica. The event starts at

10 a.m. and is free.

Quilt party on

Christ the King Parish’s 2024 28th annual Quilt Party is Sunday, March 3, at 4501 W. Maple. Prizes include 22 handmade quilts, raffle and door prizes. Bierocks, hot dogs, desserts and snacks will be served at 11:30 a.m.; auction and games begin at 1 p.m. Tax help offered

United Way is offering free help for tax filers who earned less than $64,000 last year, thanks to more than 100 IRS-certified volunteers. In-person appointments are available at sites in Sedgwick and Butler counties by calling 2-1-1 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Online help is available at getyourrefund.org

Big Read returns for 2024

“There, There” is the 16th book to be chosen for Wichita’s Big Read. A 2108 New York Times bestseller, the book follows 12 Native American characters.

The Big Read encourages readers

throughout Wichita to read the same book. This year’s kickoff will be held 2-4 p.m. March 16 at the Advanced Learning Library, 711 W. 2nd St. For a full list of book discussions and other related events, visit wichitalibrary.org.

Spring Fling Market

The Prairie Pilot Club of Wichita is holding its Spring Fling Market from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 23, at Riverside Christian Church, 1001 N. Litchfield. It will feature filled Easter baskets, arts and crafts, fresh baked pies, cakes, cookies and other goodies. Photos with the Easter Bunny will be available Noon-2 pm. Prairie Pilot is a service organization that benefits Ability Point, Wichita Children’s Home and other nonprofits. Free vaccination, wellness clinics

The Wichita Black Nurses Association is hosting free two vaccination and wellness clinics. The March 9 clinic will be held from Noon to 3 p.m., at St. Mary Baptist Church, 1648 E. 17th St. The March 23 clinic will be held from Noon to 3 p.m. at Chisolm Trails Church, 5833 E. 37th St. The walk-in clinics will offer influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations and blood pressure and blood glucose checks to people aged 18 and older. Free gasoline cards will be given away to all who attend while supplies last. An identification card is required for admission.

www.theactiveage.com

Barbara

June

Helen

Jean

Don

Harold

Sue Abel

Brenda Allen

Pamela Ammar

Joy Archer

Paul Attwater III

Debbie Bailey

Cristina Baize

Dwayne Baldwin

Terry Blair

Joel Blasi

Darla Botkin

Catherine Brammer

Margot Breckbill

Karen Bryant

James Burgess

Dixie Ann Chapman

Mary Chitwood

Harold Connell

Sheryl Connell

Sharon Cox

Craig Critchfield

Les Depperschmidt

Cynthia Farnham

Harry Feikert, Jr

Dale Foss

Judith Foster

Goering

Harvey Gough

Jon Graves

Linda Griffin

Ross Griggs

Betty Gupton

Judith Guzman

Allen Hale

Colleen Hamlett

Judith Hanneman

Alvena Hansen

Ronald Fowler

Joeseph French

Sandra Greenman

Marilyn Grisham

David Haglund

Harriet Hickman

Marilyn Hiesterman

Susan Hill

Zeake Hillis

Mary Javier

Patsy Johnson

Vickie Johnson

Carolyn Kaplan

Delores Harris

Beatrice Hart

Brett Hart J.B Hartley

Aaron Harton

Kathy Henderson

John Herrington

Arlin Hill

Marsha Hills

Mary Hoffman

Sammy Hole

Geraldine House

Susane Howard

Penny Howell

Karen Hultman

Patricia Hunter

Michael Hurtig

Sharon Ingrim

Holly Irwin

Trudy Jacobson

Charles Jeffries

Patricia Jinojos

Theresa Johnson

Lynn Johnston

Jessie Junious

Donald Keeler

Dorothy Kennedy

Deborah Kipple

Kenneth Koftan

Janice Kurtz

Janis Lagpacan

Deborah Lane

Edward Langston

Marlene Lawless

Thomas Leonard

Phyllis Lowery

Timothy Marlar

Adell Martindale

Mary Mayer

Barbara Mccurdy

Bradley McKibbin

James McKinney

Ken McLemore

Charles McMann

Honor Roll of Donors

Stanley Kappelman

Sharon Knight

Christine Korphage

S.K. Lambing

Terese Lewis

Noel Linder

Marianne Lough

Lynda Maier

Kathleen Maltbie

Patricia McHenry

Michael McMillin

Jimmie Miller

Rose Mintz

Vicky Moore

John Mosack

Francis Nicks

Larry Novascone

D. O'Roourke Sharene Oldham

Virgil Palmer

A. Kent McMinimy

Sharyon Miller

Charlotte Milne

Barbara Moehring

Marc Monasmith

Pedro Montanez

Joan Montgomery

Kay Morgan

William Morris

Carol Moser

L Diane Mulanax

Jean Mulford

Lane Myers

Garry Neel

Doris Newman

Becky Nicholson

Barbara Niewald

Linda Nine

Donald Nulton

Glenda Oates

Nancy Olson

Shirley Overstreet

Robert Penn

Sara Peters

Norma Pomeroy

Janeen Powers

Winona Pruitt

Diane Quantic

E. Carolyn Rampey

Anne Randolph

Sharon Raybin

Julie Rego

Nettie Reilly

Evelyn Richardson

Donna Riddle

Mary Riedel

Marilyn Rieken

Diana Roberts

Nancy Roop

Steven Rosebraugh

Leon Roths

Cristina Rustia

Richard Rutschman

Diana Sallee

Sandra

Natalie

Ronal

Billie

Enid

Pamela

Ron

Doris

Audrey

Marjorie

Sandra

Larry

Mary

These readers recently contributed $50 or more to the 2024 donation campaign.

Wichita Foot & Ankle Wound Center, LLC

Wichita Foot & Ankle Wound Center, LLC

Wichita Foot & Ankle Wound Center, LLC

Christopher Surtman, DPM

Christopher Surtman, DPM

316.652.5251 office 316.652.9913 fax

Christopher Surtman, DPM 316.652.5251 office 316.652.9913 fax

Call Broc Whitehead,Wichita Bankruptcy Lawyer at

316.652.5251 office call for an appt. 316-652-9913 fax

Call for an appt - we are now scheduling appt for Fridays

Call for an appt - we are now scheduling appt for Fridays

Podiatric Services & Wound Care

Podiatric Services & Wound Care

Podiatric Services & Wound Care

& Ingrown Nails, Ulcers Try our NEW LIGHT ORTHOTICS, wear them home

Heel Pain, Arch Pain, Corns & Callouses, Fungal & Ingrown Nails, Ulcers and much more. Try our NEW LIGHT ORTHOTICS, wear them home the same day.

Heel Pain, Arch Pain, Corns & Callouses, Fungal & Ingrown Nails, Ulcers and much more.

Heel Pain, Arch Pain, Corns & Callouses, Fungal & Ingrown Nails, Ulcers and much more.

220 Hillside, Suite B

220 Hillside, Suite B

220 Hillside, Suite B

220 Hillside, Suite B

(located behind the Neurology Center of Wichita)

(located behind the Neurology Center of Wichita)

940 N. Tyler Suite 206

(located behind the Neurology Center of Wichita)

(located behind the Neurology Center of Wichita)

Garden

From Page 1

Nutter said. “A lot of things they can’t grow in their place of residence. This gives them a chance to do something productive in a social environment and learn things.”

