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Interview of Audrey Langworthy, October 18, 2019

Interviewed by Joan Wagnon
Interview Description

This 2019 oral history interview of former Kansas State Senator Audrey Langworthy covers her first race to unseat long-time State Senator Norman Gaar, a race she won in 1984 and her four subsequent terms--a total of 16 years. Some of her new colleagues in the Senate steered her to the Assessment and Taxation Committee which she ultimately chaired and loved. Langworthy's tenacity comes through in the interview as she talks about the steep learning curve when she got to the Senate and to the Tax Committee. She received death threat letters after her vote on capital punishment which she sent to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. This interview includes an interesting discussion of strategy developed to pass the 1999 transportation plan and Langworthy's role in it. Her depiction of her views on leadership, her "personal first bill" on the Oregon Trail, and the Bi-state Cultural District bill are worth reading for insight into how Langworthy operated in the Senate and how the increase in the number of women Senators changed the culture of the Senate.

Interviewee Biographical Sketch

Audrey Langworthy represented Senate District 7 including Prairie Village from 1985 to 2001. Langworthy graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1960 and a Master of Educational Psychology and Guidance in 1962. She began her career as a high school English and Geography teacher in the Shawnee Mission School District. Langworthy was elected to the Kansas State Senate in 1984 after defeating long-serving Senator Norman Gaar. She is well known for her service to medical and health causes at the community and state levels. Langworthy has served on countless committees and boards including the American Red Cross, the Shawnee Mission Medical Center Foundation Board of Directors, and the Health Partnership of Johnson County. In addition, she serves on the Governor’s Task Force on Health Care Cost Containment. Langworthy's service has received recognition and numerous awards including the Red Cross Clara Barton Honor Award for Meritorious Volunteer Leadership.

Interviewee Date of Birth

April 1, 1938

Interviewee Political Party

Republican

Interviewee Positions

State Senator, Kansas Senate 1985-2000
Vice-Chair, Senate Local Government 1985-1989
Vice-Chair, Senate Public Health and Welfare 1989-1996
Vice-Chair, Senate Assessment and Taxation 1989-1991
Chair, Senate Assessment and Taxation 1993-2001

Senate District Numbers

7

Interview Location

Statehouse, Topeka, KS

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