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Lawrence Fair Housing Ordinance of 1967 Commemorated by Oral History and Documents

Lawrence Historian Tom Arnold (Photo Credit LJWorld)

The City of Lawrence was one of the first communities in the nation to establish a Fair Housing Ordinance, said local historian Tom Arnold. This important event took place in Lawrence in July 1967, well before the federal Fair Housing Act was enacted in 1968.

Tom Arnold has spent the past months doing research and developing an oral history to commemorate the passage of Lawrence’s Fair Housing Ordinance fifty years ago. After thirty years in the U.S. Navy, Tom came to Lawrence to teach Naval Science at KU for three years as an adjunct professor. He retired from the University six years ago and began volunteering at the Watkins Museum. As the anniversary of the Fair Housing Ordinance approached, Arnold took the archival work that began in the City Attorney’s office by LCR member Scott Wagner, Management Analyst, and accepted the task of developing an oral history to complement the historical documents. Those interviews were conducted in October and November 2016. The goal was to get the personal perspectives and motives of individuals who participated in this important set of decisions in Lawrence during the 1960s. Arnold conducted nine interviews with eleven people, generating twelve hours of recordings. The recordings have now been transcribed so that they are searchable for future research needs.

The milestone anniversary of the Fair Housing Ordinance will be celebrated with a variety of events and displays during the coming months. There will be a visual display at the Watkins Museum and a traveling exhibit as well. Documents will be archived at the KU Spencer Museum.

The Lawrence Human Rights Commission (HRC) was established in 1961. Before that time, none of the public swimming pools were open to non-whites. Businesses routinely segregated Afro-Americans and even refused services. The Fair Housing initiative began as a grassroots movement among Lawrence citizens in 1964 when the Lawrence Fair Housing Committee formed. Attempts to pass state legislation on Fair Housing failed, so the group transferred their focus to the local level. The Lawrence Ordinance was the result of effort and risk-taking by many to address the housing discrimination and inequities that existed in the Lawrence community. The Committee sent a resolution to the Human Relations Commission of the City of Lawrence in 1967. By that time, there was broad support. Many community groups and churches collaborated to bring this significant milestone to reality.

February 16, 2017
Dr. Roger Dreiling Urges A Questioning Attitude for Good Heart Health

“Question everything!” says Dr. Roger Dreiling, head of Cardiology Services at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. It was advice that he received from a mentor early in his medical career. Questioning led Dreiling to solve emergency situations in innovative ways and to avoid recommending procedures that had not been through rigorous medical trials. He believes that doctors who ask questions are more likely to use the correct medical tool or procedure and to refer patients to the most appropriate area of expertise to address their health problems.

Dr. Dreiling described the evolution of treatments used to help patients suffering from heart disease. It was a questioning approach that led to innovations. Years ago, for example, doctors knew that the drugs prescribed to help with some of the symptoms of heart disease caused dangerous side effects. Some physicians experimented with treatment using angioplasty, even though that course of action was not approved by the profession at the time. By 1993, the use of angioplasty emerged as the safest and best alternative for many patients. Dreiling prefers to use this procedure at LMH to avoid the side effects of drugs and the dangers of surgical options whenever possible.

From thirty to fifty people present with symptoms of a heart attack (acute myocardial infraction) at the Cardiac Cath Lab at Lawrence Memorial Hospital each year. Dreiling and his team of doctors, surgeons, and technicians respond to those situations 24/7, frequently using angioplasty. The department has very low mortality rate—only 5%. They have saved hundreds of lives during the past nine years.

Trained in pharmacology before he pursued a medical degree at University of Kansas School of Medical, Dr. Dreiling is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Cardiovascular Disease, and Interventional Cardiology.

February 6, 2017
District Governor Chris Ford Stresses Vitality and Membership

DG Chris Ford, District 5710

In introducing District Governor Chris Ford, Lawrence Central President Jim Peters listed the club’s activities, both local and international. He named community bike rides, wreath sales, and fireside dinners as well as support for LiveWell Lawrence, Willow Domestic Violence Center, Salvation Army bell ringing, the Rotary Arboretum, and internationally, support for Shelter Boxes, the Open World Program, and Sister Cities, among many others.

