Interviews Archive - Kansas Oral History Project

Interview of Connie Hubbell, May 21, 2025

Interviewed by Mark Tallman

Connie Hubbell is well-known in state government circles as an effective advocate for education, mental health and health care for seniors. She ran for the state board of education, winning three terms and later served as President of the National State Boards of Education organization. One of her significant accomplishments while on the Kansas state board was leading the board to mandate human sexuality aids education in Kansas public schools. Another was the inclusion of special education students into regular classrooms which began under her leadership of the National Association of State Boards of Education. Show MoreShe followed that experience with a run for Lt. Governor on the ticket with gubernatorial hopeful Senator Fred Kerr. Although they were not successful, three governors have subsequently noticed her management skills and offered her positions in their administrations, beginning with Governor Graves who appointed her Secretary of Aging. She has been an effective lobbyist for health care organizations, retiring as Director of Governmental Affairs for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services in 2021. Show Less

Interview of Dale Cushinberry, May 21, 2025

Interviewed by Mark Tallman

In his interview, Mr. Dale Cushinberry describes how other adults in his life provided opportunities for him and led him to a career in education in the Topeka area. He has taught elementary school, coached basketball and counseled students. He moved into school administration as a principal when he spent 4 years at Highland Park High School as assistant principal. Washburn University offered him a position in the Education department where he stayed 7 years. Throughout his career, he has tried to also have a positive influence on his students’ lives. Mr. Cushinberry Show Morestates that “…our kids are victims of our system failures. Systems that fail around them, whether it be the home front, whether it be our school, whether it be our churches, on and on.” He believes that “It’s our job to create an environment, to create a culture where our kids can meet success.” He created that environment at Highland Park High School as its principal for 16 years. His interview discusses his strategies and his philosophy for working with students and their families. Show Less

Interview of Frank Henderson, May 21, 2025

Interviewed by Mark Tallman

At the time when a group of high school students discovered that Fred Seaman, the namesake of District 345 was the Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920's, Frank Henderson was President of the Seaman School Board. His interview describes the process the board went through to investigate and analyze the students' recommendations to change the district name. At the end of the process, the name stayed, but Fred Seaman's photo and memorabilia were removed from the school buildings and placed in the library. They aligned the district with the community, not Fred Seaman's Show Moreviews. He said the outcome didn't satisfy anyone but it was unanimous. Henderson's interview describes many challenging situations at the local, state and national level as he served on various state and national boards of education. Henderson and Tallman's exchange highlights major issues in education that affected school boards and local communities. The interview reflects Henderson's view that "Every Student Matters." He believes, "we, as fellow humans, have the responsibility to see the value in every person and do what we can to ...help that person fulfill their potential." Show Less

Interview of Alan Rupe, May 12, 2025

Interviewed by Mark Tallman

Rupe's interview provides an historical perspective on school finance and school finance litigation. Rupe and John Robb represented the plaintiffs in the Montoy and Gannon lawsuits After trying a lawsuit for the Newton School District, Mr. Robb suggested to Rupe that they try a suit against the state of Kansas over adequate and equitable funding of public education. Rupe said, "Count me In!" Since 1989 the two have partnered on school finance cases. In the interview Rupe discusses how earlier case judgments influenced their decision to move the focus of the litigation from the equal Show Moreprotection clause to Article 6 Section 6 of the Kansas Constitution and focus on the adequacy of school funding. There is a lot of detail in the interview about aspects of the litigation which continued for many years. Toward the end of the interview Rupe offers this idea: "... one of the lessons that we learned as a result of Montoy is if you declare victory and spike the ball in the endzone and turn your back on the issue, things don’t get better. The legislature and politics will start moving the money away from the schools." Rupe's conclusion is "It’s the language in the constitution that has pushed the results that we’re seeing." Show Less

Interview of Sue Peterson, May 13, 2025

Interviewed by Mark Tallman

Dr. Peterson reflects on how she became involved in state politics and how her various positions in the executive and legislative branches taught her “the process” it took to get anything accomplished in the Statehouse. She later used these experiences in her role as the Assistant to the President at Kansas State to help the university secure significant opportunities. The interview is replete with stories about people and programs they championed. These opportunities included KSU’s selection as the location for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility and the merging of the Kansas Technical Institute in Salina into K-State Salina. Show MoreDr. Peterson shares that her role was “to advocate, and to educate, and…to defend” her institution. Show Less

