Dr. Grace M. Ketterman

Dr. Grace Marie Ketterman (1926-2021) - Author, Medical Director, Medical Doctor, Psychiatrist.  Grace was born the 6th of seven children to Elizabeth (Winey) and Titus Horst, in Harvey County, Kansas on September 11, 1926. Grace's entire family, along with any grandparents or guests who happened to be there, gathered together every morning in the living room for family devotions.  Her father, Titus read wisdom from the Bible and prayed for all. 

After she graduated from high school, she attended two different colleges. One in Bethany, Oklahoma and one in Lawrence, Kansas to obtain her medical degree. She was one of 5 women in her Medical School graduating class of 1952. She received an award as an outstanding intern at the Menorah Hospital in Kansas City when she completed her work there and accepted a position as an assistant director of public health in Kansas City, KS. Then she was practicing pediatrics in Ruskin Heights, a postwar neighborhood in south Kansas City, MO when the  terrible tornado roared through in 1957. She later obtained her degree in psychiatry. Early in her practice she became the Medical Director of the Florence Crittenton Center for Unwed Mothers and the Director of the Crittenton Center in Kansas City, a residential home for troubled children, serving for more than 20 years. She counseled privately in the 199o's, at her downtown office which was in the Country Club Plaza, an upscale shopping district. She authored more than 30 books, was a guest on Dr. James Dobson's radio program (see links below to a couple of recorded ones) and lectured at the Nazarene Theological Seminary. She wasn't above praying for her patients either. 

Not only was Dr. Grace a busy doctor, but she was also a wife and mother. She married Dr. Herbert L. Ketterman (1926-2002) on 2 September 1950 and in the following years they had three children, two girls and a boy.  Her children were the light of her life. 

She passed peacefully away at her home in Leewood, Johnson County, Kansas at the age of 94. 

More to Read: 

1. Ketterman Family History. By Luther Clay Ketterman.

2. "Activities of Members." Journal of the Kansas Medical Society. By Kansas Medical Society. Topeka, KS. 1953. p. 484. Internet Archive. 

3. Caught Ever After: Children of the Ruskin Heights Tornado. By Carolyn Glenn Brewer. 

4. Caught in the Path: The Fury of a Tornado. The Rebirth of a Community. By Carolyn Glenn Brewer. 

5. "A Forgotten Monster - The Ruskin Heights F5 Tornado." By Meteocube. 3 Mar 2024. YouTube. 

6."Kansas City, MO. (NAE)" Women's Fellowship of NAE. The Brethren Evangelist, Ashland, OH, 1970. Internet Archive. 

7.  "The Father - More Than a Biological Necessity." By Rev. Truman Dollar and Dr. Grace Ketterman. Advent Christian Witness to the World. By Advent Christian General Conference of America. 1980. pp. 10-13. Internet Archives. 

8. "A Nov. 5 Trial Date was set Monday for..." US News, Olathe, Kan. 10 Sept 1984. 

9. Biographical Directory: Fellows and Members of the American Psychiatric Association. 1989 edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1989. American Psychiatric Press, Washington, DC. 

10. Dr. Grace's First Obituary 

2nd Obituary

3rd Obituary

4th Obituary

11. Grace's Husband's obituary

12. Findagrave Memorial #

Places to Visit: 

1. Clark-Ketterman Athletic Field Park, 8049 E. 107th Street (east of Blue Ridge Blvd), Hickman Mills, South Kansas City, MO.  Named for medical practice partners, Dr. Howard Clark & Grace's husband, Dr. Herbert L. Ketterman. Established in 1967. Has a tennis court, baseball field, playground and a picnic shelter. 

2. Highland Cemetery, Newton, Harvey County, KS, USA

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You can find many of these books on the Internet Archives Open Library website. If they aren't available there, some may be found on World Cat library as loaners. The two shown here are in my home library. 

Some of Dr. Grace's books:

199 Questions Parents Ask. 

A Circle of Love: How You Can Nurture Creative, Caring, and Close-Knit Parent-Child Relationships. 

Before and After the Wedding Night. 

Call Me Blessed: Becoming a Mother of Honor

The Complete Book of Baby and Child Care for Christian Parents. 1981. 

Depression Hits Every Family 

Don't Give In, Give Choices: Winning Your Child's Cooperation

Fathering: A Practical Guide for Dads

Family Matters Handbook: Expert Advice on Developing the Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Well-Being of Your Children

How to Teach Your Child About Sex. 1981. 

Ketterman on Kids: Answers to the Questions Parents Ask Most. 

Book 1 in the Framing Better Families Series 

Marriage: First Things First

Mothering: An Expert's Guide to Succeeding In Your Most Important Role. 

Mothering: The Complete Guide for Mothers of All Ages

Parenting the Difficult Child. 

Preparing for Parenthood

Real Solutions for Caring for Your Elderly Parent

Surviving the Darkness

Teaching Your Child About Sex: An Essential Guide for Parents. 

Teenage Rebellion. 1979

Verbal Abuse: Healing the Hidden Wound

When You Can't Say "I Forgive You:" Breaking the Bonds of Anger and Hurt. 

When You Feel Like Screaming!: Help for Frustrated Mothers.

You and Your Child's Problems: How to Understand and Solve Them. 1983.  

2014 and 2017. Radio Broadcast with Dr. James Dobson - When You Feel Like Screaming, Part 1, by Pat Holt and Dr. Grace

2017. Radio Broadcast with Dr. James Dobson - When You Feel Like Screaming, Part 2

Personal Note: 

A nurse who attended our church mentioned she had worked in Dr. Grace's office when she practiced in Ruskin Heights during the 1957 tornado. 

During the mid-1990's,  Dr. Grace and I shared a primary physician, Dr. Sharon Prohaska (1952-2006).  

One evening, I introduced Dr. Grace to a parent's meeting in our son's public elementary school (we began homeschooling before his 5th grade year) and afterwards,  they held a book signing. She autographed our copy of her book "When You Feel Like Screaming!" (see book above)  I'm grateful for her kindness and wisdom in counseling with our family during a very stressful time in our lives.  

Citation: "Dr. Grace M. Ketterman." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 16 January 2026. History Nut of Missouri, USA.  

Thor Hagen

1955

Thor Hagen (1925-1982) = WWII Navy Vet. 1943-1946. Professional Wrestler. Founder of New Life Ministries for underprivileged children.

Born as Orion Clemence Heskin in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota on 24 November to  Bertha M. (Sveen) and electrician, John S. Heskin. All his grandparents were born in Norway and emigrated to the United States before his parents were born. Life was rough growing up for Orion. By the time he was fourteen, his parents were divorced and he and his mother were living with his maternal grandmother. 

His military registration records described him as a white young man, but having a ruddy complexion with brown-eyes and hair. He stood at 5 ft. 11 in. and weighed 195 lbs. at the time of his Navy enlistment in Los Angeles, California. 

  

He married his wife, Lenore E. Hagg (1929-1985) in September of 1949 while living in California. 

He wrestled from 1952 until 1971, won 385 times and was a Central States Heavyweight Champion and a World Tag Team Champion several times. 

But none of his titles meant anything when God got hold of his heart and he began working with the Salvation Army, Young Life, Youth for Christ and founded New Life Ministries. He purchased  an old broken down, 3-story mansion in central Kansas City, Missouri and remodeled it so the young people in the area would have a nice place to hang out. 

Sadly, Thor died 14 December 1982 of cancer and was buried in the Leavenworth National Cemetery in Leavenworth, KS. 

More to Read: 

1.  Ancestry. com Records

2. Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling, 2nd ed. By Harris M. Lentz III., p. 140. Google Books.  

3.  Daily Colonist News, (Victoria, B.C.), 17 Jun 1955. p. 9. Internet Archive

4. Facebook: Thor Hagen

5. Findagrave #367093

6. Focus on the Family with Dr. James C. Dobson, Pomona, CA.1997. Vol. 21-22, p. 48.

7. Memoirs of Oscar and Gladys O'Neal. Satanta, Kansas. Aft. 1977. p.28. Ancestry.
8. NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship

9. Online World of Wrestling

10. Professional Wrestling Historical Society

11. "KETV, Channel 7: Omaha's All-Star Wrestling."  Sponsor, (New York) 3 Oct 1959, p. 62. Internet Archive. 

12. Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho), 26 Sep 1954, p.15  Internet Archive
13. Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho), 15 Sep 1954, p. 13. Internet Archive

14. Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho), 16 Nov 1954, p.19. Internet Archive
15. Times-News, (Twin Falls, Idaho), 24 Jan 1955. p. 8  Internet Archive. 

16. Times-News, (Twin Falls, Idaho), 25 Jan 1955. p. 8. Internet Archive
17. Times-News, (Twin Falls, Idaho),14 Feb 1955, p. 7. Internet Archive

18. Wrestling Classics Message Board

19. Wrestling Data

20. Wrestling Legends

1954

Citation: "Thor Hagen." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 20 September 2019. History Nut of Missouri, USA. 

Thomas Sears Huffaker

Thomas Sears Huffaker (1825-1910) = Methodist Missionary. Postmaster. County Commissioner. Probate Judge.  Kansas Legislator.  Born on March 30 to  Catherine (Lowe) and George Smith Huffaker, an ordained minister of the Methodist Episcopal South church in Clay County, Missouri.  

Eliza Ann Baker was born in Illinois to Agnes (Inghram) & blacksmith, Joshua W. Baker in 1836, raised in Iowa and married Thomas on 6 May, 1852 at the age of 16 in Council Grove by a missionary traveling to Mexico, one Rev. Nicholson.

Previous to their marriage, in 1850, Thomas  was sent to Council Grove, Morris County, Kansas as a missionary to teach the Indian children by the Methodist Episcopal South Board of Missions after he taught at the Shawnee Manual Training School in Johnson County for two years. Few Indians allowed their children to attend the Kaw mission school, so the mission closed within a few years. After awhile, when settlers began to settle around and in Council Grove, he taught the children of those settlers and began a Sunday School there. In addition to teaching, he engaged in a mercantile business, farming and raising farm stock. 

They lived at the mission until a new fourteen room house was built for their family, eventually numbering twelve members, one quarter mile north of the mission. Thomas and Eliza celebrated their fifty-third anniversary there. After her father passed, a daughter, Anna Carpenter, sold her home on Second Street and moved to the mission in 1911 with her mother (1836-1920), living there until her death in 1921. 

Both Thomas and Eliza were buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Council Grove, Kansas. 

More to Read:  

1. Some Boone Descendants and Kindred of the St. Charles District. By Lilian Hays Oliver. Chedwato Service, 1964. p. 267-270. Repository: Midwest Genealogy Center, Independence, MO. 

2. "Old West Kansas." Kansas Heritage website

3. History of the State of Kansas. By William G. Cutler. A. T. Andreas, Chicago, IL, 1883. p. 805-806. Repository: Google Books. 

4. Kansaspedia. Kansas Historical Society website

5. "Homer Huffaker." A Standard History of Oklahoma. by Joseph Bradfield Thobum. Vol. 5. p.2133-34. Repository: Google Books.

6. Photo of the Kaw Mission in Council Grove, Kansas. Kansas Memory.

7. Thomas Sears Huffaker, Ancestry.com

8. Findagrave #20168737

Places to Visit:

1. Santa Fe Trail Historic Markers from Independence, MO to Council Grove, KS. 

2. Shawnee Indian Mission Historic Site & Museum, 3403 W. 53rd,  Fairway, KS.

3. Kaw Mission State Historic Site, 500 North Mission, Council Grove, KS. 

Citation: "Thomas Sears Huffaker." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 17 January 2019. History Nut of Missouri, USA. 

Dr. James Naismith

Dr. James Naismith (1861-1939) = Presbyterian Minister. Physician. Professor. Best known as the Inventor of Basketball. Born in Canada to John & Margaret (Young) Naismith who passed away when he was but eight or nine, he was raised by his grandparents and an uncle.
He attended courses at both the Presbyterian College and McGill University in Montreal, Canada and from there, in 1890 he entered the School for Christian Workers college in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was there that James Naismith came up with the new game. He was inspired by a Canadian game he played as a child, but instead of using rocks, he created his game to be played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets.

