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Huck Boyd National Institute
for Rural Development
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Huck Boyd National Institute
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KANSAS PROFILES 1992 McDill "Huck" Boyd
McDill "Huck" Boyd Today marks a first. Today we begin a brand new program, focusing on what rural Kansans
are doing to help themselves in these challenging times. And in our view, there's no
better way to begin than to talk about a leader in a rural community. It's through local
leadership that rural development really happens. Let me tell you about a young man who was born and raised in northwest Kansas. His name
was McDill Boyd. In 1925, McDill enrolled at Kansas State University. He was having a
successful collegiate career -- but when his hometown bank suddenly failed, his savings
were lost, and he returned home to work in the family newspaper business. The business was
located in a county seat town of about 3,000 people. He took over the operation of the
paper when his father died, and continued as editor and publisher the rest of his life. But that is not where the story ends. Like his parents, McDill had a larger vision for
his community. He once said that his mother taught him "every day is a good day, so
make the most of it." McDill made the most of his community, as well as of his days. When he saw the need for jobs in the community, he helped develop local industry and
was instrumental in bringing a new, cooperatively-owned oil refinery to the town. It was
the world's first co-operative refinery. He worked on projects to benefit the elderly,
young people, and the under-privileged. When he saw the doctor shortages in rural areas,
he worked for legislative approval of funding for the first family practice residencies in
Kansas, legislation copied elsewhere in the U.S. He cared deeply about his community, and that fact made all the difference. He got
involved. He served as county chairman with his political party, and worked his way up the
ranks to become national committeeman for Kansas. When senators and presidents wanted to
know what rural people thought about an issue, they would call on him. Then came the time that the Rock Island Railroad took bankruptcy and proposed to
abandon 465 miles of rail line across the heartland -- including McDill's hometown. Loss
of the rail line would have been devastating to the communities, farmers, and other
businesses served by the railroad. McDill led the effort to form a Mid States Port
Authority to buy the line and continue service. Today a private sector shortline is
operating on what would have been abandoned track. All this is testimony to what one motivated local leader can do. McDill had a saying
that "Community service is the rent you pay for the privilege of living on this
earth." He had a global vision, but he still cared about his hometown. He was willing to serve,
to volunteer, to help make it a better place. He served as a U.S. delegate to a United
Nations' month-long Economic and Social Council in Geneva, Switzerland -- yet he found
time to lead the fund drive so that the local high school band could go to a bowl game. And so we remember McDill for his community service. But not many people knew him as
McDill. When he was a little boy, his tousled, sandy hair, twinkling blue eyes, and
winning smile made him a "Huckleberry Finn"-sort of character. The nickname
stuck, and all his life he was known as Huck. Today the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at KSU strives to honor and replicate his legacy of service to rural America. May Huck Boyd's example remind countless others of what is possible when local people want to make a difference. Nelson Galle What is an "entrepreneur" -- other than a word that is hard to pronounce? Webster defines "entrepreneur" as "an organizer or promoter of an enterprise; especially, one that manages and assumes the risk of a business." In today's rural Kansas, an entrepreneur means much, much more. It means someone who's willing to buck the tide, to seize an opportunity, to take a chance. It means someone who is alert to the opportunities of the marketplace. That's a challenging thing to do in rural Kansas. During the 1980s, employment in metropolitan Kansas counties increased by 19.2 percent -- while employment in the 61 most rural counties fell by 10.4 percent. Rural jobs are fewer. Business opportunities are reduced. But entrepreneurs make a difference. They are willing to buck the tide, in spite of the risk. They find a market opportunity. And successful entrepreneurs make it work. In Moundridge, Kansas, we find the offices of CKH, Incorporated. CKH stands for Central Kansas Hatchery. Nelson and Marilyn Galle are the co-owners of CKH, and Nelson is president and Marilyn is treasurer. Nelson Galle is himself a product of rural Kansas. He grew up on a farm in rural McPherson County. It is a Mennonite community. "When we talk about `minorities' down here," he says, with tongue in cheek, "we mean Baptists and Methodists." Nelson attended Kansas State University and received advanced degrees in agriculture. He also graduated from Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program. He went on to a distinguished career with Hesston Corporation, including stints in management with the firm's international operations in Europe. He later served as a business consultant to a Fortune 500 cooperative. Yet when the time came that there was an opportunity to return home and take over CKH, Inc., in Moundridge, Kansas, he took it. CKH was producing both chicks and turkeys, when the Galles assumed ownership from the retiring owner six years ago. Today, CKH has an integrated system of turkey breeding, laying, hatching and marketing day-old turkeys -- called "poults." Last year CKH produced nearly 3 million poults and is the only hatchery of turkey poults in Kansas and Nebraska. And what drew Nelson Galle into this particular business? Quite simply -- the opportunity was there, in his hometown. The marketplace was sending a signal. Consumers were wanting more of the product. And Kansas had grain to make it grow. He saw that per capita consumption of turkey meat was increasing rapidly -- by more than 50 percent in just 5 years, from 1985 to 1990. In California, an indicator of trends in the U.S., per capita consumption of turkey meat is higher than elsewhere. More varieties of turkey products were being developed all the time. And so this entrepreneur took the chance. Since then, the dollar value of the poults produced in Kansas has nearly doubled. Currently, Nelson is president of the Kansas Turkey Federation and the Kansas Poultry Association. If you asked Nelson what are the keys to his success, you wouldn't get a business school lecture. His response would be very direct and down to earth -- such comments as "I stay in close touch with my customers, work at keeping costs down, and keep good employees around me." The "people" factor is very important to Nelson. Last December he went around the business with a camera, taking candid photos of each employee at work. An appreciation dinner was then held, where a slide show featured each employee and as a favor, each person received a copy of his or her picture on the job. "We encouraged our people to take these home and put them up on their refrigerator door, or wherever," Nelson says. "It gave them a reason to show the members of their family what they do, and make them feel a part of it." This family atmosphere pays big dividends. And CKH is well-suited to the community. Part-time employment is important both to CKH and local residents. Nearly 35 people are needed at the facility on hatch days, which are once or twice each week. On other days, many of those workers can pursue their farming or other enterprises. While the core staff is small, nearly 75 people are employed by CKH working in the hatchery, on the turkey egg farms, or driving the trucks delivering poults out of state. And that makes a big impact in a rural community like Moundridge. From Europe to Moundridge, Nelson and Marilyn Galle are entrepreneurs who have made a
difference. Today, they are making a difference in rural Kansas. We hope this example
encourages other Kansas entrepreneurs also. Eberly Farm What happens when "rural" meets "urban"? All too often, there is conflict. Stress can occur when urban areas encroach into the neighboring farmland. A farmer working on the edge of a city will find his work increasingly hassled by traffic, congestion, and urban resistance to the noise, dust, and smell of a farming operation. It seems unfair -- after all, the farmer was there first. Yet the urban encroachment
always seems to win. It can be a big problem for farmers around cities. But entrepreneurs see problems as opportunities. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade, the saying goes. And that is a key part of the story of Eberly Farm. Merl and Dixie Eberly and son, Sam, were farming in an area northwest of Wichita in the 1950s. The land had been in their family for generations. In fact, their ancestors originally took title to the land in 1883. Yet Wichita is a growing city. Urban development grew rapidly out to Eberly Farm. Today the city couldn't be any closer -- the city boundary is now at the Eberly Farm property line! Some farmers would resent such encroachment. But here is what happened with Eberly Farm. Merl and Dixie were attending a city church, in the heart of downtown. They were the only farm family in the church. As a result, when the church wanted to have a picnic or the youth wanted a hayrack ride, there was only one logical location: Eberly Farm. People loved it there. The Eberlys were friendly, gracious hosts. The area was clean and well-maintained. The natural setting was very attractive. And more and more people wanted to visit Eberly Farm. The marketplace was sending a signal. Here was an opportunity. With help from son, Sam, and his wife, Judy, the Eberlys started to offer hayrack rides, horseback riding, and picnic areas as a business for family outings and company picnics. In the mid-1960s, the Eberlys built a swimming pool and recreation building in the middle of a cow pasture. And like the phrase in the movie Field of Dreams -- if you build it, they will come -- the Eberlys built, and people came. In 1980, Sam and Judy Eberly took over the management of Eberly Farm from his parents. They built new facilities. They remodeled a hay barn. They added recreation areas. In 1985, they used a rustic design for a new building called the Outpost. In 1986, the Eberlys offered meal service for the first time. Home-cooked foods, including barbecue and steaks, were made available. I can tell you first-hand that their smoked loins are delicious. And business was good. Other farmers would have resented the encroachment of the urban population. This farm family made it into an advantage. Then came February 23, 1990. Merl, now retired, was returning from church choir practice on a Wednesday night. He spotted a flicker of light in the window of the new Outpost building. He called Sam. But before long, an electrical fire had consumed the building. It burned to the ground. Again, adversity had struck. The Eberlys fought back. Just 99 days later, a new, improved Outpost building opened where the old one had stood. Today, Sam and Judy Eberly are managing the farm with their two grown children -- the fifth generation to work there. In 1991, - get this- 50,000 people visited Eberly Farm. Other farm entrepreneurs ask Sam and Judy Eberly if they should try to convert their farms into recreation facilities, as Eberlys have done. The Eberlys' advice is simple: treat it like a business. Organize, plan and promote. It demands a great deal of time and effort -- and marketing. The Eberlys say that being customer-oriented is a key to the success of any business, including this one. Sam and Judy are constantly looking for new, fun and innovative ways to offer their customers family-oriented experiences in a rustic setting, such as a children's petting zoo called barnyard buddies. This is what can happen when urban meets rural: An enterprise is developed which has benefits for both. It requires an entrepreneur who can find the opportunity in adversity. That's a tremendous need in rural America today...and that's the way that Sam and Judy
Eberly are making a difference. Bill Acree Is rural Kansas going to the dogs? Well, that all depends on how you mean it. In one rural Kansas community, dogs have become a part of the economic development of
the town -- and we're not talking about greyhound racetracks or puppy mills here.
