Faculty Memorials
Special mention is given to these four long-time SWHS teachers who retired after the 1960-1961 school year. You might say that they graduated with the class of 1961.
W. Lawrence Cannon, 95, of
Marjorie Steele Patterson was born in Nebraska in 1896. She attended KC Junior College, then received her BA in Spanish at the University of Kansas in 1922; and a Masters degree in Spanish from KU in 1925. Her master’s thesis is titled "William Dean Howell's Relation to Spanish Literature." Marjorie married Paul B. Patterson Sept 24, 1922 in Kansas City.
Margaret Livingston Taylor was born in California on July 10, 1900 to Eudora Russell Taylor and Ralph Livingston Taylor. She graduated from Emporia High School in 1917. In 1921 she graduated with a Ph. B. degree from The University of Chicago, where she was First Cabinet YWCA, vice-president of the W.A.A. board, and also played on the school’s baseball, hockey and basketball teams. She was on the faculty at Paseo and Northeast high schools before coming to Southwest. Margaret passed away in October 1972 in Lees Summit, Missouri.
Services and Burial for Mabel B. Adams, 90, Lawrence, KS, formerly of Raytown, MO, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 31, at Floral Hills Funeral Home, Blue Ridge & Gregory, Raytown, MO. Friends may greet Family from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Funeral Home. Mrs. Adams died Friday, May 25, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
She was born on March 26, 1911, in Greensboro, NC, daughter of Nannie Lee Ore and Jerry Edgar Loman. She moved to Wellsville, KS, when she was one month old, later to Ottawa, KS, and lived the rest of her life in Missouri and Kansas. She married Alfred Adams on September 27, 1930. He died in 1983. Mrs. Adams was employed by the Kansas City School District and became Registrar at Southwest High School. She was a member of Countryside United Methodist Church of Raytown. Survivors include one son, Don Adams of Lawrence; one sister, Myrtle Spangler of Sammamish, WA; one nephew; one niece; three grandchildren; and six greatgrandchildren. The Family suggests Memorials be sent to Countryside Methodist Church of Raytown, or City Union Mission, Cumcito children's camp Program.
Kansas City Star - May 30, 2001
Born Helen Isabell Hird on February 25, 1925, in Douglas County, KS, to Ethel Richardson Hird and Arthur Hird, she graduated from the University of Kansas in 1946 with a degree in Spanish. She married James Radcliffe Afflick III on April 19, 1946.
From the Lawrence Journal-World April 28, 1996:
"Helen has retired from her career as a language arts teacher in the Shawnee Mission school district and has relocated to Lake Oswego, Oregon. She now enjoys community and church work, book discussion groups, and travel. Through the years, she has held various offices in organizations, including the association of University Women, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Colonial Dames. She reared three daughters. Her husband and classmate at KU, James, is deceased."
Miss Sarah Helen Anderson, 87, Boulder, Colo., former area schoolteacher, died Wednesday [January 28, 1981] at a nursing home in Boulder.
Miss Anderson was a Latin teacher at Southwest High School before she retired. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church, Boulder. She was graduated from Baker University, Baldwin, Kan.
She was born in St. Louis and had lived in this area until moving to Boulder in 1960.
Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the Memorial Park Cemetery, Kansas City.
Kansas City Star - January 30, 1981 Born on June 12, 1893 to the Reverend Eli P. Anderson and Emma Anderson, Sarah Helen Anderson graduated from Baker University in 1915. Her first job was at Marionville College in Marionville, Mo., where she taught history and mathematics. Subsequently, she taught Latin at Atchison High School before obtaining her masters degree in Latin at Columbia University in 1921. Thereafter, she taught Latin at Central High School, Madison, Wisconsin, before taking a leave of absence in 1924 to study in Europe. Returning to Kansas City, she taught Latin at Central High School before moving to Southwest High School in 1934.
She retired after the 1959-1960 school year and moved to Boulder, Colorado to live with her sister, Mary Vincent Anderson. Sarah Helen had two brothers, Ross E. Anderson, and Mills Anderson, who at one time was the minister at Broadway Methodist Church in Kansas City.
Her father’s entire ministry was in Missouri and he served churches at Marshall, Kansas City, St. Louis, Sedalia and Nevada and also served as presiding elder of the Carthage district shortly after 1900. He later was superintendent of the Kansas City district. He is credited with having organized more Methodist churches in Kansas City than any other pastor.
Robert B. Armour, 91, south Kansas City, MO, died Wednesday, May 17, 1995. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, May 20, at Mount Moriah and Freeman Chapel; burial in Mount Moriah Cemetery. Friends may call 10-11 a.m. Saturday at the chapel. Memorials are suggested to the Masonic Home West Solarium, c Mrs. Louise Meffert, 3681 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, MO, 63108-3390.
Mr. Armour was born in Kansas City, MO. He was a teacher and coach in the Kansas City Missouri School District for 49 years (1923-1972). He coached at Paseo High School and taught at Southwest High School. He was minister of Budd Park Christian Church, past Grand Patron of Grand Chapter of Missouri O.E.S. 1944.
He was 33rd Degree Mason and a member of the Scottish Rite Bodies.
He was past YDad Z Order of Rainbow Girls and Legion of Honor Demolay, past W.O.S. of Nazarene Shrine, past Master York Lodge w563 AF & AM. He was preceded in death by his wife, Grace Armour, in 1979.
Kansas City Star - May 19, 1995
Daughter of Sarah Frances Harrington Bell and stepdaughter of Alexander Selkirk Atwood. Her birth name was Carrie Bell, but over the years she also used the first name of either Carolyn or Caroline. (When she began teaching at Southwest High School in 1925, she was Carrie Atwood.) She was born on August 21, 1891 in Missouri; her first teaching assignment was in a grade school in Liberty, Missouri. She received a BA from the University of Kansas and an MA from the University of Kansas City. After retiring from the Kansas City school district, she taught geometry at Barstow School. Carrie Bell Atwood passed away in January, 1983 in Kansas City.
Glen Andrew Ballinger was born in Spickard, Missouri, on January 11, 1907 to John W. Ballinger and Maggie Ballinger. Glen married Imo Jean Pease and had 2 children. He passed away on September 1, 1975 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Ruth M. Beck was born on June 9, 1910. She received a degree in Public School Art in 1931 from the University of Kansas. She taught at Westport High for several years, obtaining her Masters degree from Columbia University during that time. Ruth passed away in Lees Summit on February 26, 1994.
Melvin P. Bishop Jr., 63, Millbrook, N.Y., a former teacher in Kansas City, died May 11, 1992, at a hospital in New York City. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Grace Episcopal Church, Millbrook, and at 2 p.m. Tuesday at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Kansas City.
Mr. Bishop was music director at Southwest High School from 1958 to 1960. He was music director at Pembroke-Country Day School and the Barstow School from 1960 to 1965 and at Pembroke and Sunset Hill schools from 1965 to 1973. He was director of admissions at Pembroke from 1971 to 1973. He was choir director for St. Andrew's Episcopal Church from 1960 to 1970 and for Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral from 1970 to 1973.
He founded the Camellot Academy Inc. in 1967. He was headmaster at the Midland (Texas) Prep School from 1973 to 1975 and later was director of development at the Riverdale Country School in New York City and at the Wood Mere (N.Y.) Academy. He had co-owned the Red School House of Antiques Ltd., Millbrook, for five years. He was born in Overland Park and moved to New York in 1975. Survivors include a son, Stuart W. Bishop, Evergreen, Colo.; his father, Melvin P. Bishop Sr., Plano, Texas; two brothers, William P. Bishop, Fallbrook, Calif., and Donald W. Bishop, Plano; and three grandchildren.