The garden has been a place of solace and joy for Nutter herself. It started as a seed: She wanted to do something at the VA to honor her father, Donald Kolar, an Air Force veteran who took his life on a frigid February day in 2011. “He loved the VA and the care he got there,” Nutter said. “We thought that was the best place to remember him. I was expecting to do a bush and a bench.”

But the idea grew as she consulted with a therapy nurse who had been wanting to do a therapy garden at the VA. Now through its blossoming, Nutter wants people to know that there is always hope, even on days when nothing seems to be growing. Everything she does in the garden is meant to urge veterans to persevere and not give up.

“That message is so important to me,” Nutter said. “Dad loved gardening as therapy and loved to give away produce. At the VA garden, veterans can pick their own tomatoes or help themselves from buckets of vegetables and apples that volunteers harvest.

Manning, the Marine veteran, did not initially talk to Nutter as she prepared the ground for the garden. “Most of us are pretty close-mouthed,” he said of his fellow veterans. But he sat and admired her energetic work.

“As time went on I got more open to begin listening to other people. … I had to do something to get out of the cocoon I was in.”

As someone who had always had an interest in gardening, he eventually became a Sedgwick County Extension master gardener and then started to help in the VA garden. He now advises other veterans to let the garden unfold slowly for them as it did for him. It’s open 24/7.

“Go out and enjoy it. … Sit there, maybe with your coffee, just thinking, and be open to thought.”

There are a variety of ways people can work in the garden. Those who don’t know how to garden can come and learn. Veterans can bring a plant, get it potted and taken care of it in the garden. Everything is provided — tools, instructions, support.

If a person doesn’t want to get down on the ground, there are other tasks: sweeping walks, feeding the birds and cleaning after the birds. “We try to keep it respectful and neat,” Nutter said. There are also raised beds and a tabletop garden.

“We encourage people with disabilities to come and join us.”

Museum stages spring break fun

The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum has four days of free activities scheduled while schools are out for spring break. The comeand-go programs, held from 1-4 p.m. each day, include tours of different areas of the museum and take-home crafts. Recommended for ages 5 and up. No registration necessary. The schedule is:

Thursday, March 14: Make a Keeper of the Plains mosaic while learning about Blackbear Bosin and the Native Americans the Keeper pays homage to.

Friday, March 15: Tour the Old City Hall’s clock tower and create a clock-face design.

Saturday, March 16: Make a

Bricks in the garden honor living and deceased veterans. Vets can pick their own produce or help themselves from buckets filled by volunteers.

The main communal event of the week is the “Garden Group” that meets at 9:30 a.m. Fridays and is starting up again in March after being off for the winter. “People can partner with someone or take on a task and get all the advice they need,” Nutter said. “We take breaks and have refreshments.”

Nutter is hoping some new helpers show up because some of the current ones are aging and cutting back on their time in their garden.

“It’s a labor of love,” said Maren Breit, a master gardener from Maize who’s been helping and teaching in the garden since 2017. “I’m very excited to see a new person in the garden so I can introduce them to it. It’s something I believe in. I come from a military family, and it’s something I can do.”

Victorian calling card and tour a Victorian cottage.

Sunday, March 17: Learn the history behind our local flag and create one. The museum (right) is located at 204 S. Main St.

Nutter believes help will come. She’s seen countless “God winks” through her time in the garden — people showing up at just the right time to fill a need.

“I never would have expected to have found this much joy from my father’s event,” Nutter said. “It’s the message of Easter — when something that looks bad on the outside turns into something greater than you could ever have imagined.”

Contact Annie Calovich at acalovich@att.net

Want to help?

For more information about the garden, to volunteer or inquire about a memorial paver, email LDN3188@gmail.com.

History

From Page 1

Willard Garvey Distinguished Professor of Business History at WSU — shared insights into his Wichita African American Business History Project. A video recording of the presentation can be found on the Wichita Public Library’s YouTube channel (youtube.com/c/ wichitalibraryorg).

“Wichita blacks, like their counterparts throughout the country, prioritized business development during the 1920s, which has been called a golden age of African American business formation,” Weems said.

Compared to major cities such as Chicago, Wichita’s black population was relatively small, numbering little more than 3,500 in 1920. So that meant there weren’t large commercial businesses like black insurance companies or banks, said Weems.

But there were black-owned businesses such as photographers, funeral homes, architects and lighting and department stores, Weems noted, as he showed an image of the cover of the Wichita Negro Year Book 19221923, a community directory.

Sexton Tailoring was one of those businesses, he pointed out. It was owned by Edwin Sexton, whose son, Linwood, went on to become a celebrated hometown football player for the WSU Shockers.

One motivation for Weems’ research is what he calls the “sad reality” that the history of black businesses may be lost forever. So, he’s doing his part to help change that. He’s written five books in the African American business genre and was an adviser and appeared in the 2019 PBS documentary, “Boss: The Black

Experience in Business.”

“Even before coming to Wichita, I developed the idea of an oral history project chronicling the history of African American entrepreneurship in a particular setting. Where I worked previously, the University of Missouri-Columbia, wasn’t really conducive to such a project because there was a rather small African American business presence in Columbia. Wichita, conversely, had an African American business presence that was feasible for what I wanted to do,” Weems said after his presentation.

Between 2011 and 2014, Weems conducted a series of interviews with owners and descendants of blackowned businesses in Wichita. He also interviewed longtime residents to get a sense of the community and the importance of those businesses.

The resulting 32 audio recordings and other project documentation were donated to WSU’s special collections department at Ablah Library in 2017. The recordings can be accessed online: go to archivesspace.wichita.edu and search for the project.

“History is about documentation, so if the records are gone and the buildings are demolished, it’s gone,” Weems said.

Among those he interviewed for the Wichita Black business history project were George Johnson, grandson of Van Leu; “Rip” Gooch, whose Aero Services Inc. was a pioneering fixedbased operation; Charles F. McAfee, a world-renowned architect based in Wichita; Anderson “Gene” Jackson, whose grandfather Abner B. Jackson

Sr. started Jackson Mortuary in 1926; Denise Sherman, the current head of The Kansas African American Museum whose father, Dr. Othello Curry, ran a vet practice; and Frankie Howard Mason, whose mother, Xavia Hightower Howard, was the secondgeneration owner of Citizens Funeral Home and the first African American woman in Kansas to hold a dual license as a funeral director and embalmer.

In the early 20th century, most black-owned businesses were located on North Main. But by the 1940s, the hub of black businesses had moved to the Ninth and Cleveland area. One landmark of that area that remains is the Dunbar Theatre, which opened in 1941 and became not only a movie house but also a meeting place, Weems said. The construction of I-135 eventually cut through much of that community.

African American churches played what Weems called a prominent role in supporting and getting the word out about black businesses.

But folks in the community also did their part, according to some current and former residents of the area who attended the presentation.

“We talked to each other, and it was word of mouth,” said 79-year-old Ann Washington. “Back in the day, we all lived along there, and we just knew everybody.”

With Wichita being fairly isolated geographically and having a smaller black population than some urban areas, there seems to have been a stronger impulse to create a sense of village and community support here, Weems said.

Black businesses sometimes had trouble getting access to capital, Weems noted. He found it fascinating that Jackson Mortuary helped fund some early African American

A page from the Wichita Negro Yearbook 1922-23 lists local physicians and dentists.

enterprises that had been turned down by local banks. Some of those discriminatory practices continued as late as the 1980s, Weems noted, when black oilman Henry Wofford couldn’t get local funding for his independent oil company and had to go to Tulsa for loans.

