Lemon Twist 📝💛

By Gail Moore Woltkamp

Notable landmarks that were once part of my life and neighborhood while growing up in Independence, Kansas, are now gone. Some, I consider historically significant, not only to my life, but to the town and to the state of Kansas.

Mercy Hospital 🩵

Something that seemed unprecedented, from the time of selling my childhood home in 2014, was that Mercy Hospital, part of the Mercy Hospital System, closed its doors, partially due to the Kansas decision not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

The hospital closed in October of 2015, but months before that decision was final, the town had found itself losing doctors and its number of patient visits were declining. The result was no more hospital for the roughly 9,000-person community and for other areas it served in Montgomery County.

My beloved old neighborhood really is empty. The original part of the hospital, founded by the Sisters of Mercy and established in 1927, along with its unique counterpart, an architecturally rounded addition, built around 1959, are both gone.

Like so many of my friends and family members, I was born in that hospital. My grandmother worked there as a registered nurse in the 1930s and 40s. My mom was a longtime volunteer for the Mercy Hospital Auxiliary and my dad was born in May of 1928 in one of the hospital’s original units.

A Welcomed Solution

Mercy Hospital’s closing initially imposed a deeply chaotic and disgruntled impact on the local area. However, a welcomed solution came along two years later in 2017 with the opening of the Labette Health/Independence Healthcare Center. This rural health clinic with state-of-the-art facilities includes an emergency room and small cancer treatment center. The facility is located further west of town, not in my old neighborhood.

Nonetheless, Brian Williams, President and CEO of Labette Health, (nearby Parsons), secured a $6 million dollar low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Adding this to the $1.6 million dollars raised in local funding, a winning alternative to a full-fledged hospital was created.

Lincoln School 💛

When I was growing up I attended Lincoln School, which was located directly across the street from my house and East of the hospital. The solid white Art Deco-style school was architecturally and structurally sound, built under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939-40. My memories of it are vivid and many of my closest friends, to this day, are ones who attended Lincoln.

I remember during my Kindergarten year, winter of 1971, we had a huge snowfall, nearly up to my waist in some parts of our yard. Because the streets had not been cleared in time for morning Kindergarten, my dad carried me across the street onto the steps of my Kindergarten class.

I have never forgotten that day–how special I felt because I lived so close to the school, and the effort of my dad to make sure I stayed safe and dry.

The bus kids to me, however, were the lucky ones. In extreme cases, if school was in session before the weather hit, they were often dismissed early. Although it seemed back then, school was always in session. Rain or waist-high snow, my across-the-street-residence gave me no excuses.

Demolished

Shortly after closing its doors in 2011, Lincoln School was demolished in a plan involving Mercy Hospital and its need for a helicopter landing pad. The community adjusted okay to this change. Due to a shrinking population, Independence needed only two public elementary schools as opposed to three and raised funds to secure a section of land and build a new school on the other side of town.

Consequently, the helipad was used for only four short years due to the closing of the hospital. My mom missed hearing the happy sounds of the school kids playing on the playground during their recess time. It really was a welcomed familiarity that kept her company. Her view out of her screened-in-front porch for the final year of the previous sixty that she lived in that home was unfortunately an empty lot.

Still a Vibrant Community 🌻⭐️🌻

In recent years Independence has experienced a slight decrease in population and a change in its overall economic growth. Some of these factors were noticeable even before the pandemic hit, yet the town appears to sustain a vibrant, hopeful spirit.

The community has innovative leaders and dedicated citizens who keep their rich traditions alive, support their existing local businesses and look for ways through the Main Street program, Chamber events and festivals to keep volunteers active.

Neighbors helping neighbors improve their homes, residents coming up with unique ways to enhance the downtown area, are all things that have helped the town’s viability.

My old neighborhood is different, yet sustainable. Its fight is long but worth its journey. 💛🌻💛

References

https://www.labettehealth.com/clinics/independence-healthcare-center-rural-health-clinic/

https://www.kcur.org/health/2017-08-23/new-health-care-center-helping-to-fill-void-after-closure-of-southeast-kansas-hospital

http://www.newson6.com

https://www.labettehealth.com

Home

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Although I am a native of Southeast Kansas, part of my family’s history is deeply rooted thirty miles south and across the state line into Northeast Oklahoma. My dad’s paternal grandparents owned a family farm and ranch in Oklahoma’s Washington County, (thirty miles northeast of the larger Osage County), from the early 1900s through the early 1970s.

Etched in my memory are trips to Copan, Dewey, Bowring and Bartlesville, visiting great aunts and uncles as well as a few family cemeteries and interesting sights along the way.

My great grandparents’ original farmhouse sat on a section of their property of several hundred acres before Copan Lake and nearby Hulah Lake were developed.

