Residents of and visitors to Fort Scott honored fallen heroes of the United States of America Monday with a Memorial Day ceremony at the National Cemetery, hosted by organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1165 and American Legion Post 25, along with others.

Kevin Johnson, director of the Leavenworth National Cemetery Complex and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom II and III, said many people confuse Memorial Day with Veterans’ Day, admitting he himself did the same before he served in Iraq. Johnson stressed that Americans should take time to remember those soldiers throughout the country’s history who did not get the opportunity to become veterans, but made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their country.

“The first day you lost a brother you understood what Memorial Day was,” Johnson said of when the holiday truly gained meaning for him while he was serving in Baghdad in 2004.

American Gold Star Mother Jennifer Jackman also spoke during the Fort Scott event and praised the city and local organizations for their care for the local cemetery, which she described as beautiful.

“What a wonderful way to remember our fallen,” Jackman said of the many flowers throughout the cemetery and especially the American flags placed at each grave.

Jackman also encouraged listeners to take time to visit private cemeteries and look for similar headstones and flags marking the places where other veterans are buried outside the national cemetery.

In his invocation of the event, Reverend Chuck Russell encouraged those in attendance to make sure they never forget America’s fallen heroes, but that they also make sure their children understand those sacrifices as well, since anything less could be a disservice to those men and women who died to protect the freedoms Americans enjoy.

“We answer a call and do what we’re told,” Johnson said of himself and his fellow soldiers. “And that’s why we’re all free today.”

The event also included an honor volley, Taps, the Gettysburg Address, pledge of allegiance led by a local boy scout and the reading of General Logan Order Number 11 concerning the purpose and origins of Memorial Day.

On Tuesday May 31, the Fort Scott Public Library will celebrate the beginning of their summer schedule, reading program and other activities with a party at the Fort Scott Community College walking trail from 10 a.m. to noon.

Children of all ages are invited to attend the event which will include water games, trivia, snacks, crafts, prizes and an opportunity to register for the summer reading program.

A family story walk and scavenger hunt will be available along the walking trail for the first hour of the event, with Fort Scott High School mascot Tigger on-hand for photos. Relay races will be held during the second hour with an Olympic-style medal ceremony at the end to award prizes with help from the local Boy Scout Troop 114.

Those interested in volunteering their time or donating items such as food, beverages and other supplies for the event are encouraged to contact Youth Librarian Valetta Cannon.

In the case of rain, the event will be moved to the public library for a scaled-down version of the planned events.

Submitted by Kathryn Danley, May 16

For the Memorial Day holiday this year, you and your family are invited to visit Fort Scott National Historic Site to experience the sights, sounds and smells of a frontier military fort. Celebrate the weekend with living history programs, cooking demonstrations and artillery firings.

Saturday programs will focus on life at Fort Scott in the 1840s, with special presentations from our site volunteers on cooking, buying merchandise and washing clothes the old fashioned way. Gary Herrmann will demonstrate what soldiers and people ate in the 19th century. Barry Linduff will do a presentation on the many goods available for soldiers and civilians in the Sutler store. Come join Post Laundress Sarah Moppin as she demonstrates washing soldiers’ clothes, 1840s style. Living history stations will also include officer wives conducting a tea party and a soldier baking bread in the bake-house. At 2 p.m., come witness the power and sound of artillery. Kids of all ages are invited to join our soldiers in lowering the flag during flag retreat at 4 p.m.

Activities will continue on Sunday and Monday with more artillery demonstrations, a special wreath laying ceremony and programs focused on various historical events in which Fort Scott was involved. Join fort volunteer and master gardener Kelley Collins to learn more about the historic uses of herbs and flowers. Meet at the garden behind officers’ row. Help welcome several hundred motorcyclists to Fort Scott participating in the annual KC Thunder Ride to remember those who died in service and honor all veterans by joining them in a brief wreath laying ceremony at 1 p.m. on the Parade Ground. “Flash Flood” will focus on the role that the dragoon soldier played in westward expansion.