We're talking about a non-profit enterprise which trains dogs to help disabled people. The
payroll for this enterprise, plus the money spent by clients and their families as they
visit, gives the town an economic boost. One might expect to find such an enterprise in an urban center. This one is in
Washington. No, not Washington, D.C. -- Washington, Kansas, population 1,488. The key leader in making this happen is Bill Acree, president and executive director of
Kansas Specialty Dog Service, or KSDS. Kansas Specialty Dog Service trains assistance dogs
for people with certain special needs. For example -- a guide dog for a blind person might come to mind. Dogs can also help
those who are wheelchair-bound, by pulling the wheelchair, picking up dropped items, or
turning lights on or off. Dogs can provide companionship for those in care facilities such
as nursing homes and hospitals. If all this sounds a little unusual, that's because it is. After all, didn't there used
to be signs on the door to keep dogs out of a sanitary place like a hospital?
Today, however, there is evidence that the presence of such animals can have a healthy
mental influence on residents, and their presence in care homes is expected to become more
common. And for those who are handicapped, properly trained dogs can provide practical
help in their daily lives -- enabling them to function more effectively and productively. Until now, there was no service to train such dogs in Kansas or even in the central
U.S. And that fact is part of the reason that KSDS came to be. Bill Acree is a native of Washington, Kansas. He owned and operated a local office
supply business there in the 1970s, but on the side, he and his wife became increasingly
interested in the concept of canine assistance. They raised puppies under contract for
others, and served as volunteers with the 4-H dog project. In 1989, the Acrees took a busload of 4-Hers and adults to a facility in Ohio where
such specialty dogs are trained. Bill met with the managers of the facility and told them
of the need for handicapped people back in Kansas to have assistance dogs. Their response was, "Why don't you move here and come to work for us?" Bill told them he wanted to stay in Kansas, and possibly set up a similar training service in Kansas. Their next response was, "Go raise a quarter-million dollars first. Don't call us -- we'll call you." It was all quite discouraging. Bill got back on the bus, and he told the other adults:
"This makes me mad -- these people simply don't care about the problems in
Kansas." Bill returned to the state with a new determination to prove it could be done. Hours
and hours of hard work were devoted to developing plans for this enterprise. Contact was
made with the Kansas Secretary of Commerce at the time, Harland Priddle. Some tough
questions were asked. And in the end, the state came through with funds to start the enterprise. In September
1990, Kansas Rehabilitation Services and the Kansas Department of Commerce made the
necessary grants. KSDS was underway. Today, KSDS has graduated its first class of three assistance dogs -- six months ahead
of schedule. The dogs have been placed with three wheelchair-bound young people -- and
what a difference it has made in their lives. Two of the clients are school-children. With
help from the dogs, they are back in school and enjoying more friends than ever before.
The third is a young woman in Wichita who is now employed in the private sector. Their
stories will tug at your heartstrings. Meanwhile, back in Washington, Kansas, Bill Acree and his staff are excitedly building
for the future. Their goal is to be able to train 100 assistance dogs a year, and make
them available at no cost to those who need them. Bill attributes their success so far to several factors. One is local support. After
KSDS demonstrated its business plan and economic benefits to the community, the town of
Washington provided financing, access to water, and cooperation with plans for expansion.
A local bank had acquired a restaurant that had closed, and made the building available to
them at a favorable rate. Private sector partnership was another key. The Iams pet food company is providing feed
for all the dogs free for the working life of the dog. The KSU Veterinary School
provides specialized assistance. The third factor is one especially important in rural areas. It is simply determination.
Many government programs may be biased against rural regions. It takes determination to
work one's way through the obstacles to reach the goal. One more point about this story. Bill Acree says that, during this long process, he was
asked the question "Why would you locate in Washington, Kansas?" However, it
wasn't the state or the private companies that were asking the question -- it was
the local people already there. The point is, sometimes rural people sell themselves short. All too often we don't
appreciate the advantages and benefits we have in rural America. Bill Acree sees these benefits first hand. He's "going to the dogs" in the
most positive sense. For the economic growth of his hometown, and in the lives of those
less fortunate across the state, he is making a difference. Rural Demographics Here's a trivia question for the day: What county in Kansas showed the most population
growth in the 1990 Census, compared to the previous census? The answer can help us
understand the impact of the value-added concept. While you think about our trivia
question, I'll describe some other population trends from the 1990 Census. Overall, Kansas had 4.4 percent growth in population, but since our rate of growth was
slower than some other states, we are losing one seat in Congress. As we dig deeper into
the facts about our growth rate, we find some very interesting patterns. According to the Bureau of the Census, there are nine metropolitan counties in Kansas.
Those are clustered around two cities: Wichita and Kansas City. These nine counties
experienced 10 percent growth during the decade. Of the remaining counties, those with
10,000 or more in population might be called mid-size counties. There are 35 of these, and
they held their own -- losing less than one percent of population. The remaining 61 most
rural counties in Kansas lost 8.6 percent during that same time. In general, then, rural counties lost more than eight percent in population while metro
counties gained 10 percent. Those are the averages. But averages tell only part of the
story. It's like the story of the two economists out duck-hunting. A lone duck flew overhead.
One economist shot high and the other shot low. As the duck quacked off into the distance,
one economist said to the other: "On average, that duck is dead.".... Averages tell only part of the story. Statewide averages mask the population shifts
within individual counties. For example, Johnson County by itself gained more than 30
percent in population during that same time. And Jewell County, up on the Nebraska border,
lost 18.9 percent in population. Roughly speaking, that's nearly a fifth of the population which was lost in a single
decade in that county. Other rural counties had population loss that was almost as great.
These demographic shifts depict the great challenges facing rural Kansas. But what about the answer to our trivia question? Which county in Kansas showed the
greatest population growth in the 1990 Census? The answer might surprise you. The fastest growing county wasn't Sedgwick, with Wichita
in it, or even Johnson County, near Kansas City. The fastest growing county was Finney
County, where Garden City is the county seat. Finney County is, in most respects, a rural,
agricultural county, yet it experienced 38 percent growth during the 1980s. The reason for this remarkable growth is a good four-letter word: Beef. The expansion of the beef-packing industry in southwest Kansas created a host of new jobs, and led to an influx of population. The result was the fastest population growth in the state. However, one shouldn't interpret this to mean that times are easy in Finney County. For
one thing, the jobs in the beef-packing plants are very demanding and there is typically
high turnover in those positions. Secondly, the dramatic growth has largely stabilized
since the early 1980s, and leveled off. Third, the industry is dependent on groundwater
supplies, which make possible the irrigated production of feed grains to feed the
livestock which provide the beef. What happens when that water is depleted? And finally,
the influx of population included very diverse cultures new to the region, such as
southeast Asian. The adjustment to multi-cultural diversity provides special challenges. Even with these caveats, Finney County deserves great credit for the accomplishments
and growth experienced there. This success shows the great worth of the value-added
concept. "Value-added" means the processing of a raw commodity into a
higher-value, more finished product, thus creating jobs. It means making wheat into flour,
for example. It means making fruit into jams and jellies. In Garden City, it means making
steers into steaks. The results have been more income and more jobs in rural Kansas. In various ways, large and small, value-added processing can be a key part of rural
economic development in Kansas. These strategies can make a difference in the demographic
patterns -- and help determine whether or not Kansas counties experience growth in the
future. Next time, we'll look at one Kansas entrepreneur who is making such a difference. Lee Reeve Today we'll look at a rural entrepreneur who is putting the value-added concept to
work. Lee Reeve's ancestors started ranching in the Kansas plains in 1882.
Great-great-great-grandpa would be amazed at what he would see there today. Garden City, in the southwest part of the state, is the buckle of the beef belt, with
one of the world's largest beef processing plants. Nearby, more than a million head of
cattle eat scientific rations in large feedlots. Southwest Kansas is a long way from urban areas. It is so far from the state capitol
and so disgusted with state taxation that in an April 1992 vote, a proposal to secede from
the state was approved overwhelmingly! Yet this rural, agricultural area was the fastest
growing part of the state in the 1980s. Finney County, of which Garden City is the county
seat, grew 38 percent in the decade -- faster than Wichita or Kansas City. "The growth is almost totally due to the beef-packing industry," says Lee
Reeve. "It is the epitome of the value-added concept." Value-added means the
processing of a raw commodity into a higher-value, more finished product, thus creating
jobs. Originally, the Garden City area was arid pastureland. Then dryland wheat came into
production. Several decades ago, as irrigation became more widespread, the area produced
feed grains which were shipped elsewhere for livestock feed. Then, innovative
entrepreneurs saw the potential benefits of keeping the grain locally and adding value by
feeding it to beef cattle. Cattle feedyards were established. When the cattle reached
optimum weight, they were shipped to packing plants elsewhere. Next, entrepreneurs recognized the potential benefits of having the beef processed
locally. This would also help the processing companies, since they would be close to the
cattle. When the packers recognized these advantages, the big boom came. Several
state-of-the-art processing facilities were built in the southwest Kansas region, and the
largest plant in the world was built in Garden City. This brought a huge increase in jobs, attracting workers from all over. "In 1985,
I heard a local school superintendent say that we had students speaking 22 different
languages in the school system," Reeve remembers. Today, unemployment in Garden City
is remarkably low. "Anybody who wants a job can get a job," Reeve says. This growth happened for several reasons. One major factor was research work done at Kansas State University on irrigation, feed grains, and feedlot cattle production. Another major factor was the vision and innovation of entrepreneurs and innovators, such as Earl Brookover. Lee Reeve himself is a modern-day example. After attending Kansas State University, he returned to the family farming operation and has diversified it. Like others in the region, he farms and runs a large cattle feedlot. But that's not all. In 1982, the family began operating a 2.5 million gallon fuel ethanol plant. Ethanol is
made from grain and sold as an octane enhancer; the byproduct is fed to cattle. The cattle
waste is spread on the cropland as fertilizer. And the water that is naturally heated by
the fermentation/distillation process is the right temperature for raising fish for
market. Only a true entrepreneur would be raising fish alongside of beef in the heart of cattle
country. It gives new meaning to the term "surf and turf"! It is a remarkable
circular system, developed by an entrepreneur with a vision for new opportunities. One opportunity is the application of the value-added principle in new ways in other
agriculturally-based communities. "We need alternative crops and alternative uses of
crops," says Reeve. For example, corn or wheat are excellent sources of starch which
can serve as a plastic substitute. "Hospitals are using bags made out of cornstarch
to hold laundry that's dirty or infected," Reeve says. The hospital crew can then
toss the entire bag into a washing machine and the cornstarch bag will dissolve in the
wash -- and even give the fabrics a little natural starch in the process! "There's
also a company making biodegradable golf tees out of starch polymers," Reeve says.
