Roy Gene Colum, Sr., age 91, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at the Freeman West Hospital in Joplin, Missouri. He was born August 6, 1934, in Ft. Scott, Kansas, the son of Elbert Alexander Colum, Sr. and Melinda Amanda Mae Smith Pigford. Roy graduated from the Ft. Scott High School and then went on to serve with the United States Navy from 1952-1956.
Roy was united in marriage to Kathleen Young on December 12, 1952. He was stationed in San Diego and upon completing his military service, he decided to remain in that area. He took a job with the City of San Diego where he worked for the City of San Diego Park and Recreation and Street Division. After many years, he retired from the City and began working for both Avis and Hertz rental car companies.
Roy enjoyed watching the news, keeping up with current events. Following retirement, he took a “part-time” position with the San Diego Voice & Viewpoint, a San Diego newspaper. In earlier years, he enjoyed bowling and playing softball. He enjoyed sports of all kinds and was a great fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Roy and Kathleen later returned to Ft. Scott where they have made their home for the last several years. While living in Ft. Scott, Roy took an active role in sharing studying Ft. Scott history and family genealogy. In preparation for the annual Gordon Parks Celebration, he was often called upon to identify people and places surrounding Ft. Scott’s African American community. Roy loved life and his family. He worked hard to provide for his family and faithfully cared for his wife as their health declined. Roy has left a legacy of hard work and perseverance and a strong family who will carry on in the days ahead.
Survivors include his wife, Kathleen, of the home in Ft. Scott and five children, Roy Gene Colum, Jr., Kimberly Joyce Colum-Wright, Byron Arthur Colum, Larren Scott Colum and April G. Davis. Also surviving are a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and Great Great Grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father, Elbert A. Colum, Sr., his mother, Melinda Amanda Mae Pigford and his brother, Elbert A. Colum, Jr.
There was cremation, and he will eventually be laid to rest at the Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California. Arrangements were under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, Kansas. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 11, 2025, for their regular monthly meeting at 424 S Main.
President David Stewart opened the meeting.
The board approved the official agenda, and the consent agenda as follows:
Board Minutes
Board Minutes
08-11-25
Financials – Cash Flow Report
Check Register
Payroll – August 20, 2025 – $1,556,743.36
Activity Funds Accounts
USD 234 Gifts
Orchestra Extended Trip
HS Powerlifting Fundraising
The Revenue Neutral Hearing was held at 5:30 PM, none were present during public forum.
The Budget Hearing was held at 5:45 PM, one public was present for clarification on Mill Levy.
The Board approved –
Resolution 25-10 – Exceeding the Revenue Neutral Tax Rate
Resolution 24-11 – Make a local option percentage in an amount of 33% for the 25-26 school year.
The Board Approved the 2025-26 Budget with consideration of the Needs Assessment.
Superintendent Destry Brown gave an update on current enrollment as we are approaching the September 20th count day. The district has received the Patterson grant. At the High School the Hydroponic Farm is growing and the students are starting to harvest from their efforts.
Assistant Superintendent Terry Mayfield provided information on the Special Education Audit that has been finalized and the district did a wonderful job completing. The district financial audit will be starting September 22. Also, he updated the Board on each of the departments and the startup of the new school year. He also attended a Bus Safety training held with the district Bus Drivers.
Assistant Superintendent Zach Johnson updated the Board on iReady testing and the growing data that we have received and soon should be able to share with parents. State has said there will be changes to some requirements for graduation starting next year and he will be collaborating with High School Principals as more information becomes available. He is also working with a few in the community with students walking to and from school and how to improve the safety and encouragement for students.
Special Education Director Tonya Barnes provided a shared an update on the CatAid payment and information that she has been working on. We should receive our first payment next month.
Tracy Homan was recognized by Principal DJ Brown “Tracy Homan from FSMS goes above and beyond for kids. She has been instrumental in developing the student council program and is often seen at after-hours programs and events supporting students.”
Maintenance recognized Dusty Hood – “Dusty covered nearly 50 extra shifts at the end of last school year covering for absent staff. Dusty cleaned up for nearly all volleyball and basketball games/tournaments both after hours and on weekends last year. He is still covering his normal daytime shift at the Middle School this year plus 3 hours per night at the High School and another 1.5 hours per night at the Middle School and anywhere else we need him. He maintains an awesome relationship with his students and staff members. He helps lead the summer crew and he helps train any and all new custodial crew. Dusty is one of our most trusted and respected employees because of his hard work and dedication to the district. His positive attitude and “can do” mentality truly raised the bar in an exemplary manner. I wish we could find more than a piece of paper to distinguish what Dusty means to us staff members behind the scenes. We are forever indebted and grateful.”
Jennifer Durkin, Paraprofessional at Kansas Renewal Institute was recognized for her hard work and always being willing to jump in and help wherever needed. She loves the kids and is present for them every day.
Eugene Ware Principal, Mina Query, recognized Todd Magee, “Todd is a wonderful employee. He serves on Guiding Coalition, PBIS, and Team Tiger. He has such a positive attitude and never minds being silly for the kids. There are plenty of pictures out there from last year’s PBIS assemblies that show just how silly he is willing to be. Just check out his Maui photos on Facebook. He is a creative teacher who works hard to make learning seem like a game. I know a few students who got through their third-grade year because he was their teacher.”