Monday’s guest speaker, Dr. Jeremy Tewell, will present a program examining the issues facing the nation in the 1864 presidential campaign. With the war seemingly at a standstill, and northern morale plummeting, Abraham Lincoln insisted on reunion and emancipation as conditions of peace. His Democratic opponent, George B. McClellan, made the Union the one condition of peace, although many in his party considered the war a failure and demanded a cessation of hostilities. That November, the new birth of freedom Lincoln and his armies had struggled to achieve hung in the balance.

On Monday at 2:45 p.m. will be a special Memorial Day program honoring Fort Scott’s fallen officers, followed by observance of the National Moment of Silence at 3 p.m.

The schedule of activities is listed below:

SATURDAY, MAY 28

10:00 a.m. – “What a Mess” – Feeding a Frontier Army

11:00 a.m. – Guided Tour

1:00 p.m. – “Fish Hooks, Plug Tobacco, and Hard Candy”- Post Sutler Talk

2:00 p.m. – “The Gun That Shoots Twice” – Artillery Demonstration

3:00 p.m. – “Red Armed Women of the West” – Laundress Demonstration

4:00 p.m. – Flag Retreat

SUNDAY, MAY 29

11:00 a.m. – Guided Tour

1:00 p.m. – KC Thunder Ride Wreath Laying Program

2:00 p.m. – “The Gun That Shoots Twice” – Artillery Demonstration

3:00 p.m. – “Flash Flood” – Westward Expansion Talk

MONDAY, MAY 30

10:00 a.m. – “Scents, Seasonings, and Stimulants” – Officer’s Garden Tour

11:00 a.m. – Guided Tour

1:00 p.m. – The Presidential Election of 1864

2:00 p.m. – “The Gun That Shoots Twice” – Artillery Demonstration

2:45 p.m. – Honoring Fort Scott’s Fallen Officers

3:00 p.m. – National Moment of Remembrance

Submitted by Valetta Cannon, May 17

Get ready to get active in mind and body this summer with the “On Your Mark, Get Set…READ!” children’s program, the “Get in the Game – Read!” teen’s program, and additional programming for adults, courtesy of Fort Scott Public Library, USD 234’s PTO and other community volunteers.

Beginning with a kick-off party on May 31st and running through the end of July, this summer’s program will explore fun and healthy habits, games, sports and reading habits through various activities, crafts, books, music, rewards, prizes, snacks and guest performers. We will bring in many community members skilled in specific academic or sports-related fields to share their accomplishments and knowledge. See the schedule below, and keep an eye out for more details. Also, check out our Pinterest board for a sneak peek at some of the exciting activities we’re planning.

Please note: All events will be located in Fort Scott Public Library’s downstairs rooms unless otherwise noted. Teens will walk from the library to Common Ground Coffee in a group for their regular Tuesday morning meetings. Special Date: Friday, July 15th at 10 a.m. instead of Tuesday, July 12th, we will meet for Football and Soccer week, due to the Fort Scott Community College football team’s schedule.

Here is our tentative schedule. Please visit often to view updates and changes.

Olympics-themed Kick-Off Party (all ages welcome): May 31st 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the FSCC Walking Trail

Come for games, crafts, snacks, prizes and to pre-register for our summer reading program. Please email [email protected] if you would like to volunteer at or donate to this special event. We are looking for donors of healthy food and beverages, disposable tableware and specific craft supplies. Please contact Youth Librarian Valetta Cannon for more details.

Alan Cunningham performs at Ellis Fine Arts Center: June 7th at 10 a.m. All Ages Welcome, but geared more toward children 0-12 years old. We will also be holding our first teen meeting at Common Ground Coffee at 10 a.m. this day.

Homebodies and Healthy Living: June 14th at 10 a.m. with storyteller Valetta Cannon

Percussion Magic performs at Ellis Fine Arts Center: June 17th at 10 a.m. for all ages

Cheer and Dance: June 21st at 10 a.m. with a storyteller and possible special guests FSHS and FSCC Cheer and Dance Team Members

Track and Racing: June 28th at 10 a.m. with storyteller Principal Dave Elliott and special guests FSHS Track Team Members

Baseball and Basketball: July 5th at 10 a.m. with a storyteller and possible special guests FSCC Basketball Team and FSHS Baseball Team Member