"If you break the golf tee, or lose one, no problem." Farmers could also grow other crops such as canola or rapeseed which can be crushed to
produce oil or fiber. "Canola is the darling of the cooking oils," Reeve says.
"It can also replace high quality, industrial lubricants that we`re currently
importing." Kenaf is another alternative crop. It is a fast-growing, low water-use fiber plant
which can be used in making newsprint. Reeve suggests the government should allow and
encourage farmers to raise more of these alternative crops on cropland otherwise idled
under government programs. The magnitude of Garden City's growth may not be duplicated elsewhere, but Reeve
believes the principles of value-added entrepreneurship can apply. "Too many people think economic development means writing another letter to the
Japanese inviting them to build a Toyota plant here because we have a nice city park.
That's not the way to do it. Look at what your community realistically has to offer.
You're a lot better off to create some industrialization from within." And that's the formula which agricultural entrepreneur Lee Reeve is using to make a
difference in rural Kansas. Marc Minear Someone has said that rural businesses are like fresh vegetables: you may get them from
somewhere else, but you might be better off to grow your own. That principle is important
in these times, when rural businesses face many challenges. Today we'll look at someone who helped make a business go. The business is located in
the western part of Wyandotte County. Marc Minear is an entrepreneur who has helped turn a business around. He knows
first-hand what it's like to strengthen a struggling business. He and his co-owners have
faced several challenges in connection with their retail enterprise. The first step was preparing a business plan to use to acquire their loan for the
business start-up. Marc said that their lender didn't take them very seriously at first,
but a well-prepared business plan made a big difference. The loan was acquired and the
retail business began. Times were tough, however. The business lost money the first year. Marc and his
co-owners used some innovative marketing techniques in the second year, involving their
customers in helping determine certain features about their product line. The second year
was quite successful. The business made money. Another challenge came when Marc and his co-owners needed additional capital. Rather
than going further into debt, they had the idea of selling stock in the business. This
idea succeeded also. They sold stock. Today they're paying dividends to the stockholders
based on the company's performance. Marc Minear has played a key role in this company's turnaround. But Marc had other
things on his mind also. For example, there was homework, plus the upcoming baseball game.
And then there was the matter of getting ready to graduate from high school. Yes, Marc Minear is no ordinary rural businessman. He is an entrepreneur -- and he's
also a high school senior. Jim Banister is a business education teacher at Piper High School in rural Wyandotte
county. He has been teaching units on entrepreneurship. As a class project, and with the
help of Fred Rice in the College of Business at Kansas State University, he encouraged his
students to set up a business of their own. The Piper school is not located downtown or in a highly developed area -- it's outside of the city where there aren't nearby private stores to sell routine school items to students. That created a market opportunity. Marc Minear and other students in the class proposed to set up a school store, which
would sell snacks and supplies - such as paper and pencils - to students and teachers at
the school. But just like older entrepreneurs, they needed financial backing first. And to
get that required a comprehensive business plan. Marc and his co-owners prepared such a plan, with help from their teacher. The lender
they took it to was the school district, and the loan committee - so to speak - was the
school board. The school board didn't take this whole project too seriously at the beginning, but
they came through with funds after hearing the business plan. Costs were high the first
year, in getting organized and acquiring supplies. The company decided to sell T-shirts,
and had to bear the up-front cost of developing a design. These costs contributed to a
negative bottom line. For the second year, the business got more customer input: Specifically, they asked
students to vote on several T-shirt designs, and the winning design was placed on the
T-shirts to be sold. All this was a class project. The stock certificates, for example, were not real. But
the money raised and the products sold were very real -- and so were the lessons learned
for this Kansas entrepreneur. More rural schools should encourage the Marc Minears of the world to give
entrepreneurship a try. Recruiting outside businesses to our rural communities is
important, but we should also develop the business opportunities already there. By
encouraging entrepreneurs like Marc Minear, and teachers like Jim Banister, we can grow
our own for the future of rural America. B. J. Smart Today we'll start by talking about the dreaded C-word. That C-word is consolidation --
with a capital C. When someone talks about consolidation of rural schools or counties or
local governments, those are fighting words. These institutions are very important to us
in rural America. It seems unspeakable to talk about consolidation, so someone has
referred to it as the C-word. But there is another set of C-words which we think can offer much benefit to rural
Kansas. These include cooperation, clustering, collaboration. They all mean people working
together to help each other. One year ago, the Southwestern Bell Foundation made a grant to the Huck Boyd Foundation
for a study of regional economic development through cooperation. The Huck Boyd Institute
worked on that study, and the printed report will soon be available. The study highlighted cooperative efforts now underway in rural Kansas. Over the next
several weeks, our program will intermittently look at some of these Kansas examples, and
today is the first. Can twelve towns in a single county cooperate to promote economic development? In
Washington County, they are doing so. "Shape Your Own Destiny." That statement would be an excellent motto anywhere
in rural Kansas, and it was the theme of a series of five area meetings held recently in
Washington County under the leadership of B. J. Smart. B. J. is the director of economic development for Washington County. Her county-wide
economic development effort is funded by a 1/2 mill levy. She works at promoting economic
development throughout the county. Her development work takes in a variety of activities, from hosting an industrial tour
to maintaining a job bank. It includes hosting "Fam-tours," which familiarize
travel specialists with attractions in the area. Her job also includes "Washington
County Day at the Mall," which sounds like a credit card frenzy but is actually a
time to display local crafts and talent at a shopping center in Manhattan. There are twelve incorporated towns in the county. Starting in June each year, they gear up for the annual "Twelve Villages of Christmas" celebration. It is promoted throughout the region, and each community develops its own displays. By pooling efforts, the attraction to outside visitors is greater. Each community is more likely to be visited by people who would otherwise not be in the region, were it not for the county-wide activity and promotion. It is an excellent example of the benefits of cooperation. B.J. gives credit for
success to the volunteers in those communities. "Without volunteers, our county could
not function," B.J. says. The keys to making cooperation work are to praise and
appreciate those who help on projects, says B.J., and to involve others in the
decision-making process. Cooperation works on a larger scale also. B. J. is involved in a number of multi-county
efforts. B.J. chairs the board of the Kansas Center for Rural Initiatives at KSU. She is also involved in the 12-county North Central Kansas Tourism Council and the
seven-county ACE-SCORE group. ACE and SCORE may sound like a bridge club, but they are
actually organizations of retired businesspersons who provide free consulting for SBA
business loan borrowers. ACE stands for Active Corps of Executives, and SCORE stands for
Service Corps of Retired Executives. Their cooperation makes this additional resource
available on a seven-county basis. "I'm a firm believer that counties can work together. It's a growing process, but
with everyone's efforts, it can be a possibility," B.J. says. That's what it takes,
and that's how cooperation is making a difference in rural Kansas. Southeast Kansas Today we'll look to southeast Kansas to learn what benefits might result from
cooperation in rural regions. How about saving 5 million dollars, for starters? That
number got my attention. It is one estimate of the amount which could be saved through
joint purchasing of natural gas for municipal facilities. Robert Walker, city manager of
Chanute, has been working on a possible project for such joint purchasing among 30 cities,
and he calculates this project could have multi-million dollar benefits. Typically, the impact of cooperation is not so dramatic, but even if not measured in
dollars and cents, it can have a significant benefit over time. Such regional development faces one big question: Is a county willing to spend its
money outside its own borders to benefit the region? The answer can be yes, if county
leaders can identify that such regional expenditures will bring a good return to their own
county in the long term. One example is a recent cooperative highway project for southeast Kansas. Highway 169
is being improved because people perceived the benefits throughout the region. City manager Walker says, "Eight cities and five counties put their money on the
line to match state funds for an enhancement project that will result in construction
primarily in Allen and Anderson counties. Ten years ago, I doubt if you could have gotten
the counties and cities together to even talk to each other about that, let alone sign off
on pledging their own money to support such a project. We all came together because we
perceive it is in our interest to do so." Walker goes on: "We all need a good highway system. The weakest part of that
highway affects all of us. If we can come together to improve that for our respective
communities, even though we might not see the concrete at the edge of our town, we'll all
benefit from it." That is a forward-looking view. Another example of regional cooperation is found in the Community Strategic Planning
Program offered by the state of Kansas. The Legislature authorized this program two years
ago to provide funds to counties or multi-county groups for the development of a strategic
plan for these counties. An individual town cannot qualify. It must be at least a county-wide group, which has encouraged cooperation within counties. And in southeast Kansas, the first-ever three-county planning grant was made. The application was a joint project of Allen, Coffey, and Woodson counties. Each county put together a broad-based committee of 35-40 persons from different walks
of life. Surveys of county residents were taken. Meetings to get input were held in each
incorporated town in the county. Then a three-county steering committee was formed,
meeting quarterly. Coffey County engineer Harry Hunsley is the chair of the three-county
group. Hunsley says, "The objective of this thing is to develop a plan of action that
would let us utilize joint resources that we have and achieve a shared benefit on a
regional, as well as a local, level. I think we're going to accomplish that." With help from the KSU Extension Service, the committees identified assets and
shortcomings. Issues identified in the tri-county area were 1) tourism, 2) quality of
life, and 3) industrial development and employment. Areas of additional need are regional
sanitary landfills, regional industrial waste sites, and regional 911. For such collaborations to work, an attitude of cooperation is essential. Dudley
Feuerborn, an Anderson County commissioner, sees this first-hand. "The two key words are cooperation and change," says Feuerborn. "My
mother grew up in a community in Anderson County north of Garnett. When people go back,
there's nothing there but a cemetery. Why did that community not prosper? Maybe because
they didn't accept change." And he goes on to say: "Small communities don't die. They commit suicide." Dudley Feuerborn sees cooperation as a way for rural communities to help themselves by
adjusting to change. For example, when reappraisal became a major issue, Anderson and Allen counties jointly
hired a single company to perform the function for both counties. "It was very
satisfactory," Feuerborn says. Cooperation also works on a regional basis. Multi-county efforts in which Anderson
County is involved include the 12-county Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission, a
5-county health department, a 6-county resource conservation and development district, and
the southeast Kansas district for juvenile detention. "I believe strongly in the quality of life in rural America," says Feuerborn.