Kansas City Star - May 15, 1992
1903-1976
BODNER, AUDREY GISELLE MILLER (MRS. ANDREW E. BODNER), artist, author; b. Sedalia, Mo.; d. Charles Edward and Elizabeth Jane (Johnson) Miller; B.M., U. Ill., 1927, M. Music, Northwestern U., 1939; postgrad. Kansas City Art Inst., 1953, 55-56, U. Hawaii, 1954; m. Andrew E. Bodner, Dec. 28, 1957. One-man shows C. C. Carstenson Studio, Rock Hill Club, Am. Assn. U. Women, 1955, 56, 66, 74; represented in permanent collections U. Kansas City, Western Electric Offices Santa Fe; supervisor of music Woodstock, Ill., 1930-44; teacher art, art cons., Kansas City, Mo., 1944-59; teacher French and German, Kansas City, Mo., 1959-73; lecturer in education U. Kansas City, 1956; producer, narrator Art for Everyone, KMBC-TV, 1954-57, Portrait, KCMO-TV, 1957-60, Treasure, Pride in Kansas City, WDAF-TV, 1957, Three Star Gifts for Halls Inc., Sta. KCMO-TV, 1958. Recipient 1st place award in watercolor Nat. League Pen Women State Contest, 1967, 73; 1st place award ink and pencil drawing state contest, 1969; 1st place award State Free Verse Contest. Member Nat. League Am. Pen Women, Am. Women in Radio and TV, Friend of Art of Nelson Gallery, People to People Greater Kansas City, Friends Seville-Kansas City Sisters City Commission, Federated Women's Clubs Mo., Women's Kansas City Mayor's Commission of International Relations and Trade, Gamma Phi Beta, Gamma Alpha Chi. Republican. Episcopalian. Address: 8104 Dearborn Dr Prairie Village KS 66208.
From Who’s Who of American Women, 1975-1976 Edition
Born Alice Lucille Spain on May 8, 1906 in Jewell, Kansas, to Mary Hill Spain and Clifford Robert Spain. She married Howard Ray Boicourt on March 28, 1948. In 1955, while on the faculty at Paseo High School, she participated in an international teacher exchange program in which she taught for one year at a girl’s school in Sussex, England. Her counterpart from the UK, Dorothy Knapp, taught home economics for one year at JC Nichols school. Alice passed away in Colville, Washington, on December 1, 1999.
Vesta received a BS in Education from Ohio State University in 1940.
Vesta’s obituary:
Vesta M. Bolliger, 84, Kansas City, died Thursday, Aug. 20, 1987, at the Baptist Memorial Hospital in Kansas City. Miss Bolliger was born July 23, 1903, in Cosby, Mo. She moved to Dickinson County, Kansas in 1908, where she grew up. She was a registered nurse in Kansas City area hospitals and for the Kansas City, Mo., School Systems. She was a member of the Lees Summit Presbyterian Church and several professional organizations. Survivors include three brothers, Gerald, Felix, and Herb, all of Abilene; and several nieces and nephews. The funeral will be 11 a.m. Saturday at the Langsford-Cox Mortuary at Lees Summit. Another service will be 1 p.m. Monday at the New Basel Cemetery.
The Salina Journal August 21, 1987
Grace Marie Breen, 106, a longtime Kansas City educator, died November 14, 2004, at the Little Sisters of the Poor's Jeanne Jugan Center. During a life that spanned portions of three centuries, she touched the lives of thousands of students and six generations of her family. Miss Breen and her twin brother Charles were born in Parkville, MO, on August 27, 1898, at the home of their parents, Charles Patrick Breen and Mary Noll Breen. C.P. Breen, a master stonemason, was employed as the Superintendent of Buildings at Park College, now Park University, for 25 years. Grace and Charles grew up in Parkville together with their older brothers Edward, Emmett, and Howard. After attending the local grade school, Miss Breen graduated from Loretto Academy in Kansas City in 1917, and she went on to receive an AB degree from Park College in 1931, and a Masters Degree in Speech from the State University of Iowa in 1938. Her teaching career began when she was offered positions at the Kansas State School for the Blind and the Kansas City Conservatory Drama Dept. in the early 1920's. She taught at the schools until 1936, when she entered the University of Iowa. In 1938, she accepted a position in the Kansas City School District as a Speech teacher at East High School. In 1946, she transferred to Southwest High School, where she taught Speech and Drama, until retiring in 1970. In 1988, Miss Breen moved to Our Lady of Mercy County Home, a retirement residence in Liberty, MO, and then to the Jeanne Jugan Center in 1992. After being featured in a newspaper article as she approached her 100th birthday, Miss Breen was delighted to receive letters from many former students who wanted her to know how much they appreciated having her as a teacher. Many attended her 100th birthday party, one traveling all the way from North Carolina for the occasion. Miss Breen was preceded in death by her brothers and her nephew Robert R. Breen (Frances). She is survived by her nephew Howard C. Breen (Bethene); and eight great-nieces and great-nephews and their children. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, November 16, with the Rosary at 7:30 p.m., at Heritage Funeral Home, Parkville, MO. Funeral services will be held at St. Therese Catholic Church at 10 a.m. Wednesday. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Little Sisters of the Poor.
Kansas City Star - November 16, 2004
In his home and surrounded by his adoring family, William J. Brewster, 85, of Independence, passed from this life to his eternal peace with almighty God on Friday, July 23, 2010.
Born on September 20, 1924, in North Little Rock, Arkansas, to Murphy and Katie Brewster, Bill was the second of their five children. He grew up in Saint Louis where a neighbor, Dorothy Patterson, captured his heart at 16. After proudly serving his country in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II as a gunner in a B-24 Liberator (called "The Shack") of the 458th Bombardment Group from 1942 to 1944, he safely returned home to marry his childhood sweetheart in 1946. While finishing his B.S. degree in Education from Central Missouri State University, he and Dorothy welcomed the first of four children. Upon graduating in 1949, Bill went on to teach school at Greenwood School, Bishop Glennon High School, and then Southwest High School. During summers, he went to Kansas University to obtain his M.S. degree in 1957. His teaching honors included Missouri State Teacher of the Year in 1966. He began a part-time job with the City of Independence Department of Parks and Recreation in 1956, which then led to his promotion and full-time career as the Director of Parks and Recreation for some 36 years. Bill was the driving force behind the development of numerous parks and programs for the youth of Independence, and he personally touched the lives of many young people during his tenure. He retired in 1994. The City recently honored his commitment by naming the baseball field at Crysler Stadium "Bill Brewster Field".
In addition to being a dedicated and loving husband, father and friend, he was also a true servant of God. He believed in giving back, and did so through countless hours of volunteering as a bell-ringer for The Salvation Army, Independence Kiwanis, and Queen City Athletic Association.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Murphy and Katie Brewster; sister Willa Manness; brother Edward Brewster; and daughter Nancy Saunders-Cromer.
Bill leaves behind his loving wife and best friend of 64 years, Dorothy Brewster; daughter Carol Engleman (Larry); daughter Mary Kisner (Ben); son William Brewster Jr. (Kathy); son-in-law Clif Cromer; brother Ervin Brewster (Margaret); brother Charles Brewster (Adrienne); 8 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and numerous extended family and life-long friends.
Friends are invited to gather for the Visitation from 5 - 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 29, 2010, and the Funeral Mass at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 30, both at Saint Mark's Catholic Church, 3736 S Lees Summit Road, Independence. Interment immediately following at Floral Hills Cemetery, 7000 Blue Ridge Blvd, Kansas City.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to The Independence Salvation Army, Kansas City Hospice, the University of Central Missouri William & Dorothy Brewster and Nancy Saunders-Cromer Scholarship Fund, or the St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD.
Born Charlotte Evelyn Brooke on August 18, 1913 in Nebraska, she was the daughter of Carl Bruke and Emma Hubenbecker Bruke (later, Brooke). Charlotte received a BA in education from the University of Nebraska in 1935. She passed away on March 11, 1989 at the age of 75 in Lees Summit, Missouri.
George A. Campbell, 64, southwest Kansas City , a former teacher, died May 20, 1991, at St. Luke's Hospital.
Mr. Campbell taught mathematics in the Kansas City School District from 1958 until he retired from Southwest High School in 1988. He taught biology in the Independence School District from 1951 to 1957. He received a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Kansas City in 1951 and a master's degree in mathematics from Washington University, St. Louis.
