Topic: Death Penalty
Interview of Deanell Tacha, April 12, 2023
Interviewed by Jim Concannon
Jim Concannon guides retired federal Judge Deanell Tacha through an interview that probes her background, reasons for becoming a lawyer, and then a judge on the United States Court of Appeals, and her career in public service as an administrator and professor of law. Tacha spoke about how women were treated in law school and during her early law practice. She advocated for the advancement of women in law and the workplace. Tacha credited Kansas' U.S Senator Bob Dole for her nomination to the federal Court of Appeals. She compared the federal system of selecting judges Show Morewith the Kansas merit selection system and prefers the Kansas nonpartisan system. Tacha explained how the federal judiciary is organized, focusing on the kinds of cases they hear. She related a story about a trip she took to Albania to assist with developing a new constitution for the country, discussed her experience as Dean of the Law School at Pepperdine University, and closed with an observation about "thoughtful, civilized discourse". 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 Edward Rolfs, September 23, 2024
Interviewed by Chris Courtwright
Ed Rolfs served in the Kansas House from 1979-1988, a productive period in Kansas politics, and was a key player in tax and fiscal policy. He chaired the House Taxation Committee through reappraisal and classification. and major income tax reform. Rolfs recalls stories, about his grandfather, Frank Carlson, Governor Bob Bennett and why he wasn't reelected, and leadership races. In this oral history interview, he discusses the rationale for sales tax exemptions, the politics of the severance tax in the 1982 election, the "booster" tax affecting Johnson County, the working relationship among members of the House Taxation Show MoreCommittee, and the simplification of the Kansas Income tax in 1988. Rolfs describes the conundrum of property tax reappraisal and classification and its resulting impacts on the 1990 governor's race where Joan Finney beat both prior governors, Carlin and Hayden. And Rolfs recalled several Joan Finney stories and one about Kathleen Sebelius. Rolfs also recalls how he, a "Young Turk" who wanted to cut everything, was put on the House Ways and Means Subcommittee for Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) and Mental Health/Retardation. Bob Harder, then Secretary of SRS, encouraged Rolfs to visit the state institutions and it changed his attitude. The interview closes with his reflections on the state of government 35 years after he served. Show Less
Interviews of Mark Parkinson, December 14, 2010 and March 27, 2021
Interviewed by Bob Beatty and Amber Dickinson
These transcripts are from oral history interviews of former Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson conducted in 2010 and 2021 by Washburn University faculty members Dr. Bob Beatty and Dr. Amber Dickinson. The interviews explored Parkinson’s unconventional political path from Republican member of the Kansas House in 1991, to State Republican Party Chair in 1999, to the Democratic nomination to the office of Lieutenant Governor in 2006 and onto the office of Governor in 2009. He discussed the leadership and business-minded philosophy he employed as governor to guide the state through an economic recession. During the interviews Parkinson also highlighted Show Morepolicy achievements in renewable energy, public health, and transportation. He also reflected on the power of ideas, the role of luck and tenacity in a public career, and the complexities of governing during a period of partisan polarization.
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Interviews of former Kansas governors conducted by Dr. Bob Beatty of Washburn University during the early decades of the 21st Century for the Kansas Governors Recorded History and Documentary Project provide a view of the lives, political philosophies, and governing styles of governors who led Kansas from the late 20th to the early 21st Century. Beatty generously granted the Kansas Oral History Project (KOHP) permission to house the transcripts of these interviews conducted with former governors John Anderson, William Avery, John Carlin, Bill Graves, Mike Hayden, Mark Parkinson, and Kathleen Sebelius. These interviews are a significant addition to the Kansas Governors collection, and the KOHP Board is grateful to Dr. Beatty for making the transcripts available for posting here. The article also linked below and downloadable, “ 'You Can Get a Hell of a Lot Done as a Governor': A Conversation with Former Governor Mark Parkinson," edited by Grant Armstrong, Bob Beatty, and Amber Dickinson, is excerpted from the 2010 and 2021 interviews. The article was published in the Spring 2022 issue of Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains and is reprinted here with permission. The questions were removed and footnotes added during preparation of the transcripts for publication as a journal article. The Kansas Oral History Project is grateful to the Kansas Historical Foundation for allowing us to post the article as part of the collection of interviews of Kansas Governors. Show Less
Interview of Lee Hamm, September 3, 2025
Interviewed by Joan Wagnon
In this interview, Lee Hamm, farmer, dairyman and former state legislator, recalls growing up in rural Pratt County during the Depression years. His descriptions of life on the farm are vivid as are his memories of being educated in a rural school. At the age of 96 his memories of his public service are still sharp. He served on two school boards, Glendale and Pratt, during the time that Kansas was in the process of consolidating its 2800 rural schools down to about 300. He ran for the Legislature in 1972 and served 20 years Show Moreunder 5 different governors before being appointed by Governor Joan Finney to head the Kansas Grain Inspection Department. Hamm closed the interview with some thoughts about the changes he has seen in state government and life in Kansas. Show Less
Interview of Jill Docking, April 1, 2026
Interviewed by Chris Courtwright
This very thorough and comprehensive interview of Jill Docking, took place on the third floor of the reconfigured Docking State Office Building in Topeka under the portrait of her father-in-law, Governor Robert Docking. The interviewer, Chris Courtright, takes her through a number of significant milestones in Kansas political history, having married into one of Kansas' most prominent political families. She has run for office herself, in 1996 for the U.S. Senate, and again in 2014 as the Lt. Governor candidate with Paul Davis at the head of the ticket. She was a tireless advocate for higher education Show Moreas a member of the Kansas Board of Regents. She serves on numerous boards such as the Kansas Health Foundation and promotes health, financial fitness and philanthropy. The stories she tells are entertaining, but they also illuminate important events in Kansas history. As the interview moves to its conclusion, Docking talks about gaps in the health care system and comments on the divisiveness in our political system as being "a cancer in this country." She sees the number of people running for public office as a positive swing and she is still engaged, supporting numerous candidates. She is still working, and not retiring!
Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview