Topic: Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies (White Committee)
Interview of Beverley Buller, October 14, 2025
Interviewed by Jim McLean
In her 2025 interview, conducted at Red Rocks, the historic former home of William Allen White (b. 1868, d. 1944) in Emporia, Kansas, Beverley Buller reflects on her career as an educator, librarian, and author. A lifelong Kansan, Buller describes her transition from a classroom teacher to a school librarian, a role that deepened her commitment to literacy and state heritage. She shares her research on White, the "Sage of Emporia" that informed her books. She emphasizes White’s national significance as a journalist and political observer who remained rooted in small-town Kansas Show Morevalues. Buller describes how White started in the newspaper business, his purchase of the Emporia Gazette, and the influence of some of his famous essays. She also talks about the William Allen White Children’s Book Award, highlighting the award’s role in fostering a love of reading. She describes the award not just as a literary prize, but as a living tribute to White’s belief in the power of the written word.
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