"Mandated consolidation would not be accepted. We have to cooperate and work together
and unify to have strength and to prosper and to be ahead of change. To be successful,
cooperation among leaders is an absolute necessity." That's the type of cooperation that can make a difference if we will make it work, not
only in southeast Kansas but across rural America. Paula Shapland 1992 is an election year. The political candidates are spending millions on their media
advertising, and political analysts are worrying that government is "out of
touch" with the people. Maybe that's so in New York or LA. But come with me to Shelly's Restaurant in Ulysses,
Kansas, and you'll find a government that is in touch with the people. There each month
you'll find the county commissioners having lunch with the city council and the mayor.
This luncheon doesn't take place in some secluded room -- it's right there at an open
table where anyone can sit in. You don't have to present testimony. You don't have to hire a lobbyist. You just have
to walk over and sit down at the table. Not only is this a good example of encouraging citizen access, it's also a positive
model of governments working together. The Huck Boyd Institute's recent study on county
cooperation, which was funded by Southwestern Bell, makes the point that cooperation
starts with communication. With the leaders of the city and county meeting together on a
regular basis, good communication is fostered. Paula Shapland, the Ulysses city clerk, says there are several joint projects now
working in their area. There is a joint city-county landfill there, for example, and a
jointly funded law enforcement center. That doesn't mean that the law enforcement services
have merged, but the county sheriff is also the city chief of police and he oversees two
different units. Such joint management can save significant funds and encourage consistent
administration. The city and county are also jointly funding, along with the state, something called a
"corridor improvement project." That may sound like cleaning the hallway outside
your little boy's room, but it is actually an effort to upgrade the highways in the area.
A county road is involved along with the city streets, so good communication and joint
participation between city and county is a must. Ulysses is taking other steps to encourage citizen involvement. After a planning
session this spring, the city council decided to initiate a program of inviting citizens
to a regular council meeting each month. Ten households are randomly selected each month
and invited by letter to attend the meeting. If they RSVP back, an entire packet of
information is sent to them in advance of the meeting. Imagine that. You receive a letter from the city, and it's not a tax bill, a rate increase, or a new regulation -- it's simply an invitation to sit in on and participate in a regular city council meeting. It's hard to conceive of that happening in New York City or Chicago. Perhaps the most famous event in Grant County, however, occurs each year on the third
Tuesday of September. I'm talking about the Grant County Home Products dinner. Talk about
growing your own! This event consists of a dinner where all the food is grown and prepared
in the county. The menu includes roast beef, corn, scalloped potatoes, cole slaw, baked
pinto beans, candied sweet squash, whole wheat rolls -- excuse me, my mouth is watering --
cherry tomatoes, bread, watermelon, caramel popcorn, strawberry preserves, and something
unique -- milo doughnuts. Yes, I said milo doughnuts. As one who has driven a combine during milo harvest, I have
unintentionally eaten some milo dust in my day -- and if they can make that itchy stuff
into a tasty doughnut, they must really be good cooks. And apparently they are. The event has grown over the years and attracted statewide
attention. Paula Shapland says it started as a community dinner, and now it's turned into
a community promotion. All this requires a lot of cooperation. The Chamber of Commerce has
established a committee that works on the dinner year-round. And how much money does the city put into it? Not a penny. Farmers donate the produce
and private, voluntary organizations, such as service clubs and sororities, prepare and
cook the food. Gas and oil companies contribute funding. The evening program includes
entertainment as well. Tickets are sold for the dinner. Money that is raised goes into the Grant County
scholarship fund, which can be used by young people in the county to attend college. It is important to support young people in our communities and get them involved in a
variety of ways. Paula Shapland herself went to school in Ulysses and went on to college.
Although her scholarship wasn't from the Home Products dinner, the point is the same -- we
need to support our young people, and in doing so we may have a chance to bring them back
to our rural communities. And now, Paula is the city clerk. Last year the Home Products dinner raised $5,000 for the scholarship fund, and the
dinner has attracted as many as 2,200 people. That's a big deal in a town of 5500. And a crowd like that is bound to attract the politicians, which brings us back to
where we started. This grass-roots contact is part of what makes rural America great.
Through the cooperative efforts and community pride of the Paula Shaplands and others,
these local leaders are making a difference in rural Kansas. Hotel Josephine Welcome to the Hotel Josephine. Step in through the front door, and admire what you
see. Look at the old-time furniture and the classic art on the walls. In the corner, there's
a box grand piano, made in the 1880s. And there's a spittoon by the old wooden chair. The
hotel register is dated 1890. Let's step down the hall. In this room, there's a solid wood bedset. There on the night
stand is the remote control for the cable television, and around the corner in the
kitchenette is the microwave oven. Now, as the saying goes, what's wrong with this picture? Sure enough, something didn't
quite fit. In this 1890s hotel that I was describing, we suddenly find the technology of
the 1990s. This blend is part of the success of the Hotel Josephine. Don't look for the Hotel Josephine in Kansas City, or New York, or Boston. The Hotel
Josephine is in Holton, Kansas, a town of 3,196 people located in Jackson County, 26 miles
north of Topeka. There you will find a restored and modern Victorian hotel. George and Marjorie Gantz are the proprietors of the Hotel Josephine. They are natives
of the Holton area who moved away. George's career with General Electric took him away
from Holton for 40 years. Now he and Marjorie have returned, and they are making a real
contribution to enhancing their community. George combines a community spirit with the attitude of an entrepreneur. He saw the
need for the community to have a focal point, and saw the potential in the city's historic
past. The Hotel Josephine is part of that history. The hotel was named in honor of the builder's 9-month-old daughter, Josephine. Her 1908
high school graduation picture now hangs in the lobby. The hotel opened for business on January 19, 1890. Sure enough, the very first guest
register is on display in the front lobby, along with the box grand and spittoon. Those
were the days when several railroad trains a day stopped in Holton, and the guests
included boxer John L. Sullivan, future vice-president Charles Curtis, and Grover
Cleveland (between his presidential terms.) Other guests included Sam Rayburn and Carrie
Nation, and recently Kirsty Alley of TV's "Cheers" fame. The Hotel Josephine has operated continuously since 1890, but under different owners and different names. When the Gantz's took ownership four years ago, it was decorated in 1960s vintage. The Gantz's restored the original name and the Victorian interior design. At the same time, the hotel includes the modern conveniences of technology. "We try to create an atmosphere of a `home away from home,'" says George
Gantz. They cater to tourists and construction crews, and they get lots of hunters in the
fall. It also makes a nice getaway for families. Many tours of the hotel are conducted
daily. To me, all this is an example of an entrepreneur responding to the market opportunities
of today. A current trend is that many Americans are increasingly interested in our history, and
in getting in touch with our past. We appreciate and want to enjoy these classic things of
our ancestors. Yet we want to do so while enjoying the modern conveniences of the present --
especially if we have kids! They don't want to do without the convenience of the microwave
oven and the TV remote control. So an enterprise such as this, which offers both the
history and the modern conveniences, is an excellent effort to respond to these trends. In
doing so, George and Marjorie Gantz are making a difference in their community. As we leave the Hotel Josephine, we find that there's one thing that George likes
talking about even more than the hotel. And we'll talk about that next time. George Gantz George Gantz had a 40-year career in business. During that time, he and his wife
Marjorie lived in several major cities ranging from Boston to Seattle. When the time came
to retire, he and Marjorie had a decision to make. Where to settle down? They made the
decision. They chose rural Kansas. Actually, it was a homecoming. George and Marjorie are natives of the Holton area, and
after four decades away, it was back to Holton where they decided to retire. With the
perspective of coming home again after 40 years in other places, they had a new
appreciation for the good things about their hometown -- and some ideas on how it could be
even better. They also had a determination to overcome the many obstacles in the way of
their vision. George and Marjorie bought the historic hotel in the town and restored it to its
original Victorian design. But George saw the hotel as a resource for the community, not
just an enterprise for him and Marjorie. George felt such history could be a focal point for the community. His community spirit
is very strong. "I work on the hotel six months, and then I work on the town six months,"
George says. When he and Marjorie came back to town, they noticed the downtown sidewalks were in
disrepair. The downtown was having a hard time. Part of the reason was that Highway 75
goes west of the city and misses downtown. A bright new sign was constructed on Highway 75
to notify travelers of the downtown district. But the problem remained: what to do about repairing those sidewalks? There were those
who thought it couldn't be done, or felt there was no point in repairing them. But on June
12, 1992, the City of Holton celebrated the successful conclusion of phase one of the
brand new sidewalks. Here is how it happened. George Gantz and others in the community had a vision of a new
streetscape for downtown. But as George says, "If you told the same thing to ten different people, they
would come away with ten different versions." In an effort to develop a single visual
image that the entire community could rally around, George contacted an artist to draft a
sketch of a new streetscape. It included new brick sidewalks, vintage light posts, and
old-time park benches. In order to pay for all this, they proposed a "heritage walk." For a $35 donation, a person could have a brick engraved with his name or some other message. The sketch was shown to the Chamber of Commerce, city and county, service clubs, and
anyone who would listen to George. The bricks were promoted to high school alumni and
others. In the first year of fund raising, more than $50,000 has been raised. In the past two
months alone, nearly 4 thousand dollars in bricks have been sold. The new design on the
south side of the square is now complete. On June 12, the community celebration was held
in honor of the completion of this phase of the project. It included street dancing,
bluegrass music, games for the kids, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Here's a measure of participation: Organizers had ordered 800 hot dogs. By the end of
the day, more than 1,400 franks had been served, consuming every bun in town and lots of
bread! Now that's a measuring stick anyone can grasp. It's a sign of the community spirit that can emerge in a rural community. But so often,
that spirit needs someone with a vision to help it develop into reality. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the community celebration, the mayor of Holton
presented a special award to someone for his dedication to the heritage walk project;
someone who, he said, didn't know the meaning of the word "no" when it came to
overcoming the obstacles to the project. That person is George Gantz. Meanwhile, brick sales continue in hopes of putting in phase 2, a new streetscape on
the west side of the downtown square. And George's latest idea is refurbishing the
abandoned 21 acre park and lake on the north side of Holton. It's a trademark of someone who is making a difference in rural Kansas. Rice/Ellsworth Counties Today let's talk about the "Saturday night syndrome." That might sound like a
cheap handgun or something that gives you a hangover on Sunday morning, but in this case
we're talking about a term that relates to rural development. Someone has used the term "Saturday night syndrome" to describe the rivalries
which sometimes exist between rural communities. For example, a community may be saying,
in effect, "Since the team from the school in your town beat the team from the school
in my town last Saturday night -- and probably unfairly, I might add -- then I'm mad at
your town. I certainly wouldn't think of helping your town...." And your town
feels the same way about mine. Now, in my view, high school athletics and healthy rivalries are a lot of fun. They are
good exercise and learning experiences for the kids. They give a small town something to
rally around. They create an identity for adults in the community which can be especially
important in rural areas. But when the rivalry goes too far -- when the "Saturday night syndrome" gets
out of hand -- communities can miss some real opportunities to work together in a mutually
beneficial way. Some time ago, we set out to do a study of cooperative ventures which rural communities
could pursue to work together more effectively, share services, and save money. The study
was sponsored by Southwestern Bell, and the report from that study will be produced in
upcoming weeks. One excellent example of multi-county cooperation was identified early on. It was the
cooperation between Rice and Ellsworth counties. These two central Kansas counties are in two different highway districts and two
different economic development districts, yet they are next door neighbors. They have a
lot in common. In 1990, the Kansas legislature approved a state strategic planning grant program. The
program is offered through the Kansas Department of Commerce. A meeting on the new program
was held in Hays. Karl Gaston was one of those who attended. Karl is a publisher in Ellsworth. He
publishes the Ellsworth Reporter and Kansas Works, a monthly journal of the Kansas
economy. Karl was asked to attend on behalf of Ellsworth County. After hearing about the program, Ellsworth and Rice counties got together to apply jointly. And they were successful. They jointly received a grant, and they began the grass-roots process of strategic planning. With help from Kansas State University faculty through the Kansas Center for Rural
Initiatives, the two counties discussed key issues. Task forces were formed. Local
meetings were held throughout the counties. Surveys of local citizens were conducted. A
strategic plan was then developed, which identified three key areas of work: economic
development, tourism, and intergovernmental cooperation. Karl Gaston is a believer in these joint efforts, such as in tourism. "If we can pull them in to our area, there are things in both counties that will
benefit," Gaston says. "For years we've talked about a cooperative effort to
bring people in from I-70." This could involve special tours, billboards, or
brochures. As an example of joint action, the two counties set up a joint tourism booth at the
state fair. They promoted the historical and recreational attractions in the two counties,
such as land of Quivira, Santa Fe trail, General Custer's camp at old Fort Harker, and
Buffalo Bill's well. By pooling their efforts, the two counties had more attractions to talk about and more
resources to do it with. About 25 or 30 people helped man the booth. "It worked
really well," Gaston says. "It should probably be expanded to 5 or 10
counties." In terms of economic development, there are already several regional private sector
organizations at work. The 14-county South Central Kansas Economic Development District
and nine-county North Central Regional Planning Commission promote economic development
with counties in their respective regions. Joint efforts can have several potential benefits for private business. Karl Gaston
says, "We've talked about a cooperative health insurance program among industries in
the two counties. If we get 500-600 employees together, we could get a real good rate for
the people." These are examples where there is no need for competition among the communities.