While his 2011-14 project wasn’t a definitive history of Wichita’s blackowned businesses, Weems said, he hopes his project inspires other to document history. As a consequence of the project, Weems said, the Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce created the Wichita Black Business Hall of Fame in 2016.

Contact Amy Geiszler-Jones at algj64@sbcglobal.net

Robert Weems Jr.

The travels and travails of lost luggage

By Ted Blankenship

With the recent increase in air travel has come an avalanche of lost luggage. This is nothing new. For years, I’ve apparently had an ID on me visible only to airline employees that tells them to “ship his luggage away as far as possible and don’t tell him where it is (if you know).”

I just want to get on the airplane with the assumption that my packed socks and shorts will get on and off with me. That was my intention some years back when I flew to Kansas City from Hutchinson on assignment for the local paper. Surely the airline couldn’t lose my luggage on such a short flight.

The airline lost my luggage. It turned up three days later in Chicago.

A few years later, I flew with my wife and kids to San Jose, Calif., to join Dorothy’s family for a reunion. Who had to borrow socks and shorts because his luggage was lost? Me.

The mysterious ID seems to work with hotel employees, too. Once, we stayed in a hotel the night before starting a train trip across Canada from the West to East Coast.

We were preparing to go to dinner and I yelled at my wife: “Where’d they put my bag? I need a pair of pants and a clean shirt.”

“I haven’t seen it since we got here,” she said.

So I went to the hotel check-in desk. While looking for my bag, the employee apologized for our room.

“I’m sorry about the noise, Mr. Blankenship, but there’s a convention next to your room.”

“No, there isn’t,” I replied. “It’s as quiet as a mouse in my room.”

The hotel had delivered my bag to a room booked under my legal name and delivered me to a different room under the name I have used since birth, though it’s not my legal name.

So I had two rooms, one loud and one quiet, one with a bag, and the other without. I was able to get my stuff transferred to the quiet room.

And, it was a lot closer than Chicago.

There have been a few

March quiz: International women in history

By Nancy Wheeler

March 8th is International Women’s Day, so it is a great time to review your knowledge about famous women in history. Can you identify these trailblazers? Answers appear below.

1. This Polish-French physicist’s work won her a Nobel Prize in physics in 1903 and a second Nobel in chemistry in 1911.

2. This “Lady with the Lamp” tended the wounded during the Crimean War and is considered the founder of modern-day nursing.

3. Famous for her diary detailing what it was like to live in hiding during World War II, she became a symbol of the Holocaust.

March Theatre

By Diana Morton

Forum Theatre, at the Wilke Center, 1st United Methodist Church, 330 N. Broadway. The Full Monty. Inspired by the Chippendale Dancers, six unemployed steelworkers in Buffalo, N.Y., set out to make some quick cash by showing off their “real man” bodies. Ten-time Tony nominee. 8 pm ThuSat, 2 pm Sun, now-Mar 10. Tickets $23-$25. 316-618-0444

4. She was the first 20th century female publisher of a major American newspaper and approved the publication of both the Pentagon Papers and the breaking news of the Watergate scandal.

5. She was fined and jailed for refusing to give up her front seat on a bus, sparking the Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott and other Civil Rights protests.

6. This country-western singer is one of the most notable celebrity philanthropists of our time, establishing the Imagination Library which provides free books for young readers.

7. She starting writing as a teenager in the early 1810s and

Don’t Rock the Jukebox: A Boot Scootin’ Boogie Back to the Future. A country music fest of favorite songs from the 1990s including Chattahoochee, Man I Feel Like A Woman, Fancy and more. Audience participation highly recommended. 8 pm Sat, Mar 23 and 2 pm and 7 pm Sun, March 24. 316-6180444

Mosley Street Melodrama, 234 N. Mosley. Anchorman of Steel by Carol Hughes. Ron Merlot, just hired as KMET’s newest anchorman, is

anonymously published her famous novels including “Pride and Prejudice” and “Sense and Sensibility.”

8. This artist’s self-portrait was the first work by a 20th century Mexican artist to be featured in the Louvre.

9. In 1966, she became the third prime minister of India and governed for more than 20 years until her assassination in 1984.

10. This writer and professor won both the Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize in Literature for her works, including “Song of Solomon” and “Beloved.”

11. As the first woman to serve as British prime minister, she went on to become the longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century.

12. A Kansas native, she was an

shocked to find that Metropolis is crime-free because of Superman. So, Ron hatches a plan to create some to attract ratings. Followed by a new musical comedy review, Breaking News. Dinner 6:15 pm, show begins 7:50 pm. now-Mar 16. Dinner and show, $3640. Show only, $26-30. 316-263-0222 Next: Planes, Trains, and Autoimmune Diseases by Scott Noah. Mar 29-May 11.

Roxy’s Downtown, 412 E. Douglas, cabaret-style theatre. Jekyll and Hyde. Musical version of the classic tale of

times when I wished someone would lose my luggage. Once was when I was a student at the University of Kansas. As president of the journalism fraternity, I was asked to attend a convention in Chicago.

I had pajamas that were way too large. My wife used a sewing machine to make them shorter and tighter on and tossed them in my bag. So tight and short, in fact, that I couldn’t get a leg into them.

Naturally, they were delivered to the correct room.

Contact Ted at tblankenship218@ gmail.com

aviation pioneer, flying solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932.

13. Shot in 2012 for opposing Taliban restrictions on female education, this Pakistani woman, age 17, became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Answers:

13. Malala Yousafzai

12. Amelia Earhart

11. Margaret Thatcher

10. Toni Morrison

9. Indira Ghandi

8. Frida Kahlo

7. Jane Austen

6. Dolly Parton

5. Rosa Parks

4. Katharine Graham

3. Anne Frank

2. Florence Nightingale

1. Marie Curie

split personalities. 8pm Thu-Sat, 2:00 pm matinee Sat, now-Mar 16. Tickets $40. 316-265-4400

Wichita Community Theatre, 258 N. Fountain. Grand Horizons by Bess Wohl Fifty years into their marriage, Bill and Nancy want a divorce. While they seem unfazed by the decision, their two adult sons are shaken to the core. 8 pm Thu-Sat, 2 pm Sun, Mar 14-24. Tickets $14-18. 316-686-1282

Contact Diana Morton at dianamorton12@sbcglobal.net

40 years ago — An article described the challenges faced by South Vietnamese refugees in Wichita … The Wichita Home, described as the area’s

Charles Perrin, born in 1883 and 1884 respectively, celebrated their 101st and 100th birthdays.

20 years ago — Residents were warned that door-to-door salespeople were trying to sell fraudulent Medicareapproved discount drug cards … An

Save on attractions

Save $2

admission to a dozen attractions such as Botanica, Old Cowtown, Exploration Place and Field Station: Dinosaurs with an Explore Card from Visit Wichita. The discount is good for parties of up to 10 people but cannot be used with any other special offers. The free card can be picked up at Visit

Wichita offices, 515 S. Main, Suite 115. Or you can call (316) 265-2800 to request one by mail. For a full list of participating attractions, go to visitwichita.com and click on “Plan Your Event.”

By Beccy Tanner KMUW

STAFFORD – Before people took pictures using film — and certainly before cell phones — photos were captured using glass plate negatives.

That type of photography — mostly commonly used in the late 19th century and early 20th century — was made famous by the likes of landscape photographer Ansel Adams and Civil War photographer Mathew Brady.