Throughout my own childhood, (1970s-80s), my dad would tell stories about his summers spent on the farm in the 1930s—it’s close proximity to the now infamous Mullendore Cross Bell Ranch, and his fun visits with half cousins, who were Native Americans. He was often given warnings by his family, out of respect for private property, not to venture onto the Mullendore’s land.

Spending time as a child with various generations of my family in the area that holds our shared history has shaped my interest in Northeast Oklahoma, its landscape and culture.

Hulah Lake 💙💙💙💙

Spreading across miles of rolling terrain, that was once Indian Territory, Hulah Lake is located in Northeast Oklahoma’s Osage County. “Hulah,” meaning “Eagle” in the Osage language, was previously an Osage Nation farming community. outdoorsy.com

Situated 20 miles north of Pawhuska, 15 miles southwest of Copan and five miles north of Bowring, the man-made reservoir was completed in 1951 by the United States Army Corp of Engineers, Tulsa District. (US Army Corp of Engineers, Tulsa District Website)

December on the Lake 💙 ☃️

Last December, my son and I traveled toward the lake from Bartlesville in search of a family cemetery near Bowring. It was a gorgeous drive on Oklahoma State Highway 10 North where the winter landscape with late Fall foliage was visible for miles.

The lake itself, in all its beauty, has a shoreline of 62 miles and offers nearby residents and out of town travelers a chance to enjoy picnics, hunting, fishing, boating, a bird sanctuary, camping and rest area. (Oklahoma Fishing Guide Website) On our drive down Oklahoma Highway 10, we spotted a notable entrance to the Mullendore Cross Bell Ranch to the West.

Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve 🧡💙

Bartlesville, Oklahoma is home to Woolaroc, (named for Woods, Lakes and Rocks), which is the wildlife preserve and art museum founded and developed by Phillips Petroleum Company founder Frank Phillips and his wife, Jane Gibson Phillips. (woolaroc.org).

Originally Frank’s and Jane’s summer retreat, the exquisite property, which has been expanded over the years, is now owned and operated by the Frank Phillips Foundation, Inc.

The mission of its board is to sustain the Phillips’s original intent to preserve the history of the West as well as to educate and entertain. It has been open for the public to experience and enjoy since 1937. (Woolaroc Museum Gallery Guide)

My scenic drive off the entrance of Oklahoma Highway 123, (this time in August), led me across the Woolaroc property spanning 3,700 acres of peaceful terrain. The picturesque route included crossing a couple narrow bridges while spotting lots of buffalo, elk, llamas and a zebra along the way.

The drive led to a unique museum experience filled with extraordinary works of art. Each room showcased Native American and Western History with American Indian collections, paintings, sculptures and exhibits by well-known artists. The museum is also home to one of the world’s most extensive Colt firearms collections and to the 1927 “Woolaroc” aircraft.

My travels to Northeast Oklahoma are a reflection of the interest I have in my family’s past along with Oklahoma’s rich history. 💚

References

woolaroc.org

Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve Gallery Guide

Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve Campus Map 

US Army Corp of Engineers Tulsa District Website

TravelOK.com Website

Oklahoma Fishing Guide Website

outdoorsy.com

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Have you ever sat down and watched Spencer Tracy’s final speech at the end of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”? You should. As late to the party as it sounds, everyone should see this movie.

Combine Tracy’s eloquence and thought-provoking dialogue with knowledge that the actor was ill through the entire making of the film and the message becomes even that much more meaningful.

I was two years old when Stanley Kramer’s classic premiered on the big screen and a youngster during the Civil Rights Movement. Such an important time in our nation’s history and all I had to do was ride my trike and play with dolls. Others were doing the dirty work of paving paths of equal justice and tearing down racial barriers.

Watching Kramer’s film today not only reveals to me who we were during that period in our American History, but also sheds light on some family dynamics of my own…

Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn as Matt and Christina Drayton remind me of my own mom and dad. Not in how they miserably fail in hiding their surprise of their only daughter’s engagement to an African American doctor, but more in how they communicate with candor and humor as they grapple with their own surprise at themselves.

Joanna Drayton, portrayed beautifully by Katherine Houghton, was raised in a special environment. Perhaps because I’m an only child, and was close to both of my parents, I feel a connection to fictional “Joey.” It’s clear she was raised to think for herself, make up her own mind, regardless of outside influences.

My mom and dad, now both deceased, were not as wealthy as the fictional Drayton’s. My dad, a small-town barber, and my mom, a secretary for a pipeline company, were hard-working, kind, generous, independent and accepting. At a very young age I had a voice as important decisions were made about our home, our family and livelihood.