“We’re a ‘DO IT’ club,” Peters said.

This attitude emphasized Ford’s theme of creating an active, vital group. Ford is passionate about Rotary, both its future and its past. He began his talk with a quote from founder Paul Harris that illustrates that enthusiasm. “Be passionate about Rotary. Embrace change,” Harris wrote in 1907 when the social club he had started in 1905 became a service club. “Paul Harris had real foresight,” Ford said. “He said for Rotary to achieve its proper destiny, it must be evolutionary and, at times, revolutionary.”

Ford said his goal for 2017 is 3,000 Rotarians in District 5710. “We’re a small district with 45 clubs. I want a growth rate of 20% for our clubs.“ He outlined three goals for Rotary clubs: new members, retention of current members, and improved attendance. He said we must inspire members to stay in Rotary and have the quality of programs that will keep attendance high. Rotary projects are important. Polio has been conquered but other worldwide concerns include literacy and education, maternal and child health, clean water, and a host of others.

Ford closed his talk with an invitation to the District Conference, May 5-6, in Overland Park. His goal for the conference is to make it inspirational with more Rotarians attending. “The conference,“ he said “is to celebrate Rotary.”

January 31, 2017
Feeding the Hungry in Douglas County – Just Food’s Mission

Brandon Deines, President of the Board of Directors of Just Food, presented a program on the activities of the Douglas County Food Bank.

Brandon grew up in Hoxie, Kansas where he spent many hours working in the family grocery store. That early experience and a desire to serve the community made his commitment to Just Food a good match.

Just Food supplies more than 40 partner agencies with fresh produce, frozen meat, bread and other food. Client services also include instruction on growing vegetables and healthy cooking classes. The organization believes that access to nutritious food is a fundamental human right and they also teach self- sufficiency.

Just Food collaborates with numerous community partners and over 400 annual food drives. Gifts of cash are particularly welcome as currency provides the most efficient way feed people. An annual dance and a fundraising dinner both receive considerable community support. The Just Food Pantry is open five days a week and clients may fill a bag or box with food once a month. However, fresh vegetables and bread are available daily. A mobile food pantry and several other pantry sites also serve clients.

Client eligibility is capped at 185 % of the Federal Poverty Index, that translates into some 19,000 people in Douglas County who are identified at risk or in need of food. The need is great, as Just Food served 13,000 clients in 2016, all by 3.75 employees and gracious volunteers clocked in over 18,000 hours.

Brandon concluded that there still is a great need and the community response has been gratifying. For more information about Just Food visit their website at http://justfoodks.org/

January 29, 2017
The Spencer Museum’s Margaret Perkins McGuiness Visits Lawrence Central

The Spence Museum’s Director of External Affairs Margaret Perkins McGuiness brought Lawrence Central Rotarians up to date on renovations at the museum as well as filling them in on museum history at the Rotary meeting on January 11. Using slides and a video, she detailed the museum story beginning with gifts of art from Mrs. Thayer of the Emery Bird Thayer Company in Kansas City and contributions from Helen Forsman Spencer .

The museum has gone from being housed in Spooner Hall in 1895 to its own building which is now being enlarged and modernized to make exhibits even more accessible, especially for art classes. “The museum will be brighter, more welcoming,” McGuiness said “with smaller, flexible exhibits that can be moved more quickly. And there will be more art outside around the museum,” she said.

Begun with Mrs. Thayer’s collection, expanded by Mrs. Spencer, the museum began an internship program in the 1980s, and is part of the Mellon Foundation Academic Programs.
“We are adding staff members to work with this, “McGuiness said. “The Spencer is one of the leading art education museums in the country, counting the curator of the Manhattan Museum of Modern Art as an alumnus.”

The collections range from works by Thomas Hart Benton to Andy Warhol, and include a western collection, very contemporary types of art in a room recently built especially for them, and “cabinets of curiosities” –smaller items in collection.

“Our goal in this renovation,” McGuiness said “ is to make the museum a part of the campus transformation. We want to make it more inviting, with more space for teaching, more open, more functional.

“We want visitors to the museum to look at art, look around and look inward.”

January 13, 2017