Obituary

Obituary of Charles Smith

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Charles Wesley Smith, 95, of Fort Scott, passed away Wednesday afternoon September 16, 2020 at Medicalodge. He was born April 27, 1925, in Devon, Kansas, the son of William George and Bertha Mae (Sauerwein) Smith. He married Ruth Irene Johnston on July 16, 1950, and she preceded him in death in 1988. He married Maxine Louise Kinney on April 30, 1990, and she survives. Charlie and Ruth lived in Louisburg, Kansas from 1950 until 1955, and then Winfield, Kansas. Charlie moved to Fort Scott in 1990. He and Maxine have lived in Fort Scott since 1990.

Charlie graduated from Fulton High School in 1943 and entered Fort Scott Junior College in 1946. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Kansas State University in 1950, and his Master’s Degree from Colorado State University in 1967.

Charlie was the Vocational Ag instructor at Louisburg High School from 1950-1955 and started the first Louisburg FFA Chapter. He worked for the Kansas Extension Service and was the Cowley County Extension Agent from 1955 until 1988.

He served and held office in a number of organizations. He was a board member for the National County Agents Association, was Director of the NCAA North Central Region covering 12 states, Chairman of the NCAA National Scholarship Committee. He served as President, Vice President, and Secretary for the Kansas County Agents Association and was also Board Director for the Kansas State University Ag Alumni.

Charlie received numerous awards and recognitions including Epsilon Sigma Phi State Distinguished Ag Service Award, Epsilon Sigma Phi Meritorious Service Award, National Association of County Agents Distinguished Award, Kansas State 4-H Award, and was both the Jaycee Community Man of the Year and Kiwanis Layman of the Year.

He was active in the First Christian Church of Winfield, Kansas and was also an active member of First Presbyterian Church of Fort Scott, Kansas. He taught high school age Sunday school classes, and he taught Bible study classes in the Southeast Kansas Regional Correctional Center. He also volunteered at Mercy Hospital. He and Maxine received the Award of Merit from the Fort Scott City Commission.

Charlie is survived by his three children David Smith of Lawrence, Kansas, Dennis Smith and wife Carol of Louisburg, Kansas, and Sandra Bowzer and husband Greg of Omaha, Nebraska; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; two sisters, Georgia Mae Hill of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, and Ann Simonsen of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; a step-daughter, Judy Kinney Hunter and husband Bill of Platte City, Missouri; a step-son, Doug Kinney and wife Lynn of Manhattan, Kansas; three step-grandchildren, and three step-great-grandchildren. In addition to his first wife Ruth, Charlie was also preceded in death by his parents, and a brother, William Smith.

Rev. Dr. Jared Witt will conduct graveside services at 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 22, 2020, at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Winfield, Kansas, under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be made to Heifer International and may be left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall St., P.O. Box 309, Fort Scott, KS 66701. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.

Fort Scott, Schools

Tiffnie Spears: New FS Fifth-Grade Teacher

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Tiffnie Spears. Submitted photo.

A teacher at Fort Scott Middle School resigned in August and  USD 234 had a fifth-grade teacher request to transfer to the middle school, creating a 5th-grade opening.

Tiffnie Spears is the new fifth-grade teacher at Eugene Ware Elementary School in Fort Scott.

Tiffnie Spears, 29, graduated from Fort Scott High School in 2009 and graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications in 2013, then received her Master’s  Degree in Elementary Education from Western Governors University in April of 2020.

“I was born and raised in Fort Scott and, as soon as I graduated from Wichita State, moved back home to be near my friends and family,” she said.

” I was able to do my internship hours with Mrs. Malone in the Fall of 2019 and did my student teaching with Mrs. Stepps this past Spring semester.”

She has been married to her husband, James, since 2011 and they have a 4-year-old son named Jacoby.

“My family loves to travel and our goal is to get Jacoby to as many states as possible before he graduates high school,” she said.

 

How did you become an educator?

“There wasn’t much that got me as excited than seeing my son, niece, and nephews grow and learn new things so I just knew I needed to go back to school to be a teacher. I was torn between following through with being a communication major or an educator so going back to school was a pretty easy choice.”

Did someone inspire you to teach?

“It was my son who inspired me to teach. After Jacoby was born, I knew I wanted to not only help him to grow and learn every day but to have a positive impact on as many children as possible.”

What is the best part of teaching for you?

“The ‘Ah-ha!’ moments are the best and most rewarding moments for me. Being able to see the positive impact you’ve made in helping that student succeed means everything.”

What is the greatest challenge in teaching?

“Starting my first year in the classroom during COVID-19 has so many obstacles but the students are doing so great with the changes we are all being faced with.”

Obituary

Obituary of Raymond Harper

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Raymond Tyler Maxwell Harper, 19, of Fort Scott, passed away Sunday evening, September 13, 2020. He was born February 7, 2001, in Topeka, Kansas.