In Stafford, about 86 miles northwest of Wichita on Highway 50, the history museum has a collection of more than 30,000 glass plate negatives, all shot by one man.

William Gray took photos of almost every family who ever lived in Stafford County, from about 1905 to 1947.

“They are just like a complete time capsule of the history of St. John and the county,” said Michael Hathaway, director of the Stafford County

30,000 photos, all by one man ‘Time capsule’ of Stafford County might be largest collection of its kind

Museum.

No one knew what the museum really had until Hathaway brought the negatives up from the basement of the town’s old bank building and moved them into the museum’s library. That was in 2004.

For nearly a decade, the historical society received multiple grants from several Kansas organizations — including nearly $14,000 from Humanities Kansas — to help restore and catalog the negatives. The plates, which hold reverse photographic images transferred onto glass, have to be handled carefully.

“We have been told that it’s the largest collection that pertains to one geographical area in the country,” Hathaway said.

Gray was from nearby St. John. He took photos of everything: farmers in the field, women in hammocks, street shenanigans after Halloween, and Exoduster families, who were African Americans who homesteaded in Kansas.

“There were many surprises,” Hathaway said. “We thought at first that it would just be a lot of studio shots. But we found that Mr. Gray traveled all around the town and all around the county and took pictures of buildings and people’s homes.”

The glass negatives are housed in a bank vault across the brick street from the museum’s office. Gray kept 11 ledgers, dutifully noting each of the

30,000 photos.

By going through the negatives, Hathaway said, the museum learned more about the history of the county. In the late 1870s and early 1880s, so many former slaves flocked to Kansas that they were nicknamed “Exodusters.” By 1910, it is estimated there were as many as 400 African Americans living in Stafford County.

“We have had people come from all over Kansas and all over the country,” Hathaway said of people who've come to view the plates.

“And then, we’ve had … a visitor from the Marshall Islands and … a visitor from Monaco. Both of them had read about our glass negatives on the internet.”

Pat Houston is one of the volunteers who helped restore and catalog the negatives.

“I had never seen a glass negative before,” Houston said. “One of the most fun parts of the whole project

was looking at them and seeing what was important to people back then — whether it was the ladies’ great big hats, their children, or how long their hair — whatever was in the picture.”

There’s a portrait of a World War I soldier, a fiddle player, beauty queens and Buicks, babies and people who stare unblinking back at the camera.

The next step for the museum is to scan and upload the photos to the internet, which it’s doing with the help of Fort Hays State University.

“What I learned was that the things that were important to people back then are the exact same things that are important to us now — family and friends, communities, churches and schools,” Hathaway said.

“Those are the things that still make our life special in small town Kansas.”

This article originally appeared on KMUW’s “Hidden Kansas” program.

W.R. Gray photographed Stafford County for half a century.

W.R. Gray's camera, which made glass plate negatives.

At left, props, screens and lights used by W.R. Gray.

South central

From Page 1

renters. Today, six are boarded up. The house two doors down appears headed for demolition, having suffered two major fires set by homeless people. Across the street, the red brick building that once housed Grace Methodist Episcopal Church — added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 — is boarded up and its doors welded shut after being taken over by homeless squatters, who also set fires.

Even so, the neighborhood remains attractive for some. Recently, a couple relocating to Wichita from Seattle expressed excitement after touring the house next door to Mong’s, which is listed for sale at $129,000. The couple told Mong it would be worth $600,000 in Seattle.

Elsewhere in south central Wichita, new owners have bought and fixed up derelict homes, duplexes and apartments. In a city where affordable housing is in short supply, south central real estate offers bargains. But can enough people look past its challenges to revive one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods?

Vacant properties, code violation

South central Wichita is usually defined as the area bordered by Kellogg

on the north, Harry (or sometimes Pawnee) on the south, Washington on the east and the Arkansas River on the west.

Mong thinks he knows one reason why it hasn’t taken off: unlike Dallas and other bigger cities, Wichita doesn’t have the sort of vehicle traffic that makes people dread a commute from the edge of town or suburbs.

But the neighborhood — nicknamed “SoCe” by some residents — has other issues: vacant and abandoned properties, hotels on south Broadway that attract criminal activity, code violations and a sizeable homeless population.

Generally, its problems seem worse the closer one gets to Broadway and Kellogg.

“I can tell you in that particular area, you’re going to see vacant and boarded up houses, which are ugly but not illegal as long as they’re secure,” said KaLyn Nethercot, neighborhood inspection administrator for the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department. “During the summer, a ton of tall grass and weeds, illegal dumping — residential junk and debris — dilapidated housing, abandoned vehicles.”

MABCD, which is a joint citycounty agency, responds to complaints rather than proactively looking for code violations, Nethercot said. It

works with property owners to correct problems or bills them for work if the city has step in. For owners who are unable to pay, the city offers help through its code enforcement liaison, who can arrange for things like a free dumpster and volunteers to clean up a property.

Mong says that over the past four or five years, the city has stopped enforcing laws against trespassing and breaking and entering in the area, allowing homeless people to take over

and damage vacant structures.

“It’s sad,” he said.” I don’t hate the homeless, but if they break into somebody’s house, they’re criminals.”

Nethercot said she couldn’t offer an opinion on whether the problem of homeless squatting is worse in south central than elsewhere, but she’s familiar with what happened at the Grace M.E. building. The city paid to have the building professionally secured so as not to endanger firefighters responding to calls there “day and night.”

“They weren’t trying to burn the place down,” she said of the illegal occupants. “They were trying not to freeze to death.”

Neighboring Movement

South central Wichita is nothing if not diverse.

There are long-established family businesses like Lewis Street Glass and Broadway Mortuary along

See next page

A trash-strewn lot in south central Wichita, which is plagued by illegal dumping.

with smoke shops, used car lots and massage parlors; blocks of well-tended homes and yards and others where code violations and unsafe structures abound; a steady stream of vehicular and foot traffic up and down Broadway. The closings of a succession of supermarkets at Harry and Broadway left a food dessert. One of the city’s key health care safety nets — Guadalupe Clinic — serves the working poor from its longtime home on South St. Francis. The Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad bisects it running alongside Lincoln Street.

Adam Barlow-Thompson sees promise in that diversity. A decade ago, he and his wife paid $60,000 for a house on its western edge. They put another $60,000 into it over the next couple of years. “Now I have a fourbedroom home with a two-car garage,” Barlow-Thompson said. “My property sits next to the river. The monthly mortgage is $600. This seems like a good deal.”

Barlow-Thompson co-founded SoCe Life – officially the SoCe Neighborhood Action Foundation — in 2015 and serves as its executive director. Located at Lincoln and Broadway, the partly faith-based nonprofit is active in south sentral Wichita and other communities and churches across Kansas and the United States promoting what it calls the “Neighboring Movement.” Here, that’s included hosting neighborhood cleanups and get-togethers, building garden boxes and painting fences for residents and encouraging residents to take part in the “8 Front Doors Initiative,” in which people get to know the neighbors living in the eight houses closest to them.

Barlow-Thompson estimates that about 20 percent of the neighborhood’s homes are vacant. “I don’t mean like they’re listed on the market. They’re abandoned.”

In many cases, he said, the previous owners were elderly people who died, leaving the properties to heirs who don’t live in Wichita and for whom selling the property isn’t a high priority.

“When they’re vacant, it really causes issues,” he said.

The hotels on South Broadway also create “a lot of illegal and illicit activity,” he said, but the solution is more nuanced than to “just tear them down,” even if that were possible.