He was a standup comic and comedy writer and performed in the last year at Stanford's Comedy House. He was a lifelong area resident. Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth Campbell of the home; a son, Stephen Campbell, Leawood; a daughter, Lisa Campbell, Worcester, Mass.; and two sisters, Geraldine Myler, Blue Springs, and Shirley Andrews, Independence.
Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Newcomer's Floral Hills Chapel; cremation. The family suggests contributions to the Washington University Alumni Fund.
Kansas City Star - May 22, 1991
Joseph S. Cirrincione, 47, of 619 West Sixty-ninth street terrace, died yesterday [April 3, 1966] at the home, apparently of a heart attack. He was a lifelong resident here.
Mr. Cirrincione was a driver's education instructor at Southwest high school and coach of the golf team. He was a graduate in 1938 of Central Missouri State college, Warrensburg, and received a master's degree from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
Mr. Cirrincione was an outstanding basketball player at C. M. S. C. He was a veteran of World War II, and was a member of the Country Club Christian church, the Orient Masonic lodge, the Scottish Rite and the Ararat Shrine.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Marjorie Cirrincione, and a son, Don Joseph Cirrincione, both of the home, and five sisters, Mrs. Katie Mangiera, 310 Benton, and Mrs. Ann Benedetto, Mrs. Mary McCormick, Mrs. Mamie Laurea, and Mrs. Genevieve Cuchia, all of Dallas, Tex. Services will be held at 2 o'clock Tuesday at the church; burial in Mount Moriah cemetery. Friends may call after 6 o'clock tonight at the Newcomer chapel, Brush Creek and the Paseo.
Kansas City Times Monday, April 4, 1966
Ethel was born in Pennsylvania on October 26, 1897 to Isabella Bordner Cooper and Dr. Joseph M. Cooper, a physician. She graduated from the Teachers College of Kansas City. Ethel passed away in September 1986.
Born Frances E. Pence on May 24, 1927 in Kansas City, Missouri, she received a BA in Physical Education from the University of Kansas in 1951. She married Herbert S. Deets on January 26, 1956 in Kansas City. Frances is retired and resides in Prairie Village, Kansas.
Born Elinor Margaret McMahon on October 27, 1904, she married Ralph H. Dolson on July 3, 1929. She graduated from Teachers College of Kansas City in 1924. Elinor taught at JC Nichols school before joining the faculty at Southwest. She passed away in February 1978 in Kansas City.
Jesse C. (Prof) Edwards, 100, of Edgerton, MO, formerly of Smithville, MO, passed away, Sunday, June 4, 2006. He was born on February 16, 1906 to Jesse James and Myrta (Burnett) Edwards, in Platte County, Missouri. He graduated from Smithville High School in 1923, Central Missouri State in Warrensburg in 1929 and later received his Masters in Education at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO. On May 28, 1927 he was united in marriage to Linnie B. Baker in Richey, Montana. After their marriage they lived in the Smithville area, Alma, Kansas, Overland Park, Kansas and after their retirement they moved to rural Edgerton, MO, where they made their home. Jesse taught at Trimble and Smithville for 13 years. He then served his country in the U.S. Navy during W.W. II as a lieutenant commander. After his honorable discharge he served as Superintendent at Alma, Kansas for 10 years and later taught Physics at Southwest High School in Kansas City for 16 years. Jesse was a member of the First Christian Church in Smithville. He was preceded in death by his wife, Linnie B. Edwards, September 29, 1999, his parents and two brothers Albert and Clarence Edwards. Jesse is survived by two children: Carol Edwards Bowles, Edgerton, MO, and James C. Edwards. Virginia Beach, VA, eight grandchildren, twenty one great-grandchildren, six great-great-grandchildren, one nephew, Jess Alan Edwards and wife, Martha, Edgerton, MO, several great-nieces and nephews, other relatives and many friends. Graveside Service and Burial: 3 p.m. Thursday at Ridgely Cemetery, Ridgely, MO. Visitation: 1-2:30 p.m. Thursday, at the Hixson-Klein Funeral Home, Smithville, MO.
Kansas City Star, June 6, 2006
Marjorie Jeanne Elliott, 96, of Lee's Summit, MO, died Sunday, May 16, 2004, at John Knox Village Care Center. Marjorie was preceded in death by her husband, Ashley Dwinnell ("Dee") Elliott, her sister, Laura Edwards and her brother, Bill Tarwater. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Friday, May 21, 2004, at Mt. Moriah & Freeman Funeral Home, 10507 Holmes Rd. Burial at Mt. Moriah. Visitation will be from 10-11 a.m. Friday at Mt. Moriah before the service. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in her memory to the Lee's Summit Charitable Foundation, 1812 N.W. Chipman Rd., Lee's Summit, MO 64081, or the Lee's Summit Symphony Orchestra, P.O. Box 351, Lee's Summit, MO 64063. Marjorie, born Marjorie Tarwater on April 22, 1908, was a lifelong resident of metropolitan Kansas City . She graduated from Northeast High School and Kansas City Teachers' College and held degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia (B.S.) and U.M.K.C. (M.A.). She taught 45 years in the Kansas City , MO, School District, finishing her career as a teacher of science at Southwest High School . She also taught at Border Star, Blenheim, Seven Oaks and J.S. Chick Schools. She was a member of Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral and belonged to numerous organizations, including American Association of University Women, Sigma Delta Epsilon (graduate women in sciences), Tau Kappa Delta Sorority, Ozark Wilderness Waterways Club, Heart of America Geology Club, the Sierra Club, Association of High School Women (past president) and Kansas City Science Teachers (past president). After retirement, she devoted several thousand hours as a volunteer at Trinity Lutheran Hospital. From 1978 to 1983, she served as mayor of the Village of Theodosia Hills (also known as Sundown), MO. She was a lifelong traveler and, even after she lost most of her sight, was known for the interesting travelogues she produced and presented from her own slides taken all around the world. She is survived by her sons, David E. Elliott (wife: Christel), Lee's Summit, MO, and Robert L. Elliott (wife: Sandy), Modesto, CA, and granddaughters, Jennifer A. Elliott, M.D., Shawnee, KS, and Peggy Doombos, Allendale, MI.
Kansas City Star - May 19, 2004
Viona E. Ewalt, 95, Great Bend, KS, passed away February 23, 2001, at Central Kansas Medical Center-St. Rose Campus, Great Bend. Graveside service will be 10 a.m. Friday, March 2, at Great Bend Cemetery, with the Reverend Tom Robson officiating. Visitation will be 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday, March 1, at Bryant-Christians Funeral Home, Great Bend, where the family will receive friends 6-8 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to Brit Spaugh Zoo or the donor's choice.
Miss Ewalt was born August 8, 1905, in Great Bend, KS, to Lot L. & Marie Schaeffer Ewalt. She was a retired school teacher who taught in Osage City, Fredonia, and Kansas City. She had moved to Great Bend from Prairie Village, KS, in 1994. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Rebekah Circle, Jeremiah Howard Chapter of the D.A.R., Portia Club, and Barton County Retired Teachers. She is survived by one nephew, Robert McNulty, British West Indies, and one great-nephew, Andrew McNulty and one great-great-nephew, James Andrew McNulty, both of Brooklyn, NY. She was preceded in death by her parents and one sister, Velma McNulty.
Kansas City Star - March 1, 2001
George Chatham Ewing was born on March 3, 1901 in Odessa, Missouri to Robert Ewing and Sally Lucillia Rice Ewing. He married Frances Mildred Broyles on June 11, 1932 in Lexington, Missouri. Frances also taught school in Kansas City. George was a high school physical education teacher and track coach for 43 years. George passed away in May 1967 in Kansas City.
Mary Violet Fairchild was born in Kansas City in 1905 to Josie Birdeina Fairchild and Herbert E. Fairchild. She attended Central High School and studied voice at Missouri Wesleyan College in Cameron, Missouri. Violet later attended Kansas City University. She taught at William Chrisman High before coming to Southwest. She was in demand as a singer at various functions, possessing a classical contralto voice. Her sister, Sara Eugena Fairchild taught PE at Westport High School. Mary Violet passed away in1969.