Ray attended Fort Scott schools, and worked for both Twister Trailers and Laco Guttering. He enjoyed fishing, carpentry and building things, and loved to be outdoors.

Survivors include his parents, Charles Ray and Connie Jean (Riley) Harper, of Fort Scott; numerous brothers and sisters: Melonie Harper, Donald Harper, Jessie Harper, all of the home, Nicole Hall and husband Derek, Tiffani Bradley and husband Keith, both of Uniontown, Kaylie Harper and husband Clayton Miller of Fort Scott, Jenna Clayton and husband Ty of Redfield, Elijah Roberts, Ethan Roberts, and Gloria Roberts, all of Texas, Taylor VanZant, Kristal Castillo, both of Fort Scott, Lorenza Burris of Pittsburg, Kansas, Angelica Gonzalez, Christina Ramirez, both of Girard, Kansas, and Cassidy Riley of Harrisonville, Missouri; grandmothers Leah Riley of Fort Scott, and Marguerite Harper of Kansas City, Kansas; great-grandmother Mary Ellen Harper of Devon, Kansas; numerous nieces and nephews.

Raymond was preceded in death by paternal grandfather Gary Harper and maternal grandfather Tommy Riley.

Jeff Michael will conduct graveside services at 1:00 p.m. Monday September 21, 2020, at the Centerville Cemetery in Fort Scott under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.

A visitation will be held following the service at 3:00 p.m. at Gunn Park, Shelter #5.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Raymond Harper Fort Scott High School Cross Country Scholarship and may be left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall St., P.O. Box 309, Fort Scott, KS 66701. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.

Government, Kansas

Motor Carriers COVID 19 Relief Extended

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Governor Laura Kelly Issues Executive Order Allowing Continued Delivery of COVID-19 Recovery Supplies

 

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced she has signed Executive Order #20-65, which extends temporary relief for motor carriers from certain rules and regulations allowing them to quickly deliver supplies necessary to assist Kansas in its COVID-19 recovery efforts.

 

“I want to thank motor carriers across the nation who have been working diligently throughout the pandemic to make sure medical supplies, food shipments, and other critical items reach those who need them,” Governor Kelly said. “I will continue following the lead of our federal partners to decrease the burden on our motor carriers, and ensure these supplies reach their destinations as quickly as possible.”

 

Executive Order #20-65 extends temporary relief for motor carriers from certain rules and regulations until rescinded, until December 31, 2020, or until the statewide State of Disaster Emergency expires, whichever is earlier. It is an extension of measures put in place by Executive Order #20-62. 

   

The order lifts certain weight restrictions and permitting requirements to allow needed medical supplies, food shipments, and other items to move through Kansas as quickly as possible. These exceptions apply only to motor carriers actively participating in COVID-19 response efforts.  

  

View E.O. #20-65 here.

Bourbon County, Schools, Sports

Uniontown Football and Volleyball Sept. 11-12

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Adelay Martin. Submitted photo.

Submitted by Adelay Martin, UHS Sports Media Reporter

UHS Football

On Friday, September 11, the Uniontown Eagles’ football team faced the Wabaunsee Chargers. The Eagles were defeated 20-14, bringing their record to 1-1.

Hunter Schaaf rushed 26 times over 118 yards and scored 1 touchdown, and Drew Perry rushed 16 times over 102 yards scored the other touchdown. Perry also completed 4 out of 8 passes over 12 yards.

“The past couple of weeks, we’ve come out and we’ve dug ourselves a hole by turning the ball over to start the game and giving up an easy score. That’s my fault as a head coach for not having the team ready to go at the start of the game,” says Coach Stark. “This past week, we played a pretty poor first half and Wabaunsee really put it to us; they deserve a lot of credit. They’re a well-coached team, and they have some pretty talented players. They wanted to win the game more than what we wanted to the entire first half. After going into halftime down 13-0, I challenged the team and they came out and played the second half with much more heart and passion than in the first half. The second half, we were a different team. Unfortunately, we dug ourselves too big of a hole to get out of.

“One thing I am proud of is how hard we played in the second half. At one point in the second half, we were down 20-7 and we went on a 23-play scoring drive to put ourselves down one score in the fourth quarter. We overcame multiple penalties and we easily could have quit, but we didn’t, and we got into the endzone.

“One thing we have to improve on is how many penalties we’ve been having. I take responsibility for that as head coach for not having the team ready to play a clean, mistake-free game. In order to win in the future, we’re going to have to do a much better job of starting the game off strong and playing a clean game and eliminating our mental mistakes of false starts and holding penalties. I’m confident we’ll get those things corrected and be ready moving forward.”

JV Volleyball

Members of the Junior Varsity Volleyball team competed at the Moran JV Tournament on Saturday, September 12. The tournament was modified, moving to just pool play within each gym. Uniontown swept their pool with three wins!