The Board Approved the following items:
Adult Meal Prices for 2025-26
Adult Breakfast – $3.00
Adult Lunch – $5.05
MOU with FSCC for shared use of facilities
Partnership agreement with Head Start
One Year Lease agreement with Head Start
There were none present for public forum.
The Board went into an executive session for personnel matters.
Patty LaRoche. 2023. Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection www.alittlefaithlift.com AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)
Busyness is a thief. It is. For too many of us, we allow it to dictate our schedules, proudly taking on more than we should, loving the bragging rights we have when we can share just how crazy our lives are. We fancy the praise when others tell us they don’t know “how” we do it. Crazy, isn’t it?
Crazy enough to die for our efforts. After all, our value is based on how fast we pace ourselves, right? Researchers estimate that long, working hours contribute to 745,000 global deaths from stroke and heart disease annually. The real thief is that we cannot get back the hours we spend keeping busy.
We must learn the power of the word “No!” when pressed to dig deeper, answer the imperative, fulfill the obligations placed on us by others (and ourselves). Researchers call it the “mere urgency effect.” We’re biologically wired to prioritize urgent over important. In studies, people consistently chose time-sensitive tasks with small rewards over important tasks with bigger payoffs. Our brains literally sabotage our priorities.
The important stuff gets lost in our busyness. The important—our health, our relationships, our long-term goals, our personal growth—sits quietly in the corner, patiently waiting for us to find time to prioritize our lives. But do we pay any attention to it? Do we care what really matters enough to give our time our “first fruits”?
Until we put down our cellphones (let’s say, all day Sunday, every meal, morning and nighttime, whenever we have quality time with our family) and heed our loved ones’ needs to be heard, we are risking them resenting our lack of attention and importance. Yesterday, I was talking on a Facetime call with my daughter-in-law Kristen. I asked her what she and her girls were doing all day, and she said they would start by “cleaning the house.”
Tatum, the three-year-old, was listening. I asked her if she was going to help. She was. When I asked “how” she was going to help, she said “I’m going to play.” She meant it, even though her mother had something different in mind. Tatum ran to her dad’s office and came out with her play broom to show me how cooperative she could be.
I loved watching her “sweep,” until Paige, her five-year-old sister, found the toy mop. What started out as cleaning, quickly turned into a sword fight…broom vs. mop. Not unlike how I work. I start off on one task (like writing this article) and get side-tracked. Don’t I need to clean out my refrigerator? Is that a cobweb I see? How about that thank-you note I forgot to write?
The most successful people aren’t the ones doing the most. They are the ones doing the right (i.e., meaningful) things successfully. The world won’t slow down for you or me. If anything, it speeds up. Every day brings more notifications, more demands, more opportunities to say yes to things that don’t matter.
Colossians 4:5 simplifies what our goal should be: Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. I mean, seriously…what’s a cobweb or two between friends?
Consideration of Resolution No. 25-2025 A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE REPAIR OR REMOVAL OF AN ALLEGED UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURE AT 18 S. HOLBROOK – L. Kruger
Consideration of Resolution No. 26-2025 A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE REPAIR OR REMOVAL OF AN ALLEGED UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURE AT 402 N. SHUTE – L. Kruger
Consideration of Resolution No. 27-2025 A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE REPAIR OR REMOVAL OF AN ALLEGED UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURE AT 205 N. LINCOLN – L. Kruger
Action Items:
Consideration to Trade 963 Track Loader – T. Coffman
IT Update – S. Mitchell
Discussion of Small Business Grant Incentive – M. Wyatt
Planning, Housing and Business Development Update – M. Wyatt
Consideration of Application – CDBG Housing Rehabilitation Grant – L. Dillon
Consideration of Second Amendment to ER Funding Agreement – Approved by
Bourbon County Commission September 8, 2025
Approval to go out for Codes Mowing Bids – 3-Years – B. Matkin
Consideration of CCLIP Project Programming Request – J. Dickman
The Sept. 13 Concert listed on this flyer is cancelled due to the illness of the performers.
Fall Music at Common Ground Coffee Shop, 12 E. Wall, is back.
“Bring a friend, grab your favorite latte, and enjoy the sound of fall at Common Ground,” said shop owner Stacy Racy. “We decided a couple of months ago to bring back the Fall Concert Series. We’ve done it in the past and it’s been well received, so we’re excited to do it again.”
Stacy and Wayne Racy, owners of the Common Ground Coffee Shop. Submitted photo.
“Join us this fall for evenings filled with live music, cozy drinks, and community vibes,” she said.
The live music shows are from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday evenings, and all ages are welcome.
The large group private area at Common Ground, from its Facebook page.
Upcoming Shows: The September 13 – Jesse Jack & The Electric String Band was cancelled due to illness. September 27 – Vinyl Revival October 11-Jerico Jones
October 25- Serenade
“We’ll have drinks, cookies, and food available for people to enjoy while they listen,’ she said. “We have some amazing local and regional musicians we love listening to, and we thought this would be a great way to give the community something to do on Saturday evenings through the fall.”