From Springfield, Naismith went to Denver where he finally acquired a medical degree at the Gross Medical College in 1898 and later, in the same year, he joined the University of Kansas faculty at Lawrence, Kansas. He initiated the first collegiate Jayhawks basketball game at the University.
Following the 1936 Olympics, he was offered thousands of dollars for endorsements of various tobacco products, which he rejected on principle -- tobacco was harmful to young people.
James was a papa to several children and a happy husband. He remained at Lawrence until his death in 1939. 

More to Read:

1. Basketball: Its Origin and Development. By James Naismith. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE; 1996. 
2. Basketball History

3. Canadian History for Kids

4. Kansas Medical License Application

5. Kansas Sampler

6. Ten Interesting Facts about James Naismith

7. Where Basketball was Invented

8. Findagrave #753 

9. Naismith's Obituary

Places to See in KS:

1. Allen Fieldhouse (Booth Family Hall of Athletics Museum), KU Campus, 1700 Naismith Drive, Lawrence

2.  Naismith Hall-Campus Student Housing, Lawrence

3. Watkins Community Museum of History, 3rd floor, 1047 Massachusetts, Lawrence
4. Memorial Park Cemetery, East 15th, Lawrence 

Citation: "Dr. James Naismith." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 7 January 2019. History Nut of Missouri, USA. 

Edna Thimes

Edna Florence Thimes (1914-1995). Missionary Nurse. Evangelist. Edna was born to Henry J. and Martha (Son) Thimes on September 26, 1914, fourth child of five, in a loving, but unchurched family. They lived on a farm near Emporia, Kansas. Henry and Martha taught the children high moral standards and a reverence for God. Edna was fourteen when she first attended a Church of God congregation and was saved within two months.

After graduating from high school, she attended Anderson College, Anderson, Indiana, graduating in 1940 with a Bachelor of Theology. She trained to be a registered home nurse at the St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing at Anderson and at the former Bethany Hospital in Kansas City, Kansas.

She served as a Sunday School teacher and Superintendent in her home church and spent her vacations as a resident nurse at the Anderson Church of God campmeeting.

Edna served in the mission field in Kenya, East Africa for 22 years at the Mwihila Hospital at Kisumu and in Kima. She once said that half the babies born in Kenya were named “Edna” in her honor. Her special interest were babies whose mothers had died in childbirth. She often kept them until they were two, sharing the love of Jesus with them and returning them to their fathers when they could eat regular table food.

When Edna retired from the mission field, she returned to her home in the United States, next moving for a time to California to live near a niece, and finally returning to Kansas City.

Edna’s big heart gave out on June 22, 1995. Her “heavenly graduation ceremony” was conducted at the former First Church of God and her body is buried in Emporia.

* Near the time of my birth, the ladies at church, including Edna, had a baby shower for my mother, presenting her with a hooded baby towel embroidered with their signatures. We considered her family, as she shared an Uncle William and Aunt Lillian with my mother's maternal Aunt Nadine. Furloughs from the mission field were five years apart and she stayed with us or my grandparents during her deputation visits to churches nearby. I corresponded with her during my teen years and once sent her $5.00 out of my allowance. She wrote a thank you note, stating she had purchased an apple as a treat in the local market. Apples didn’t grow in the climate there and she had been hankering for a taste of home. My mother played the organ for Edna’s funeral service. She’s rejoicing in heaven!

More to Read:

1. Anderson University Alumni, alumni@anderson.edu

2. Church of God Missions Magazines, various issues from 1961-1978.

3. US Federal Census

4. Ancestry.com
5. "Bethany Hospital." History of Wyandotte County, Kansas: and its people. Edited by Perl Wilbur Morgan, p. 413-415.  Vol. 1
6. Edna's Embroidered Signature
7. Findagrave #116965706

Places to visit in KS.

