Topic: Highway Fund
Interview of Robert (Bob) Storey, February 5, 2015
Interviewed by Burdett Loomis
In his 2015 oral history interview, Bob Storey recalled his service in the Kansas Senate from 1969-1976. His recollection was of a Senate in transition in terms of urban-rural influence on policymaking due to the one-person, one-vote principle enunciated by the U.S. Supreme Court in the mid-1960s. He recalled intricacies of interactions among Senate leaders and governors and occasional intrigue in Senate leadership elections. He also reflected on improvements in the functioning of state government during the years when reorganization and modernization of many state functions took place.
Interview of Paul Feleciano, February 11, 2022
Interviewed by Eric Sexton
Paul Feleciano served from 1972 until 2003 in the Kansas Legislature, primarily in the State Senate. During his 31 year tenure he served on almost every committee. His interview discusses a wide range of issues including groundwater management, mental health reform, and changes in the penal system. His descriptions of the personalities of Senate leadership make that era come alive. He characterizes the men and women serving in the 1970's and 80's as giants --articulate, caring, compassionate problem solvers who would work "across the aisles" to make things happen. As the legislature moved into the 21st Show MoreCentury, Feleciano noted the split in the Republican Party between conservatives and moderates became a real problem because, "they didn't want to compromise." After leaving the legislature, Feleciano was appointed to the Kansas Parole Board and served there for six years. Show Less
Interview of Leslie (Les) Donovan, April 10, 2024
Interviewed by Chris Courtwright
Les Donovan served twenty-four years in the Kansas Legislature -- four years in the House of Representatives and twenty years in the Kansas Senate from 1993 to 2016. From his position on the tax committees of the House and Senate, he influenced major tax legislation including the tax cuts of the late 1990's. While chairing the Senate Assessment and Tax Committee from 2009 - 2016, he was involved with the efforts to correct the budget problems caused by the Brownback tax experiment of 2012. He often called attention to the high property tax rates on Show Moreautomobiles and finally succeeded in lowering them. He was an advocate for small business during his entire term. Donovan also advocated for using fuel tax to fund highway needs. This interview is a discussion of tax policy at a time of great change in Kansas. Show Less
Interviews of Mark Parkinson, December 14, 2010 and March 27, 2021
Interviewed by Bob Beatty and Amber Dickinson
These transcripts are from oral history interviews of former Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson conducted in 2010 and 2021 by Washburn University faculty members Dr. Bob Beatty and Dr. Amber Dickinson. The interviews explored Parkinson’s unconventional political path from Republican member of the Kansas House in 1991, to State Republican Party Chair in 1999, to the Democratic nomination to the office of Lieutenant Governor in 2006 and onto the office of Governor in 2009. He discussed the leadership and business-minded philosophy he employed as governor to guide the state through an economic recession. During the interviews Parkinson also highlighted Show Morepolicy achievements in renewable energy, public health, and transportation. He also reflected on the power of ideas, the role of luck and tenacity in a public career, and the complexities of governing during a period of partisan polarization.
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Interviews of former Kansas governors conducted by Dr. Bob Beatty of Washburn University during the early decades of the 21st Century for the Kansas Governors Recorded History and Documentary Project provide a view of the lives, political philosophies, and governing styles of governors who led Kansas from the late 20th to the early 21st Century. Beatty generously granted the Kansas Oral History Project (KOHP) permission to house the transcripts of these interviews conducted with former governors John Anderson, William Avery, John Carlin, Bill Graves, Mike Hayden, Mark Parkinson, and Kathleen Sebelius. These interviews are a significant addition to the Kansas Governors collection, and the KOHP Board is grateful to Dr. Beatty for making the transcripts available for posting here. The article also linked below and downloadable, “ 'You Can Get a Hell of a Lot Done as a Governor': A Conversation with Former Governor Mark Parkinson," edited by Grant Armstrong, Bob Beatty, and Amber Dickinson, is excerpted from the 2010 and 2021 interviews. The article was published in the Spring 2022 issue of Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains and is reprinted here with permission. The questions were removed and footnotes added during preparation of the transcripts for publication as a journal article. The Kansas Oral History Project is grateful to the Kansas Historical Foundation for allowing us to post the article as part of the collection of interviews of Kansas Governors. Show Less