Uniontown defeated SCC in two matches with scores of 25-17 and 25-23. Kristy Beene scored 9 points, and Skyler Coulter was 3/3 on attacks with 1 kill.

Uniontown also defeated Northeast, with scores of 25-15 and 25-19. Landry George scored 15 points, and Rylee Coulter was 6/8 on attacks with 1 kill.

Lastly, the Lady Eagles defeated Pleasanton with matches scoring 25-10 and 25-18. Hannah Moore scored 12 points and Landry George was 7/7 on attacks with 2 kills.

Let’s congratulate our Junior Varsity Volleyball team!

-Adelay Martin, UHS Sports Media Reporter

Government, Kansas

Grant For Historic Kansas Properties

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Governor Laura Kelly Announces $500,000 Grant to Protect Historic Kansas Properties

~National Park Service awards $500,000 Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant to the Kansas Historical Society~

 

TOPEKA—Governor Laura Kelly today announced a new program that will assist Kansans who own historic properties in communities with populations under 30,000. The National Park Service has awarded the $500,000 Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant to the Kansas Historical Society. The Historical Society’s Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) will develop this new sub-grant program, Kansas Rural Preservation.

 

“Kansas is home to many historical and cultural sites that tell the story of our state and our country’s past,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Thanks to the National Park Service and the Kansas Historical Society, we can be assured that markers that are part of our history will be protected for future generations to learn from and enjoy.”

 

More details about the sub-grant program and applications will become available this winter at kshs.org/20430. Or contact Katrina Ringler, SHPO grants manager, at 785-272-8681, ext. 215; [email protected]; to be placed on a notification list for further details.

 

Kansas was among eight recipients to receive the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants this year. A total of $4.8 million was awarded in 2020 to support the preservation of historic buildings in rural communities across America. Now in its second year, the Paul Bruhn Historical Revitalization Grants are named for a former executive director of the Preservation Trust of Vermont.

 

Congress appropriates funding for various programs, including the Paul Bruhn Revitalization Grant, through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). The HPF uses revenue from federal oil leases on the Outer Continental Shelf to assist preservation projects in all states, territories, and many tribal lands. For more information about the Paul Bruhn Revitalization Grant, find more at go.nps.gov/revitalization.

 

Fort Scott, Fort Scott National Historic Site

FLY THE U.S. FLAG TAKING NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS

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Submitted by  FRIENDS OF FORT SCOTT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, KELLEY COLLINS, 417-684-2484

 

The Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site Inc. is taking new subscriptions for their “Fly the U.S. Flag” project. The Friend’s U.S. flag project provides homeowners and businesses, within the city limits of Fort Scott, the opportunity to fly the Stars and Stripes on five different flag holidays without the hassle of purchasing, erecting, and storing a flag and pole. You don’t even have to remember the holiday!

For $35 annually, the Friends will install a 3’x5′ flag on a 12-foot staff at your home or business on each of the following Flag Holidays in 2021:

Memorial Day

Flag Day

Fourth of July

Labor Day

Veteran’s Day

Sign up by October 8, 2020, and you will also get Veteran’s Day 2020 included in the offer–SIX DAYS for the price of FIVE!!!

Agreements can be obtained at the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce or can be emailed to you. Contact Kelley Collins at 417-684-2484 or Martha Scott at 620-224-9924 for further information.

All proceeds support programs at Fort Scott National Historic Site. These include Symbols of Sacrifice, a Citizenship Ceremony, Candlelight Tour, Youth Engagement, and many others.

Show your patriotism and help our local National Park by lining the streets of Fort Scott with our nation’s symbol!

The U.S. Flag Project is a yearly project sponsored by the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site. This offer is for new subscribers only. Current subscribers will be mailed a renewal notice in January for the 2021 season.

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Bourbon County, Government

Ks. Hwy. 3 From US 54 to K-39 Closed Sept. 21-22

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Section of K-3 to close for pipe replacement project

 

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) will close a section of K-3 in Bourbon County to replace four crossroad pipes on Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 21-22, weather permitting.

 

K-3 will be closed to through traffic between K-39 and U.S. 54 from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. both days. Traffic should use alternate routes.

 

Persons with questions may contact KDOT Superintendent Derrick Shannon, (620) 901-6550, or Public Affairs Manager Priscilla Petersen, (620) 902-6433.

 

Obituary

Darrel George Celebration of Life on Sept. 20

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Darrel George, age 66, a resident of rural Uniontown, Kansas, passed away March 21, 2020.

\A celebration of Darrel’s life will be held from 4-6 P.M. on Sunday, September 20th at the Bourbon County Fair Pavilion.

Friends and family are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and enjoy food and fellowship.

Private burial took place in the Uniontown Cemetery.

Donations to the Bourbon County Fair Association are still being accepted and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701.

Bourbon County Local News