1. New Life Family (formerly First Church of God), 4835 Shawnee Drive, Kansas City, KS. 913-262-8048
2. Bethany Methodist Hospital  (org. 1892) stood at the corner of 12th & Reynolds, Kansas City, KS until July 2001 when it closed. Stand at that corner and imagine all the babies born there! 
3. Providence Hospital's Medical Museum in the Main Entrance Lobby. (Contains two cabinets of Bethany Hospital & Nursing School memorabilia.), 8929 Parallel, Kansas City, KS.

4. Maple Woods Memorial Lawn Cemetery, Emporia, KS


Citation: "Edna Thimes." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 12 August 2018. History Nut of Missouri, USA. 

Walt Disney

Walter Elias Disney (1901-1966) = Illustrator. Film-maker. Best known for Mickey & Minnie Mouse and Donald & Daisy Duck. Born to Elias and Flora (Call) Disney in Chicago, Illinois, Walt [named for Rev. Walter Parr (1871-1922) and his father] was their fourth of five children. Walt was brought up in a musical (his dad played the fiddle) and Christian home where he was taught the values of right and wrong.
Financially, life was a struggle for the Disney family and after Walt was born, his family moved from Chicago to the rural town of Marceline, Missouri. As a young farm-boy, he developed an interest in drawing animals.
In 1911, they moved to Kansas City. Young Walt and his brother, Roy, help their father deliver newspapers. He attended school at Benton Elementary, under  Principal William Cottingham's leadership. Then it was back to Chicago where Walt began high school in 1917 and in 1918, he joined the Red Cross Ambulance Corp in France and afterwards, returned first to Chicago and then back to Kansas City in 1919.
Disney had various jobs there such as designing stationery letterheads and advertisements, learning how to make cutout film animations and opening his own companies, however, he was not a financial success and left Kansas City in 1923 for Hollywood, California where he promptly created another company called the Disney Brothers Studio. Disney created Oswald the Rabbit (1927) and Mickey Mouse in "Steamboat Willie" (1928) there. Walt was the voice of Mickey for nearly twenty years of the cartoon. He went on to experiment with Technicolor, a new 3-color process in his films and won Academy Awards for "Flowers and Trees" (1932) and "Snow White" (1937).
Walt married Lillian Marie Bounds (1925) and had two girls, Sharon and Diane. Two years after his death, the US Postal Service issued a 6 cent stamp in his honor.

More to Read:
1. State Historical Society of Missouri, "Walt Disney"
2. Walt Disney Family Museum
3. Disney Family 

4. Just Disney

5. Wikipedia "Walt Disney"

6.  Disney Website
7.  Disney/Hallmark License 
8.  "The Purpose of Storyboarding" video

9. FREE Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto Printable Coloring Sheet
10. Movie Trailer - "Walt Before Mickey" 
11. Norman Besheer, Past President of the Native Sons and Daughters of Greater Kansas City.

12.  A Historic Kansas City Church Beloved by Disney Family is Coming Down Stone by Stone. By Anna Spoerre, Kansas City Star. 2021
13. A Disneyland Brick

14. The Musical World of Walt Disney. By David Tietyen. Hal Leonard Publishing Corp,, Milwaukee, WI, 1990. 

15. Findagrave #284

Craft Idea: Create a Passport Journal. Make a passport to resemble a real one or purchase a small blue blank book at the dollar store or purchase one of the official Disney passports. Make or purchase representative Disney stickers. Handmade stickers can be tiny photos of each of the locations you visited pertaining to him or rubber stamped Disney images . When you have visited all the places pertaining to Disney in Missouri or Kansas, you'll have a keepsake of your trip to keep forever. Added bonuses -- try to find a real Disney postage stamp and obtain autographs of tourist guides to add to your Passport. 

Another Idea: Collect Disney postcards and scrapbook them! Or Disney themed shopping bags. 

Places to Visit in MO & KS:

1. Historical Marker Database (Search "Walt Disney") 
2. Walt Disney Museum, 120 W. Santa Fe, Marceline, MO.

3. Walt Disney United States Post Office Building, 120 E. Ritchie Street, Marceline, MO.

4.  Walk Disney's newspaper route - 27th Street to 31st Street and from Prospect Ave to Indiana Ave. Kansas City. (Approximately 600 to 700 customers then.)

