Kansans here and away celebrate state’s anniversary
As Kansans we live by our motto, “Ad astra per aspera," which is Latin for "To the stars through difficulties."
“One thing I’ve noticed about Kansans is how we express our state identity,” said Jay Price, director of public history at Wichita State University. “Ad astra per aspera seems to be the thing. I know a couple of people who have Ad astra tattoos. There is something about that motto that resonates with Kansans.”
No doubt, we Kansans are passionate — if sometimes a little quirky. We celebrate Kansas.
Sure, other states have special days set aside to celebrate their heritage. Texas wildly proclaims its day of independence on March 2; Oklahoma celebrates Oklahoma Day on April 22, the anniversary of the land rush of 1889.
But every Kansan worth his or her salt knows Jan. 29 is Kansas Day.
“For a lot of years, it (being a Kansan) didn’t mean anything,” said Tracee Hamilton, sports columnist for The Washington Post. “Once I got away from Kansas, I realized how unique Kansas was – and to see that Kansans are a special breed.
“When I moved to the East Coast, I guess it was then that I realized Kansans are so much more sensible and real than so many people. I have a theory that the pioneers, as they kept going west, the land culled out the weak from the herd and that the ones that got as far as Kansas were the tough ones. It strained out the mediocre and kept the tough and strong and then mixed us all together.”
Each year when she returns to Kansas, she puts a flower on the grave of Hazel Avery, the woman who made Kansas’ first flag in 1925 and who is buried in Lincoln, Hamilton’s hometown. The state adopted Hazel’s flag in 1927.
“I come across people whose graves are neglected and ought to be remembered,” Hamilton said. “Hazel is buried east of my great-grandparents. … The thing about being Kansan is loyalty. It’s like family. You may moan about the people in your family but nobody else had better say anything. I do not like people talking bad about Kansas.”
For some, being Kansan is like a religion.
“I’d like to consider myself a Kansan. I grew up spending my summers with my grandparents and lived out there for a year in college,” said Caroline Ericsson Coleman of Fredericksburg, Va. “My husband says I have Kansas dirt under my toes. I have been celebrating the Kansas sesquicentennial by flying the Kansas flag in our yard all year.”
She was not born in Kansas. And yet, now in her 50s, it is the only place she calls home.
“I’ve lived many other places around the world, traveling from pillar to post. I’ve never had any roots,” Coleman said.
“But, when I go to Kansas I’ve always felt like I was coming home. It’s a feeling of belonging. It’s a spiritual thing.”
Wide celebrations
For some expatriates it is a tradition to celebrate Kansas Day with fellow expats – such as in 1998 when at least two dozen people gathered at the Hot Tomato, a cafe in New York City, in honor of Kansas Day.
They dined on fried chicken, sang a few refrains of “Home on the Range” and had the chef whip up a chocolate mousse cake in the shape of the Sunflower State.
In more recent years, former Kansans at the New York Times celebrate. Last week, the memo went out from Lon Teter, the Times’ editor of special sections and a 1970 graduate of Goddard High School, letting Times employees know Kansas Day falls this year on a Sunday – so, they will celebrate on Monday when more people can attend.
He’s ordered the brisket from Jack Stack’s in Kansas City, extra sauce from Arthur Bryant’s, and he has plenty of Art’s & Mary’s potato chips on hand. He’s expecting a crowd of at least a dozen people – to gather for the food, a few rounds of “Home on the Range” and to watch as the Kansas flag is unfurled and displayed.
“I’m proud to be from Kansas,” Teter said. “It’s in my bones and blood. I grew up watching ‘Gunsmoke’ and ‘Wyatt Earp’ on TV, and I wasn’t too old before I realized those shows were embellished.
“When the Civil War centennial occurred when I was in grade school, I just became fascinated with everything in Kansas that related to the war.”
This past year, as Kansas has celebrated its 150th anniversary, history buffs not only celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Civil War but are gearing up for three more years of Civil War observances, several which will relate to Kansas.
Deciding on a day
Celebrating the legacy of Kansas began 135 years ago when a teacher in Paola wanted to make Kansas history come alive for his students. So, beginning on Jan. 29 – the day in 1861 that Kansas was admitted to the Union – LeGrande Alexander Copley set aside time for his small classroom to gather information about Kansas.
When Copley became superintendent of Wichita’s public schools two years later, he brought his Kansas Day tradition with him.
As the years went by, other schools began observing Kansas Day as well, setting it aside as a time to learn about the state’s earliest residents — the Native Americans, African-Americans, women, settlers, cowboys and soldiers. Soon, every student in Kansas was exposed to their state’s history.
Tom Leahy carries on that tradition by teaching Kansas history to seventh and eighth grade students at Conway Springs Middle School.
“I think they don’t realize what a rich history it has,” Leahy said.
But at least one of his students never tires of Kansas history.
“I love the Jayhawkers and Bushwhackers and when Quantrill raided Lawrence,” said 14-year-old Anthony Becker, an eighth-grader at Conway Springs and fourth-generation Kansan.
When he finishes school in Conway Springs, he hopes to attend West Point – and then, he says, he will come back to Kansas.
“I love this place,” he said. “I can’t imagine going anywhere else.”
This story was originally published January 26, 2012 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Kansans here and away celebrate state’s anniversary."