Music lovers might want to try some of the new menu items offered by the coffee shop staff as they listen to the music in the large stage area in a room adjacent to the public seating area.
“Our new menu items are going really well – that’s the biggest new thing right now, and we’re excited about the community response.”
One of the new menu items: pannini. From the shop’s Facebook page.
For the live music nights, they will have their flatbreads, paninis, and chicken salad sandwiches along with cookies and drinks available for purchase, she said.
Gordon Parks Museum Releases a Two-Volume Book- Fort Scott Stories and I Needed Paris
Fort Scott, Kan. Sept. 11, 2025 – The Gordon Parks Museum, in partnership with photojournalist and
documentary filmmaker D. Michael Cheers, 2025 Choice of Weapons Award recipient, proudly presents a
special two-volume book – Fort Scott Stories and I Needed Paris, celebrating the 75th anniversary of Gordon
Parks’ “Back to Fort Scott.”
This 244-page photo essay book contains wonderful story telling images by various photographers, along with
some of Gordon Parks iconic photos he took in 1950.
Fort Scott Stories, is the first volume, that is inspired by Parks’ 1950-Fort Scott photo essay assignment for Life
Magazine. This book offers a powerful glimpse into the heartbeat of Fort Scott, through vivid portraits and
authentic storytelling. It captures the voices of residents across generations, business owners, church members,
and everyday citizens reflecting the city’s spirit, diversity, and resilience.
I Needed Paris, is the second volume of the book that follows a group of student-photographers through Paris,
retracing Gordon Parks’ path while he worked for LIFE magazine (1950–52). The book reimagines his fashion,
portrait, and documentary work, featuring African American expats, emerging Black designers, and intimate
portraits of migrant and refugee communities.
The two-volume coffee-table set, Fort Scott Stories, will be available for $65 per book (plus tax) and is planned
for release during the 22nd Annual Gordon Parks Celebration, October 2–4, 2025. With a limited number of
copies being printed, pre-orders are highly recommended.
To place your order or for more information, contact the Gordon Parks Museum at 620-223-2700 ext. 5850 or
email [email protected].
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PITTSBURG, Kan. – There is a new option for ear, nose and throat care in Southeast Kansas.
Freeman Health System Otolaryngologist Dr. Scott McClintick is now treating patients at the Freeman Specialty Clinic of Pittsburg, 1606 N. Broadway.
Dr. McClintick provides patient care for a variety of ailments, including tonsil and ear infections, neck and thyroid surgery, nose and sinus disease, and skin cancers.
“I’m pleased and proud to be able to provide our trusted skills and services to Pittsburg and the surrounding communities,” he said.
No stranger to the Sunflower State, Dr. McClintick regularly sees patients in Parsons and Girard. Pittsburg, he said, was the next logical step for his outreach services. He began seeing Crawford County patients earlier this year.
“I’ve already done a ton of outreach in Southeast Kansas,” said the Kansas native, who attended the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed both his internship and residency at Freeman Health System. “Now we’re getting into the Pittsburg market. Our goal is to see patients every three to four weeks, which is not bad for a specialty clinic.”
As Dr. McClintick’s patient list grows, the plan is to expand appropriately his clinic hours in Southeast Kansas. And by conducting outpatient care at Pittsburg Specialty Clinic in downtown Pittsburg, it saves his patients a long drive south to Joplin.
“Not only is it a huge convenience for my patients, but they also receive high-quality, compassionate, and safe patient care,” the board-certified head and neck surgery specialist said.
Services Dr. McClintick offers to his Pittsburg patients include:
Ear tube placement
Head and neck cancers
Salivary gland tumors
Sinus surgery
Skin cancer
Throat and mouth cancer
Chronic tonsil infections
Treatment of thyroid and parathyroid disorders
Sinus and nasal conditions
Difficulty swallowing
“ENT can be a pretty complex specialty,” Dr. McClintick said.
His deep love for rural healthcare stems from his childhood growing up in Eureka, a town of less than 3,000 people located in Greenwood County, a two-hour drive from Pittsburg. His father practiced medicine there for 45 years.
“So, growing up with my dad being a physician, I was always around medicine, and that’s what really inspired me to become a doctor,” he said.
Incidentally, his sister and brother are also physicians, along with two sisters-in-law and his father-in-law.
“It’s a family thing,” Dr. McClintick said with a chuckle.
His goal is to establish comprehensive ear, nose and throat care and surgical services in the Pittsburg area.
“There is just something different about going to these smaller towns,” Dr. McClintick said. “Joplin is great, but it’s nice to give back to the smaller communities. I just have an appreciation for them.”
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About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. With more than 320 physicians on staff representing more than 90 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, children’s services, women’s services, and many others for all of the Four State Area. Freeman is also involved in numerous community-based activities and sponsored events and celebrations. Additionally, in the Joplin/Pittsburg areas, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.
There will be a special meeting for the Board of County Commissioners 09.12.25 at 5:00 PM at 210 S National Avenue for an executive session to discuss non-elected Personnel.