Alpheus Oliphant Fisher was born on October 23, 1898, in Henry County, Missouri, to Adam Fisher and Sarah Oliphant Fisher. In 1920, he became one of the founders of Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity at Central Missouri State Teachers College. He was married to Era Leone Asbury. During his teaching days, Alpheus served as the president of local 691, Kansas City Federation of Teachers & School-Related Personnel. Alpheus passed away in February 1985.
Mary Helen Fling, 93, Kansas City, MO, passed away April 28, 1997, at Kingswood Manor. A Memorial Service will be 11 a.m. Thursday, May 1, at Muehlebach Funeral Home.
Cremation; with inurnment in Mt. Olivet Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to PBS Channel 19.
Mary Helen was born in Duluth, MN. She was the last survivor of eight children, four boys and four girls, of James C. and Mary Swift Fling. She graduated from the University of Missouri, where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta Social Fraternity and Sigma Delta Pi, an honorary Spanish Fraternity.
Miss Fling was a foreign language teacher in the Jackson County Kansas City School System for 42 years, retiring in 1971.
For the last 25 years of her career she taught Spanish at Southwest High School and at one time represented the Spanish teachers of the Missouri State Teacher's Convention.
Kansas City Star - April 29, 1997
Born Cleora Jewell Hutchison in Kansas on January 13, 1893. Cleora received a B.S. in Education from Central Missouri State Teachers College, and a Masters in Education from the University of Missouri in 1938. She married Daniel A. Flory on July 25, 1945.
Cleora passed away in September, 1975 in Kansas City.
Clayton L. Ford, 59, Mission, KS, passed away Wednesday, June 19, 1996, while vacationing in Hawaii. Funeral services will be held 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 24, at the Westpark Wesleyan Church in Overland Park, KS; burial in Antioch Cemetery. Friends may call from 7-9 p.m. Monday, at the Amos Family Chapel of Lenexa.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wesleyan Ministries in care of the family.
Mr. Ford was a high school science teacher at the Pembroke Hill School since 1977. He worked for the Kansas City , MO, School District, teaching at Southwest High School from 1960-1977. He was the organist at the Westpark Wesleyan Church. Survivors include his wife, Cynthia Ford, of the home; son, Mark Ford, Olathe, KS; daughter, Melanie Hayes, Omaha, NE; brother, Bernerd Ford, Kansas City , KS; two sisters, Evelyn Livengood, Olathe, KS, and Marilyn Van Waters, Phoenix, AZ; and mother-in-law, Dorothy Hedeman.
Kansas City Star - June 23, 1996
John D. Fristoe Jr. was born on June 5, 1888 in Miami, Missouri, to Lucy Burruss Fristoe and John D. Fristoe. He graduated from the University of Missouri with AB and BS degrees in 1910. John began his teaching career at Westport Junior High School. He received an MA from the University of California, Berkeley in 1922. His thesis is titled “A study of failures and retentions in mathematics as compared with failures and retentions in other subjects in the high schools of Kansas City, Missouri.”
John married Froncie Gill on August 15, 1917. He taught for many years at Westport High before joining the faculty at Southwest. John passed away in June 1975.
Mr. Samuel Paul Gibson, 80, 4755 Country Club Road, Apt. 121-B, died at the home Tuesday, Nov. 5, 1991. He was born in Sanford, Kansas, the son of the late Lyman Cecil and Mildred Winchell Gibson. Mr. Gibson was formerly of Crestline, Kansas. He was a member of the Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie village, Kansas; a lifelong educator having retired as administrator with the Kansas City school system. He also taught at Minden Mines High School, Treece High School, Columbus High School all in Kansas. He was a Lieutenant in the United States Navy Reserves during World War II. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Charlotte E. Gibson of the home; a daughter, Mrs. Sandra J. Sorrell, Clemmons; two sons, J.P. Gibson, Lawrence, Kansas and Pat E. Gibson, Leawood, Kansas; five grandchildren. He had five brothers, Lloyd Gibson, Galesburg, Kansas, Ralph Gibson, Brownsville, Texas; Merle Gibson, Lexington, Missouri; Earl Gibson, Hutchinson, Kansas; Cecil Gibson, Sanford, Kansas and a sister, Mrs. Martha Jean Harmon, San Diego, California. There will be no local services and the family requests that memorials may be made to Hospice of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, 1100 S. Stratford Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27103. Volger’s Clemmons Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements.
Christine M. Grant, 98, passed away on Jan. 26, 2009 at Walnut Grove Nursing Home in Springdale.
She was born in Kansas City, Mo., on March 11, 1910 to Ira W. Hubbard and Anna Maria Hubbard.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Harry M. Grant and brother Ira W. Hubbard II. She served as assistant to the headmaster of the Barstow School in Kansas City for more than 10 years. She was a long time resident of The Gardens at Arkanshire in Springdale.
She is survived by daughters, Peggy Barber of Overland Park, Kan., and Susie Lamascus of Fayetteville; three granddaughters, Kristin Morris of Gardner, Kan., Chris Wyanko of Overland Park, Kan., and Sandy Phillips of Springhill; three great-grandchildren; and one great-great-granddaughter.
Services will be held on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009 at Mount Moriah & Freeman Funeral Home, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, Mo. Visitation at noon with service at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to Circle of Life Hospice, 901 Jones Road, Springdale, AR. 72762.
Morning News of Northwest Arkansas (Springdale, AR)
Born Mary Margaret Thompson on October 9, 1896 in Missouri to Dr. Oscar N. Thompson and Dr. Emma Arabella Boyington. She attended Howard Payne College in Fayette, Missouri, and the University of Missouri. She married James Tevis Groves on May 2, 1920 in Breckenridge, Missouri. Mary Margaret died in October 1982 in Kansas City.
Victor Eugene Gustafson, 79, of Overland Park, KS, died Sunday, January 2, 2000, at Indian Creek Nursing Center. Memorial services will be 10 a.m. Monday, January 10, at the Unity Temple, 103rd & Antioch, Overland Park. Contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association or the American Heart Association.
Mr. Gustafson was born September 9, 1920, in Spearfish, SD. He received his bachelor of arts degree in education at Black Hills Teachers College in Spearfish and earned his master's degree in school administration at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. He was a 50-year member of the Masonic Lodge in Spearfish. The day after Pearl Harbor, Mr. Gustafson enlisted in the Navy. He spent four years on the U.S.S. Zeilin, a supply ship, and made all the invasions in the Pacific. Mr. Gustafson was a teacher of music and science, as well a school principal and superintendent of schools in several towns in Nebraska. The family moved to the Kansas City area in the late 1950s, to give their oldest son, Eric, a better musical education. Mr. Gustafson taught chemistry at Southwest High School in Kansas City. His former student, Dr. Richard Smalley, Nobel Prize winner, credited Mr. Gustafson with his interest in chemistry. When he retired from the Kansas City School District in 1983, he taught at the Pembroke Hill School. Then he was asked to join the staff at Longview Community College. He enjoyed that very much and taught until a stroke cut off his productive life. He enjoyed teaching and it was so much a part of him. Mr. Gustafson leaves Betty, his wife of 57 years, and a brother and sister, Carl Stanley Gustafson and Bonnie Dansel, both of Rawlins, WY. He is also survived by his children, Eric Aaron Gustafson and wife, Anita, Syracuse, NY, Gregory Gene Gustafson and wife, Edith, and stepson, Corey, Fresno, CA, and Victoria Suzanne Swanson and husband, Steven, Kansas City, MO. He also leaves eight grandchildren, Aaron Eugene Gustafson, Zachariah Eugene Gustafson, and Carrie-Anne Gustafson, Fresno, Leif Bergren Gustafson, Homer, AK, Carl Joseph Swanson, Esther Christina Swanson, John Henry Swanson and Anne Elizabeth Swanson, Kansas City, MO; and one great-grandson, Garrett Gene Gustafson, Fresno.
Kansas City Star - January 6, 2000
Miss Julia Guyer, of 21 East Sixty-eighth, for many years a member of the faculty at Southwest high school, died Thursday at a nursing home at 6515 West 103rd, Overland Park, after a long illness.
She was born [in 1890] in Springfield, Ill., and had lived here most of her life.