“There are families who live there, and there are people who have fallen through the gaps — it’s their housing.”

Barlow-Thompson wonders if some vacant properties in the neighborhood could be turned into transitional housing for people who need it and speculates that surrounding the hotels with “enough good things” might make their “business model harder to pull off.”

SoCe Life recently bought commercial properties at the intersection of Lincoln and Broadway, across the street from its office, and plan to redevelop it. With the help of grants, the organization has grown its revenue from $88,000 in 2106 to $651,000 in 2022.

Barlow-Thompson notes that the corner of Lincoln and Broadway is a mile from the site where the $300 million Wichita Biomedical Campus is to be built, at 214 S. Topeka (current site of the Wichita Transit Center). The collaboration of Wichita State University and the University of Kansas will bring about 3,000 students and 200 faculty to the area.

“We’re getting closer now than we ever have to actually making some substantial changes,” BarlowThompson said.

‘Major projects’?

South central is one of nine neighborhoods the city designates as “formative,” which are “those areas in greatest decline and most in need of reinvestment.” The City Council approved several measures for those areas, including establishing a land bank to acquire and rehabilitate distressed properties, eliminating unsafe structures, creating an Affordable Housing Fund for new construction and renovations and waiving building permit fees.

City Councilman Mike Hoheisel,

who represents the neighborhood, said he didn’t know of any properties in south central that have benefited from those programs to date. He did say the city had recently completed a pilot program to catch people who illegally dump debris in the area, often in alleys, by installing cameras. “We are going to go forward and prosecute some of these people we are catching.”

Hoheisel agrees that the neighborhood’s vacant houses are a problem but said the city is limited by law as to what it can do beyond trying to force owners to keep them up to code.

“We have a shortage of houses,” he said. “It would be a good deal if we could actually get those back on the market and people in those houses.”

He sounded optimistic regarding the South Broadway corridor, saying there’s behind-the-scenes work going on there.

“You’re catching us right in the middle of some major projects we have in there.”

The Mongs hope that happens. Their front yard contains a “SoCe Life” sign, and Mong talks admiringly of several new Hispanic neighbors who’ve used their skill in the building trades to turn eyesores bought on the cheap into attractive homes.

“We’ve got to figure out how to get people to invest in this neighborhood.”

This article was produced as part of the Wichita Journalism Collaborative, which consists of The Active Age and 10 media and community partners.

Adam Barlow-Thompson heads up SoCe Life and the Neighboring Movement.

Homeowner figures he’ll finish restoration ‘when I’m dead’

By Joe Stumpe

Spend a few minutes in Cathy and Larry Mong’s house, and you won’t be surprised to learn it doesn’t have an internet connection.

The Texas transplants have a passion for objects from bygone eras, especially if they still serve a useful purpose. And Larry has a talent for bringing them back to life.

Antique electric fans? The Mongs own about 75 of them, including an iconic 1912 Westinghouse double gyro electric fan spinning noiselessly above their foyer. Some friends in a fan lovers club gave that one to Larry as a joke after finding it underwater in a basement.

Vintage bicycles? They’ve got their choice of 20 to ride, dating back to a 1915 Rollfast originally fitted with wooden wheels and hard rubber tires.

Lighted fish bowls? Yes, but that’s a sore subject ever since Martha Stewart popularized them in her magazine. “Something we bought for $20 turned into $500,” Larry grouses.

The biggest restoration project of all has been their home, a 1906 Victorian on South Topeka they bought for $50,000 23 years ago. Concerned that Larry’s job as an auto body man was hazardous to his health, Cathy, an

educator, persuaded him to make fixing up the home his job.

He spent a year on each exterior side of the house, stripping and painting and earning the nickname “scaffolding man.” He jacked up the foundation, installed fireplaces with gas inserts, built a widow’s walk. He crafted handsome cabinets with wood salvaged from North High. He releaded a few of the home’s stained glass windows and created the rest from scratch. He replaced plumbing and ceilings, opened up the kitchen and mudroom and fitted a vintage Jenn Air cooktop over an antique Monarch stove.

says, "except I have to put in a million dollars of

He turned a barn out back that's actually older than the house into a studio and has another workshop in his basement. He recently started tearing up the front room, which looked perfectly fine to untrained eyes.

"I try to work on the house every

day," he said. "It varies from a couple hours to, when it's warm, I try to do 10 hours."

The home now holds the couple’s collection of Victorian furniture, all of which started out as “junk,” in Larry’s words. “My wife loves to strip furniture.”

Larry said the home’s previous owner cared more that the home go to someone who loved it as much as she did than about money.

That it has.

“People ask me are you ever going to finish that house?” Larry said. “Yeah, when I’m dead, I’ll be finished.”

Photos by Fernando Salazar Larry Mong's restoration work ranges from lighted fish bowls and statues to stained glass windows, electric fans and a Victorian house. The house was a bargain, he

labor for the rest my life."

NOTE:The Active Age is printing regularly scheduled senior center activities as space permits. Please email Joe at joe@theactiveage.com to have your center’s activities listed.

Calendar of eventS

SedgwiCk County Senior CenterS

BEL AIRE

7651 E Central Park Ave 744-2700, ext 304 www.belaireks.org

BENTLEY/EAGLE

504 W Sterling, 796-0027

CHENEY

516 Main, 542-3721

CLEARWATER

921 E Janet, 584-2332

DERBY

611 N Mulberry Rd, 788-0223 www.derbyks.com

DOWNTOWN

200 S Walnut, 267-0197 www.seniorservicesofwichita.org

EDGEMOOR

5815 E 9th, 688-9392

ANDOVER

GARDEN PLAIN

1006 N Main, 535-1155

GODDARD

120 N Main, 794-2441

HAYSVILLE

160 E Karla, 529-5903

KECHI

Kechi City Building, 744-0217, 744-1271

LA FAMILIA

841 W 21st, 267-1700

LINWOOD 1901 S Kansas, 263-3703

MCADAMS GOLDEN AGE

1329 E 16th, 337-9222

MT HOPE

105 S Ohio, 667-8956

MULVANE

632 E Mulvane, 777-4813

NORTHEAST 212 1 E 21st, 269-4444

OAKLAWN

2937 Oaklawn Dr, 524-7545

ORCHARD PARK 4808 W 9th, 942-2293

PARK CITY

6100 N Hydraulic, 744-1199

VALLY CENTER COMMUNITY CENTER 314 E Clay, 755-7350

Butler County Senior CenterS

410 Lioba Dr, 733-4441 www.andoverks.com

AUGUSTA

640 Osage, 775-1189

BENTON

Lion’s Community Bldg, S Main St

CASSODAY

Cassoday Senior Center

133 S. Washington, 620-735-4538

DOUGLASS

124 W 4th, 746-3227

EL DORADO

210 E 2nd, 321-0142

Senior wedneSdayS www.seniorwednesday.org

March 6

10:30 am Wichita Art Museum 1400 W. Museum Blvd., $2 admission. Making American Artists: Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1776–1976

1:30 pm Museum of World Treasures 835 E. 1st St. Info unavailable

March 13

10 am Sedgwick County Zoo, 5555 Zoo Blvd. (316) 2668213, $4 ArachNOphobia.

1:30 pm Advanced Learning Library, 711 W, 2nd, (316) 2618500, Free. Ballet Wichita.

Derby Sr Center, 611 Mulberry. 1st & 3rd Tuesday 7pm-9:30 pm.

El Dorado Jam & Dance, Senior Center, 210 E. 2nd.