C. Wolf performs at Ellis Fine Arts Center: July 6th at 9:30 a.m.: All Ages

Football and Soccer: FRIDAY, July 15th at 10 a.m. with a storyteller, who is still needed, and special guests FSCC Greyhound Football Team Members

Martial Arts and Self-Defense: July 19th at 10 a.m. with Mary Jo Harper and special guests Tae Kwon Do Instructor Walt Kimler and Class, and Nutritionist Vera Norris

Olympics and Gymnastics: July 26th at 10 a.m. with a storyteller and possible special guests Tumbling Tiger Gymnastics coaches and class

Possible Wrap-Up & Reward Party: Details TBA

Submitted by Heather Cutshall, FSCC, May 17

Fort Scott Community College welcomes Jeffrey Tadtman as the new FSCC Head Women’s Basketball Coach.

Tadtman comes to FSCC from Carl Albert State College (CASC), where he served as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach for thirteen years. His record at CASC was 202-179. From 2000-2003, Tadtman served as Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Iowa Western Community College, where he led the Reivers to the NJCAA Regional Championships for two seasons.

“We are excited to have Coach Tadtman become a part of our college and community,” said Tom Havron, FSCC Director of Athletics. “His experience and the success he has achieved in his career will be a blessing to FSCC and our student-athletes. We look forward to the great things that he will bring to the basketball court, classroom and community.”

From 1993-1996, Tadtman served as Head Women’s Coach at Independence Community College. His teams won the NJCAA Region VI Championships in the 1993-94 and 1995-96 seasons. Additionally, he has served as Head Women’s Basketball Coach at University of Missouri-Kansas City and as Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach, Head Women’s Tennis Coach and recruiter at Cowley County Community College.

Tadtman is ranked 33rd in wins among active NJCAA coaches. He was named to the Independence Community College Hall of Fame in 2014 and Iowa Western Community College Hall of Fame in 2011. In addition, he has been recognized as the Coach of the Year by many organizations:

• College Sports Magazine (1995-96 season)
• Kansas Basketball Coaches Association (1993-94, 1994-95, and 1995-96 seasons)
• National District D (1993-94, 1994-95, and 1995-96 seasons)
• Kansas Region VI (1993-94, 1994-95, and 1995-96 seasons)
• Jayhawks East Conference (1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons)

Tadtman earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Southwestern College in 1992. He is a member of Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, Women’s Basketball Association, Greater Kansas City Coaches Association and Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

After setting an establishment date for May 9, the initiation of the Quiet Zone at the railroad tracks intersecting with Wall Street was delayed briefly when Fort Scott officials learned part of the curbing was just short of new regulations.

Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin said the curbing at a north corner of the intersection, where the Burlington Northern parking area is located, was about four feet short of those new regulations, which the city was not aware of initially. Martin added he was not comfortable signing off on the project until it lined up with those safety codes in place for the railroad employees.

“It’s not that big a deal,” Martin said, saying already the city is working with local contractors to complete the project. “I want to make sure it’s completely safe.”

Once the short stretch of curbing is complete, Martin said it would be up to Burlington Northern and the Federal Railroad Association whether the city has to wait another 21 days for official approval of the quiet zone.

With the new establishment date, trains traveling through that intersection will no longer blow their horns within a quarter mile in either direction of Wall Street.

Fort Scott Community College is pleased to announce that Gina Shelton has been selected as the 2016 Outstanding Young Alumna and Dr. Paul W. Grimes as the 2016 Outstanding Alumnus by the FSCC Alumni and Friends Board of Directors.

FSCC will host a reception to honor Shelton and Grimes at 2 p.m. Friday, May 13. Shelton will also speak at the FSCC 9 a.m. graduation ceremony while Grimes will speak at the 4 p.m. ceremony on Friday, May 13.

Shelton was born and raised in Fort Scott, Kan., to John (deceased) and Connie Findley of Fort Scott. She has two sisters and one brother. She is married to Travis Shelton and they are parents to two children, Nick, 14, and Maci, 10.

Shelton graduated from Fort Scott High School in 1997. She initially enrolled in FSCC with the intention of majoring in secretarial science. After taking a beginning accounting class from Dr. Mary Ann Childers, she decided to pursue a degree in accounting. Gina graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1999 with an Associate of Science degree from FSCC. She then transferred to Pittsburg State University, where she graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting.