Miss Guyer's subject was history. She was selected to take a special course at Yale in preparation for teaching advanced placement or college level classes.
Since she retired 10 years ago she had taught similar classes part time at the Barstow school.
Before Miss Guyer went to Southwest she was at Northeast high school. She assisted Scott, Foresman, educational publishers, in the preparation of many history textbooks.
Miss Guyer was a member of the Country Club Congregational church, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the College club and the Woman's City club.
A brother, Robert Guyer, of Lake Tapawingo, survives. Services will be held at 4 o'clock Monday' at the church; cremation. The family requests no flowers and suggests contributions to the School of the Ozarks, Branson, Mo.
Kansas City Star Saturday, December 12, 1970
Mr. Charles G. Harte, 69, Overland Park, KS, passed away Saturday, July 24, 1999, at his home. Funeral services will be 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, at D.W. Newcomer's Sons Overland Park Chapel, 8201 Metcalf; graveside services will be 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 29, at Leavenworth National Cemetery, Leavenworth, KS. Visitation will be 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the chapel. The family suggests contributions to Kansas City Hospice.
Mr. Harte was born on July 6, 1930, in St. Louis, MO. He received his bachelor's degree in education from Central Missouri State University and his master's degree in guidance and counseling from Pittsburg State University. He was an educator for many years and retired from the Shawnee Mission School District. His hobbies were woodworking, antique auto restoration and buying and selling vintage cars. He loved the outdoors, especially camping and canoeing. Charles was a Navy veteran of the Korean War. Survivors include his wife, Ermina Harte, of the home; two daughters, Katrina McHenry, Overland Park, KS, and Maureen Tolman, Olathe, KS; two brothers, Dr. James R. Harte and William J. Harte, both of Kansas City , MO; two sisters, Kathleen Kirk, St. Louis, MO, and Ellen Singleton, Germany; and two grandsons, Michael and Robert Tolman, Olathe, KS. (Arrangements: D.W. Newcomer's Sons Overland Park Chapel)
Kansas City Star - July 27, 1999
Mary C. Johnston, 87, Kansas City, MO, passed away Monday, June 15, 1998, at Baptist Medical Center.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 9 a.m. Friday, June 19, at St. Peter's Church; interment at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.
Friends may call 7-9 p.m. Thursday, June 18, at Muehlebach Funeral Home, where the rosary will be said at 7:30 p.m.
Miss Johnston was born in Kansas City, MO. She was an English and Latin teacher at Southwest High School, retiring after 30 years of service. She was a member of St. Peter's Church and was a graduate of the University of Kansas. Survivors include a brother, Joseph P. Johnston, Kansas City, MO; a sister, Muriel Johnston, Kansas City, MO; a nephew, Robert P. Johnston, and nieces Mary Lu Johnston and Jo Anne Simes.
Kansas City Star - June 18, 1998
Olive Jane Joyce was born in Missouri on November 20, 1910 to Jennie Stockdale Joyce and Oliver Preston Joyce, a Baptist minister. She was an honor student at Paseo High School and Ottawa University, where she was president of the student council.
Miss Joyce’s obituary:
Miss Jane Joyce, 61, of 6526 Charlotte, a teacher 29 years at Southwest High School, died yesterday [May 30, 1972] of cancer at Menorah Medical Center. Miss Joyce had retired May 5 from Southwest, where she taught Human Science. She had been with the Kansas City School District 29 years and had taught in the Kansas City area about 36 years.
She was a lifelong resident of the Kansas City area. She was a member of the Wornall Road Baptist Church. She was graduated from Ottawa University, Ottawa, Kan., and attended Columbia University. She was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority.
She leaves three sisters, Mrs. Nona Lynn, Dallas, Mrs. Mabel Allison, Olathe, and Mrs. Geneva Jones, San Francisco. Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Newcomer Brush Creek Chapel; burial in Floral Hills Cemetery. Friends may call after 3 p.m. today at the chapel. The family requests no flowers and suggests contributions to the American Cancer Society.
Kansas City Times May 31, 1972
Tom graduated from Kansas State Teachers College in Pittsburg, KS, and received a Masters of Arts in Education from KU in 1955. Tom coached at Bishop Hogan High School before coming to Southwest. He later became the principal of Southwest High School. Tom is currently retired and living in the Kansas City area.
Frances Lucile Koger was born on March 28, 1900 to Benjamin Franklin Koger and Elsie Henderson Koger, in Daviess County Missouri. At age 19 she was teaching in a public school in rural Missouri. She received a master’s degree in education from the University of Missouri in 1937. Lucile passed away in September 1974 in Kansas City.
Flora was born on July 18, 1901 in Kansas City to Frederick W. Linn and Alma Braecklein Linn. A 1919 honors graduate of Westport High School, Flora received an AB from Stanford University in 1923 and a Masters degree from Columbia University in 1928. She taught at William Chrisman junior and senior high schools before coming to Southwest in the mid 1930s. Flora passed away on October 8, 1969 in Kansas City.
John Russell Manly was born on November 4, 1901 in Diamond Springs, Kansas, to William M. Manly and Edith Manly. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in Emporia, Kansas, and married Roberta Moore on August 7, 1925 in Emporia. They had two children, Robert and Mary Olive. J.R. studied at Stout Institute, Menomonie, Wisconsin, before receiving both a BA and an MA from Colorado State College of Education. He passed away on July 30, 1996 in Loveland, Colorado.
Francis Walker Mann, Jr. was born August 8, 1903 in Wellington, Missouri, to Dr. Francis W. Mann, Sr. and Martha May Mann. He married Elizabeth Helen Neale, a graduate of Whitman College, in 1924. He taught high school in St. Maries, Idaho, before receiving a PhD from The University of Southern California in 1935. His thesis: “Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, S.J.: his influence on the history of the Trans-Mississippi West.”
He taught at Southwest High School in Kansas City, Missouri, from about 1951 to about 1970. Before teaching at Southwest High, he was at East High in Kansas City. He was an active member of the National Council for the Social Studies. Francis W. Mann passed away on March 5, 1997.
Carder Manning is retired and lives in Belton, Missouri. He wrote this message in 2009 to the class of 1969:
“I retired in 1995 after teaching thirty-nine years, full time, in the music classrooms of the greater Kansas City high schools: William Chrisman (1956-1958), Southeast (1958-1960), Southwest (1960-1969) and Penn Valley Community College (1969-1995). After retirement I taught ten more years as an adjunct faculty member at PVCC through 2005. I have organized and directed several community choirs, and I recently retired from church music after fifty-eight years as a choir director. I married a charming lady, Marty, in 1989, and we will celebrate our twentieth anniversary this December.
I loved my musical career – and Southwest High School stands out as a crowning achievement. My sincere regards to each of you!”
Harriet Velma Northern was born in Illinois on April 22, 1904, to James Brown Northern and Mae Ely Northern. She taught at William Chrisman and East High schools before teaching at Southwest. She married Thomas B. McCaffrey on January 29, 1944. Harriet passed away on January 24, 1990.
Colonel James Stuart McKee was born on March 2, 1895 in Ray County, Missouri. He received a BS from Central Missouri Teachers College in 1925 and a master’s degree from the University of Missouri in 1929. He was a member of Phi Delta Kappa, a professional education association. His military service, which spanned 37 years, ended in 1955 when he retired from the U.S. Air Force. His last command was the 9719th air reserve squadron, located in the Kansas City area. He passed away on May 7, 1972.
Dorothy Seaver McLeod of central Kansas City, a teacher, died Aug. 20, 1988, at Truman Medical Center East.
Miss McLeod taught French at Southwest High School for 40 years before she retired. She received a bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass., and a master’s degree from the University of Kansas City. She studied for two summers at the Sorbonne in Paris.
Miss McLeod was a member of the Second Presbyterian Church. She was a member of the National Retired Teachers Association, the Woman’s City Club and the Mount Holyoke Club of Kansas City. She was born in Buffalo, N.Y., and had lived in Kansas City since 1922.
Survivors include a sister, Mary Hildreth, Long Island, N.Y. Graveside services will be at 1 p.m. today at Mount Moriah Cemetery. The family suggests contributions to the church or the American Heart Association.