5. Disney Homes - 2706 E. 31st Street and 3028 Bellefontaine St., Kansas City (please respect the privacy of the homeowners).
6. Benton Elementary, 31st and Benton Blvd., Kansas City, MO. 

7. Laugh-O-Gram Studio, McConaughey Building,  1127 E. 31st St (31st and Forest Ave), 2nd floor, Kansas City -- takes money to restore the building for a museum
8. Union Railroad Station (Disney rode a train to California), 30 W. Pershing Rd. Kansas City
9. Disney Store, Oak Park Mall, 11447 W. 95th Street, #L1-S52, Overland Park, KS.

10. Walt Disney's grandparents are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery,  Spruce and East 12th St., Ellis, Ellis County, KS.

Disney Community Service Projects:
1.) Hold a Book Drive for Kids in a Homeless Shelter! 

Citation: "Walt Disney." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 23 November 2017. History Nut of Missouri, USA. 

Wilbur Chapman

Wilbur Chapman (1903 -1977). Good Deed Inspired Pig Banks.
Wilbur was born to Charles and Manie Chapman. When he was ten, missionary, William Mason Danner (1863-1952), the American Leprosy Missions' first secretary (1911-1937), visited Wilbur's church in northeast Kansas to tell them about leper colonies and how badly they needed help. Leprosy or Hansen's Disease is a contagious, disfiguring disease that is now thought to be spread by droplets of facial fluids between people in close and frequent contact or by handling infected armadillos. It can be cured by antibotics now, but back in 1913, they did not have the medicine necessary  to cure their patients, however the medical care they could provide for one person with leprosy would only cost $25.00 for one year.

Wilbur's parents decided they wanted to provide care for ten patients and collected donations around their small town, but found they were short $25.00. When Danner got on the train to leave to go onto his next stop, he affectionately gave Wilbur three shiny silver dollars. Wilbur could have purchased something frivolous with that money, but instead he bought a pig, named him Pete, raised him, and sold him for the last $25.00. That money helped a boy named Al Sam.

The story was published in the "Sunday School Times" paper and inspired a Mrs. Harrison of Richmond, VA to create a fundraiser for the Mission. She said that children could feed a slot in the back of a pig bank to help raise funds for the leprosarium's as not all had the necessary space or equipment to raise a pig like Wilbur did. By 1938, the American Mission to Lepers had raised over $1,000,000 with the distribution of pig banks.

Wilbur grew up to become a successful draftsman in Minneapolis.

More to Read: 

1. Historical Marker Database

2. Institute for American Values

3. Kansas Travel Brochure

4. Kansas Guidebook for Explorers. By Marci Penner. 

5. "Thank a Kansas boy for the Piggy Bank." By Alonzo Weston, St. Joseph News-Press. 

6. Roadside America

7. Wilbur and Pete 

8. The Story of the Piggy Bank (or Not!)

9. Leprosy History -- William M. Danner

10. William Mason Danner, Sr. & the first pig banks.

11. Nothing Tops Armadillos In Research of Leprosy 

Places to Visit in KS: 

1. Wilbur Chapman Monument, 202 Main St. (dedicated in 1938; north/right side of street, in front of Community Christian church, 1 1/2 blocks west of K-7 Hwy), White Cloud, Doniphan Co.

2. Wilbur's boyhood home was formally known as "The Gingerbread House, a private residence in White Cloud. 

Holiday: "World Leprosy Day" January 30 or its nearest Sunday. 

Teacher Reproducible:
Friendly Schools Plus Teacher Resource: Middle Childhood (Ages 8-10). Hawker Brownlow Education, 2014. 

Citation: "Wilbur Chapman." Written by Dolores J Rush. 6 September 2017. History Nut of Missouri, USA. 

