Topic: Volunteerism
Interview of Foster Chisholm, December 5, 2025
Interviewed by Joan Wagnon
Foster Chisholm, in retirement after a 25 year career working in the Topeka Post Office, went to work as Doorman for the Kansas House of Representatives. In his 2025 oral history interview he describes growing up in North Topeka, attending segregated schools, and being discouraged by his high school counselor from going to college. Chisholm worked for 35 years at the VA Hospital and at the Post Office in Topeka. After he retired, a friend told him about an opening for a Doorman in the Kansas House of Representatives. He got the job and after Show More3 years became the first Black Sergeant-At-Arms in the Kansas Capitol. Chisholm describes his nonpartisan role in assisting the Legislature as it did its business. He also has a few funny stories about what happened during those 15 years. His biography really showcases his commitment to improving his Topeka community with his volunteerism. A short excerpt highlights his comments about segregated schools; it also appears in the Diversity Collection. The photograph of the armed doormen triggered a conversation off camera about the Legislative Uprising of 1893 and their role, and also the most famous Kansas doorman, Boston Corbett. Materials about both the legislative uprising and Corbett appear in Resources for Educators/History. Show Less