Kansas City Times, August 22, 1988
Born Dorothy Seaver McLeod on January 21, 1896 to William C. McLeod and Bertha McLeod, she attended elementary school in Holyoke, Massachusetts and graduated with an A.B. from Mount Holyoke College in 1916. She taught at an elementary school in Oil City, PA; then taught French and Latin at Connellsville, PA, high school. When her family moved to Kansas City, she accepted an assignment at Joplin High School, where she taught Latin. In 1925 she joined the inaugural teaching staff at Southwest High School. She had one sister, Mary Mills McLeod Hildreth and a brother, William McLeod. Dorothy passed away on August 20, 1988. A scholarship fund in her name has been established at Mount Holyoke College, “The Dorothy Seaver McLeod fund for study in France.”
Mildred Meuser, 85, Monett, Mo., a former teacher in Kansas City, died April 10, 1992, at a hospital in Monett. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the Paola (Kan.) Cemetery. Friends may call from noon to 1 p.m. Monday at Newcomer's Stine & McClure Chapel.
Miss Meuser taught English and Spanish at Southwest High School in Kansas City from 1950 until she retired in 1971. She taught at Osawatomie High School in Kansas from 1924 to 1944 and at Manual High School in Kansas City from 1944 to 1950.
She was a 1926 graduate of Stephens College, Columbia, and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa there. She received a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Kansas in 1929 and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma there. She received a master's degree in education from the University of Michigan in 1937 and was a member of Pi Lambda Theta there. She studied Spanish at the University of Valencia, Spain, in 1965.
She was a member of the American Association of University Women, the College Club and the American Association of Retired Teachers. She was a member of the Second Presbyterian Church of Kansas City and the Perfection chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, Paola. She was born in Paola and moved to this area in 1944.
She moved to Monett in 1989. Survivors include a brother, Kenneth G. Meuser, Monett.
Kansas City Star - April 11, 1992
Jeanne L. Neal, 72, formerly of Kansas City, MO, passed away Sunday, March 4, 2001, at her home in Green Valley, AZ. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at St. James Holy Catholic Church with burial in Mt. Moriah Cemetery. Visitation will be from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, at Mt. Moriah & Freeman Funeral Home, I-435 at Holmes Rd. Memorial contributions may be made in her name to the Arizona Site Steward Program.
Jeanne was born on March 28, 1928 in Arkansas. She was a graduate of Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX and earned her Master's degree at the University of Kansas City. She taught in the Kansas City, Missouri School District from August 9, 1951 to July 11, 1986. Mrs. Neal was initiated March 10, 1957 into the Missouri Alpha Delta Chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa. She served as an administrative assistant at the International Headquarters from 1966-1969 and as executive treasurer from 1969-1975. She was active in the Arizona Site Steward Program. Mrs. Neal was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas H. Neal Jr. on July 10, 1986 and her son, Thomas H. Neal III. She is survived by a grandson, Caleb Neal of La Quinta, CA; a granddaughter, Sarah Neal of Lee's Summit, MO; a half-brother, Steve Scholl of Houston, TX.
Kansas City Star - April 22, 2001
Laurence Lee Nivens, 93, Raytown, MO, passed away August 29, 1997, at Hidden Lake Care Center. Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Monday, September 1, at Mount Moriah & Freeman Funeral Home, 105th & Holmes, in the Chapel of Hope, where the visitation will be from 10:30-11 a.m. Burial will be in the Mt. Moriah Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to your church or favorite charity.
Mr. Nivens was born March 6, 1904. He was a teacher of vocal music and driver education for 32 years in Kansas City, MO. He was born in Kansas City, MO, and lived there until 1970, when he retired and moved to Belton, MO. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Kansas City.
Mr. Nivens was a graduate of Central High School, received his Bachelors Degree in music from the Conservatory and his Master's Degree from Northwestern University. He taught vocal music at Manual, East and Southwest High. In 1955, he taught Driver's Education, retiring in 1970 from Southwest High School. He was Chancel Choir director of Grand Avenue Temple, Broadway United Methodist Church and St. Paul's United Methodist Church.
Mr. Nivens was a member of Alpha Tau Omega, the American Federation of Musicians-Local 34, American Federation of Teachers, Kansas City Association of School Retirees, the International Brotherhood of Magicians, and a former Presidentr of the Society of American Magicians. Survivors include his wife, of 59 years, Pearl Nivens, of Hidden Lake; his daughter, Barbara Wagner, Indepen - dence; two grandchildren, Lisa Deming, and Robert Wagner; and two great-grandchildren, Chris Deming and Megan Wagner.
Kansas City Star - August 31, 1997
Katherine Hammock graduated from the
Gertrude H. Schwarz was born on June 25, 1891 to Frank H. Schwarz and Mary J. Schwarz. She married James T. Redmond on November 10, 1914. Gertrude passed away on April 8, 1975.
Her obituary:
Mrs. Gertrude H. Redmond, 83, mother of Dr. James F. Redmond, superintendent of Chicago public schools, died Tuesday night in Augustana Hospital. She had lived in Chicago for five years after spending much of her life in Kansas City, Mo. Besides her son, she is survived by seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Mass will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Kansas City.
Chicago Tribune - April 10, 1975
Frances C. Richart, 86, Raymore in Cass County, a former high school teacher and counselor, died Feb. 18, 1991, at Research Belton Hospital.
Mrs. Richart was a counselor and physical-education teacher at Southwest High School for 27 years, retiring in the late 1960s. She graduated from Stephens College, Columbia, and received a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas. She received a master's degree in anthropology from New York University. She did doctoral work at the University of California, Washington State University and the University of Missouri, Columbia.
She was past president of an Association of High School Women chapter and the Health and Physical Education Club. She was a member of the Stephens College Luncheon Club and the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was a member of the Country Club Christian Church and its 50-50 Class. She was a lifelong area resident. Survivors include a nephew and five nieces. Cremation, with private graveside services at the Woodhull (Ill.) Cemetery.
The family suggests contributions to the church or the American Heart Association.
Kansas City Star - February 19, 1991
William C. Robinson, age 76, of Kansas City, MO, passed away December 8, 1999, from complications of melanoma. Services will be 10 a.m. Saturday, December 11, 1999, at Mission Road Congregation of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 7842 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS; burial will be approx. 3 p.m. December 11 in Rosehill Cemetery, Lamoni, IA,. Friends may call on the family 6:30-8 p.m. Friday, December 10, 1999, at Mount Moriah & Freeman Funeral Home, Kansas City, MO. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Mr. Robinson was born December 24, 1922, son of Randall and Carrie Robinson, in Lamoni, IA, and attended schools there. He graduated from Graceland College, Lamoni, IA, in 1942, with an Associate of Arts degree. After graduating, he worked in Portland, OR, for two years during World War II. He continued his education, graduating from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor in Physical Education. He also earned a Master's degree in Education and Administration at the University of Iowa, Iowa City. He did post-graduate work at UMKC. He was coach and history teacher at Southwest High School from 1954-1985. He became head football coach from 1957 to 1980, when he retired from coaching. He continued teaching until 1985. Before coming to Kansas City, he was the football, basketball, track coach and teacher in Lamoni, IA, from 1948 to 1954. His career began in Mitchellville, IA, from 1946 to 1948, where he was a teacher and coached football, girls and boys basketball and baseball. He was a member of the Mission Road RLDS Church, served on committees and sang in the choir since 1956. He was a member of KC Retired Teachers Association, a volunteer for Boy Scouts, Share, Inc., and was president of the Lamoni Community School Alumni Association, 1996-1998. Mr. Robinson received honors of distinction for his achievements in coaching. Coach of the Year Awards were presented to him from the Optimist Club Sammie Dubin-Nite of Sports in 1968, Knute Rockne award in 1966 and 1972, Cecil O. Patterson award in 1977, WHB in 1968 and 1972, KUDL in 1971. He was named the Interscholastic Coach of the Year several times. He received the Lamoni, IA, Community Schools Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Achievement of Excellence in the Field of Athletics. He has also received plaques of recognition presented by players, parents, and organizations of the Kansas City School District for years of devotion and service to athletes of the district. Honors were given to him by KJLA radio, Greater Kansas City Sports Commission, Big Brothers Association of Kansas City, and a Resolution by the Courts of Jackson County, MO. He was inducted into the Missouri Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 1992. He was preceded in death by a son, William David (Bill) in 1975, and his parents. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Martha Ann (Rush) Robinson, a son, Dale A. Robinson, and wife, Kim, a daughter, Susan Robinson, all of Kansas City; four grandchildren, Shane Robinson, Chad and Jennifer Kukulka, and Ian Robinson; three great-grandchildren, Melissa, Nicole, and David Robinson, two brothers, Claremont L. Robinson and wife Charlotte, Parkville, MO, and Rex L. Robinson and wife Virginia, Colorado Springs, CO; nieces, nephews, and many friends.
