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At  the April 20th Lawrence Central Rotary meeting, Rotarian Nancy  Pike Hause  talked about finding out that she and Rotarian John Wilkinson share a historic connection.  Hause  told Rotarians that she was contacted by the publisher of Colorado Life magazine last year to write a story about her relative, explorer Zebulon Pike, and then found out that her friend, Wilkinson, belonged to the family of General James Wilkinson, Pike’s mentor.

In 1803 Thomas Jefferson appointed General Wilkinson governor of the newly acquired Louisiana territory, not knowing that Wilkinson and Vice-president Aaron Burr were making plans to turn the huge new area into a separate nation, with Burr in charge.  But first they needed someone to explore the 828,000 square miles to map the terrain and learn about the Spanish influence there. They chose young Lieutenant Pike,  the son of a friend of Wilkinson’s.

The expedition was full of mishaps and missteps, including the groups’ capture by Spanish forces, but  Pike was able to report on what he had seen including the “Grand Mountain,” eventually named Pike’s Peak by western pioneers.

When Pike returned from Spanish captivity, he found Burr on trial for treason with Wilkinson testifying against him.  No one knew whether or not Pike had been part of the conspiracy to create a new nation and if his part was to be a spy or if he was just acting as a good soldier and true explorer.

Burr was acquitted but disgraced and went to live in England. Wilkinson stayed in the military, eventually becoming envoy to Mexico, where he died in Mexico City,  having been found to be a double agent, working for Spain.

Pike also stayed in the military, becoming a general. Only 34, he was killed in battle in Canada in the war of 1812, with no one ever knowing  whether or not he was part of Burr and Wilkinson’s plot.

John Wilkinson also told club members more about General Wilkinson, and Hause shared issues of Colorado Life with the story. The program ended, rather unconventionally, with Hause and Wilkinson having a hug.

Porter Arneil,  City of Lawrence Director of Arts and Culture, says he is an accidental arts administrator.  A sculptor with an MFA degree, the told Central Rotarians, he got into arts administration because he believes the arts are an essential part of humanity, from the cave paintings of 15000 B.C. to the crop art of Kansan Stan Herd today.

Art is a biological thing, he said, not just an outside thing but a part of the human condition. Although he believes art education is not generally favored in the United States today and it’s hard for those in the field to bring art back into the public consciousness, he believes it is happening.

“Art, craft, design, are part of our lives,” Arneil said. “We take for granted how much of this we have. Because of computers we have even more need for innovative thinkers. Left brain dominance is decreasing and right brain emphasis is   increasing.

“Our economy has evolved from agrarian to industrial to service to digital/creative and cities are beginning to integrate the arts into curriculums.”

He gives Lawrence high marks. “Lawrence has great arts education,” he said.  “With the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission, the Phoenix Award, outdoor sculptures, city -community arts grants, public art, final Fridays and the East Ninth street plan to name a few.”

He is working with the task force created to define cultural assets of the city, making recommendations.  “There’s a city-wide plan for Lawrence with 21 different topics surveyed.  There’s a real awareness of how important this is,” he said.

Answering questions about the East Ninth street project he said it is a struggle for some and has a way to go, but seems to be moving favorably so far.

“There’s a nationwide effort to find out the economic impact of the arts and we’re working on finding what the economic benefits are for Lawrence.”

Students from Lawrence’s Southwest Middle School presented their award winning city design and described the work required to participate in the National Engineer’s Week Future City Competition.  The eighteen 8th graders took first place in the Great Plains Regional competition in January, earning the right to compete in the national event in Washington DC, in February.  The students were required to develop a design for a city at least 150 years in the future.  The design was to address current and future city problems using technology, science, and engineering solutions. A special focus of the design was to solve the city’s waste management system.  The students chose to re-imagine the city of Mumbai in the year 2170.  At approximately 75 million residents, the city would be transformed into a walkable, thriving commercial hub attracting millions of worldwide citizens.

The competition included requirements for a seven-minute verbal presentation, a three-dimensional model with moving parts, a virtual city created with SimCity software, a project plan, and a city essay. Developing skills such as teamwork, fundraising, planning, and communications to mention a few, this group of teens is ready to take on real world challenges. Outstanding teachers, mentors, and advisors assisted along the way, and many local businesses supported the team in their fundraising efforts to defray the cost of traveling to DC.  The team was honored to take home special recognition for Best Use of Renewable Energy, and enjoyed four days in the nation’s capitol.

Learn more about the project here.

Six term Mayor Mike Amyx is no stranger to the job, which he refers to as the best elected position in Kansas.  Mike is also a barber and business owner of Amyx Barber Shop located in down town Lawrence.  His family has operated the business since 1942.  The job makes him very available to the citizens of the community.  He is the former Chair of the Kansas Board of Barbering and he has also served as a Douglas County Commissioner.  Mike had good words for civic groups like Rotary, noting that city staff can’t do everything.  Being Mayor is a 24-7 commitment and Mike states that he enjoys being busy with city business.  He noted some dramatic moments he has experienced, including the visit of President Obama and the opportunity to represent Lawrence on a visit to the Big Red One’s exercises in Arizona.

The Mayor spoke of big challenges facing the city with lots of infrastructure projects, policy decisions regarding development, and the selection of the new city manager.  He also believes that the principle of home rule is under fire as the legislature in Topeka looks for solutions to the state budget crisis.  The Mayor lamented lightly attended public hearing opportunities and urged citizens to vote their convictions.  He took questions on the police station planning, city abatement policy and prospects for a down town grocery store.  The Mayor expressed considerable pride in the community and enthusiasm for his job.  He was thanked for his years of service to the community