Tom Docking left multiple legacies in Kansas

The Docking name is synonymous with Kansas politics, but Tom Docking meant more to the state than his four-year term as Lieutenant Governor in the 1980s.

Docking, who died Thursday of cancer at the age of 63, was a third-generation Kansas politician after his grandfather and father served as governor. After four years as John Carlin’s second in command, a 32-year-old Docking lost by four percentage points to Mike Hayden in the 1986 gubernatorial race.

Docking returned to Wichita with his family and became one of the city’s most ardent supporters, especially with downtown revitalization.

Docking’s law firm, Morris Laing, moved to Old Town and Docking’s legal skills were essential, local officials said, in laying groundwork for many downtown projects. Drury Plaza, the Ambassador Hotel and the Douglas Design District are some of the downtown projects in which Docking was involved.

“He has made Wichita a very prominent city,” Greater Wichita Partnership president Jeff Fluhr said. “We’re going to continue to see how he shaped that city for many years to come with what he started.”

This story was originally published August 28, 2017 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Tom Docking left multiple legacies in Kansas."