Working together can have benefits for both of them. All this brings us back to the "Saturday night syndrome." Perhaps we can keep
our old school rivalries in perspective if we think about those young athletes competing
against each other. When the final gun or the last buzzer sounds and the game is over,
they shake hands with their former opponents. It's a demonstration of good sportsmanship
which can symbolize the new era of cooperation that is needed in rural Kansas. It's happening in Rice and Ellsworth counties, through the work of Karl Gaston and
others. This new spirit of cooperation is making a difference in rural Kansas. "Even if nothing else came out of it," Gaston says, "there was one
factor which resulted from the strategic planning process which made it all
worthwhile." And we'll hear about that next time. Pete Dalabal Think about a barn-raising in the early years of Kansas. The neighbors got together to
build a barn. The men built together, the women cooked together, and the project got done
in a way that would have been next-to-impossible for them to do individually. That old spirit of cooperation has found new life in rural Kansas. Like the pioneers,
county leaders are finding the benefits of helping each other. That was an element of the recent study of county cooperation in Kansas conducted by
the Huck Boyd Institute, with funding by Southwestern Bell. Two counties which were
identified early in the study for their excellent cooperative efforts were Ellsworth and
Rice counties. Pete Dalabal is a county commissioner in Ellsworth County. "We thought there might
be something to be gained by cooperation," Dalabal says. Ellsworth County and Rice
County jointly applied for and were awarded a state strategic planning grant. Such
cooperation is progressing very well in these two counties of central Kansas. "We decided we would have meetings with commissioners in both counties on a
periodic basis to see what areas we might be able to cooperate in and make our dollars
stretch a little farther," Dalabal says. This builds on the intergovernmental cooperation that had already occurred within
Ellsworth County. For example, a few years ago the senior citizens in Ellsworth purchased
a tract of land at a convenient location in town for a new facility for their center.
Unfortunately, an old, falling-down building was located on it. Dalabal says, "The county cooperated with the city and we tore that old building
down. With funds from the agency and a lot of volunteer labor, they've got a real nice
facility there now." The county has also assisted in relocating the city airport's runway when it had to be
moved due to the new prison. Townships have been assisted by the county doing work for
them on a cost basis. "Down the line we might be able to hire a joint county engineer that is actually a
registered engineer," Dalabal says. "We have what we call a road supervisor and
that's been pretty effective. But, there comes a time when it gets to be pretty
sophisticated and we may need an engineer's services." A joint county administrator
could even be a possibility. Meanwhile, what is the perspective from the other county? One Rice County commissioner put it this way: "We want to get on with cooperation, not mandatory consolidation. We are meeting with the Ellsworth County commissioners on a quarterly basis." The county road supervisors have shared equipment and ideas for years, and commissioners now meet together regularly. Joint hauling of road materials is a possibility. If Ellsworth needs to come to Rice County to buy sand and Rice County needs to go to Ellsworth County to buy rock, couldn't the same truck
take the material as it goes each way? Both counties are working on an enhanced 911 emergency response system. The necessary
equipment is costly, but each county would get a 10 percent discount if both would buy the
equipment. Spare parts for this system are costly too. A spare parts kit costs $9,500. The
spare parts wouldn't be needed frequently, yet a county dares not be without them. A good
solution is for the two counties to jointly buy one kit, and save each county half the
cost. Part of the enhanced 911 system involves mapping the county and identifying homes so
that emergency vehicles can reach them quickly. The Rice County ambulance director worked
on this process for his county, and now is going to help Ellsworth County. Not only will
this save an estimated $10,000, it will mean that the system is consistent if the
emergency vehicle would ever need to cross a county line. Sharing ideas can sometimes be as important as sharing the services or the equipment.
Many counties have a "buddy county" with whom they communicate. Rice County
would have spent $7,000 for a sign machine until checking with a neighboring county that
had one frequently idle. There are numerous examples of cooperation among towns also. For one, the city of
Ellsworth worked out a rental agreement with the city of Wilson to share their $70,000
streetsweeper. They truck it over there four times a year to sweep their streets. That
will meet their needs and save them spending $25,000 for a used piece of equipment. By themselves, these last four examples of cooperative efforts saved more than $40,000
in taxpayer's money. But if we're talking about costs, the big one coming down the pike is this: solid waste
management. Disposal of solid waste and future maintenance of landfills can be very
costly. New federal solid waste regulations establish very high standards, and the cost of
compliance will be significant. One source says the cost will be greater than any single
county's ability to pay. That means citizens will either have no service, or joint
landfills among several counties. As an example of the potential expenditures, the estimated cost of a new landfill liner
-- just one item in the system -- is more than $100,000. Currently, Rice County's budget
for the entire landfill is $60,000. In other words, the cost of replacing that single item
is greater than the entire current budget for the landfill! Cooperation may offer the best
alternative for dealing with such costs. Pete Dalabal and other leaders in Rice and Ellsworth counties are seeing where
cooperation may be of benefit. As one local citizen said of the joint strategic planning
process, even if nothing else came out of it, the cooperation between Rice and Ellsworth
county commissioners has been beneficial. That's the type of cooperation that those early Kansas pioneers would be proud of.
They're not building a barn -- they're building a better future. Such cooperation is
making a difference in rural Kansas today. Carol Wiebe Picture a man standing out in the rain....That could be a scene from the summer of 1992
in Kansas!....The man is wet, and all by himself. But also in the scene is a group of men
and women standing together and holding up a big umbrella which covers all of them. This
group is warm and dry and happy. Do you have the mental image? The slogan with this picture says, "Standing
Alone....Outstanding Together." By himself, the man had no protection, but all
together, the group could make an outstanding effort. Standing alone....Outstanding
together. That theme and design was part of an award-winning display produced by the Hillsboro
Development Corporation about the Marion County Economic Development Council. It
capsulizes the benefits of coming together...It suggests that outstanding things can be
accomplished when we stand with and support each other. Such a cooperative effort is a key part of the success of Hillsboro. Local leadership makes a huge difference. A key local leader in the Hillsboro region is
one Carol Wiebe. This is her story. Carol didn't necessarily have an auspicious beginning in Hillsboro, Kansas. She came
there with her husband and three baby boys in diapers. That would be a handful by itself
-- but on top of that, the three boys had the measles! If Mom can handle that, she can handle most anything...and sure enough, over time Carol
and her family made their mark on the community. Her husband became mayor, and served 20
years. Ten years ago, Carol became director of the Hillsboro Development Corporation. The corporation is involved in many economic development activities, including the
traditional recruitment and support of local businesses. But there are also some
out-of-the-ordinary things that come along every once in a while. For example...Rural Kansas is renowned for its good food, and rightly so. In March
1992, some rural Kansas foods found their way to an interesting place. The location was Washington, DC, the consumers were 30 United States Senators, and the
menu consisted of food from Hillsboro. Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum requested the food. She hosted the luncheon, and Carol rounded up the food. It was a collection of authentic Dutch-German ethnic dishes, shipped to Washington by air freight, overnight express. Hillsboro sausage was prepared by Senate chefs and served with mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, baked apples, peppernuts, honey, rye bread and zwieback. I hope this is all "brain food," if it was served to a bunch of
Senators....Maybe it will improve things in Washington! The point is that Hillsboro received this national recognition, because people there
were ready to take advantage when the opportunity came. There are 600 other communities in
Kansas which could have been called, but in this case, Hillsboro got the call because
local people had already built a capacity to respond. There was an economic development
and promotion organization already created, and a designated person to take responsibility
for it. Carol Wiebe is that person. And when Senator Kassebaum wanted genuine Kansas food, she
knew there was a person and a place to which she could go to get it. It is important for rural counties to develop a capacity like this, to organize and
prepare themselves for such opportunities, and to identify and support these leaders. One last example from Hillsboro: 24 years ago, a group of local women were having
coffee together and thinking about how to encourage cultural enrichment. They decided to
form an association to do so, and the association sponsored holiday home tours and worked
with Tabor College on special events. The group also sponsored an arts and crafts show. It
became an annual event. And today, the Hillsboro Arts and Crafts Association's Fair has become a phenomenon.