Interview of Ed Berger, May 12, 2025

Interviewed by Mark Tallman

This oral history interview of former Senator Ed Berger and former President of Hutchinson Community College focuses on the role of the community college in the educational system of Kansas. Community colleges were chartered in the 1960's in Kansas and required a local referendum to be approved by the public. Seward. Barton and Johnson counties were the last 3 to charter new colleges in 1969. By 1990 there was a move to changed their governance to the Kansas Board of Regents. Several interviews in this series cover these changes, but Berger's interview really focuses Show Moremore on the community aspect of these institutions and how their educational goals changed as the community needs matured. Distance learning, technical education and linkages with economic activity of the communities were discussed and highlighted. The interview concludes with a discussion of Berger's service in the Kansas Senate as they tried to unwind the "Brownback Tax Experiment" which had led to great fiscal disruption of state finances. Berger's outlook is best described in this quote: "...Kansans are creative and resilient and...will find a way to adjust to it and still serve its public well..." Show Less

Interview of Evelyn Wilson, April 21, 2025

Interviewed by Richard Ross

Justice Evelyn Wilson’s interview provides an excellent explanation of the unique role of the Kansas Supreme Court in very colloquial terms. She shares her personal health struggles and deep commitment to the responsibilities of her position that led her to the decision to retire. Justice Wilson provided a very thorough explanation of how Supreme Court Justices are selected in Kansas and explained the importance of the judicial branch remaining separate from the other two branches of government and emphasizing that each branch was designed to be completely separate. The role of the Judiciary is to interpret the law. Show MoreShe believes there is always a method to make the law better, to change the law, if you work within the process that was designed by the writers of the U.S. Constitution. Her closing admonition, “…we all have a job to do, and that job is so important.” It’s to vote. “The Supreme Law is the people’s law, not a king. As long as we protect the republic, that will remain the case. And if we don’t protect the republic, it might not be.” Show Less

Interview of Patrick (Pat) Hubbell, April 9, 2025

Interviewed by Mike Lennen

Long-time legislative lobbyist, Pat Hubbell reveals how lobbyists work, how they interact with legislators and other advocates, and illustrates the importance of this "at the rail" part of the Kansas Legislature. His chief lobbying duties were on behalf of the railroads; Hubbell also had other clients in addition to the railroads. He worked in the 1970's with Kansas Senators and Representatives in Washington. particularly while the 4-R Act was being developed. The railroad industry plays an important role in transporting Kansas agricultural products. At that time, several railroad companies were going bankrupt, and a loss Show Morewould have been devastating to Kansas farmers. He emphasized that the railroads were lobbying for fair taxation. They wanted to be treated as a competitive business model rather than as a monopoly. “Railroads offer a list of opportunities for people locating businesses in Kansas to have rail service.” His philosophy on lobbying: “we try to find an answer that everybody can agree to.” “Just the fact that you have a lobbyist doesn’t mean you ought to be taking a bill every session to the legislature.” Show Less

Interview of Jerry Farley, March 18, 2025

Interviewed by Mark Tallman

Dr. Jerry Farley served 25 years as President of Washburn University before retiring in 2024. Known for wearing a bow tie on campus, Farley changed Washburn from a municipal university with a largely off-campus student body to a major Kansas institution receiving state aid with a thriving on-campus student contingent. He recalls his most important decision as merging with the local vocational-technical school to create Washburn Tech. More information about Dr. Farley and his career at Washburn University is available at the Lasting Legacy Online website.

Interview of Edward Hammond, April 1, 2025

Interviewed by Mark Tallman

Hammond's interview describes in detail how Fort Hays State University changed and adapted during his 30 year tenure in response to actions of the Kansas Board of Regents and the Kansas Legislature. During that time Dr. Hammond wrote two strategic 10 year plans to accommodate the changing environment for higher education in Kansas. The first plan emphasized "high tech, high touch." The curriculum changed to incorporate technology, even teaching art as graphic design on computers. The goal was for all 1990 graduates to be computer literate, They put computer labs in all the dorms. Show More FHSU had declining enrollments in the 10 years prior to Hammond's presidency. Hammond believed If you are going to move into an institution and make change, select strategies that promote the change. Smaller classes, (high touch) created a distinction with the other schools. The next hurdle was responding to changes in how tuition is applied. In 2000 KBOR changed the formula and now institutions can keep whatever they bring in from tuition. The other change was adding 19 community colleges, Washburn University and the technical schools under the regents' control. The regents emphasized access and serving as many Kansans as they could. FHSU then needed to grow to keep up with this change because funding was based on enrollment. Hammond decided to emphasize distance learning and low tuition to meet these changes. While other schools raised tuition, FHSU decided to be at the low tuition end with a quality product. FHSU moved from "high tech, high touch" to "affordable success" using the distance learning technology to expand their enrollment. Hammond convinced rural telephone carriers to provide mostly free internet services, wired and cellular. By 2010 they had more distance learning than all the other schools combined. They began recruiting Chinese students in 1999--achieving 15,000 students in about 10 years. The China program helped lower the costs for Kansas students. Hammond attributes his success at FHSU to the team of faculty and admininstrators. FHSU is still serving 50% of the high school students despite the loss of population in the western part of the state. The goal is still to grow the university in ways that add value, such as allowing Colorado students to attend as in-state student. Show Less

12 Next