George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver (1860-1943) – Professor Scientist of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Best known for his work with the peanut. George Washington Carver was born to a slave woman named Mary owned by his German foster parents Moses and Susan Carver. Since the Carvers did not have any natural children of their own, they raised George and his brother James after their mother was stolen by night riders during the Civil War.

George loved God's creation and had a way with plants and animals. He wanted to learn more about the mysteries of God's creation and left home at age 11 to get his education. Between 1873 and 1877, he attended the services at a African Methodist church in Neosho, MO. Later, around the year 1883, George joined a Presbyterian church in Minneapolis, Kansas. We know this because the Church Registry Roll book has been preserved.

George was talented in many areas. Not only was he good with plants, but he also loved music and art.

He wanted to attend college, but was denied admission to Highland University in Doniphan County, Kansas because he was black. He then tried farming in Kansas and soon afterward was accepted as an art major at Simpson College in Iowa, later transferring to the present Iowa State University and earning two degrees in Agriculture.

In 1896, Carver accepted an offer from Dr. Booker T. Washington to come to the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama to teach. He could have become a rich man, but he freely shared his secrets. For example, he wrote a series of free Agricultural Bulletins for farmers that provided information on crops, cultivation techniques and recipes for nutritious meals.

After Carver died in 1943, Congress designated the Carver home in Diamond Grove, Missouri a National Park.

A Bit of Trivia:

1847 = The Missouri Legislature made it illegal to educate blacks. Also, the legislature prohibited slaves from gathering in any kind of assembly, barred any religious services that were led by a black minister (unless a white official was present), and flatly outlawed the immigration of free black people into the state.

More to Read:

1. George Washington Carver. By Henry Thomas. 1958.

2. George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist. By Janet & Geoff Benge.

3. George Washington Carver, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior tourist brochure

4. Missouri Legends: Famous People from the Show-Me State. John W. Brown. 2008.

5. Webster's Biographical Dictionary. G & C. Merriam, 1956.

6. George Washington Carver: Scientist and Inventor. By Judy Monroe.

7. George Washington Carver: Peanut Wizard. Laura Driscoll.

8. “George Washington Carver in Paola” By Joe Hursey. Miami County Historical Museum, Summer 2012 Edition. P. 6. 

9. "Negro Scientist, George Washington Carver" Official Manual "Blue Book," State of Missouri 1949-50. Secretary of State, Jefferson City, MO. p. 24

10. “George Washington Carver” by Dr. LeEtta Felter, Olathe, KS. Aug. 21, 2026. Facebook. 
11. Carver Birthplace Association website 
12. The Peanut Man
13. Find-a-Grave Memorial

Places to Visit in MO. & KS.:

1. George Washington Carver National Monument, 5646 Carver Road, Diamond, MO.

2. Griot Museum of Black History & Culture, 2505 St. Louis Ave., St. Louis, MO.

3. See Carver's statue at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, St. Louis, MO.

4. National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, 630 Hall of Fame Dr. Bonner Springs, KS.

5. Miami County Historical Museum, 12 E. Peoria, Paola, Ks.

6. Former Residence = 309 East Miami Street, Paola, KS.


Extras For the (Home) Educator:
1. Classroom Poster, (#T-38306) Trend Enterprises, IN. St. Paul, MN.
2. There are many resources at the US Department of Agriculture website such as the coloring book below. Put "George Washington Carver" into their search engine to see what's available.
2. USDA Honors Dr. George Washington Carver (1864-1943) Coloring & Activity Book. US Department of Agriculture.

3. Discovering with God. By Lois Dick. Child Evangelism Fellowship Press, Warrenton, MO., 1987. 
4. George Washington Carver's Kansas Trading Card! 

Historical Note: The Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute of Tuskegee, Ala., headed for many years by Booker T. Washington (1859-1915) was associated with the National Baptist Convention, USA.

Holiday:

"March is National Peanut Month."

George Washington Carver

By Elizabeth McKinnon.

George Washington Carver liked peanuts,

He thought they were really a treat.

He made many products from peanuts,

From peanuts that we love to eat!

Citation: "George Washington Carver." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 14 February 2017. History Nut of Missouri, USA. 