March 20

10 am Ulrich Museum of Art, 1845 N. Fairmount. Dancing Docents with Mina Estrada. 1:30 pm Great Plains Nature Center, 6232 E 29th St N. In even months

March 27

10 am Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main. Century II Civic Center: Wichita’s 100 Year Celebration

1:30 pm Mid American All-Indian museum. 650 N Seneca (316) 350-3340, $2 + tax admission; free for MAAIM members. Bosin: The Bear behind the Keeper

danCeS

Orchard Park Golden Age, 4808 W 9th. Every Friday 7pm-9:30pm. Call Casey 316-706-7464

Linwood Golden Age, 1901 S Kansas. Every Saturday 7pm-9:30pm. Call Jim 316-945-9451

Minisa Golden Age, 704 W 13th. Info 617-2560. Every Thursday 7pm9:30pm. Call Rita 316-364-1702

Mulvane, 101 E. Main (Pix Community Center Second Tuesday of every month at 7-9 pm.

Oaklawn Activity Center, 4904 S. Clifton. Contra Dance1st Saturday of each month. 7pm-9pm. Call Amanda at 316-361-6863.

Prairie Wind Dancers: Plymouth Congregational Church, 202 N Clifton. Joyce, 683-1122. Village Steppers Square Dance, Oaklawn Activity Center, 4904 S Clifton.

Westside Steppers Square Dance, 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month, 6-8:30 p.m., West Heights United Methodist (entrance "D"), 745 N. Westlink Ave. Info: Sheldon Lawrence (316) 648-7590.

LEON

112 S Main, 745-9200 or 742-9905

ROSE HILL

207 E Silknitter, 776-0170

TOWANDA

317 Main, 776-8999

Open 10:30 am-5 pm Mon, Wed, Fri

WHITEWATER

Legion Hall, 108 E Topeka

Harvey County

BURRTON

124 N Burrton, 620-463-3225

HALSTEAD

523 Poplar, 835-2283

HESSTON

Randall & Main, 620-327-5099 www.hesstonseniorcenter.com

NEWTON AREA SENIOR CENTER

122 E 6th, Newton, 283-2222 www.grandcentralseniorcenter.com

SEDGWICK

107 W. Fifth, 772-0393

tranSportation

Sedgwick County

Sedgwick Co Transportation, 660-5150 or 1-800-367-7298. Information: 8 am-5 pm, Mon-Fri; closed most holidays. www. sedgwickcounty.org/aging.

Butler County Transit

Weekday transportation in El Dorado, Augusta and Andover. Rides to Wichita on Wed, Thu. Information: Augusta, 775-0500; El Dorado, 322-4321; toll free, 1-800-2793655. 48-hr notice required.

Harvey County

Transportation reservations or information: 316-284-6802 or 1-866-6806802. Round-trip: $8 Newton (wheelchair only), $12 Harvey County, $20 outside Harvey County. AVI to Newton: Tue, 12:304:30 pm from Burrton, Sedgwick, Halstead, Hesston, Walton.

www.theactiveage.com

Friendship Meals

Aging Projects serves a hot, nutritious meal weekdays for persons 60 and older in Sedgwick, Harvey and Butler counties. Reservations are necessary. For locations and reservations, call 316-686-0074

WEEK OF MARCH 1

Fri: Tuna Pasta salad, Cuke & Tomato salad, applesauce, crackers.

WEEK OF MARCH 4

Mon: BBQ Chicken on un, coleslaw w/ carrots, apricots.

Tue: Goulash, green beans, pears, breadstick.

Wed: Mexican Pork stew, hominy, tropical fruit, cornbread muffin.

Thu: Turkey & swiss brocc pasta, three bean salad, blushing pears, garlic breadstick, chef's choice birthday cake.

Fri: Hearty Tuscan Bean Soup, combo salad, tropical fruit, garlic cheddar biscuit.

WEEK OF MARCH 11

Mon: White bean chicken chili, corn relish salad, sliced apples, crackers.

Tue: Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes, tropical fruit, wheat roll.

Wed: Pork noodles casserole, parslied carrots, pineapple, wheat roll.

Thu: Cheeseburger on bun, baked beans, mixed fruit.

Fri: Garlic shrimp penne, green beans, apricots, breadstick.

WEEK OF MARCH 18

Mon: Ham & Beans, pickled beets, peaches, cornbread muffin.

Tue: Cheesy Mac Chilli, mixed vegetables, pineapple, texas toast..

Wed: Breaded chicken patty on bun, calico salad, applesauce.

Thu: Turkey salad on croissant, potato soup, peaches

Fri: Veggie pasta bake, combo salad, mixed fruit, garlic cheddar biscuit.

WEEK OF MARCH 25

Mon: Chicken cacciatore, peas & carrots, cinnamon apples, wheat roll.

Tue: Southwest Tuna Noddle bake, mixed vegetables, mixed fruit, garlic toast .

Wed: Swedish Steak, mashed potatoes, apricots, wheat bread .

Thu: Roasted ham slice, green bean casserole, cauli-brocc-raisin salad, ambrosia fruit salad, wheat roll

Fri: HOLIDAY

* Milk is served with all meals. Meals fall within the following ranges: Calories 650-750; protein 25 grams or higher; fat 20 to 30 percent of calories; calcium 400 mg or higher; sodium 1,000 grams or less; fiber 9 grams or higher.

FUNDING MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT, KDADS AND CENTRAL PLAINS AREA AGENCY ON AGING

Classified advertising

F CEMETERY PROPERTY FOR SALE F

2 burial plots - Lakeview CemetaryEverlasting Life Double-Depth Lawn Crypt - C-11 Space 10. Retail $7,500, asking $3,500 OBO. Call Scott 213-798-8689

ESTATE SALE: White Chapel Memorial Gardens. 1 burial plot, valued at $1,899 sell for $1,500. 541-840-0783

2 plots at Resthaven cemetery. Sermon on the mount garden. Lot 95-C spaces 3&4. $3,500 each or $7,000 together. Transfer fee paid. 316-734-0660. Leave message.

2 plots w/vaults, side by side At White Chapel Memorial Gardens in the Garden of Gethsemane, Wichita, Ks. Valued at $6,500. Sale price $2,600 plus transfer fee OBO. 913-558-0486

Lakeview Garden of Apostles Lot 91 Space 12, Holds 2 urns . Asking $4,500 OBO . Seller pays transfer fee. 316-253-0655

2 plots in Resthaven Garden of Memories, Garden of Gethsemane, $5,500 each, includes transfer fee. Contact Kay 785-614-2775, or kreed@cloud.edu

1 double depth lawn crypt at Resthaven, in Bruce Newton Garden, Lot 198 D space 1. Includes 16x24in granite marker. Current value $12,600 asking $ 6,900. Seller pays transfer fee. Call 316-833-9644.

Resthaven single plot available in Garden of Freedom. Plot #62 C-3. Paid $4,695 sell for $2,000 OBO. Call 316-993-2223.

Single Plot – Resthaven Cemetery – Garden of the Cross 46A1 $5000 OBO Email: arkpegram@cox.net OR 479-644-6680 serious inquires only

Lakeview Gardens, Meditation Section, 4 spaces. Sell all 4, $6,000 plus transfer fees. Cashiers check or certified check only. Call Kendra 405-623-5687 pwfjr@sbcglobal.net

Lakeview Gardens Everlasting Life. Lot 53 Spaces 3&4. Retail $3,695 each, Selling both for $4,500. Seller pays transfer fee. Call 316-393-6054

Double depth lawn crypt at Resthaven. 16*24 marker. Traditional opening and closing. Current value at $17,000. Accepting offers. Call 316-651-7217.Leave message with contact info.

