Topeka Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Kansas Oral History Project

Interview of Kimberly Svaty, May 14, 2024

Interviewed by Jim McLean

In this 2024 interview Kimberly Svaty describes the development of wind energy in Kansas. One of the early projects was a wind farm in Spearville; the significance of that project to the community was a donation agreement that continues to fund projects for the schools and community. She sees wind farms as the next generation of the Kansas energy economy. There are now 45 operating wind farms that use 60% of what is generated locally. Today, the lowest cost power is wind. She described Kansas is the Saudi Arabia of Wind. The interview covers Show Morewhy the push to build coal-fired powerplant in Holcomb didn't happen-- because markets stopped it. Svaty notes that 90% of energy in the Southwest Power Pool comes from wind--it is very reliable. She also discusses concerns about how the windmills are changing the view and how they dominate the landscape with their red flashing lights. She notes the FAA will be a factor in legislative attempts to change the rules. County commissions also have much control over wind development via zoning. The interview concludes with a discussion of solar energy and its potential impact and other clean energy sources such as Hydrogen. Svaty noted that construction has begun on the first 100-megawatt solar facility located in Barber County and that solar energy complements wind. Show Less

Interview of Richard Ross, March 13, 2024

Interviewed by Eric Rosen

Richard Ross, from 1978 to 2016 served as the Reporter of Decisions of the Kansas Appellate Courts, a constitutional office. He edited over 132 volumes, 81 Kansas Reports and 51 Kansas Court of Appeals Reports in his 39-year career. Appearing in the Kansas Supreme Court conference room, Supreme Court Justice Eric Rosen interviewed Ross, who described in detail the processes he used to publish the Reports. When he started, there were no computers, just typewriters to create the courts' opinions. During Ross' early years as Reporter, the court moved from the Capitol, across the street into Show Morethe Judicial Building. As technology advance, the process of creating the Reports changed, but also the volume of work increased. The interview gives an insight into the inner workings of the Court and its judges/justices. It also chronicles the community work that Ross does, fund-raising for the renovation of Constitution Hall in Topeka with Friends of the Free State Capitol and serving on the Washburn University Foundation Board of Trustees. Show Less

Interview of Jim Gartner, February 16, 2024

Interviewed by Chris Courtwright

This interview sheds light on several activities related to the Kansas Legislature, particularly the role of lobbyist in decision making and the role of school boards in governance of education. It begins in 1967 with quite a tale of Gartner's service as a young Marine, wounded in VIetnam and how that impacted his career choices. A brief work experience building tires at Goodyear convinced him to get a college degree. Southwestern Bell Telephone hired him as one of the first male telephone operators in Kansas. He ended up as Vice President of External Affairs many years Show Morelater. He began his lobbying career in 1987 partnered with Denny Koch. Together they helped define deregulation and worked with both the legislature and the Kansas Congressional Delegation. In 2009 Gartner was appointed to the USD 437 school board to fill a vacancy. That's where he learned about school finance and governance. In 2016 Rep. Annie Tietze resigned and Gartner won that legislative seat. The House Taxation Committee was a logical appointment, given his lobbying background. The Brownback Tax Experiment was failing, and the legislature was eager to repeal it. Brownback vetoed the bill passed by the legislature; they quickly overrode his veto and restored more conventional tax policy. The interview concludes with a discussion of the food sales tax exemption proposed by Governor Kelly and Gartner's frustration with the legislative process and how it changed over the 30 years of his involvement. Show Less

Interview of David Pierce, October 2, 2023

Interviewed by Rex Buchanan and Mike Lennen

Retired Professor David Pierce recalls how he became interested in environmental policy and in oil and gas law. After starting his career, this native Kansan returned to the state where it was easy to do business in the oil and gas industry. In this interview, Pierce identified several factors that contribute to the positive business atmosphere, including land ownership patterns, the location of Kansas' oil and gas resources, and a general attitude that regulation is a means by which reasonable resource extraction is facilitated. He identifies two areas where solutions need to be identified: one old issue, in Show Morethe eastern part of the state where unplugged wells continue to be a problem; and the other a newer issue of increased seismic activity associated with new drilling techniques. Pierce also reviews several of the key federal and state laws and court decisions that have shaped the nexus of energy and environmental policy in the oil and gas industry. Show Less