My parent’s values in how to treat and accept others made a lifetime impact on me. My dad would often say about my mom that she was a “Women’s Libber” before anyone talked about it. Just like Matt and Christina Drayton, they were accepting of other people’s races and religions without wearing it on their sleeves or giving it a second thought.

It has been documented that Tracy was frequently absent during the filming of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” He passed away just seventeen days after production wrapped.

It compels me to consider the extent of his illness and wonder if his performance was perhaps driven by his own state of health.

I think of those final scenes where Tracy’s character is questioning himself as he unravels the events of the day in an effort to arrive at a thoughtful position regarding his daughter’s future.

While some critics have expressed the movie is now outdated and even a little hokey, (most recently I’ve seen a movie critic discuss his disdain for the plot), I tend to disagree.

Because I believe the story is ultimately about love, I stand by the film’s message as it continues to reveal to us where we are with universal attitudes on relationships and marriage.

I loved the San Francisco backdrop, the 1960s fashions and of course, Sydney Poitier. But what I continue to admire most about the film are the realistic portrayals of Hepburn and Tracy as their characters react and ultimately transform over the course of a given day.

To so many like my mom and dad who worked and lived by example in paving incredibly important paths of human rights and equal justice…Guess whose generation truly gets it! My teenage son said it best after watching the first ten minutes of the film:

“So that’s the plot?” “They wanna get married?” “Who cares?” 💛

By Gail Moore Woltkamp

In my very early childhood, my grandmother and I would walk a few residential blocks from my house, pass by several store fronts, including my dad’s barbershop, to the Woolworth’s store in downtown Independence, Kansas.

Once reaching our destination, our shopping experience was never disappointing. Sweeper bags, hula hoops, aspirin or a hairbrush, Woolworth’s was THE place for buying whatever we wanted or needed.

As soon as we walked through the door, the smells of perfume and day-old popcorn would welcome us back like an old friend. Down the slanted entry ramp and onto the wide-open fluorescent-lit shopping space, Grandma would head for the household items and I would go directly to the aisle filled with miniature ceramic figurines.

After shopping the aisles and purchasing our must-haves, we would go to the lunch counter and order a grilled cheese sandwich and what was to me, their signature drink: a concoction of orange juice, milk, crushed ice and phosphate, aptly named the “Orange Whip.”

To this day I have dreams about that Woolworth’s…the classic fluorescent luncheonette sign, the endless aisles filled with ten cent treasures…Woolworth’s, no doubt, made an impact on me.

Retail Pioneers

Woolworth’s history in my hometown in Kansas and town’s and cities across the country is a long and thriving one. Some deem the F.W. Woolworth Company the most successful five and dime chain store in all retail history.

Although the first store that opened its doors in Utica, New York, failed, Frank and Charles, the Woolworth brothers, opened a new store that would be the first successful “Great Five Cent Store.”

Famous Lunch Counter ❤️

On February 1, 1960, four African American students from the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina sat down at a Woolworth’s lunch counter at 123 S. Elm Street in Greensboro, North Carolina. Up to that point, the lunch counter had been for “whites only.”

When the students were refused a cup of coffee and asked to leave the lunch counter, the four freshmen refused to get up. The “Greensboro Four” or the “A&T Four,” as they would later be known, stayed until the store closed. Each day, the number of student peaceful protesters grew while other cities in North Carolina launched their own “sit-ins.” (International Civil Rights Museum Website)

A sit-in movement spawned in additional cities and states in the South and after nearly six months of boycotts, store owners abandoned their segregation policies.

Visit The Sites! ❤️

In 1993, a section of the Greensboro Woolworth’s lunch counter was relocated to the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W., in Washington D.C.

The remaining portion of the lunch counter, including the stools where the “Greensboro Four” sat, has been preserved in its original Woolworth location, 134 S. Elm Street, Greensboro, NC, now home to the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, which opened on February 1, 2010, the fiftieth anniversary of the original sit-in. info@sitinmovement.org

Standing Up By Sitting Down

An additional exhibit titled “Standing Up By Sitting Down” honoring the first national peaceful protest in America is displayed at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel. This exhibit includes original interactive video footage and honors the original 1960s sit-ins in the South.

Woolworth’s Today ❤️

The last Woolworth’s store in the United States closed its doors in 1997. While other retailers have used its name in many variations across the world, only a couple of those chains and corporations are currently connected to the original F.W. Woolworth Company brand.

In the U.S. the company restructured, existing as Foot Locker, Inc. which sells sports apparel and footwear, and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. (FL) ☮️

References

International Civil Rights Center and Museum website

http://footlocker.com

National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel website

NYSE: The New York Stock Exchange (Website)

www.goodreads.com

“Remembering Woolworth’s, A Nostalgic History of the World’s Most Famous Five and Dime,”Karen Plunkett-Powell, St. Martin’s Press; 1999

Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History website

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