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Vol 43 • No. 6
To the rescue
www.theactiveage.com Kansas’ Largest Newspaper
Volunteers answer call from animal rescue organizations
May 2022
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By Amy Geiszler-Jones If you see a woman walking a dog around the Hyde Park neighborhood east of downtown Wichita, there’s a decent chance it’s Jodi Bartman. Especially if the identity of the dog keeps changing. Four days a week, Bartman shows up at Beauties & Beasts, an animal rescue organization on South Pattie, to give its furry boarders a change of scenery and chance to stretch their legs. On a recent afternoon, she took four dogs on individual strolls. “It’s good exercise for me,” Bartman said. As for her canine companions, “They live in big kennels, but they love to get out, and they get so excited when the walkers come.” Bartman is one of many volunteers who help animal rescue organizations fulfill their mission of finding homes for dogs and cats rather than face euthanasia. The organizations say that help has never been more needed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Generally speaking, the animal welfare world is in crisis," said Christy Fischer, executive director of the Wichita Animal Action League (WAAL), another rescue organization. "We Kimberly Moore adopted Betty after fostering have never had as many animals flood the system." her for the Wichita Animal Action League. See Rescue, page 7
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Special Grandparents Section
County can't find use for aging funds By Joe Stumpe The Sedgwick County Department on Aging returned $320,000 to the county’s general fund this year, disappointing some people familiar with the needs of older residents. County commissioners created a $500,000 contingency fund for the department in August and directed staff to determine if and how the money should be used. That came after commissioners adopted a budget of $12,484,639 for the department for 2022, a 6 percent decrease from what was spent in 2021. In a commission meeting April 6, Annette Graham, the department’s director, reported to commissioners that $180,000 of the contingency fund See Funds, page 11
Early baseball teams barnstormed barriers By Bob Rives One hundred years ago this summer, Wichita celebrated the opening of a baseball park unlike any seen here before or since. Located at 12th and Mosley streets, Monrovian Park was built and named for Wichita’s entry in the Colored Western League. They were a black counterpart to Wichita’s Izzies, who played in the white class A Western League. Opening day was a gala. Charles Prince Edward, described as a black attache of Wichita’s district court, spoke and then stuck around to umpire. S.W. Zickafoose, head of the city’s detective bureau, threw out the first pitch. A Wichita newspaper writer noted the crowd included “a large number of fans of both races.” The Monrovians trounced Tulsa 8-1. A recreation of the Wichita Monrovians cap The game shows that appreciation for what was then made by a vintage sportswear maker. unquestionably America’s favorite sport ran across color lines, despite whatever was taking place off the field. The Monrovians played in an all-black league, but outside the league, they were as likely to oppose a white team as one made up of black players. Teams and tournaments started integrating here in the early 1930s, more than a decade before Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play in the Major Leagues. Sadly, no photographs or detailed descriptions of Monrovian Park seem to have survived. No photographs of the
See Baseball, page 6
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