Overland Park Archives - Kansas Oral History Project

Interview of Robert (Bob) Tomlinson, August 2, 2024

Interviewed by Chris Courtwright

Chris Courtwright's interview of Bob Tomlinson, former city councilman, legislator and Assistant Insurance Commissioner is one of the longest and most complete undertaken by KOHP. The entire interview (2 hours 23 minutes) is posted here. But in addition, several shorter clips, taken from the interview, are posted below and will also be used as part of Resources for Educators. Tomlinson's interview covers his wide political experience and lessons he learned. He tells lots of funny stories about other prominent politicians of the era and shares his political philosophy and technics for "vote-counting" for Speaker Glasscock and Show Moreothers. He also comments on the public policy issues of the day, including health insurance mandates, Medicaid expansion, school vouchers, the need for full funding for special education.

Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview

Show Less

Interview of Jim Denning, April 13, 2023

Interviewed by Alan Conroy

Jim Denning served four years as Majority Leader for the Kansas Senate. His interview reveals his Western Kansas leanings, despite having worked, lived and represented Johnson County. HIs legislative interests included health care policy, funding KPERS and school finance. He described Senate Bill 9--KU Cancer designation--as one of his important contributions. Denning found that Governor Brownback’s tax plan was creating problems for Kansas – “too deep and unsustainable.” His philosophy was, "At the end of the day, you have to govern." Throughout his tenure in the Senate, Medicaid expansion was a pressing issue, but Show Morehe didn’t like the way the bills were constructed, so he developed a Republican alternative that he thought would be a model for the country. His interview details how he kept the Democratic alternative from passing, but his own bill was caught up in abortion politics and failed to pass. Denning led the Senate during 3 special sessions: school finance, COVID and repealing the Brownback tax plan. Historians will love this interview because of his candor and his position at a pivotal time in the legislature's history. Show Less

Interview of Joe Hoagland, January 23, 2023

Interviewed by Richard Walker

Kansas government underwent a massive change in the 1970's. Governors Docking and Bennett began reorganizing state government and bringing together a lot of independent commissions and state agencies that were operating autonomously into a cabinet system under the direction of a Secretary, such as the departments of Revenue and Transportation. Joe Hoagland's interview really expands the understanding of how Kansas government was modernized during that period and how new legislative leaders were developed and empowered to act. In addition, Hoagland was involved with several significant pieces of legislation: the 911 emergency phone system, Show Morethe comparative negligence act, mandatory prison sentence for crimes committed with a firearm, banning the sale of handguns, small claims process. Not only does the interview enlarge our understanding of this modernization, Hoagland, himself is an interesting person with many talents and wide-ranging interests. His business activities have been beneficial to Kansas, our country and the world. Sports lovers will like his description of being a professional baseball scout and the first one to discover Albert Pujols. His airline-related businesses took him abroad, living in Brussels, Belgium for over 20 years. He has taken trips around the world 15 times. He developed a new breed of cattle and started the American Black Hereford Association. He developed a cell phone app called "CattleTracs" to track the movement of cattle in the beef supply chain. The app may soon be used in Brazil to prove beef is not being produced in areas of deforestation where the rainforest has typically been removed to increase areas for grazing cattle. Show Less

Interview of Thomas (Tim) Owens, October 14, 2022

Interviewed by Nancy Parrish

Owens described his career path from military officer to private attorney to city council member to the state legislature. He served seven years in the Kansas House and then ran for the Kansas Senate where he chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee. Owens recounts the pressure from Governor Brownback to change the merit selection procedure for judges, making them elected. Also, the education bills were now being sent to the Judiciary committee because of lawsuits and that also caused friction because of the court's decisions on resolving the Montoy and Gannon cases. Owens also dealt with Show Morea death penalty bill which failed 20-20. He described frequent trips "across the street" carrying messages between the Chief Justice and the Governor's office. He lost his bid for reelection to the Senate in 2012 and ended up teaching at Johnson County Community College and retired from the military as a full colonel. He even served a year as municipal judge in Lenexa. Show Less

Interview of John Vratil, September 13, 2022

Interviewed by Joan Wagnon and David Heinemann

Senator John Vratil served 14 years in the Kansas Senate, chairing the Judiciary committee 8 of those years and serving as Senate Vice-President for 10 years. Vratil was a leader in the Senate on both education issues as well as judiciary issues. He served on the Judicial Council helping the courts coordinate policy initiatives with the Administration and Legislature. He discusses the change in the power structure of the Senate, from "moderate Republican to Right Wing Conservative." He cites medicaid expansion as one example of a popular issue with the public, but not with the new "right-wing" Show Moreconservative majority. He comments the declining number of lawyers in both the Senate and House may be due to the low salaries. Show Less

Interview of David Owen, July 22, 2022

Interviewed by David Webb

Dave Owen's name is well known to most Kansans who follow politics. This interview is replete with stories about how Republican politics in the 60's, 70's, 80's worked. Stories include his friendships with Senator Bob Dole and Governor Bob Docking. One of his lasting accomplishments as Lt. Governor was the creation of the Kansas Cavalry for promoting business development. He left elective politics in 1972 but chaired Dole's Vice-Presidential run in 1976. His interests turned to banking and he became Chairman and CEO of the Bank of Stillwell. His affiliation with Ottawa University athletics Show Moreand his love of basketball led to the creation of the Dave Owen Leadership Institute. He will be leading a delegation to Ukraine this fall, 2022 from the Lenexa Baptist Church and the Leadership Institute. Show Less

Interview of Richard (Dick) Bond, September 6, 2019

Interviewed by Joan Wagnon

Former Senate President Dick Bond candidly discusses his 14 year career in the Kansas Senate which followed a 25 year career in Washington DC as chief of staff for 3 congressmen. Well known in Kansas Republican circles, Bond was appointed to fill a vacancy when Senator Jack Walker became Lieutenant Governor. Bond compares the politics of Washington to Kansas. He saw the passage of liquor-by-the-drink as a boon to economic development. Bond is most proud of the renovation to the Kansas Capitol which was started under his term as President of the Kansas Senate. He Show Morereflected on the changes in the Republican party in recent years and the role the Right to Life movement played in those changes. Show Less

The Legislative Wives – Conversation with Sue Bond, wife of former Senator Dick Bond, September 6, 2019

Interviewed by Joan Wagnon

This short conversation with Sue Bond describes her experiences with other wives of Kansas legislators and wives of Kansas Governors. The Legislative Wives Association was formally organized in 1933 as a social medium for the wives of Kansas state legislators during sessions. The group held luncheons every week, rotating who acted as hostesses. Informally organized in 1929, the group originally met at the Topeka YWCA and later met at hotels in the city, mostly the Jayhawk Hotel. In this conversation Bond describes the Wives group as important for social support, information sharing, and fund-raising for Cedar Crest with Show Morethe sale of their Capitol Cookbook. Show Less

Biography of Wendell Lady, former Speaker of the Kansas House of Represenatives

Interviewed by Edward Flentje

A version of an oral history interview was posted on KansasMemory.org, the website of the Kansas Historical Society prior to the KPHP Board's decision not to publish the interview. Instead of publishing the interview, the obituary from McGilley State LIne Chapel is posted here.