White Chapel. Masonic Garden. 2 lots side by side. $3,000 OBO plus transfer fee. 316-838-5844

White Chapel. Double depth plot. Plot 25A, space 3. Asking $5,875. Seller pays transfer fee. Call 316-777-0899

Resthaven garden of the gospels. Space, vault and marker for 2. Retail $11,000. Asking $5,000. 316-305-3299

(2)cemetery plots in Lakeview cemetery In "Garden of the Apostles " lot 58 1&2 $3000 each plus transfer fee 903-348-1636

Resthaven Cemetery Garden of Faith, Prime location. 2 lots on center isle. 40 A&B. $12,500. 316-617-8581

Double-depth lawn crypt at Resthaven Cemetery in Rose Garden. Plot 72 space C1&C2. Asking $7,500/both or $4,000/each. Text 661-902-8676.

1 interior Mausoleum Niche – White Chapel Memorial Gardens, valued at $3171, sell for $2,800, OBO, call Stan at 856-722-0916. Transfer fee paid

Lois Thompson

Serving families for 30 years with preneed arrangements at all Dignity Memorial Locations

316-516-8815 316-722-2100

F HAIR STYLING F

F ELECTRICAL F

Alpha Electric

Dependable Electrical Service Call Greg at 316-312-1575 Insured, Lic. #1303

IPK Enterprises Estate Sales. Know your options, you have many. Please call us for a free consultation. 316-806-3435.

FOOT CARE IN YOUR HOME

Cheryl Rosine ~ The Foot Lady ICMT RN

• 316-312-2025 • Benjamin Jones ~ CNAICR

• 316-932-8524•

$40 : In-home, Sedgwick & surrounding counties

Diabetic, thick toe nails, ingrown & callous care

Foot Care in home. Home visit $40.00 Call Francine at 316-943-4360. Leave a message.

You will love living in this extra nice 2 bdrm duplex. Located in a quiet neighborhood with easy access to all parts of the city. Central/Haeat and Air(abbrev.). All Appliances including washer and dryer. Lawn maintained. Trash Paid. Non-Smokers. No pets. Deposit and References required. Perfect for mature single or couple. Call 316-262-1287.

F FOR

Almost

Go-go

"Super

F HOME CARE F

Needing someone to clean the Yard WILL PAY GOOD. 316-889-1426. Private Duty Aide with light house keeping. Availability evenings and weekends. References upon request.

Cynthia CNA/HHA 316-992-6711

28 YR EXPERIENCED LICENSED HOME HEALTH AIDE

Providing rides to Dr etc. Home Health Care Specializing in Dementia/Diabetes. Ref avail. Kay 316-882-9127

Caring Home Care

Need help cleaning your home, grocery shopping, etc. Call Roberta 316-587-4414.

I am honest, dependable and caring. Budget friendly. References available.

Caregiver will care for your loved one. Experienced w/Dementia+ALZ, companion care, transportation to and from appointments, light cleaning. References available. Cristi 316-779-4269

F HOME IMPROVEMENTS F

General Contractor Lic #7904

Roofing, Siding, Doors, Gutters, Windows, Storm damage repair, Senior Discount. 316-312-2177

Handyman RX- We have a remedy for almost all of your “fix-it” jobs! Light carpentry including deck and fence repair, indoor misc. repairs and installations, lawn mowing “LG or SM”, Yard & Garage clean-up, mulching, hauling miscellaneous,hauling dirt, sand, and rock/gravel upto 3.5 tons. What you need done I can probably handle. Call for HELP! Brian 316-217-0882. Free Estimates

F HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Cowboy Construction

Remodeling, siding, decks, fences, windows, doors and more. 20 years locally owned. Free estimates. Senior discounts.

Todd Wenzel 316-393-4488

Molina Electric - Wichita Lic #1364 Comm. or Residential wiring. Service calls. New electric service. Troubleshooting. Cell 316-461-2199.

Derby, Haysville, Mulvane, Rose Hill, Wichita

Exterior & Interior. House painting, siding, decks, fences. Build, repair and stain.

(SEE REVIEWS)-

KC KIMBALL DERBY KS ANGI

Free Estimates. Be Blessed. Thank you. 316-250-2265

MOBILE GLASS REPAIR

Windows * Patio * Doors Windows won’t stay up, Crank Outs, Patio Rollers and Lock Latches, Morris Glass & Service, 316-946-0745

Nelsen Contracting General Contractor Honesty, Quality, Integrity are Key!

• Home Improvements/Repairs

• Upkeep Maintenance

Free Initial Consultation. 316-665-1644

Tree Trimming, clean ups & clean outs, haul offs and snow removal. Call L. Hayden 316-806-2591.

Steve’s masonry repair No job too small!

PAINTING

GUTTERING • DECKS 316.807-5180

Experienced and reliable house cleaning. Offering thorough cleaning with attention to detail. Local references available. For a spotless home call or text 316-518-7078 or 316-779-6217. F CLEANING SERVICES F F HAULING/JUNK REMOVAL F F ESTATE CLEAN OUT F Clean-Out Services 316-990-6897 24/7 • Estate • Foreclosures • Outdoor • House / Garage • Typical Junk F FOR RENT F F CEMETERY PROPERTY FOR SALE F • Interior painting/ light drywall • Mud and tapping • Fix cracks/popcorn removal • Flat or texture ceilings/wallpaper • Prep for paint/flooring • Tile or lvt vinyl plank/doors • Trim carpentry COMPLETE REMODELING "One Call Does It All" 20 years experience. Insured. Call Seth 316-409-1852 Page 18 the active age March 2024

Dylan

CLEAN CUT FENCING

Professional fence install and fence repair. Call or text 316-821-6341

Serving west Wichita, Goddard and Cheney

Please call Robert for leaf removal, raking, and garden bed clean up or any other gardening needs. No job too big or too small. Free estimates.

316-932-4225

Henricks Lawn Care Owner/operator 35 yrs. experience. Lawn /landscaping/tree & shrub care. Spring & Fall cleanup, gutter cleaning. Servicing West Wichita, Goddard, Cheney, Colwich areas

Senior Discounts.

Toby Henricks 316-680-9183

ASC

Complete Lawn Care * Yard Clean Up * Tree

Trimming * Gutter Cleaning.

Fence Repair * Decks * Home Repairs * Flooring

Free estimates, senior discounts. 316-807-8649

Neighborhood lawn service

• Lawn mowing

• Yard cleaning

• Trash Removal

Tony Rich Landscaping

Landscape, Lawn Clean-Up, Tree Work, Gutters Cleaned, Dirt Work, Positive Drainage, Topsoil & Mulch Delivery

316-990-6897

SPRING CLEAN-UP

Trim • Cut • Remove

Fence Repairs • Odd jobs

NO JOB TOO SMALL Honest & Reasonable. 316-807-4989.

Brush, Limbs, Debris, Hauling and Junk

Removal. Leaf removal. Free Estimates. Will pick up scrap metal FREE of charge Call David at 316-213-8880.

Impact Lawn Care

MOWING Residential/ Commercial

SPRING CLEAN-UP • MULCHING

LANDSCAPING • SCALPING

TREE & SHRUB TRIMMING & MORE

Call now for an estimate for the upcoming season! Small family owned and operated with over 35 years experience and FULLY INSURED!