In January 2002, Shelton joined Diehl, Banwart, Bolton CPAs PA. She worked there for nearly fourteen years, assisting small businesses with accounting and tax work. In 2015, Shelton passed the Certified Public Accountant Exam. She joined Unified School District 234 as the Business Manager/Clerk in October 2015.

Shelton is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants. She serves on many nonprofit boards including the Bourbon County United Way, Fort Scott High School Alumni, and the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, where she serves as Downtown Committee Chair and Finance Chair. She is also a member of the Bourbon County Young Professionals League and PEO Chapter CA. She attends Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene and enjoys supporting community events.

Dr. Grimes serves as Dean and Professor of Economics for the Kelce College of Business at Pittsburg State University. Prior to his return to Pittsburg State University in 2011, he served as a faculty member and college administrator for 25 years at Mississippi State University. Over the course of his 32-year career, Dr. Grimes has taught thousands of college students, from entering freshman to doctoral candidates. He has authored more than 100 scholarly research articles, reviews, notes, and other publications. Additionally, he has received more than one and a half million dollars in grants and contracts for his research and outreach activities over the course of his career from organizations such as the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

Dr. Grimes proudly traces his Southeast Kansas roots back four generations. After graduating from Baxter Springs High School, he attended Fort Scott Community College to pursue an Associate degree in business administration in May 1978. Dr. Grimes went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science degree in economics from Pittsburg State University. In December 1984, he received a Doctor of Philosophy from Oklahoma State University and began his career in higher education. Dr. Grimes’ academic specializations are in the areas of labor economics, economic education, and economics of public policy.

In 2003, Dr. Grimes was instrumental in founding the Mississippi Council on Economic Education, a non-profit organization dedicated to training K-12 teachers and promoting economic and financial literacy. His work with the Council resulted in revisions to the Mississippi high school curriculum which will positively impact generations of students and their families.

Dr. Grimes was recognized for his scholarship by being named a Visiting Fellow by Princeton University and a Senior Evaluation Scholar by the National Council on Economic Education. In 2005, he was honored by the National Association of Economic Educators with the Henry H. Villard Research Award for his career contributions to economic education research. The Southern Economic Association presented Dr. Grimes with the prestigious Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award in 2010.

Dr. Grimes is a co-author of Economics of Social Issues, an introductory college economics textbook published by McGraw-Hill. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of The American Economist, the academic journal published by Omicron Delta Epsilon, the International Honor Society in Economics. He lives in Pittsburg, Kan., with his wife Marybeth, his two children, Maryroze, 14, and Spalding, 12, and his mother-in-law Rosemary.

With just a handful of school days left before the end of the 2015-2016 school year, the United School District 234 Board of Education took time during the executive session of their meeting Monday to discuss the resignation of middle school principal Jim Howard.

“It was a hard decision,” said Howard, who came to Fort Scott as the principal two years ago.

Just last Thursday, Howard interviewed for a position as the superintendent of United School District 412, with about 400 students, in the city of Hoxie in west Kansas. Howard said they offered him the position the next day and he decided to accept it over the weekend.

Howard said it will be very difficult for him to leave his staff and the Fort Scott school district, which he first came to with the goal of making a positive impact on the area. But Howard said he looks forward to this new challenge of entering an even smaller community and having an impact.

“It’s something I’ve wanted in my career and it will be a new adventure,” Howard said becoming the superintendent.

USD 234 Superintendent Bob Beckham said Howard will be missed in Fort Scott, not just as the principal but as a friend he and others became close to during his two years there.

“He will be very difficult to replace,” Beckham said. “He came into our culture and was accepted very quickly for his work ethic and passion for the middle school.”

Howard’s hard work was rewarded when he was named an Exemplary Middle School Principal of the Year in recent weeks. Howard says he will strive to finish the current school year well, ending his time in Fort Scott in June and then transitioning to Hoxie where he will begin July 1.

Beckham said the school district posted the open position Tuesday morning and an interview team has been assembled as they prepare to search for a new middle school principal. Beckham said they will work as quickly as is reasonable to find a replacement who will continue as Howard did in the midst of the building projects.