Last year more than 35,000 people attended the show -- more than ten times the 3,000
population of Hillsboro itself. One of the women who originally had coffee together and founded the arts and crafts
association is Carol Wiebe. Deena Hawkins, the current fair's director, is now 70 years
old and going strong. That's real commitment. The event attracts 400 exhibitors from 16 states. Last year one got in position to
enter the display area at 2:30 a.m. And you can understand why. The exhibitors sold more
than half a million dollars worth of arts and crafts, and the community sold approximately
$60,000 worth of food and drinks to the visitors. This year's event will be Saturday, September 19. Carol Wiebe says it requires a
tremendous amount of effort and cooperation among countless volunteers in the community to
pull off an event like this. She's right. That's what it takes. Standing alone, it wouldn't be possible, but Carol
and her colleagues are outstanding together. The result is making a difference in rural
Kansas. Standing alone....Outstanding together. Phil & Grace Springer When I go to the hardware store, I'm thinking about hardware -- hammers, wrenches,
power tools. Don't you? But when you go to Springer True Value Hardware store in Onaga,
Kansas, you see a couple of interesting signs by the door that don't have anything to do
with hardware. One says "UPS" -- there's a UPS parcel pick-up there every day. And the other
says "Dry cleaning" -- you can leave your dry cleaning there, and it will be
taken out to be cleaned and returned. All this doesn't sound like the "bucket of nails" you would expect to find in
a traditional hardware store, but it's an example of the ingenuity and community service
at work in rural America. This store is run by Grace Springer and her husband Phil. They
are very much oriented to serving their community. By serving as a single UPS pick-up point, they can save the local people a full pick-up
charge on outgoing packages. As for dry cleaning, there is no dry cleaner in the city of
Onaga, so it is a good service to collect cleaning there and take it to the cleaners in
Holton. In fact, you can get your scissors sharpened at Springer's hardware store too. Here is the story of the Springers and what they do for their rural community. When Grace was six years old, her family moved to Duluth, Kansas, so her father could
be the Lutheran minister there. Duluth is just five miles from Onaga. I don't know the
official population, but it sounds like compared to Duluth, Onaga looks like Chicago. Grace's family lived there until she was 13, and the family moved on. Grace grew up and
met and married Phil Springer. Phil was an Air Force fighter pilot. His 26-year career
took him to Alaska, Thailand, England, and a number of locations around the U.S. Phil even
flew missions over Vietnam. In 1976, Grace was back in Kansas for a visit. While coming through Duluth, she
happened to spot an old stone house for sale. To make a long story short, Grace and Phil
ended up buying that house, remodeling it, and returning there to live when Phil retired
from the Air Force in 1980. Grace says, "For 26 years we'd been living wherever his career took us. Now we
were going to live where I wanted to." The stone house is located just across the road from Duluth. I'm not sure if it would
be correct to call Duluth a "suburb" of Onaga, but I do know that these days
Grace and Phil commute from Duluth into Onaga -- it usually takes six minutes, unless they
have to wait for a train. Anyway, Phil was originally from a farm in Iowa, so he was not unfamiliar with communities like Onaga and Duluth. When the hardware store in Onaga became available for sale, Grace and Phil became the owners. Interesting things began to happen. The Springers remodeled the store, added inventory,
and changed the mix of items for sale. Today the traditional tools are still there, but
there is also more lawn and garden equipment, plumbing and electric supplies, and lines of
paint -- and don't forget the dry cleaning. Store hours were extended. Now the store is open from 8 to 8, and open Sunday
afternoons as well. The result? During the past ten years, business in the store has more than doubled. The store has gone from having one part-time employee to one full-time employee and
four part-time employees -- a significant factor in a town of 800 people. The community service ethic of the Springers is notable as well. Grace serves on the
local school board. Phil was president of the Chamber of Commerce 10 years ago, and Grace
is president now. Last April Onaga hosted a regional camper convention for three days. Seventy camper
units came to town, and the Chamber set up the entertainment for them. A hospitality tent
was made available, the band parents provided breakfast, and a city-wide garage sale was
held. Folks all over town held their garage sales on that day. The Chamber provided the
visitors maps to where the sales were, along with a key of what type of goods were
available at which sale. Now that takes coordination! The campers were so pleased
that they want to come back to Onaga next year. Grace says the key to success in her Chamber work is to pick good committee heads. If you ask Grace and Phil what message they have for people in other rural communities,
they say, "If you value your town and your way of life, you need to shop at home and
be involved in efforts to attract other people." There is increased interest in
moving back to small towns, Phil says, but we need to work at it. Grace says, we moved here from California and our friends out there wondered about that
decision. But this area is very pretty with the rolling hills and trees, and we have good
schools, recreation, and a hospital here to make the community attractive to retirees. Well, it's time to leave the hardware store. As we go, we take one more look at the
signs by the door, offering benefits which transcend the usual things you find at a
hardware store. They illustrate the key factor which makes rural entrepreneurs and rural
communities work. In a word, it is service: Service to the customer, and service to the
community. That commitment to service from Grace and Phil Springer is making a difference in rural
Kansas. Joe Berkely Here's a quick question: Where is the largest commercial creative art department
between Kansas City and Denver? If you guessed Lawrence, Topeka, or even Wichita, you're
wrong....but you're right if you guessed Dodge City, Kansas. How did Dodge City come to have the largest commercial art department in the state?
Well, it didn't grow there by itself, but rather as part of the development of the High
Plains Journal. The Journal is a Kansas-based publication which is now the fourth largest
farm magazine in America. It is a fascinating story, and it all starts with a young man from Chicago named Joe
Berkely. Joe grew up in Chicago and went off to medical school in the 1940s. When World War II
came, he was called into military service. Joe had some unique skills: he had learned to
pilot an airplane, and he knew how to speak French. Because of his flying skills, he ended up in the Air Force. And because of his skills
at speaking French, he ended up training pilots from France who had been sent to the U.S.
to learn about American planes. Their training site was Dodge City, Kansas. Joe had some close calls, flying airplanes in those days. And Joe vowed to himself that
when the war was over, he would live every day to the fullest. That is a part of his
philosophy of life. When the war ended, the time came to return to medical school or to Chicago. But Joe
had changed. He had married a Kansas girl, and the thought of trying to take her to the
south side of Chicago was just too much. Joe wanted to stay in Kansas. Joe had some press experience, so when a local weekly newspaper named the Dodge City
Journal came up for sale, he was interested. It became an interesting baptism into the
world of business. The man who was selling the business told Joe that the paper had about 2,000
subscribers, which should be able to make it pay. Joe thought he should verify that claim,
just to be on the safe side, so he went to the printing area to count the press run.
Unfortunately, the seller was one step ahead of him. Sure enough, the printing press ran
2,000 copies -- but Joe later learned that the seller had run that many copies on that day
just to convince Joe. Joe went ahead and bought the paper. He became the fifth person on the newspaper staff. And when he came on board, he found out the facts: The paper didn't have 2,000 paid subscribers -- it had just 132. Yes, I said 132. That was a blow. But Joe hustled ads and actively sold subscriptions locally. He says
he received a lot of community support, and over time, the paper grew. A local extension agent told Joe that there was no publication for farmers in the area.
Joe's newspaper started specializing in agricultural news and was renamed to be the High
Plains Journal. That was the genesis for the development of one of the leading farm
publications in the nation. Today, the High Plains Journal reaches 60,000 people across 10 states. The staff has
grown from the original five to 150 employees, now located from coast to coast. High
Plains Publishers, Inc., is a multi-million dollar company. Joe Berkely, the publisher, is the entrepreneur behind it all. His skills have led the
organization through many changes. An interesting thing happens when you take a tour of the High Plains Journal
facilities. As you walk through a department, your guide says, "This wall used to be
an outside wall of our building." And you walk into the next department, and the
guide says, "This wall used to be an outside wall of our building..."
Over and over this happens, and you realize the building they occupy in Dodge City has
gone through eight building additions to accommodate the growth of the business. Besides
producing the Journal, their current enterprises include commercial printing, an
advertising agency, insurance sales, and a telemarketing operation. Not only is the High Plains Journal the fourth largest farm news magazine in the
nation, it is the highest priced farm publication and has the highest number of inches of
advertising of any like publication. If you visit with Joe, you hear two themes: One, he describes his organization not as a
print shop, but as a service organization. Joe says, "For us to succeed, we have to
be of service to the farm people and those who do business with them." The second
theme is that it is "people" that have made the Journal so successful...the
people who built it, the people who work there, the people who subscribe, and the people
who support it. Joe Berkely is now 74 -- a very active 74....and during his years he has built one of
the most successful agricultural publishers of today. He continues to practice his
philosophy of living each day to the fullest. His commitment to serving people, plus hard
work, hustle, and the keen eye of an entrepreneur are making a difference in rural Kansas.
Brenda Beringer Today's topic is "attitude adjustment." Now, that term makes some people
think of happy hour at the local tavern. For other people, it might suggest a two-by-four
upside of the head. But today, we're talking about an adjustment of mental attitude among
local people concerned with economic development. Brenda Beringer is director of Wallace County Economic Development. Wallace County is
on the western Kansas border with Colorado. It has one of the smallest populations of any
county in the state. Brenda says she officially works in "economic development" but a more
accurate title would be "community development" -- and the optimum title would
be "attitude development." Why attitude? Because it all starts with a mindset. Brenda says, "We need to
develop a practice of looking beyond today, of being a visionary people." Such a vision led people in Wallace County to take steps to improve their future. Five
years ago, local leaders in the county -- including some you might not expect, such as the
local Methodist minister -- advocated creation of a county-wide economic development
agency. Today that entity has broad-based support, receiving funding from the county, the city
of Sharon Springs and the city of Wallace, the township of Weskan, Chambers of Commerce
and private donations. This same visionary attitude led people in Wallace County to think strategically about
their future. They became pioneers in strategic planning. When the state developed a grant
program for the development of county and multi-county strategic plans, Wallace County
joined Greeley County in applying. They were successful. Their joint project was one of
the first multi-county grants awarded in the very first round of the program. The counties jointly developed plans for working on four key issues: education, health
care, economic development, and accessibility of local government. Brenda feels that the work with Greeley County has been highly successful. She says,
"The success comes in the relationships that have developed among individuals." In her view, the most important factor in developing these plans can be summarized in two words: grass-roots. "I feel very strongly that it's got to come from the people," she says. Their
plans were developed with lots of local input and participation. She estimates that nearly
30 percent of the people in the community actively participated in the process -- a feat
that would be impossible in a more heavily populated county. The state grant to develop the plan was for approximately $16,000, which had to be
partially matched by local funds. Grant recipients in other parts of the state spent their
money on outside consultants. Brenda and her group developed their strategic plan
themselves. As a result, not only did they have more psychological ownership of the
product, they had money left over which they were allowed to use to expand the process and
take certain initiatives. Having a visionary attitude can lead one to develop new partnerships. Brenda is
involved with a new one as part of an economic development strategy for her region. Brenda is on something called the 40-94 committee. That might sound like your high
school reunion planning committee, but it's not. It's a group promoting tourism along an
alternative route from I-70 to Colorado Springs. A traveler going to Colorado Springs on I-70 can stay on four-lane all the way almost
to Denver, and then he can take the four-lane south to the Springs. Or, he can take a
shortcut. The shortcut is to take I-70 to Oakley and then turn southwest on Kansas Highway 40,
which goes through Sharon Springs. Once the traveler gets to Colorado, he or she can take
Highway 94 to Colorado Springs. Brenda and her group are promoting the shortcut. Her group takes its name from the
numbers of the two highways: 40 and 94. The benefit of this route is that the traveler can
save some miles and see some sights along the way. Brenda and others are promoting the 40-94 route through a brochure and an interstate
highway sign which have been cooperatively funded by communities along the route. Good things can happen when people work together. One local businessman told Brenda
that he advertised in their new brochure promoting this route, and his business increased
ten-fold. Now her committee is trying to get the two state highway departments to work together
on an improved state entryway. She says it's the government that has been the biggest
hold-up. Maybe these states could learn something about cooperation from some local
leaders. Brenda has been a key leader in bringing all this about. She was raised in Goodland. She got married and lived in St. Francis for several years before moving to Sharon Springs. She had been there seven years when Wallace County Economic Development was formed, and she became its first and only director. One of her strengths is that she has credibility. She is a local person. She knows
first-hand the challenges of life in western Kansas....and she's not some big city
economic developer brought in from outside. But more than that, she believes in the need
for an attitude of vision and action. When asked her advice for other rural communities, she says, "Don't be afraid to
talk to each other. Burnout in rural areas is a big issue. We need to work together and
help each other. If we can learn to work together, we can save ourselves a lot of grief
and make a lot of progress." That's attitude adjustment. In fact, it's positive attitude development, and it's
making a difference for rural Kansas. Wallace County Today let's visit a truly rural part of the state -- an area that is absolutely,
positively, undeniably rural. By definition, a rural area is one with less population than
a more urban area. So what county in Kansas has the fewest people of all? The answer is found in far western Kansas on the Colorado border. The smallest county
in population in the state is Greeley County, and the next smallest is its next door
neighbor to the north, Wallace County. Let's try to put the population numbers in these counties into some perspective. Sedgwick County has a population of more than 400,000. Johnson County has 355,000.
Wallace County has 1,821 -- less than half of one percent of the population of Sedgwick
County. Of course, Wallace is one of the 105 Kansas counties -- but it has less than one tenth
of one percent of the total population of the state. Let's look at population density -- defined as the average number of persons per square
mile in a county. According to the Kansas Statistical Abstract, the population density of
Riley County, for example, is 110 persons. In McPherson County, it's 30 persons per square
mile. In Sedgwick County, 404 persons per square mile. In Wyandotte County, 1,070 persons
per square mile. In Wallace County, it's two.....that's right, two as in 2.0. Two persons per square
mile. In population density, Wallace County ranks 105th out of 105 counties. That is truly rural....absolutely, positively, undeniably rural. How do you cope, when
you're that size? How do you manage, when you have the fewest folks per square mile in the
entire state? The answer is, you use your ingenuity. Five years ago, Wallace County leaders had the foresight to establish a county-wide
economic development organization. They hired a director and have worked hard and
creatively to strengthen the region. The county and communities within it have sought out creative solutions to meet their
needs. For example, Sharon Springs is the county seat, with 982 residents. When Sharon Springs lost its only doctor, town residents couldn't find another physician they could afford. Where were they to find medical care? The answer to that one came in cooperating with neighboring counties to the north and south. Sherman County, on the north, and Tribune, in Greeley County to the south, have
established a rural health care clinic in Sharon Springs. The two clinics are staffed with
physician's assistants. Doctors come in to the clinics from the other two counties on a
regular basis. Certain government services are also being shared. The appraiser in Sharon Springs has
a contractual relationship to be the Wallace County appraiser. He also has contracts to be
appraiser for other counties, such as Wichita -- that's Wichita County, population 2,758,
not the city of Wichita with a population of a quarter of a million plus. Then there are the multi-county, regional efforts. The 18-county Northwest Kansas
Planning and Development is an example. Community corrections is a good issue for such regional cooperation. Commissioners from
the 18 counties meet monthly to discuss these issues. Prisoners from Wallace County are
now being taken to jail in Goodland when needed. And then there is the cooperation between these two counties, Wallace and Greeley, the
two smallest counties in the state. On the Wallace-Greeley County line, a bridge needs to be replaced. This is estimated to
be a $185,000 project. The two counties jointly worked to get the project funded by the
Kansas Department of Transportation and are splitting the cost of the county share. The result is that the bridge is getting built, and the county has cut its cost in
half. That's especially useful when the population count is falling, and there are fewer
taxpayers to carry the load. Even if you added the population of Wallace and Greeley
counties together, they would still be smaller than 88 of the counties in Kansas. That means cooperation is especially important for our smallest counties. It expands
the resources that are available to serve their people. Such collaboration is a good strategy for rural counties. That's one basic conclusion
of a recent study done by the Huck Boyd Institute. We looked at counties like Wallace and
Greeley, and found many examples of effective ways that rural community leaders are
helping each other. Such cooperation is making a difference in rural Kansas, and it's
especially important in those counties that are absolutely, positively, undeniably rural. Loren Dinkel Our story today begins with a piece of pie....Now that's my kind of story! This pie was brought to a board meeting of the farmer cooperative in Russell, Kansas --
and it wasn't just for eating! It was used to make a point. The man who brought it cut one
slice out of the pie, and he said, in effect, "This is the share of the food dollar
that you farmers are receiving. It's not a very big slice. You need to get more than that
share of the pie, and the way to do that is to process your farm crops into a
higher-valued product." He is right. That example symbolized the need for a value-added farm and food strategy.
Since then, that co-op has taken the lead in pursuing such a project for their community. Loren Dinkel is the manager of that farmer-owned co-op in Russell, named AGCO Inc. He
has been a key leader in advocating an agricultural processing project to benefit the
region. What's especially interesting is that he's been doing that for a long time. Loren Dinkel was born and raised on an Russell County farm. He started with AGCO, the
local co-op, in 1958 -- before most current K-State students were born!....Sorry about
that, Loren.....In November of 1959, he became manager of AGCO. The years since have been turbulent times for agriculture. But how has AGCO fared?
According to the Arthur Capper Cooperative Center at Kansas State University, AGCO is
today one of the highest performing, if not the highest performing, co-op in the
state of Kansas. Not only has Loren managed a successful business and served his community as mayor, he
and his wife managed to raise seven kids. One of those happens to be an assistant
professor of social work at K-State. She informed us that four years ago, Loren received
the Dreyer Award from Farmland Industries. Farmland is the nation's largest regional farm
supply and food marketing cooperative. It is owned by nearly 2,000 local cooperatives in
19 midwest states. The Dreyer award is the most prestigious award given to a Farmland co-op manager. Out
of 2,000 co-ops nationwide, Loren Dinkel was the one selected for the award. Loren is quick to give the credit to other people. "I've been blessed with a good
board of directors over the years," he says, "and they've given a lot of
leadership. Consequently," he goes on to say, "we've had lots of good loyal
customers." But what about the piece of pie? Loren has worked for a lot of years on handling
farmer's grain and meeting their business needs. He could see that more was needed in the
rural economy. He and many others did a lot of work on possible projects to help expand
that slice of the pie. And then came September 12, 1992. The Kansas State Fair. At the fairgrounds, the
president of Farmland Industries and Russell native son Senator Bob Dole announced plans
to build a wheat processing plant in Russell, Kansas. Also attending was a very pleased
Loren Dinkel. This new plant will create 35 to 40 jobs in the Russell area and will process 4.25
million bushels of wheat a year. The wheat will be processed into starches, livestock
feed, and something called "vital gluten." I thought maybe that meant there was
such a thing as "less important gluten," but I learned that "vital
gluten" is the term for a natural food protein used in multi-grain, high fiber and
specialty breads -- just the sort of thing your mother tells you to eat. Loren points out that 50 percent of the wheat gluten now used in this country is
imported. With this new plant, we will have an additional domestic source of this high
protein product, a new market for hard wheat in Kansas, and the creation of jobs in an
area that sorely needs them. Local initiative was a key to moving this project forward. When the project was
considered, it was clear that the cost of infrastructure was an obstacle. Then the city
and the county stepped in to help. "Cooperation with the city and the county has been excellent," Loren says.
The partnership extended to private, local and federal funding to make the project go. The
regional entity, Northwest Kansas Planning & Development, played a key role in
securing the funding. You might have said "the redcoats are coming" when you saw the local leaders
from Russell at the state fair. Their ambassador's group wears trademark red blazers to
highlight and promote their community. It's a symbol of their active commitment. So what can other communities learn about the decision to build the plant in Russell?
