April Birthdays

Tomorrow is a big day. Meetings in Hutchinson and then reception/talk/booksinging with Michelle at the Independence, Kansas, library. As it is the First day of April, I was thinking of the birthdays that occur this month, in addition to mine, of course. Some remarkable folks were born this month, beginning with my friend, Dena Wallace Anson.

Dena and I met while I was attending Washburn and working at Topeka Transit as a dispatcher. She was hired for Public Relations and we had an instant bond. She has worked for Washburn now for several years and they would be incredibly lost without them. She is dedicated, very hardworking, extremely capable, and just plain fun. Likewise, her husband Steve, the baseball coach at WU. I love them dearly.

Today is also the birthday of Simon Bolivar Buckner, Governor of Kentucky and Confederate general. His son, General S. B. Buckner II (right) is featured in our book, Kansas Forts and Bases. He was the highest ranking officer killed by enemy fire during World War II.

April 3 is the birthday of Cyrus Kurtz Holliday, my favorite Topekan. A native Pennsylvanian, also like many of my closest friends, Holliday came to the Kansas Territory as an idealistic, optimistic, industrious young man. He was instrumental in founding Topeka and the ATSF Railway. No one has ever loved Kansas more than Holliday. Even his passion was challenged, however, by political divisiveness and gridlock. At a particularly dismal point, Holliday wrote to his wife who was traveling abroad:

". . . I have sometimes become so 'soured' that I have almost resolved that I would quit the town and look up a new home elsewhere. I have given the place eighteen years of my life and a great deal of money -- as you well know --and without my unceasing and untiring efforts Topeka, today, would be no better than the small communities that surround her.
   But I have got about tired spending time and money to enrich me who never give, or do, anything except to oppose those things that would make our town and county valuable."

There is nothing new under the sun. Thankfully, Holliday stayed and a couple of years after he wrote this Topeka was asking him to serve as mayor, again, to help the town through its most difficult moments. He declined and went fishing.

I have lots more April birthdays to share. Happy April and stop back by!

Blessed to Be Busy

I am blessed to have a very busy week, even with the snow. Fortunately, we escaped the second foot of snow that others very close to us received, but we did get a really beautiful snowfall. It is winter--in all its glory and vengeance.

My co-author on this latest book, Michelle Martin, arrives tomorrow and we will have our book launch party. Yaay us!!! Michelle was the perfect person to share this project, Kansas Forts and Bases: Sentinels on the Prairie. For one thing, she did all the hard work like coding images. We will be speaking at our regular meeting of the Civil War Roundtable of Eastern Kansas Thursday night at 6:30. The CWRT is a very well-read and very active with history-related activities. Membership is only $15 a year and we encourage new members! That membership goes to covering speakers' expenses. Member or not, though, the public is welcome to attend any of our meetings and especially Thursday night!

We will be guests Thursday morning on WIBW Radio with Jamie and Roger and on WIBW TV with Ralph Hipp at 4. On Friday, we'll be signing books at Rusty Haggles in the historic NOTO Arts District before Gary and I head over to the Kansas Music Hall of Fame in Lawrence. On Saturday, local bands the Exceptions and Kerry Livgren, below, will be inducted into this elite organization. (Kerry has been inducted previously with Kansas and White Clover.) Kerry is the songwriter behind hits Dust in the Wind and Carry On My Wayward Son. He is not only a very talented guy but a good man as well.

On Sunday, Michelle and I have a book signing at Lecompton's Constitution Hall.

The Kansas Hall of Fame had scheduled a press conference to announce its 2013 laureates but we had to reschedule to March 14 due to the weather. Trust me, however, that the event is going to be stellar this year!!! Mark your calendars for June 21 and stay tuned for updates.

In the meantime, I'm just trying to get a little writing done. . . .

Books Arrived!

Kansas Forts and Bases has arrived ahead of schedule! Kudos to those hard-working folks at the History Press! Many thanks to our editor, Becky Lejeune. She's a gem.

Michelle and I will have our official launch party on February 28, at the Cox Communication Heritage Education Center, 1118 SE Madison, here in Topeka. We are hopeful that Jerry Morelock, editor of Armchair General magazine will be there as well since he wrote our foreword. This will be the regular meeting of our CWRT of Eastern Kansas. If you can't be there, you can order a copy from this blog, from Amazon, or Barnes & Noble, and of course, directly from the History Press. I will have copies at Lincoln, Kansas, for the Lincoln Day festivities as well.

New Book Launch--Feb. 28

Michelle and I want to invite you to the launch party for Kansas Forts and Bases: Sentinels on the Prairie which will occur at the regular meeting of the Civil War Roundtable of Eastern Kansas, Feb. 28, 6:30 p.m. Michelle and I will speak and then we'll sell, sign and party!!! The CWRT meets each month in the Cox Communications Heritage Education Center, 1118 SE Madison, Topeka.  The meetins are always free and membership, only $15 a year, is encouraged. Come join us! The book retails for $19.99 and we can't wait to share it with you. Thanks so much to Becky Lejeune and the staff at the History Press for such a great job.

We are so proud that retired Col. Jerry Morelock, editor of Armchair General Magazine, wrote the foreword. We cannot thank him enough.

Kansas Forts and Bases--The Cover

 

. . . Michelle is visiting and the cover of our book arrived today. We were copying the page proofs at Office Max when the email with the cover attachment arrived. Woohoo! Most of the cover images were taken by Michelle who is just an outstanding photographer. We think the design folks at History Press did a great job. You never get too old to get excited at the first glimpse of your book. We'll keep you posted on the booksigning tour and the availability of the book. Coming soon to a town near you. . . . Bisel & Martin.

Which reminds me. . . The Civil War in Kansas: Ten Years of Turmoil is officially sold out and about to go into its second printing. Again, thanks to the good folks at History Press. Our editor, Becky Lejeune is a delight to work with as is the rest of the dedicated staff.

Michelle is headed to Michigan for Christmas with her family but will be back here early Christmas morning. What a wonderful season this is for us. There are many places I wanted to go, things I wanted to do, and those plans have not materialized. I am most grateful, however, for the way life has unfolded for us in the past few days and weeks. We are so richly blessed.

May we live in such a way to bless others.