316-737-4890

Residential or Commercial 720-254-3557

SERVING EAST WICHITA AND SURROUNDING AREA

316-214-5959

• Lawn Maintenance

• Fertilization

• Weed Control

• Mulching

• Aeration

• Overseeding

• Landscaping

• Shrub Trimming

www.fleminglawn.com

the best networking group

Adkins

Army

Corp Staff Sergeant and World War II veteran Katie Conkling was honored at the City Council meeting last month in celebration of her 103rd birthday. Conkling is a Wichita native and graduated from Wichita East High in 1939.

How to spot the red flags of romance scams

Kansas Insurance Department

TOPEKA – You have a match!

The online dating service or app you have been using has finally paid off. Or is it something more sinister?

Unfortunately, if your newfound flame starts asking for money and you have never met them in person, you could be

looking at a romance scam.

Be mindful of these red flags while dating online:

• They ask you for money. This is the biggest red-flag and is always a part of any romance scam. They may request the payment in cryptocurrency or gift cards. Never send money to anyone you

Working Statewide So Communities Are Livable for People of All Ages

By 2030, one out of every five people in the United States will be age 65 or older. By 2034, the nation will have more older adults than children under 18 for the first time ever.

That’s why AARP is working with local leaders nationwide to help towns, cities, counties, rural areas and even entire states become more livable for people of all ages.

Learn more about AARP Livable Communities by visiting aarp.org/livable.

have only communicated with online or by phone.

• If a dating profile sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers will use your social media profiles to target you and tailor their scheme towards your life interests.

• They can’t meet in-person or even video chat. If you have chatted with someone for months but have never met them in person, they may be a scammer.

• They offer an investment opportunity. “Pig-butchering” is a type of romance scam where scammers

will string victims along promising companionship, only to take their life savings through a fraudulent investment-much like a farmer fattens a pig for slaughter.

If you suspect you have been the victim of investment fraud from a romance scam, please contact the Office of the Kansas Securities Commissioner, a division of the Kansas Insurance Department at 785-2963071 or file a complaint online at insurance.ks.gov/department/ksc/ complaint/ksc-complaint.php, and visit SmartInvestKS.com to learn more about different types of investments and how to avoid fraud.

www.theactiveage.com

Red

The Active Age

Cross blood donor retires after totaling 40 gallons to another job.

You could say that giving blood got into Raymond Grier’s blood.

A World War II veteran who turned 97 in February, Grier donated a total of 40 gallons of blood before “retiring” as a donor last month.

“My uncle got me into it early,” Grier said. “His boss called him up once and said ‘send some men down here’ to a blood drive when I lived in Mt. Hope. I’ve lived in Wichita 52 years and kept donating here.”

Forty gallons, in case you’re wondering, is what a typical bathtub or hot water tank holds. Grier gave 320 units to reach the total. A donor can give whole blood every 56 days.

Not surprisingly, Grier is a favorite of employees at the Red Cross Wichita Blood Donation Center. He’s known for his sense of humor and for bringing black walnuts or pecans — which he picks and shells — to share with people there.

Last month, he surprised Red Cross staffer Betty Coonrod with a chocolate bar instead. She took his blood for several years before moving

“I’ve been at the center nine years, and every time he donates, he calls,” Coonrod said. “I come down [to the donor center] while he donates. He’s quick — it only takes like five minutes. He asks about my kids and grandkids.”

Grier’s late wife’s name was Betty, which he reminds Coonrod about frequently.

“I found my husband while I was working in the donor center. We started dating when I moved to education. Mr. Grier just knew. He was very happy for us,” said Coonrod.

Grier’s health and the wishes of his children are the primary reasons he’s ending his donation career. During his last visit, he asked every phlebotomist and fellow donor how they thought the Chiefs were going to do in the Super Bowl (pretty good, as it turns out). After his final donation, staff and other donors celebrated in the recovery room with cake, cookies, cupcakes and balloons.

Logan Wright, regional communications manager for the American Red Cross Kansas-

Oklahoma Region, said it’s not unusual for people 60 and older to give blood and/or platelets. People of all blood types — especially those with type O blood — are critical to ensuring hospitals can meet the daily demand for lifesaving transfusions this winter.

“The need for blood is constant and there are many drives and locations at which a person could donate,” she said, adding that organization “depends on repeat donors” such as Grier.

If a medical issue prevents someone from giving blood, they can still volunteer at the Red Cross to host or help at blood drives, make deliveries to hospitals, assist in natural disaster recovery and perform other needed work, Wright said.

Grier has very simple words of wisdom for other Wichitans: “Go donate! It doesn’t hurt! It takes five minutes!”

To schedule a donation appointment, go to www. RedCrossBlood.org, download the Red Cross Blood Donor app, or call 1-800-REDCROSS.

Raymond Grier and Red Cross staff member Betty Coonrod visit during Grier's last blood donation in February.

The Active Age — and a stranger — come in handy at garage

By Diana Breit Wolfe

I was surprised when a stranger reading The Active Age saved me $300 at a car repair place. Here’s what happened:

Last August I noticed fluid on my garage floor. My stepson, David, who knows cars, couldn’t find a leak. Neither could the guy who changed the oil and checked fluid levels. So, I drove it to Austin for a grandson’s birthday. Then in January I suddenly got a message on the dash: “ENGINE OVERHEATING. STOP ENGINE.” I limped home, stopping several times to cool down (me and

Dear Reader

the engine). David put in a gallon of anti-freeze but still didn’t spy a leak. It was running fine, but I knew it wouldn’t last.

I made an 8:30 a.m. appointment at a dealership.

I brought along a few copies of the February issue of The Active Age and

Closed on Wednesday!

laid them on a table next to me. The gentleman siting on the other side of the table picked one up. Soon he was chuckling. He volunteered to me that he had read a classified ad for his brother’s roofing business and didn’t know he advertised in our paper. We talked about the paper a little and about how he and his brother started roofing with their stepdad when they were kids. They would travel all over the country following storms. But the important thing is that I told him the same story I just told you about my car.

Eventually the guy in the dealership brought me the diagnosis and estimate. The water pump needed replacing and the cost would be $621. Not knowing anything about water pumps, I would have agreed. But my new friend did a little “tsk-tsk” thing and sort of groaned. He said replacing the water pump in my car

wasn’t a big job. So I called David. He estimated the job could be done by any good mechanic for around $300. What? I told the dealership guy I was going to pass. He charged me around 50 bucks for the technician’s time. I went back to the waiting room to thank my new friend and to tell him to keep reading The Active Age.

Now I can’t promise that carrying around The Active Age will save you money. But if you patronize the advertisers who help support this publication, there’s a good chance you will. I do and have been quite happy with the results. Please keep reading and enjoying The Active Age and consider a donation if you save money because of us. That’s what I’ll be doing.

Diana Breit Wolfe is treasurer of The Active Age’s board of directors. She can be reached at dcwolfe2000@yahoo.com

Donate for chance to win Botanica membership

Donate at least $50 to The Active Age, and you could win a family membership to Botanica. The Active Age holds a drawing for a family membership each month from among people on our Honor Roll list of donors.

This month's winner is Marilyn

Hiesterman.

Donations may be made by calling 316-942-5385; through our website, theactiveage.com; by mail to The Active Age, 125 S. West St., Suite 105, Wichita, KS, 67213; or in person.

Diana Wolfe