Kansas City Star - December 10, 1999
Mary Isadore Ross was born in Kansas City on July 29, 1905 to Leah Richmond Ross and Frank Coe Ross. She attended Westport High School and Kansas City Junior College. Mary passed away on December 15, 1994 in Miami, Florida.
Frances E. Ryan, 79, Peculiar in Cass County, died June 29, 1992, at Research Medical Center. Services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Muehlebach Chapel; burial in Memorial Park Cemetery, Kansas City. Friends may call from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the chapel, where Tribe of Mic-O-Say services will be at 7:30 p.m. The family suggests contributions to the Unity School of Christianity. Mrs. Ryan was born in Slater, Mo., and lived in this area most of her life. She lived in Gravois Mills, Mo., from 1972 until she returned to this area in 1988. She was a secretary at Southwest High School in Kansas City for 21 years, retiring in 1972. She was a member of the Unity church and its women's auxiliary. She was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary. Her husband, William R. Ryan, died in 1989. Survivors include a son, Timothy R. Ryan, and her stepmother, Ruth Morris, both of Kansas City; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Kansas City Star, June 30, 1992
Thomas Edward Sanders obtained a masters degree from the University of Denver in 1951 and a doctorate from Florida State University in 1983. He was a professor of English at Miami-Dade Junior College before moving to the University of South Florida, where he became a distinguished professor of English. Later in his life he became aware of his Native American heritage (his great-grandfather was Cherokee) and he adopted the American Indian name Nippawanock (Dawn Star). Many of his short stories and journal articles were written under the name “Thomas E. Sanders (Nippawanock).” An insight into his life and Native American philosophies is contained in the book Native Heart, written by his protégé, Gabriel Horn (White Deer of Autumn).
The following biographical information is from the University of South Florida’s “Thomas E. Sanders Scholarship in Creative Writing.”
Thomas E. Sanders was a professor of literature and creative writing at USF for twenty years until his death on January 1, 1988 at age sixty-one. He was born on April 30, 1926, in Picher, Oklahoma, and attended, among other institutions, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Denver. In addition to writing both poetry and fiction, he was the author of the much acclaimed “Discovery” series of introductory literature textbooks published by Scott Foresman, The Now Reader, and Literature of the American Indian, a widely reviewed and respected scholarly anthology of Native American Literature. At USF, Professor Sanders taught courses in creative writing, Native American literature, and science fiction, and was known by his students for his strong enthusiasms and his keen analytical mind. His untimely death was felt most acutely in the creative writing program. Creative writing students were suddenly bereft not only of an instructor but of a friend and mentor. Known for his demanding standards, he was always available to his students for help and advice—sometimes long after they had left the university. As one of his new students wrote, “his skill as a writer, editor, and teacher coupled with his dedication and willingness to devote himself to his students made him one of the most valuable members of the faculty.” With the impetus of a major gift from Mrs. Louise Forshaw of Baltimore, Maryland, friends and alumni have established a scholarship in his honor.
Born Chelsae Maud Boutz in Saltbox, Kansas on May 7, 1903. She graduated from New Mexico State University in 1927 with a degree in general science and mathematics. She was the valedictorian of her class. She married William M. Sargent after graduation and later married Tillman H. Snyder in 1981. She died in Kansas City on February 9, 1996.
Born Hilda Esther Schroer on November 4, 1894 in Kansas City, she graduated in 1918 from Manual Training High School and received a B.S. in Education from the University of Missouri in 1922. She taught high school English at Carthage, Missouri, before coming to Southwest. Esther passed away in November 1980.
Alma Ione Shipley was born on June 23, 1904 in Sherman, Texas. She graduated in 1925 from the University of Missouri with a degree in education, and received her master’s degree in education from the University of Southern California in 1942. She taught at The Barstow School after leaving Southwest. Alma married Harry L. Crosby on August 19, 1960. She passed away Tuesday, January 4, 2005, at Bethesda Meadows Nursing Home, Ellisville, MO. She was 100 years old.
From Topeka, Kansas, Naomi C. Simpson was born on November 7, 1892. Naomi graduated from the University of Kansas in 1916 with an AB degree in history. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Gamma Sigma, the honorary society in the department of education. She received her master’s degree from the University of Kansas City in 1945; her thesis is titled “The power of the President in Foreign Relations.”
Her first teaching assignment was at Winfield, Kansas, where she taught history. In 1925 she joined the first teaching staff at Southwest High School, where she taught English and history. She retired after the 1958-1959 school year at Southwest. She passed away in February 1965.
Merle Ella Smith was born in Hennessey, Oklahoma on July 12, 1894 to Mary Slater Smith and John Willis Smith. Merle graduated from Manual Training High School in 1912 in Kansas City. She received an AB from Colorado University in 1927 and an advanced degree from Columbia University in 1939. Merle passed away in June 1977.
Frank Leroy Stark, 76, of 3067 Black Swan Drive, Shawnee, former area teacher, died Thursday, April 15, 1982 at St. Luke’s Hospital.
Mr. Stark began his teaching career at the Round Mound rural school in Chautauqua County, Kan., and later was principal of the Cedar Vale (Kan.) Elementary School; superintendent of the Lafontaine, Kan., public schools; and principal of the rural high school in Stanley in Johnson County. He was a biology teacher at Southwest High School, Kansas City, for 20 years, and was television teacher for the Kansas City School District in 1958.
Mr. Stark was awarded a certificate of merit in 1962 and received the Outstanding Biology Teacher for Missouri Award in 1966 from the National Association of Biology Teachers. He graduated from Kansas State Teachers College, Pittsburg.
Mr. Stark was a member of the Merriam Christian Church and had sung in its choir. In 1936 he was a member of the Harmony Kings, a traveling male quartet. He was a member of the National Association of Biology Teachers, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Institute of Biological Science, the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, the Science Teachers of Missouri Association, the Kansas City Science Teachers Association, the Missouri State Teachers Association and the Kansas City Education Association, and be was a life member of the National Education Association. He was a member of the National Retired Teachers Association, the American Association of Retired Persons, the Retired Teachers Association of Missouri, the Retired Teachers Association of Kansas City, the Kansas Retired Teachers Association and the Retired Teachers Association of Johnson County.
He was born in Hewins, Kan. on December 19, 1905, and had lived in this area 39 years.
He leaves his wife, Mrs. Frances D. Stark of the home; a son, J. Franklin Stark, Elmira, N.Y.; a daughter, Mrs. Jan Jones, Beaumont, Texas; a brother, O.B. Stark, Cedar Vale; two sisters, Mrs. Mona Wilke, Cedar Vale, and Mrs. Lua Mills, Sedan, Kan.; and four grandchildren.
Services will be Monday at the Amos Chapel; graveside services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Cedar Vale Cemetery. Friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the chapel. The family requests no flowers and suggests contributions to the church.
Kansas City Star, April 17, 1982
Earline R. Strong, 87, a former teacher in the Kansas City School District, died June 11, 1991, in the Kingswood Manor Health Center, 10000 Wornall Road, where she lived.
Mrs. Strong taught vocal music at Central Junior High School and also taught at Southwest High School before she retired. She was a member of the Central United Methodist Church, Kansas City.
She was a member of Mu Phi Epsilon. She was born in Pilot Grove, Mo., and lived in this area for 46 years. Survivors include a son, Charles E. Strong, Overland Park; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Mount Moriah & Freeman Chapel; burial in Mount Moriah Cemetery.