Interview of Ronald Wurtz, April 18, 2023

Interviewed by Nancy Parrish

As he tells it in this oral history interview, Ron Wurtz always wanted to be a lawyer. He chose Washburn University because they had a law school and a ROTC program. He interned with Shawnee County District Attorney Gene Olander as a law student, and after four years as an Air Force Judge Advocate, he returned to work as an Assistant District Attorney in Topeka before becoming a state public defender in 1979. Wurtz's interview covers -- the death penalty, to which he has always opposed, and sentencing guidelines, which he originally supported and later opposed. He discusses Show Moreseveral of the cases he worked on. More recently, he has worked on the Expungement Project and at the time of this interview, taught at the Washburn University Law Clinic. Occasionally he has also served as a judge pro tem. Show Less

Interview of Howard Schwartz, April 25, 2023

Interviewed by Richard Walker

Howard Schwartz credits Wilt Chamberlain for encouraging him to leave Philadelphia and come to Kansas to college. Then Jim James asked him to set up a system to manage personnel in 110 courts located in the state's 105 counties. Schwartz spent the next 32 years managing change within the Kansas courts as the Judicial Administrator. This oral history interview covers court unification, the management of court dockets, the creation of child support guidelines, and the evolving relationships among courts and judges over how the system is administered. Schwartz developed a special friendship with Justice Kay McFarland Show Morewho asked him and his wife, Elaine to assist with the disposition of her estate. Schwartz wrote an article for the Kansas Bar Association publication about Chief Justice McFarland which is also available for download. Show Less

Remembering Chief Justice Kay McFarland — Interview of Elaine Schwartz, April 25, 2023

Interviewed by Joan Wagnon

This short conversation with Elaine Schwartz, former legislator and Topeka city council person describes her friendship with Justice Kay McFarland and how Schwartz became trustee for McFarland's estate. The estate benefitted the Topeka Zoo and specifically, the Asian garden named for Justice McFarland. Justice Kay McFarland was the first woman appointed to the Kansas Supreme Court and the first Chief Justice. Her career and life story can be found at this link: https://my.lastinglegacyonline.com/story/kay-mcfarland/

Interview of Kathleen Sebelius, October 28, 2022

Interviewed by Joan Wagnon and Duane Goossen

Kathleen Sebelius ran for the legislature to "go home." Her kids were ages two and five and she was eager to get out of a demanding job to spend more time at home--better work-life balance. In her 2022 oral history interview, she discussed the changes in the culture of the legislature and state government she experienced over the 30-plus years she served in public office. She observed that when both US Senate seats for Kansas came open in 1996, and Sam Brownback challenged incumbent Sheila Frahm for one of the seats, a fissure Show Morewas created in the Republican party. Sebelius observed the insurance industry being very partisan and tilted toward the industry interests. Her discussion of budget issues during her terms as governor reveals her problem-solving process, even though her time in office was bookended by recessions. School finance also posed some unique challenges during her administration because the Great Recession got in the way of the court's mandates. Phill Kline, the Kansas Attorney General at the time urged Republicans to do nothing regarding school finance. The BEST teams created in the Sebelius administration were important to solving the budget crisis. This interview concludes with discussion of her selections of Lt. Governors and her experiences at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and her activities after leaving government service.

Another oral history interview of Sebelius may be found in the Energy & Environment collection on this site.

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Interview of Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, October 17, 2022

Interviewed by Deanell Reece Tacha

Nancy Kassebaum, still lively at age 90, recalled being a young girl in Topeka growing up with a famous father, Alf Landon. She described her motivation for entering a US Senate race in 1978 and turned to friends and the League of Women Voters in Wichita for help with that highly contested primary race. Kassebaum had a "special relationship" with the other Kansas Senator, Bob Dole. Her legislative interests in the U.S. Senate were foreign relations, Africa and apartheid, and a major health care bill she worked with Senator Ted Kennedy. Toward the end of Show Moreher senate career she married Tennessee senator Howard Baker, and went to Japan with him as wife of the Ambassador. After Baker's death she returned to the ranch in Burdick, Kansas where she still follows politics closely. Show Less

Interview of Anthony Hensley, September 16, 2022

Interviewed by Alan Conroy

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1976 at the age of 22. He moved to the Senate in 1992, finishing an unexpired term of Senator Nancy Parrish. His interview covers his 44 years in the House and Senate, and almost every issue the legislature dealt with in those years: taxes, reapportionment, school finance and labor issues, to name a few. His story about negotiating with Dick Bond to increase funding for schools is a "must read". Hensley's description of how the Show MoreBrownback tax cuts were enacted after the Senate reconsidered its vote to kill them is a lesson in how parliamentary maneuvering between House and Senate can have unexpected consequences.

Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview

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