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Vol 46 No. 10
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September 2025
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Flying high
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Suitor grew up in Yukon, Okla. At one time, he owned three stores — an optical shop, ladies shoe store and ski shop — within a block of each other in Oklahoma City. He moved to Tulsa in his forties, building decks, remodeling homes and flipping houses there. After his wife’s death six years ago, Suitor reconnected with a former girlfriend he’d dated decades earlier. Suitor and Veronica Bulla, a retired teacher from Rose Hill, married last Valentine’s Day in Arizona and now live in Bel Aire. He’s still in the deck-building business. Suitor woke up at 3 a.m. on the day of the jump, excited and a little nervous. But he headed to the
Finally, at 2 p.m., it was his turn. The plane ascended and Suitor was connected via a harness to the crew member who would pull their parachute. “Just before they opened the door of the plane at 14,000 feet, I got a little apprehensive, but not enough to say I don’t want to jump.” Then they did and Suitor was glad he hadn’t turned back. “When they open the door, the wind is tremendous,” he said. “When you get out, you free fall for about 60 seconds, Courtesy photo (going) about 125 to 140 miles per Dennis Suitor, shown above in hour. You don’t realize it because you blue shirt, celebrated his 80th don’t have any perspective. You don’t birthday at about 8,000 feet. really realize you’re falling that fast. The noise is real loud because of the Oklahoma Skydiving Center in wind. You’re creating the wind.” Cushing, Okla., where his wife and The cute came out at about about 20 more family members and 8,000 feet, after which the tandem friends gathered to watch. Inside the center, Suitor was shown a film about See Jump, page 2 sky diving and signed a waiver.
By Joe Stumpe It took Carol Cole a while to appreciate all that makes St. Paul A.M.E. Church special. Sure, the church seemed grand and even a little intimidating to her as a child, its sanctuary filled with beautiful music and stirring sermons. But maybe she didn’t pay enough attention to who was filling the pews. “As I look back on growing up in the church, we had no idea we were among giants — doctors and lawyers and teachers,” Cole said. “They were just members to us. As you get older, you recognize their significance.” The church, Wichita’s oldest African American congregation, celebrated its 150th anniversary last month with more music, worship and recognition of members who have made it a force in the black community and beyond.
“It’s just incredible that the church has existed this long,” said Carol’s sister, Carla Eckels, director of organizational culture at KMUW. “I’m just really proud to be a member there.” St. Paul got its start in 1875, five years after Wichita’s founding. At the time, according to From left, Carol Cole, Theresa Canidy and Pastor a church history, Pamela Hughes are members of St. Paul A.M.E. the town’s relatively Church. Cole and Canidy co-chaired the church's few black residents 150th anniversary celebration. held weekly worship made in June 1875, and the church’s meetings in each other’s homes, first official meeting was held in regardless of denomination. The the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joshua decision to organize an African Methodist Episcopal church was See St. Paul, page 6
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By Joe Stumpe Dennis Suitor jumped out of an airplane the day after his 80th birthday and hasn’t quite come down yet. “I tell you, I’ve had a pretty exciting life — I’ve done a lot of things — but that’s about the most exciting thing I’ve ever done,” Suitor said a few days after his Aug. 2 skydiving adventure. Suitor’s leap seems all the more remarkable because of what happened a half century ago, which is when he first got interested in skydiving. “I was going to do it with my brother-in-law,” he said. “He went out, and the guy who jumped after he did, his chute didn’t open, and he got killed.” Still, Suitor never really gave up on the idea. “It’s a lot of safer now,” he said, quoting a statistic that there’s one fatality for every 350,000 jumps. “I felt pretty confident.” Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Wichita, KS 67276 Permit 1711
Bel Aire man calls skydiving the thrill of a lifetime
City’s first black church celebrates Jubilee anniversary
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