Kansas City Star - June 12, 1991
Oka R. Thomas was born on August 3, 1892 in Iola, Kansas, to Florence N. and Charles E. Thomas. She married Daniel J. Sullivan on September 5, 1925 in Kansas City. She also provided accompaniment at Southeast High School. Oka passed away in March 1967.
Kathleen Naomi Torbert was born on July 23, 1917 in Denver, Colorado to Constance Anderson Torbert and William Robert Torbert. Kathleen graduated from Southwest High in 1934. She graduated from Kansas City University in 1938 with a degree in mathematics and began her teaching career in Greenwood, Missouri. She received a Master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Kansas in 1942 and began teaching mathematics at Southwest in 1946. After a brief stint at East High School, she returned to Southwest in the early 1950s. Kathleen passed away on January 23, 1971.
Miss Kathleen Naomi Torbert, 53, of 10334 High drive, Leawood, died yesterday at St. Luke's hospital. Miss Torbert was born in Denver and had lived here 46 years. She was a teacher at Southwest high school. She was a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Kansas. She leaves a brother, Robert W. Torbert, 9700 High drive, Leawood. Services will be at 3 o'clock Tuesday at the Mount Moriah chapel; burial in the Mount Moriah cemetery. Friends may call from 7 to 9 o'clock Monday night at 9700 High drive, Leawood. The family requests no flowers and suggests contributions to the William R. Torbert Memorial Scholarship fund at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo.
Kansas City Star January 24, 1971
Born Dorothy Whitaker Varney on December 21, 1900 to Lewis Logan Varney and Blanche Whitaker Varney, Dorothy received an A.B. from the University of Illinois in 1922 and a master’s degree from Columbia University in 1938. Her master’s thesis is titled “The Life and Works of Eliza Meteyard.” Dorothy passed away on February 10, 1990 in Kansas City.
August 12, 1904 to February 18, 1988
Mrs. Edith Weinberg, 83, died Thursday, Feb. 18, at the home. She was a lifelong area resident.
Mrs. Weinberg taught here for more than 50 years and taught Spanish at Southwest High School for 30 years before she retired in 1975. Earlier she taught Spanish at Paseo High School and was an exchange teacher in Puerto Rico.
She received a teaching certificate from Central Missouri State College-Warrensburg; a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia; and a master's degree from Columbia University-New York.
She was past president of the Kansas City chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota Music Sorority and past president of the Charlittas Spanish Club.
Mrs. Weinberg was a member of Ohev Sholom Synagogue and Temple B'nai Jehudah. She was a past president and a life member of Hadassah, and past president of the Liebman-Rosenbloom Post of the American Legion Auxiliary.
Her husband, Dr. Abraham Weinberg, died in 1937.
She is survived by a daughter, Ealeen Abelle of Miami, Fla.; a brother, Jerome B. Stone of the home; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held Sunday at Louis Memorial Chapel; burial in Mount Carmel Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or to charity.
The Jewish Chronicle February 26, 1988
Thelma Lucile Welch was born on Christmas Day, 1904 to Ida Belle Bird Welch and Robert L. Welch. She attended Kansas City Junior College and the University of Missouri. Thelma and her sister, Virginia Welch, lived together at 333 Meyer West. Thelma passed away on October 24, 1990.
Lorna Virginia Welch, southwest Kansas City, MO, died June 10, 2005, at Menorah Medical Center. She was a native Kansas Citian. She was a teacher of English at Ohio University, Athens, OH. She also taught at East, Westport, and Southwest High Schools in Kansas City, MO. She received her BA degree from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and her Masters and Doctors degrees from Columbia University, NY. She also attended the University of London, England. She was listed in Who's Who of American Women and the Dictionary of International Biography. She received the Franklin T. Baker Citation for excellence in scholarship from the English Department of Columbia University, Teachers College. She was a member of the American Association of University Women, the Woman's City Club, the Women's Chamber of Commerce, Gamma Phi Beta, two law fraternities, Phi Delta Delta and Phi Alpha Delta, and the Kansas City Retired Teachers Association. She was a Presbyterian. Private memorial services will be held at D.W. Newcomer's Sons Longview Funeral Home, 12700 S. Raytown Rd., KCMO.
Kansas City Star - June 15, 2005
Virginia’s doctoral thesis is titled "Journalism with a vision : an expanding conception of the journalism course in Southwest High School, Kansas City, Missouri."
Ida Elizabeth Staats was born in Nebraska on October 30, 1892 to Emma Shortess Staats and John DeMott Staats. She married Ross A. Wells on August 30, 1930 in Kansas City. Ida passed away in October 1976.
Leonard J. Western, 96, of Kansas City, Mo., passed away Sunday, October 4, 2009. A Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, at McGilley State Line Chapel, 12301 State Line Road, Kansas City. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to a charity of your choice. My Dad was born Nov. 14, 1912, in a four room farmhouse outside of Greentop, Mo. He was the last survivor of nine children born to James Everett Western and Ida McDowell Western. He rose from humble beginnings to become a true gentleman and scholar; highly educated and well read, he loved family, friends, travel, politics, and the good times in life. He and his wife, Fran spent the winters at his beloved Bali Hai resort in Florida and the summers in Estes Park, Colo., where the river canyons and clear mountain air were the things he enjoyed the most. He spent four years in the US Navy during World War II, two years in the Pacific Ocean war zone. After his military service he returned to Kansas City where he met and married his wife of 64 years, Frances S. Western in 1945. He was an educator at heart, and spent 36 years with the Kansas City School District as a teacher and later a counselor. He was loved by all the students, who called him "Tex," for his genuine caring for their education and future. He was a published writer of novels and poetry and an accomplished orator and vocalist. You could not forget a song or a poem that was sung or recited to you by my Dad as he did on so many occasions. He was one of the "Good Guys" of the world and will be missed by all who knew him. Dad is survived by his wife Frances Western, his son, Chris Western, and two granddaughters, Carly Western and Whitney Western, all of the Kansas City area.
Kansas City Star, October 6, 2009
Born on May 26, 1897, to Thomas J. and Jemima M. Whitmire of West Plains, Missouri, Frances graduated from Kansas State University in 1921 with a degree in Home Economics. She was among the inaugural staff at SWHS in 1925-1926, teaching Domestic Art and English. Frances passed away in December 1977.
Chaney Orton Williams, 88, a former English teacher, died Oct. 12, 1991, at Blue Hills Centre, 12942 Wornall Rd., where he lived.
Mr. Williams taught English at Southwest High School in Kansas City for 37 years, retiring in 1968. He was a debate coach and sponsor of Zenda-Vesta Literary Society at Southwest. He taught English at Marshall (Mo.) High School from 1927 to 1931.
He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia and was a member of Phi Delta Kappa. He attended postgraduate classes at Chicago, Colorado at Boulder and Arizona universities.
He was a member of the Ararat Shrine. He was former master of the Orient Masonic Lodge. He was a member of the Royal Arch Masons and the Oriental Commandery.
He was a member of the Country Club Christian Church.
He was born in Walker, Mo., and lived in Nevada, Mo., Columbia and in Marshall, Mo., before moving to Kansas City. Survivors include his wife, Emma Mae Williams of the home; a son, Edwin T. Williams, San Francisco; a daughter, Mary Jo Sutcliffe, St. Petersburg, Fla.; and three grandchildren.
Kansas City Star - October 14, 1991
James H. Woods was born on December 18, 1927 in Des Moines, Iowa. He attended high school in Kansas City and after graduation served in the US Army for 2 years. Jim married Teresa Marie Dew on June 13, 1949. He attended Kansas City Junior College and in 1951 he graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor’s degree in education. He received his Master’s degree from KU in 1952, and taught mathematics at Central Junior High School from 1952 to 1958. He subsequently joined the faculty at Southwest for the 1958-1959 school year. He was the sponsor of the Sachem yearbook for ten years, beginning in 1961. Jim retired from teaching in 1988, having spent 30 years at Southwest. Jim currently lives in Overland Park, Kansas.