St. Philippine Duchesne, RSCJ

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, RSCJ (1769-1852) = Missionary Nun. Revered by the Potawatomi and given the name of “Quah-Kah-Ka-Num-Ad” (woman who prays always), Rose was born in Grenoble, France, the second of eight children to Pierre Francois and Rose Euphrosine Perier Duchesne. She survived the religious persecution of the French Revolution.

 Bishop Louis William Valentine DuBourg, bishop of Louisiana, sent Mother Rose Philippine Duchesne and a group of nuns, in 1818, to establish an Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles, Missouri. Not only did she establish the free-of-charge girl’s school, but also the first convent of the Religious Sisters of the Sacred Heart, a teaching order, there.

In 1838, the US federal government forced some 900 Potawatomi from their land in Indiana and made them march single file over 600 miles in three months, ending near present day Osawatomie, Kansas. The forced march is now known as the Trail of Death as many died along the way. Most of the surviving Potawatomi eventually settled in Sugar Creek near Mound City, but were later relocated to St. Marys on the Kansas River in 1847. Catholic missionaries opened schools for boys and girls at both.

Duchesne’s dream was to serve the Indians and she made quite an impression on them when it finally became a reality at the age of 72, thanks to her friends, Fr. Peter De Smet, SJ, and Fr. Peter John Verhaegan, SJ. She and three other nuns arrived in Kansas City on a steamboat on the way to their assigned mission. She never quite mastered the Indian language, but prayed daily, visited the sick, and helped the Indian girls with their knitting. After a year, she was summoned back to St. Charles where she lived the rest of her life, dying on November 18, 1852. One hundred, thirty-six years after death, she achieved sainthood when canonized on July 3, 1988.

Posthumous Award:

1918 = The Historical Society of Missouri named her the greatest benefactor among the state’s pioneer women.

More to Read:

1. Philippine Duchesne. By Louise Callan.

2. The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. 150 Years of Faith: 1850-2000. By Todd Habiger. 2000.

3. Dictionary of Christianity in America.Editors: Daniel G. Reid, Robert D. Linder, Bruce L.Shelley, & Harry S. Stout, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1990.

4. Webster’s Biographical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA; 1956.

5. A Centenary of Catholicity in Kansas: 1822-1922. By Thomas H. Kensella. Casey Printing, Kansas City; 1921.

6. Frontier Missionary

7. St. Mary's Sugar Creek Mission

8. Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
9. Missouri: Day by Day. By Floyd C. Shoemaker, Editor. Mo State Historical Society, 1942.
10. Map of the Pottawatomi Indian Reservation in Kansas in 1846.
11.  "Contagious: A Saint, a Student and a Shared Journey of Love." Donnelly Digest. Summer 2018. Vol. 12, Issue 1. p.10-13. Retrieved from Donnelly College website, 608 N. 18th St. Kansas City, KS.

12. Findagrave #301 and  # 9395


Historical Note: Every Pottawatomi citizen who traveled from Indiana to Kansas on the Trail of Death was listed. To find out if your ancestor was enrolled on the list, click here! 

Places to Visit in MO & KS:

1. The Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, 619 North 2nd Street., St. Charles, Mo.

2. Map and Markers List in Missouri and Kansas
3. St. Philippine Duchesne Catholic Church, 5035 Rainbow Blvd, Westwood, Kansas

4. Sacred Heart Church (f. 1942), Mound City, Linn Co., KS.

5. St. Philippine Duchesne Shrine on Sugar Creek, Mound City, KS.

6. St. Mary’s Mission signpost, St. Mary's, KS.
7. 1838. Pottawatomi Trail of Death Historic Markers through-out Missouri and Kansas. One is on the bluff above the Blue River crossing north of the first picnic shelter south of Red Bridge Road in south Kansas City. (Renew the Blue River). 

8. Immaculate Conception Church, St. Mary’s, KS. (First cathedral of Vicariate Apostolic of the Indian Territory: 1851-1855).

Johnson County, Kansas

Citation: "St. Philippine Duchesne, RSCJ." Written by Dolores J. Rush. 22 July 2016. History Nut of Missouri, USA.