If Farmland does business in 19 states, why would they choose Russell as the site? One obvious reason is that it is tailored to the natural resources of the region -- the
heart of the wheat belt. Farmland also cited the zeal of the city and county leaders as a
reason for deciding to build the plant there. A vital factor is commitment from the local
level. I find this very instructive. Joint ventures are increasingly important in business
today. Farmland or other businesses are going to go where the local people are willing to
invest in themselves and join the business in sharing the risk. In addition to the city and county, AGCO itself is committing a million dollars to the
project. Many other details, and no doubt obstacles, remain to be worked through. But it's exciting for someone who has worked on economic development and value-added
processing for a long time....someone like Loren Dinkel. When asked for his advice to other communities, Loren says "The single most
important quality is perseverance. You just can't quit." And that's the kind of commitment that is making a difference -- that is expanding the
share of the economic pie -- in rural Kansas. Garden City What is the most "cosmopolitan" city around Kansas? Well, if by cosmopolitan
we mean sophisticated, many people would think of Kansas City as our most cosmopolitan
community. But who do people in Kansas City consider most cosmopolitan? Some time ago, the Kansas City Star stated that the most cosmopolitan community in
Kansas is Garden City. Some people might find that surprising. Cosmopolitan has several meanings. My dictionary includes a definition that says,
"Of the entire world or from many parts of the world." In that sense, Garden
City is truly a cosmopolitan community. The Kansas City Star is right. Garden City has become cosmopolitan as the influx of
immigrants over the past decade have made it a remarkably international ethnic community. The primary reason is the tremendous growth in beef-packing in and around Garden City
during the 1980s. The growth produced jobs, which attracted immigrants. In ten short years, the prairie town of Garden City was transformed. Today it is a
multi-cultural community including southeast Asian refugees such as Vietnamese, Lao,
Cambodian and ethnic Chinese, and Hispanic migrants from Mexico and Central America. How
does a rural community cope with such change? Carol Young says a key part of the answer is helping people appreciate each other as
individuals. Carol is the area home economist and program specialist for the southwest
region of Kansas. She was hearing from county agents of the need for additional training
in helping diverse populations of people. Carol contacted Dr. Donna Skinner, the coordinator of minority students at Garden City
Community College, and the result was a five-state conference on multicultural diversity
held in Garden City. Carol herself grew up in Fowler, Kansas, in Meade County. She had been a county agent
in three counties in Kansas before coming to Garden City. She says, "Early in my life, I wanted to travel around the world and see people
from all different countries. Now I'm finding that these people are all around us." Signs of the diversity in Garden City are everywhere -- and I mean that literally. The
tornado warning signs in public buildings, for example, are printed in three languages --
Vietnamese, English, and Spanish. You will find similar translations on signs at the
drivers' license office. On a street corner in Garden City, one can look down the street and see the Grain Bin supper club. That's not so unusual. Look just beyond it, and you'll see an authentic Mexican restaurant. And beyond that, is Kieu's Vietnamese market and clothing store. Where but in America? Diversity is found in the churches as well. For example, not many western Kansas towns
have a Buddhist temple, but Garden City does. In fact, the Catholic churches there offer
mass in Spanish and Vietnamese as well as English. All this requires a broadening of the mind. One attendee at the multicultural
conference was a woman dentist from Dodge City who is learning Vietnamese to help
communicate with and attract new patients. In the public schools, it is estimated that this fall Anglo-American students will be
less than 50 percent of the total. Think about that one. The school still has minority
students, as it has had for years, but now it is the Anglo-American students who are the
minority. I asked Carol a tough question: With all these different cultures, why is it that LA
had racial riots and Garden City did not? She replied that steps were taken early on in
Garden City to deal more effectively with diversity there. The Ministerial Alliance
recognized this as the immigrants were starting to come, and they worked with the police
departments and service groups to build awareness of the different cultures and provide
interpreters to help. Unlike St. Louis, for example, Carol says that Garden City is not segregated into a
black section of town, a Hispanic section, and so forth. Instead, housing varies according
to economics. Some homes are larger or newer than others, but they are occupied by
residents of similar financial position but with a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Carol says there are several positive ways to deal with the various cultures. One is to
celebrate the holidays and festivals which are a part of each of them. As a result, not
only do you have Christmas and New Year, you can celebrate Cinco de Mayo for the Spanish
independence day and Tet for the Vietnamese new year -- and they do, in Garden City. It seems sort of unfair to me. They're getting more holidays than I am....These
colorful parades and festivals are fun and open to all. In fact, last year the Asian
dragon dancers participated in the Spanish parade. A sociologist might call that
cross-cultural interaction. You and I would call it fun. Ethnic foods are another positive way to bring together and enjoy various cultures. St.
Mary's church in Garden City sponsors an international festival, which includes food
booths offering delicacies from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Another factor that helps bring representatives of different cultures together is our
children. This was observed by Dr. Janet Benson, a K-State professor who was one of six
Ford Foundation scholars to study the changes in Garden City. Dr. Benson points out that
people of every culture are concerned about their children, and so they can unite on such
issues as schools and youth activities. And finally, why does all this matter? The answer is that ethnic diversity is an emerging reality in our global society, at least for our children, whether or not it happens as quickly or dramatically to your town as it did to Garden City. Here's what Urban Anthropology magazine had to say: "We believe that Garden City
is a window to the possible future of rural and small-town America. It has already
experienced the industrialization and increasing ethnic and cultural diversity that many
predict for the next century. The lessons learned in Garden City over the last decade may
greatly benefit other communities facing similar challenges in the years ahead." And what is Carol Young's advice to other communities dealing with diversity? She says,
"Fear is most people's first reaction to something different. We need to get past
that, and see the positive opportunities which something new can offer. There is so much
to be learned and gained from cultures in addition to our own." That kind of forward-looking view is making a difference in Garden City and in the
global, cosmopolitan world of the future. Larry Lysell Larry Lysell is a rural school superintendent. You can tell by his business card. You see, there's his name and title, the school name printed in school colors, and a
picture of the school mascot. But wait a minute. There's also a picture of a different school mascot on this card.
And another school's name, printed in a different color. What kind of business card is this? What kind of school superintendent is this? The answer is, it's a unique one. Larry Lysell is the only superintendent in the State
of Kansas to have this same post for two entirely different school systems. In other words, one person is superintendent for two schools -- the only such person in
the state. That one person is Larry Lysell. Larry received his B.A. degree from Marymount College and his masters degree from
K-State. After graduating, he was a teacher, coach, and administrator for St. John
Military School for 14 years and then principal of Wilson High School for three years. Then he and his wife and two daughters moved further west for him to become
superintendent and K through 12 principal at Grainfield, Kansas. This is the Wheatland
school district, including the towns of Park, Gove, and Grainfield. He had served Wheatland for two years when he came to the annual rural and small
schools conference at K-State a year ago. There he heard about a superintendent in Iowa
who served two different schools. The idea was interesting, because Larry's school was
considering putting a separate principal back in. This would allow more flexibility for
Larry to be superintendent for another school. The chairman of the school board at Grinnell, a neighboring district, had ridden to
K-State with Larry for this conference. On the drive back, they talked about the
possibility of sharing the superintendent position at some time when both districts might
be seeking a superintendent. In December, the Grinnell superintendent tendered his
resignation so the idea was brought up again. After a joint meeting, in January 1992 the Grinnell school board discussed the issue of
sharing a superintendent and came to a conclusion: They turned it down. It wasn't right
for them. But lo and behold, a month later the school district on the other side of Wheatland
approached them to pursue the idea. The Quinter school district and the Wheatland district
got together and met jointly. Larry Lysell became superintendent for both. Larry points out that, in total, the schools are spending as much or more in administration than two years ago, because the position of principal was restored. However, compared to the cost if that position would have been restored anyway, the schools saved approximately $28,000 of the taxpayer's money by splitting the cost of the superintendent. Now what about the logistical challenges? Too often these joint efforts degenerate into
feelings that one group lost and the other won. It is vital to treat both school systems
fairly. So which town gets the superintendent's office? A solution was found. The town of Park -- population 150 --was located between the two
school systems. There was a grade school there, but it had been closed two years ago. The
gymnasium there remained open, however. That made it possible for Larry to open his office
in what would have been unused space, and treat both school systems fairly. Larry has organized himself to serve both schools. His calendar looks like a rainbow.
School events for Quinter are marked in blue. School events for Wheatland are marked with
a W. Other events are marked in red. Out-of-town meetings are marked with a yellow
highlighter. There are other challenges. Serving two different school boards is bound to be a
challenge. But this innovative experiment seems to be working well. People in these communities cherish their children. One woman told us of working on a
project with a man in Quinter. He was driving with her through town and happened to see
two little boys, one with a concerned look on his face and the other with his head down. Now, if you see that in a big city you keep on driving. You don't dare get involved.
But in Quinter, the man stopped his truck to see what was the matter. Neither boy was his
own son, but he stopped anyway. He found that one little boy had hit the other little boy
in the head with a book bag. So the man made sure the little boy was all right. But he didn't stop there. He stayed
and made the two boys shake hands before he went on. He cared enough to not only make sure the boy was medically all right, he provided the
discipline and moral leadership to make the two boys reconcile with each other. It's a
great lesson for life. To me, it is also a demonstration of caring that is special and
unique to our small towns. Larry says, "There's an old saying: When you lose your school, you lose your town.
I see just the reverse," he says. "When you lose your town, you lose your
school. We're losing towns faster than we're losing schools." He has a point. Rural communities and the schools that serve them face serious
challenges. One speaker to the 1992 rural schools conference at K-State put it this way:
If there was a map of the U.S. showing those counties which lost population marked in red,
the midwest would look like it has scarlet fever. I have such a map in my office -- and it
does. How do we overcome these challenges? One way is by working together. That's what the folks in Wheatland and Quinter are doing. Not only are they sharing a
business card, they are sharing a school superintendent -- with the goal of serving their
children with even greater efficiency. It's building a better future, and it's making a
difference in rural Kansas. Valley Falls school "Gee Mom, give me a paintbrush and shovel -- I have to do my homework for
school..." Does that sound a little unusual? It does to me. Usually, school homework means books
and pencils, not shovels and paintbrushes. But one rural school is approaching its mission
a little differently. The school district in Valley Falls, Kansas, is trying a new approach. It is involving students with the community as part of their education. Students get not |